Lachie Where Are You?
05/18/2005
A wonderful deep sleep in the Great Bed of Trollaigh, nothing like being back home however successful any holiday trip has been. Blue sky and sunshine break through the curtains from 7.00, and it is good to be out of bed with the smell of freshly baked bread wafting up from Mhairi’s kitchen. The forecast is not too good with a cloudy wet front moving in later to-day from the west, so Lachie and I fairly whiz round the outdoor tasks before I have to be locked into the office to cope with five days of mail and messages. Much of this ever-increasing pile is good news in a way, because those of you who know my occupation in shipping will rejoice with me that shipping rates have rocketed following the super-heating of the Chinese economy. Today is a bit of a milestone as ships that struggled to command $40K per week, have brokered to $240K this week, not only has this made it very difficult to place orders for new ships, but share prices in the Diamond T have risen sharply making me lots of paper money. It is all a bit embarrassing for an old semi-retired chap, but exciting none the less. I do get hold of the Police Inspector who claims that an elderly camper was “mooned” in the glen over the weekend. The inspector accepted that I was away, and of course, no other member of the household would stoop to such depths, Lachie, where the hell are you! We must have words. Cheers, Archie, The Baron Trollaigh.
Archie’s Hols.
Day Two. Ullapool to Timsgarry. Wrapped in fluffy white robes dearest Dottie and I flit through the lounge at the Ceilidh Place to make ourselves morning tea. We admire this room stuffed with wonderful artwork from the 70’s on, borrowed, stolen or left over from a hundred of the Urquhart’s exhibitions. We face the first of our cooked breakfasts of the trip, settle the bill and head off in glorious sunshine for the Stornoway ferry. We cross a millpond Minch and lunch at HS-1 in town after a quick walkabout. Then it’s off to the west side of Lewis over the Barvas moor where 270 wind turbines are proposed and slowly motor south with special visits to the Callanish Stones, Carlaway Broch and finally the beautifully restored Blackhouse village at Gearrannan. We are very impressed with the way public funds have been spent with enthusiasm and good judgement to help interpret the past for us all, so much better that some of the appalling mismanagement on the mainland. In unbelievable scenery, we reach Richard and Joanna Gollin’s Baile-na-cille overlooking Traigh Uig. It is perhaps unfortunate that the orchestrated eccentricity of our hosts and the main house does not extend to our tatty accommodation, but what a view. Dinner was served at a common table, shared with elderly hikers and younger rock impresarios, good company, but the roast venison, although excellent seemed a rather wintery choice. We got to the top of a nearby hill to watch our first western ocean sunset for years. Can this get better? Yours aye,Archie.