I Visit Arran Again

It is actually been over two years since I have been on Arran for work.  The cost of getting my car across on the ferry,  inhibits me from a casual trip across . . . so when work is picking up the tab, all systems are go!

I thought that if the the ferries were running and if I could get somebody else to come along and if the forcasted gales stayed away long enough, I could squeeze a dive into my working day.  It would have to be meticulously planned and dive after my last appointment at lunch time and before the 4:20 pm crossing.

I broadcasted my plan to my dive club on Wednesday and the first volunteer was young David, a trainee.  He hasn't been diving in a while and would like to just "get his chops back".  Fine!  The dive I planned was a shallow dive in Lamlash Bay.  Easy in and easy out on sand, staying shallow because in our short winter days, light is often very poor.

I had to get up at about 04:00 to be out of the house by 05:00.   I picked David up at 06:00 just outside Castle Douglas and then drove north to Adrossan.  When I got out to go buy tickets for the ferry, it was very windy.  I was starting to resign myself to just a day out on the island, scrapping the dive because of the weather. We caught the 09:40 crossing from Adrossan to Brodick. 

Though there was a little pitch and roll on the way over, by the time the ferry entered Brodick Bay, the sea was very calm.  The wind direction mean that Brodick was sheltered.  Force 5 winds but there is barely a ripple on this bay.  

We managed the usual tourist stuff, buying cheese and soap.  We didn't really have time to get to the brewery, distillery or chocolate shop as we had a different agenda today.

Over in Lamlash Bay where the dive was planned there was a slight chop on the water, but nothing that would stop me from going in.  I must say that it doesn't take much for me to call off a dive, so the conditions were really quite okay. 

David and I DID manage to get a dive!  Because I was intimidated by the wind, I cut our dive from one hour to half an hour.  I was afraid that the wind would change direction during the dive.  That has happened before.

This is us getting ready - You can see the wind whipping my hair.  I put my hair into two plaits when I dive.  It is so much easier to manage and much less painful with a tight neoprene neck seal.  If I don't braid my hair up, it gets pulled and that hurts.

Once you're under the water, there is no wind.  There was a bit of current in the bay the further out we went, but as for bad weather, that was all on the surface.  We saw some wonderful stuff!  David was the first to spot some long-legged spider crabs.  They are very spider-like in appearance.  When I looked them up in my books afterward, I discovered that they stick bits of stuff on themselves for camoflage as they don't have much in the way of defense.  Staying hidden is the best way for them to stay alive. There were very few starfish.  Just a couple of little tiny ones, hidden between rocks.


My buddy also spotted a little humpbacked shrimp.  I noticed a seaweed with blue iridescence on it.  That was beautiful!  I was unsure about where the no-take zone starts and stops in Lamlash Bay.  Taking a sample of this pretty seaweed wasn't going to happen.  I wouldn't do that anyway.  If I'm in again with my camera, I'll get a picture.  I won't take the camera in when I have a trainee with me.  All my focus is on them and the dive.

On Friday afternoon, at the end of the working week, I managed to get a dive.  It was a beautiful dive too!

Many thanks to David  for coming along and being such good company.  It was a lovely lovely day out.

Violent Storm Force 11 to Hurricane Force 12

It has been a bit breezy here the past couple of days.   Last night was a real window rattler.

On Wednesday night I was late coming home.  I was out having coffee with my pals and time got away from me.  As I crawled into bed, the clock radio on my bedside table was still on and the Shipping Forecast was
being sent out.   The man on the BBC said that in some shipping areas, the seas were violent storm force 11 to hurricane force 12!  I had never heard those numbers before! The shipping areas that were supposed to get the worst weather were further up north, shipping areas SE Iceland, Faeroes, Fair Isle, Viking.  So I knew we were in for some wind but the worst weather was further north.

Beaufort wind scale	Mean Wind Speed		Limits of wind speed		Wind descriptive terms	Probable wave height in metres*	Probable maximum wave height in metres*	Seastate	Sea descriptive terms
	Knots	ms-1	Knots	ms-1
0	0	0	<1	<1	Calm	-	-	0	Calm (glassy)
1	2	1	1–3	1-2	Light air	0.1	0.1	1	Calm (rippled)
2	5	3	4–6	2-3	Light breeze	0.2	0.3	2	Smooth (wavelets)
3	9	5	7–10	4-5	Gentle breeze	0.6	1.0	3	Slight
4	13	7	11–16	6-8	Moderate breeze	1.0	1.5	3–4	Slight–Moderate
5	19	10	17–21	9-11	Fresh breeze	2.0	2.5	4	Moderate
6	24	12	22–27	11-14	Strong breeze	3.0	4.0	5	Rough
7	30	15	28–33	14-17	Near gale	4.0	5.5	5–6	Rough–Very rough
8	37	19	34–40	17-21	Gale	5.5	7.5	6–7	Very rough–High
9	44	23	41–47	21-24	Severe gale	7.0	10.0	7	High
10	52	27	48–55	25-28	Storm	9.0	12.5	8	Very High
11	60	31	56–63	29-32	Violent storm	11.5	16.0	8	Very High
12	-	-	64+	33+	Hurricane	14+	-	9	Phenomenal

It got pretty breezy here and we lost a few panes of glass on the greenhouse . . . again.  I will admit that I'm getting weary of replacing that glass.  I'm going to have to find a solution to this re-glazing problem.

Some of the dive club members were across in Eyemouth this morning.  I don't know if the sea was calm enough for them to get in or not.  I prefer smooth, calm water but that isn't always what I have.  The roughest sea I'll consider entering is about 5.  There is some footage around somewhere of me jumping into a sea that isn't overly calm.  I'll try to put it up here.

Once you're under the water, it isn't so bad, it is just the getting in and out safely that's the tricky part.  That and trying to to get sea sick. 

At a quiz night a few years ago, The Man of the Place and I had to label a map showing all the shipping areas around the British Isles.  We got some of the labels right.  I think now we might do a bit better as we're more aware of the sea and which shipping area we are diving in  - mostly Malin.

I don't hear any roaring tonight so I think it is calming down a bit.

Dad Was Here

At the beginning of October, my dad came for a visit.  He hasn't been here in a long time.  The last time he visited, the extension project was in its infancy. I don't think I had seen my father since my sister Katie's wedding.  That was too long between visits.

We had a lovely time together. I cooked a lot of his favourite stuff - mostly soup and cake.  :-)  He loves soup.  I took him to a couple of places that I like to visit.  Its great when he visits because we have the same interests.  If I take him to look at stuff I like, I know he'll enjoy it too.  As we wandered, we talked about stuff we used to do; fishing, nature walks, swimming.  I loved those conversations!  One of the reasons I like the things in the natural world is down to him in the first place. 


There was a visit to Caerlaverock Wildfowl and Wetlands reserve too.  We saw a family of four Whooper swans arrive from Iceland.  If the swans are just in from Iceland their feathers will be all stained from the tannin in the water.  There were some barnacle geese arriving as well.  At the end of November there will be tens of thousands on our Dumfriesshire shores.

The staff were really wonderful.  Dad was having mobility issues during his visit and they allowed me to take the car in and drive up to the hides.  It was a Monday morning and it was howling a hurricane.  There were only a handful of stalwart birdwatchers there (and an ITV news team) so my car didn't impact on any other birdwatchers.

The next day we went to the river Esk to see if we could see some salmon running.  We couldn't see any salmon but it was nice to sniff the fresh pine scented air and listen to the river run across the rocks.  I brought along a walking stick (Claude's) and a folding chair.  I'm glad I did - both came in very handy!

I love my dad.  His visit was all too short.  I hope it isn't as long as that before I see him again.

Work day

Today was a sort of get-your-head-down-and-get-to-the-other-side-of-the-day sort of day.  Overcast and slightly blustery, it was only made tolerable by the addition of my trusty dog Polly and views of the Scottish coastline.

I was in Saltcoats.  The Isle of Arran dominates the horizon in Saltcoats. (the mountains in the distance) All I really wanted to do was to take the next ferry across and hang out on the island and visit some friends who live there.

Now that we're in November, the days are noticably short and are only going to get shorter.  Next month sees the arrival of the shortest day of the year.  This far north the sun doesn't get very high in the sky in the winter.  It's dark when we leave the house and dark when we come home at night. 

I think that the months and years are shorter the farther north you get as well.  I find that now that I've been living up here for almost 20 years that the months and years are screaming by at an alarming rate.

Ok - I'm done complaining about the climate in Scotland for today.  

Here is a link with more facts if you're interested. Short days and lots of rain!

Diving in The Gloom

Sunday saw us out on Loch Long with our dive club.

It was another great day out with our friends, because that's what they've become, friends.

Here are the two of us waving to our shore cover person (who had my camera). The weather wasn't great - but then we are in Scotland and it's the tail end of October. 

We were diving at a place called "A Frames" because it's an easy entry dive.  Its a good all round dive.  Lots of sea life to see.  Yesterday there were enough common starfish to start a revolution!  The whelks were very busy laying eggs in big papery blobs.  I made two short dives yesterday and during the first dive I saw a group of about four large common whelks all in a big egg laying frenzy.

I didn't take any underwater photos for a couple of reasons:  1. I was training.  When one has a trainee in the water, you can't be taking photos.  All your focus is on your trainee.  2. It was dark.   The water wasn't particulary cloudy as long as folk didn't kick up silt from the bottom but it was a very dark and cloudy day..  I prefer to have better light conditions.  

I did take a few shore photos:  This is The Man of the Place

He is in hunter gatherer mode and collected about 4 kilos of wild mussels.  We split this haul with a couple of people.  Wild mussels are certainly a LOT different to farmed mussels.  First of all there is a lot more cleaning involved.  Barnacles have to be scraped, limpets removed and they must be rinsed more than once.  As for flavour, they are delicious!  Our were cooked in white wine, shallots, butter and parsley with cream thrown in at the end.  We were transported!

As these mussels come from the West Coast of Scotland and their lives were lived on our turbulent coast, grit got inside them . . . the mussels did what any decent bivalve would do when faced with grit, they created pearls.

 They aren't gem quality - but they are pearls.  Some mussels had more than others.  We had to be very careful when eating them.  It was similar to eating pheasant or duck  . . . you have to watch for the bird shot. 

Feeling Better - Let's Walk the Dog

We are turning the corner with the flu bug.  I'm working at about 78% capacity and thought the long suffering hound could really do with a nice long walk.

I bundled up and took her up the road to our favourite walk.  It snowed about an inch last night and I could see we were the first and only visitors to the pond today.  Well, the only domestic visitors . . .

There were some deer tracks.

By this little hill, I could see where some pheasants had been dragging their sleds around in the snow.

Then there was evidence of a fox.

 I got this shot of the fox's path through the snow before Polly could go and bounce all over the tracks and spoil it.

The fox had zig zagged all up and down the snowy lane looking for something, anything to eat.

This tree looked lacey with the snow still clinging to its branches.

I don't know if you can tell from this photo how quiet it was . . . . but I could only hear my footsteps and own breath.

Here's our pond.  It looks different all silent and frozen.  In a few months - this bit of water will be heaving with the activity of spring but for now, it is still.

This surprised me - the moles - blast their furry hides - are still active.  This mole hill at the side of the road was made fresh this morning.

Farewell 2010

On the last day of the year, I took my dear sweet dog Polly on a walk.  It was foggy today and there might have been a pheasant shoot nearby so I put on a high viz vest and I put one on the dog.   I've got a new camera and I was keen to start using it.


Polly in the fog

I haven't been on our favourite walk in a while.  We've had lots of snow and very cold temperatures.  Now, the dog loves to play in the snow, but it has been too cold to go out.  It's the sort of cold where you feel your nose hairs freeze and snow squeaks.

Looking up our lane

A couple warmer days and some rain have made the snow go away.   We are now back to normal Scottish winters with fog, rain and generally dreich weather.   

The pond in the fog

There were plenty of pheasants up here today and a huge blue heron.  In the fog it looked like a pterodactyl!

I am headed to my bed early as I have a hacking cough.  I'll leave the rest of you to whoop it up and sing Auld Lang Syne. 

We've been at our home, Whitelees for almost 17 years now.  These trees were saplings when we first arrived.  I remember being careful not to step on them when in that field picking daisies.



The Trees have grown!

I was talking about this with the youngest member of the family we agreed that our life here is pretty fantastic.  We wouldn't live anywhere else.  I'm really looking forward to the next year! 

Cold Problems

I don't want to always be moaning about the weather. I don't mind snow and I can deal with much colder temperatures than we have at the moment. As I have mentioned before, any condition that freezes the mud is fine by me. However, not everything around here is as hardy as this northern gal.Our drains have frozen. I'm pleased it isn't water pipes that have frozen, but I fear those could be next if we're not careful.

I went into the bathroom just before dinner and noticed that the bathtub had a bit of standing water in it from a drippy tap (faucet) and the bath plug was not in. That is not good. I hoped for a hairball or some other non-frozen clog problem but I feared the worst. I ran some hot water into the tub and got the plunger out. Plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge and . . . . nothing. Just lots of grit coming up - eventually a leaf came up as well. I had plunged as far as I could plunge. As illustrated above, the drains to this bathroom are external - and there is a big old freeze in them somewhere.
This is the tub full of warm, dirty water after the failed effort to plunge the clog away. I have put a call in to the plumber, but I suspect his time is at a premium with burst pipes and frozen drains.

Meanwhile, George and I saw an actual snowplow come by the house! Twice!!! Sadly the plow's blades were set too high and it looks as though nothing was actually plowed up and there was no grit or sand sprinkled on our little lane. *sigh* Why is nobody prepared for this weather? Is it such a big surprise that we've got snow in the winter? Sheesh! We haven't even had a full foot of snow!

Polly and I continue to enjoy the weather. Polly should have sound effects when going for a walk in the snow. The sound effect would be a *boing boing boing* sort of sound. I cheer up just watching her.

Snow!

First thing - I FOUND my camera! Edinburgh at night - I think if you click on the photo, you can see Edinburgh Castle in the distance, up on the hill.

The camera was in a little and seldom used side pocket of my handbag. See? Proves my point that smaller handbags are better. The handbag I am using at the moment is much large than ones I have used in the past and I'm not liking it. In addition, if one is going into town for a boozy night with your pals, you really shouldn't take a camera as you may lose it.
This is at my friend Nina's place in Livingston on Thursday night. The roads were not plowed and I was so glad that we were taking the train into Edinburgh instead of driving.
Merry bunch of work colleagues - before the copious amounts of wine set in . . . .

Then more snow yesterday . . . . The road in front of our house.Another merry bunch! - the Dive Club Christmas party - We had squeaky balloons that we used to launch at other tables at the hotel.
Alex - in stylish Christmas cracker hat - Our drive - Doesn't it look so Christmassy?

Still Walking That Dog

It started to snow just before three this afternoon. Any news that I've heard has forecast lots of snow. I thought I had better get the dog out there for her exercise before the snow started in earnest. Just as I was setting out, I saw the barn owl again. There is one, possibly two living in the barn next door to us. I wasn't fast enough with the camera. Trust me, the owl is gorgeous and looks huge from this distance.

On the way to our favourite dog walking spot I stopped by our neighbour's house and dropped off some things I had picked up for them during the week and collected a new jar of marmalade. Our lovely neighbour makes marmalade a couple of times a year and we always get a jar. It is vastly superior to shop bought marmalade.
Here is an early rhododendron blossom.

The old well behind their house.

The road up to the pond.

Frozen tracks in the snow:

There were pheasant all over the place. It seems as though there wasn't a square foot up there that didn't have a pheasant track on it.

The delicate paw prints of a fox. There were loads of fox tracks. I didn't think there were so many.

Oddly, there were no deer tracks today.
The duck pond was frozen over. Polly started to walk out onto the ice. I don't know how thick the ice is. I had visions of her going through and me having to go and get her so I called her back as soon as I noticed what she was doing. There was a confused heron flying nearby. Sorry Mr Wading Bird. You're going to have to look elsewhere for stuff to eat. The food here is under ice.

I kept thinking that in a few short weeks, winter will be over and this place will be overrun with spawning frogs and toads.

In the meantime, it is still firmly winter. It's a shame that at 3 pm it is already too dark on this bit of footage for the falling snow to be seen.


Polly and I had a nice walk in the quiet and lightly falling snow. She does this mad thing where she runs on ahead and then come back to be at full speed. You can see hints of this great trick of hers in the video. It always looks as though she is going to crash right into my legs. As she has the head of a full sized bull terrier, a full on collision would knock me flat. She always swerves at the last possible moment. The trick I have found is to pause or stop momentarily just before she gets to you as she goes right on by. If you step to one side to avoid the oncoming doggy locomotive, you run a much greater risk of collision.

I am writing this about three hours after our walk. The sun has set and the snow has stopped. There isn't nearly enough snow for a snow day but there is still the threat of more. I get the feeling that winter isn't quite done with us yet.

More of the Same!

The schools are open but the exams that are due to be taken today have been put back one day. Some of the students who live in the hills (George included) are having difficulty getting in.
The roads in and out of our village are very slippery. As we do not live in a populated area, our roads are way down on the snowplow pecking order. The roads are passable but hazardous. I'll give it a go later on this morning. I can drive on snow and ice. I first got behind the wheel of a car on a frozen lake in Wisconsin. My dad took me out onto a frozen lake and then let me get behind the wheel. It was a great place to learn as there was nothing to hit! Once I figured out the mechanics of it all and had a little bit of confidence, I graduated to empty logging roads. Again, there was nothing to hit as long as I stayed on the road. His advice still is to go and practice your skills in an empty car park (parking lot) after the first snow of the year. Practice skidding and correcting skids so that you're better equipped if you find yourself sliding where you don't want to be sliding.

Polly likes a good romp in the snow, but only for short periods of time. She would much rather stay by the fire and be warm. Sensible dog!
This is the window by the computer. I watch pheasants walk by this window all the time. Just now there are no pheasants but the snow is just as pretty to look at.

Ok - that's enough. This amount of snow isn't a patch on the snows of my youth. We can still get in and out of the kitchen door with no difficulty at all. I'm off to try to get some work done.