Harry Potter and The Quorn Curry

After four hours in the kitchen and vegetable gardens timeout to visit Rachel, Glenn, Abi and Emma, long term Erraid residents with Zehra, another ex-resident.

Glenn and Emma  have now moved across the water to a cottage with million dollar views onto the mainland.

Young Emma was born on the boat between Craignure and Oban, the nearest hospital is Oban way and babies don't wait for any ferryman!

A relaxed afternoon helping Abi with her homework and letting her proudly show me Harry Potter on their Nintendo DS.

Rachel banged out a fantastic quorn curry and we sat chatting about how life on the island has and hasn't changed over the years. Time to go to catch the tide and an offer from Abi to walk with us some of the way.

Abi walked us down the country lane in her pyjamas to show us the gate to the field we needed for the shortcut home to Erraid.

Not something kids could ever do in cities anymore but something totally normal and safe out here.





A wade through chilly low tide water back onto the island and then a slow serpentine walk back up the hill into the yellow setting sun.

Everything looks so different and calming as the the wildlife settles down for the evening.

Got back to find some of the younger visitors going for it with the clippers in the garden carving patterns into eachother's hair.

I saw they were  surrounded by a  fine but worrying cloud of midges also similarly interested in the bare heads and necks.

A detour through the polytunnels to check out how they are coming on and sampled some peas, strawberries and blackcurrents.

I heard the news about E.Coli and the impact of the outbreak on Europe's vegetable growers. In the interim I would recommend vegetables grown here, not that much of it travels off the island, but it's totally safe.

Tomorrow is a second attempt to join the christian Mecca to Iona, now that the weather here is spectacularly calm and sunny. The ferry is sure to run so it's a quick trip to get to a nearby island.

Findhorn have a centre on the island and we have an invite to go and meditate there - sounds like a plan to me as it must be time to finally get my recalcitrant aura sorted.

The best laid plans

The blustery day turned out to be just that and then some, so the ferry captain cancelled the day's sailings to Iona dammit.

Instead a walk along the cliffs near Fionnphort enjoying wind lifting me up onto my toes and trying hard to knock me over.

The tide turns at 13:30 so I got back to the estuary half an hour early in case the wind bought the tide back early - which is exactly what it did!

So boots and socks off, for a wade back through shallow tidal water to get back onto Erraid, walking back through one of their gardens looking at the polytunnels growing our food and wild flowers.

The cottage Rayburn and water supply decided to give up the ghost, or spirit, given it's Erraid, but I am so well into this by now to worry.

No chance of the compost toilet going on the blink, so when the apocalypse comes, or at least global warming - I'll make a fortune from the queues for my sawdust loos.

 My axe work is getting better as well as the use of farm machinery so I can now knock out a wheel-barrow of firelogs and a basketful of kindling wood without losing a finger, more useful skills rarely needed in Zone 2.

Here is Orlando showing me how to split wood and remove the bark.

Looking forward to tonight's meal to catch-up with everyone else's adventures today.