Where Has the Sun Gone?

I feel like I live in ancient neolithic times and I’m beginning to worry that the sun went on his mid winter journey and has forgotten the way back.  My perception is that we have endured this grey miserable weather unremittingly for about eight weeks now.  I know short term weather memory is notoriously unreliable but it seems I have been checking the weather forecast and Calmac Service status on an hourly basis for a very long time.  It has made it a very stressful holiday season as regards the comings and goings of our family in the last two weeks.  Fortunately everyone managed to be where they wanted to be at approximately the right time – no strandings on the wrong side of the water or miserable nights in lonely hotel rooms (all that remained in Plan B).

On Boxing Day we had a very bouncy crossing and the Calmac captain managed to berth at Wemyss Bay amidst crashing waves and rolling seas – all other sailings went to Gourock.  This meant we were able to attend a very joyful family party at Lenzie – although at least one guest was a bit dubious.

Is she really related to us?

A delightful day – lots of toys to play with, too much food and great fun and laughter.  The youngest member of the family had the right idea – if it all gets too much just go to sleep on the spot.

Our immediate family were all returning to Rothesay with us and all day we read the text messages from Calmac about the deteriorating weather.  I am glad to say that the two car loads of us caught the last boat at 7 o’clock from Gourock.

In my last post I mentioned the swimmer we saw on Christmas Day – well he was in the water again on Tuesday so this time we stopped for a chat with his supporters.

27th December 2011

The gentleman, who lives in England, has relatives here and is in training to swim the English Channel next August to raise funds for Calum’s Cabin.  I take my hat off to him.

In Rothesay Bay

The above photograph is not the best quality but I wanted to show the swimmer was really at Rothesay.  The boats were severely disrupted again on Wednesday and Keith and Nicky had to go off on the wee ferry at the Rhubodach – Colintraive crossing and drive the long way around to Glasgow.  Fortunately they did not encounter any fallen trees or landslips on the way.  By the afternoon, at high tide, the waves were crashing on the shore in front of our house and the wind was whipping the spray right across the road.  This is the most dramatic I have seen it in our three and half years here.  The following photograph had to be taken from inside the porch as it was impossible to stand up outside.

A Very Salty Day

The red plastic fencing is supposedly to protect pedestrians from tripping over the temporary sewage pipes laid along the pavement.  The workmen started before Christmas on some planned work but the weather and holidays have caused an interruption.  They could not get the fence to stand up for longer than about ten minutes at a time before bits began to blow over so eventually the panels were placed on top of the pipes and anchored with sandbags.

Family at Scalpsie Bay, December 2011

Happy Christmas from Rothesay

It is lovely in here – the curtains are drawn against the horrendous weather, the turkey is in the oven, we have watched the Queen whilst munching on chocolate penguins (very moreish with added chilli) and I can spare ten minutes to wish you all a Happy Christmas whilst the rest of the family are asleep watching Happy Feet.  The weather and forecast have been causing us some concern – the boat was on amber alert yesterday but managed to keep going all day.  There is no scheduled service for today although I suspect it would have been ‘disrupted’.  We are anxious about the strength and direction of the wind tomorrow (Boxing Day) as we plan a trip to the mainland for the day and Keith and Nicky coming back with us.  There is a Plan B and Plan C in place.

A Bracing Walk

As we drove back from church at about noon I saw half a dozen folk standing on the esplanade near our house looking down into the water.  They suddenly started to applaud and my first fleeting thought was that they were scattering a loved one’s ashes but as I looked back I saw that a man was swimming in the sea – that must have been some bet!

The weather was very wild when we went for a quick walk at Ettrick Bay.  The tide was quite high and the spray was being whipped up the beach mingling with the horizontal rain.  It wasn’t very cold and we were all well protected from the elements.  At first I thought I wouldn’t be able to scratch my traditional greeting on the sand but on the way back I found a little space above the tide line.  I wish you and all your loved ones a Very Happy Christmas.

Christmas 2011

Can We Spread Christmas Out a Bit?

Our elderly bodies and brains are struggling with the concentrated socializing that is whirling about this island – that is why the blogging has been a bit spasmodic of late.  In this little lull between the rush of shopping, cleaning, cooking and wrapping and the joy of family and Christmas I thought I would do a little catch up of the last three weeks – in no particular order. Interspersed are some wild weather photographs taken a week past Tuesday when we had yet another ferry free day due to the wind (mostly by Colin as I could hardly stand up).

Nativity Story

Our wonderful children at church performed their version of the Christmas story on Sunday.  They are small in number, of a wide age range and all performed to their best ability.  Owain Jones (our minister) was emphasising that the retelling of the Christmas story every year is very important – that no matter how many times it is told there is always something new to hear.  I raise my hat to the Sunday School leaders who managed a bit of theological adaptation to accommodate the dilemma of having not one but two baby boys available for the starring role.  Solution – Mary’s cousin Elizabeth visited her and baby Jesus in the stable with her own baby boy (John the Baptist).  Result – two adorable babies fast asleep in their car seats (hay in mangers is far too prickly).  Last year’s baby Jesus was a wobbly just toddling shepherd this year.  Not a dry eye in the church – and hopefully these children will remember and understand the story of Christmas in years to come.

Sea Spray at Ettrick Bay

‘Christmas Dinners‘ or How to Avoid Turkey

We were out five nights in a row (12th – 16th) four of which involved a meal; and I made a concerted effort not to jump the gun and have turkey.  Monday saw us at the Advice Centre dinner in Cannon House (I chose the vegetarian option), Tuesday was the North Buteshire Literary Society dinner at the Victoria Hotel (salmon this time), Thursday was the Rotary dinner at the Kingarth Hotel (vegetarian again I think, can’t remember, but it wasn’t turkey) and finally on Friday was the Macmillan Cancer Support Centenary Dinner and Dance at the Glenburn Hotel (roast beef) – all of this food was delicious and I hope my turkey on Sunday is as good.

The Macmillan ‘Ball’ was a much anticipated occasion – having a dinner dance on the island is now a rare event, it was a full dress up affair (and don’t we all scrub up well when called to) and we were in the newly refurbished ballroom of the Glenburn.  It was wonderful – delightful company, delicious food, lots of fun and laughter, excellent dancing to Jimmy Duncan’s New Ceilidh Band and I won a prize in the raffle (a very acceptable voucher, donated by Calmac, for a car and four passengers return tickets to Wemyss Bay – I would have accepted it even if it had been for the Caribbean).  The Glenburn is only two minutes walk from our house and fortunately it wasn’t slippy underfoot when we strolled home at one in the morning.  The ladies of the Macmillan committee had worked very hard and have raised approximately £2,400 for a very good cause.

A Very High Tide - Ferry Nearly ON the Pier

Music at Christmas

There have been at least two notable musical events.  On the 14th was the Community Christmas Carol Concert at Rothesay Joint Campus.  What a fantastic variety of musical talent was on show, and it really was a community affair, from the five year olds playing recorders and singing, through the teenage ‘pop’ group and Academy Swing Band, right up to the adults (more than a few with bus passes) who were in choirs and the newly formed Community Wind Band.  For the finale all the performers (well over a hundred) came together in a great squash to sing and play Homeward Bound and White Christmas – tears again, I seem to be crying quite a lot just now, either tears of laughter or tears of emotion, joy and happiness.

Crashing Waves at Ettrick Bay

The second noteworthy musical event was the annual Carols by Candlelight in the Marble Chapel at Mount Stuart.  We have been before, but it is always a very moving service of readings and carols in an awesome setting.  It is always freezing cold in the chapel but somehow the icy shine from all the polished glistening marble is softened by the many flickering candles.  The choir who come together for this occasion are superb and they start by processing into the chapel with a single beautiful soprano voice singing the first verse of Once in Royal David’ City – yet another lump in my throat.

Pier at Port Bannatyne

The photograph above shows the stone pier and Port Bannatyne almost submerged – the small horizontal piece of wood barely visible above the water is the top of the old wreck which is tied up rotting to the pier.  The picture below shows how it can look in summer.

Port Bannatyne in August

The weather is again becoming quite wild tonight and already Calmac are posting amber warnings for possible disruption on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day (no service on Christmas Day).  Jane arrived here safely yesterday and I pray that all others who are trying to get home for Christmas do so safely.  We will be watching the weather forecast and service status carefully as we plan  a trip to the mainland on Monday and Keith and Nicky will be coming back with us.

Making for Shelter

Let There be Light

… and I’m not just referring to the welcome resumption of the electricity supply.  I am talking of the efforts of the Ho-Ho-House owners and the excited imaginations of the 60 or so children who last Saturday took part in UCB‘s Lighting Up Christmas event.  Because we spend so much time in the darkness in the winter months the good folks of Bute put a lot of effort into decorating the outsides of their houses and gardens – I do suspect there is also an element of competition involved but I very much enjoy the colourful results.  I can’t help thinking back to the late 50s and early 60s when during December as we rode home on the tram from Granny Walker’s house my sister and I would have a Christmas tree counting competition.  Each of us kneeling on the opposite bench seats of the tram and furiously counting the lit trees in the tenement windows along Duke Street and Shettleston Road as we passed. Nothing like the elaborate decorations of today but every bit as magical.

As in the last few years, once again UCB hosted groups of children who were challenged to decorate a Christmas tree with home made decorations.  Now that this event is well established the children, their parents and leaders know what is expected and clearly have spent time, and made much effort in advance preparations.

Work in Progress

The church is full of noise and laughter as the children hang their carefully made decorations on their trees.  Each year the ideas become more inventive with ever more copious quantities of glitter and glue involved.

The Traditional Design

I can visualise the tongue protruding concentration needed with all this cutting and colouring and glittering.  One group had gone for the naturalists approach and started off by collecting their raw materials from the seashore.

Decorated Sea Shells

The shells were then decorated with multi coloured shiny ‘confetti’.  They chose not to put fairy lights on their tree but continued the natural theme by festooning it with teased out strands of old sun bleached rope.  The effect was ethereal and a friend dubbed it the Miss Haversham tree.  This was my favourite,  but unfortunately the photograph does not do it full justice.  As in previous years I was very, very glad not to be involved in the judging – that pleasure / short straw fell to the minister of Trinity Church.  The decorators of all the second placed trees didn’t seem too disappointed as everyone was having such a good time.

The 'Miss Haversham' Tree

While the judging was taking place all the children and adults joined in singing carols and Christmas songs.  The highlight of this was undoubtedly the very tiny tots of the Apple Tree Nursery.  Not only did the 8 three and four year olds sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star loud enough to be heard they then went on to sing it again but this time in Spanish – wow!

A Variety of Styles

After all that hard work the hungry hordes repaired to the church hall for a sumptuous spread of cakes and goodies washed down with gallons of juice and tea.

The Reindeer Cupcakes were Scrumptious

Altogether it was a very happy, noisy, joyful occasion and already a few of the Leaders of some of the  Children’s Organisations  have marked the date in their diaries for next year.  There is Light in Rothesay.

The Smiles Say It All

Another Wild Thursday

This time the wind got up to ‘hurricane’ force.  There was plenty of advance notice from the weather forecasters so we planned to stay cosily at home.  Although everyone here moans when the ferry gets cancelled I have to give Calmac their due in that they at least try to run a service.  In spite of the worsening conditions the boat set off for the mainland only to be diverted to Gourock.  When they tried to come back across they got as far as Toward and couldn’t ‘get round the corner’ into the shelter of the Bay and had to return up river to Gourock and stay over until Friday morning.  This is the first time we have seen this happen as the preferred position for the ferries is to be safely tied up to the pier in sheltered Rothesay.

From the comfort of the house it was fascinating watching  the very choppy sea in the Bay  and by afternoon the windows were well coated with salt from the spectacular spray blowing off the waves.  Thankfully we personally didn’t suffer any damage and throughout the island it seems to have been slates, a few chimneys, and trees blown down over on the more exposed side of Bute.  The biggest problem was many hours without electricity.  Three times during the day and evening the power went off for a few hours each time.  We very fortunately have a gas fire in one room which can be lit with a long match and also a gas hob – together with candles, torches and a battery radio we were very cosy.  I felt very sorry for the shops and businesses who must have lost so much business but at least the hospital’s emergency generators had a good testing and functioned perfectly.

Calm after the storm

I haven’t posted many photographs recently mostly because the weather has been so grey but on Friday we went round to Port Bannatyne Post Office for coffee and took the camera.  This is the fast disappearing remains of the old pier.  I wonder how many more winters it will survive.

This week is going to be very, very busy – a genuine ‘out every night’ spell – four Christmas Dinners and a Concert.  I’ve been having a think about what to wear each night and have decided that my four outfits will be worn in descending order of tightness because I may just possibly have gained a few pounds by Friday.  It would be nice to think that I could practically stop eating the following week but realistically I know that is not going to happen.

I’ve just looked at XCWeather and tomorrow looks like being another ‘ferry disrupted day’.  I’ll just go and batten down the hatches once more and pinpoint the torch.