Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Happy New Tax Year
04/06/2005
Once again, we seem to beat the worst of the weather. OK it is a bit miserable as we endure strong gust of wind and some heavy showers, but we have brief glimpses of blue sky with high thin clouds above. It is chilly at plus 7/8 degrees and a good sprinkling of snow on the tops. It is what we should expect in early April, I always have the false belief that we can have early spring weather when the days start to get longer and snowdrops push up in February and March. However, here in the glens above 500 feet we must not expect settled conditions until the end of April when we plan our main lambing. We are in an Atlantic depression and Heather the Weather warns us to expect strong Northerlies, frost, snow and thunder over the next three days. Suddenly small wild birds are at the nut feeders again, especially Siskines and the rate of nut consumption has doubled, do they know something of the cold snap that is due? It is the first day of the new tax year, which means that I must start to pull together all the figures for the estate for last year. Many friends are surprised that I like to get my tax return in early, that way I know what I have to pay and get that part of the rural budget discharged. I know a few folk who put it off for far too long and end up reluctantly supporting their bankers by the end of the summer. Talking of putting things off, the count down to next week’s Country Living Show is now on and Erica is cracking the whip to make sure that I play my part to get Diana Drummond ready in good order. I feel the need to start a new list of “things to do” coming on. But first an Ardbeg momment. Yours Aye, Archie, The Baron Trollaigh.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Muttering and Nodding
04/05/2005
I join the Kerrs at Arichastlich on a sharp clear morning, after a night of stormy rain with a load of fresh snow above 1800 feet. Jonathan has already left for work in the South, but Peter and Andrew are still in Glen Orchy with John and Erica. The phone still rings constantly following Erica’s mother’s funeral. Erica is keen to stay at home to catch up with correspondence and business. The rest of us decide on a spree to launch “Mhairi Katharine” at Balvicar. We are required to visit the post office, the butcher, the chandlery and Tesco en route. However once in Oban the pull of a good lunch at “The Waterfront” proves too great and many a mussel is boiled and many a langoustine is picked clean before 2.30. Then off to Balvicar where the “Mhairi Katharine” is already afloat, but the afternoon is put to good use scrubbing the boat from stem to stern and checking all the systems. Almost everything goes according to plan, although there are a few snags still to be sorted out. We spend much of the time in deep discussion about topics from diet to tipping and quantum physics to space elevators, I mutter and nod from time to time, but as always really enjoy the company of younger people. I go straight back to the Tower of Glen Trollaigh in the evening, avoiding Erica who by now must have uncovered my gaffs of yesterday, even dearest Dottie seems a little distant over one of Mhairi’s superb dinners. I hide in the library after dinner with a large Ardbeg and plot a way of getting back into the good books. Yours Aye, Archie, The Baron Trollaigh.