Tobermory Tales - April 2004

Excitement in Tobermory at the weekend. A fisherman reported seeing the Balamory Monster for only the first time this year.

The angler was walking by Lochan na Guailne Duibhe a little way outside of Tobermory when he sighted the monster in the middle of the lake. Luckily he was able to take the picture you see below before the monster sank beneath the waters again.



Cheers
Gary

Yes, I'm off-island and down in rural Northamptonshire for a few days.

I've brought the eldest two south to visit their father in London and rather than just turn round and drive home again I've managed to pickup a few days working for a company I used to be employed by. I've also got a couple of customers to drop in on while I'm here.

I'm lodging with an old friend, Pete, who's infamy has already spread far and wide. I might tell a few tales on him before I head north again; we'll see.

Anyhow, it's very sunny down here but chillier than on Mull. You really miss the Gulf Stream so far inland.

Cheers
Gary

Yes, I'm still off-island, back in the central England. It's really quite strange coming back here, if only for a short time.

I've lived in Northamptonshire all my life before moving to Mull and I think after living in one place for so long something gets into your blood. I somehow fit into the landscape.

I was missing Steph and the kids quite a lot so it came as a great surprise to get a call from her to say she was on a train with Rosie and Spike and coming down to England to visit us for Easter!

My mum's face was a picture when out of the blue she saw them walking up her garden path. She wasn't expecting another visit until the summer at least.

A friend is house-sitting for us and feeding the three cats but Steph will be back in the island after the Bank Holiday. I still have another week to go.

Cheers
Gary

Finally arrived back on the Island last night after a ten hour drive up from England where I've been working for the last fortnight.

I'd picked-up a few days contract-programming for a company I used to work for up until 2000. Many of the old faces were still there.

A friend put me up in his spare room, saving me a hotel bill, but it did mean the beer, curry and pizza bill was a touch higher than expected.

It was a strange trip, seeing so many people and places that I'd left behind. I think the most striking difference between Mull and Northamptonshire is the trees. On Mull the trees are primarily fir or larch whereas in Northants they're mainly deciduous with a huge variety in leaf colour and style.

I quietly checked-up on the house we still own in a village there. The tenants appear to be looking after the place well for us which is a relief as it's going to be our pension fund in later life.

The trip has left me feeling ever so slightly home-sick. I suppose when you've lived within a five square mile area for nearly forty years it gets into your soul somehow.

Steph and I have pretty much come to the conclusion that we're never going to be able to do what we want to do on Mull, mainly due to the lack of suitable building land or property and the Council Planning Department.

That leaves us with the decision of what to do next. Do we look for somewhere on another island or elsewhere on the west coast, or do we go back to England to re-group and start planning again.

The words "New" and "Zealand" have been cropping-up in our conversations rather a lot lately.

Anyhow, more news as and when it happens...

Cheers
Gary

We had a couple of VIPs visit Mull on Tuesday: Mike and Richard who work for the BBC and who are the men behind Island Blogging.

I spent a happy alcoholic hour or so chatting to Richard in MacGochons about the island, blogging, and life in general.

I love being able to put faces to names, especially when you've been speaking or emailing with them for a while. Gods alone knows what he made of me!

The Fair's in town! Well, there's a couple of rides set out on the Ledaig carpark ready for the Mull Music Festival this weekend.

I forgot to mention in an earlier blog that when I came back from working in England I had a stowaway with me. Steph's dad is over from Californa and came back with me to visit. He lives up in the mountains at a place called Ojai where he is a sometimes Buddhist monk and othertimes odd-job man. I can never work it out myself but if you see him around town say 'Hello'.

In the picture above Steph's dad is on the left and her brother Neil is on the right.

Cheers
Gary

... is drawing to a close after three days and nights of excellent and varied music and songs.

Tobermory is awash with visitors and the B&Bs, guesthouses and hotels are all full.

So far as I am aware everything has gone smoothly with no serious problems or misbehaviour, at least nothing out of the ordinary.

Hopefully all our visitors will make it safely home again and start planning their return next year.

Cheers
Gary

Just when you thought it had faded into the sunset the Balamory Parrot makes a comeback to rival the best that Sinatra could manage!

A beautifully sunny day in Tobermory saw the multi-coloured seagull soaring over the harbour and other parts of the town, and this time I had my camera ready:


Perhaps that'll quieten some of you doubters now? ;o)

We also had the Hebridean Princess tied-up alongside the CalMac pier for much of the day, carrying the well-heeled in luxurious comfort.


Hopefully the turn in the weather signifies a prolonged sunny spell for Mull after all the rain we've had lately. I gather the BBC are coming soon to film another series of Balamory so expect storms and tempests to follow close on their heels.

Cheers
Gary