What a great holiday it's been, with the place really busy and wonderful weather. They've even been seen in swimming! Of course it is the best time of year in Carradale; all the wild rhododendrons are coming out and the hills are covered with great patterns of mauve and pinks; the bluebells and wild garlic fill the woodlands . And now you'll have to put it off till next year.

Big sailing event up in Tarbert this weekend with some very swish racing yachts whizzing around Loch Fyne competing for Tunnocks chocolate biscuits (no, that's a lie, they actually have silverware). The view from the hill above the loch with all the coloured sails and spinnakers is quite a sight.

So that's it; start of the summer season; everything up and running. Time for a visit

The cricket team lost again.

By a lot of runs

Carradale Village Hall.

Like most places we have a super and very essential Village Hall, but no one goes to the AGM in case they're voted on the committee. Thus it was that on Friday, just as the fish pie was going under the grill, Matthew comes rushing across the yard and says we're needed to make up the quorum. So off we go (oven off first) . The committee are fed up; they've all done their bit for years (Edna for 37 years as Treasurer), so they're going to close the hall. That'll show them! It's been done before, very effectively, so we'll see how it works this time.

And the pie was fine. (Friday, Wilma's fish van - don't forget)

The burning question of today is - do we want to own an airport?

The old RAF Machrihanish airfield outside Campbeltown has been offered to the community for £1. And they'll clear all the contamination. It's a huge area, boasting the longest runway in Europe, and at the moment it has the Civil Airport in one corner , and a company making towers for wind turbines in another ( it's great fun if you're in Campbeltown when they're driving these huge towers to be loaded on a ship at the harbour. EVERYTHING has to stop!)

But a Community buy-out requires at least 50% of those eligible actually to vote and there doesn't seem huge enthusiasm. We received our ballot papers this week, so we'll see what happens.

Nice morning for a gentle drift up the glen on my bike; unfortunately when you drift up it usually means there's a wind behind you and you have to battle all the way back down. Carradale is not a cyclists' paradise. Too many steep hills in and out of the village. However cycling through the estate and down to the bay is a nice lazy way to spend your days, and some of our adventurous visitors whizz off across forest roads to Tayinloan or down to the Mull. We are officially on National Cycling Route no 73 , but it slightly lost it's point when the ferry to Ireland stopped.

Audrey is our ironer. We have wonderful system whereby I nip round to her house and leave a bag of ironing in the conservatory, and a day or two later there is a bag of meticulously ironed sheets in our porch. And if she's away, Brian - ex RAF so he is also a well trained ironer - takes over. And their cats just love sitting on the top of the bag.

The cricket team WON yesterday. Well done. Arran obviously had a visiting professional who they sneaked in the week before.

It's not easy being a sportsman in Kintyre. You don't just leap on a coach and drive for half an hour to your match. No; every Saturday you can meet shinty players on the Portavadie ferry heading for Tighnabruich, golfers on the Mull ferry heading for Tobermory, or - as was the case last Sunday - cricketers on the Claonaig ferry heading for the Sannox Oval. Surely the most glorious cricket ground in the U.K.

Sadly for our chaps in their first league match of the season they didn't excel. Sannox finished their innings at 286 for 6, with one of their batsman scoring a double century. Carradale were all out for 36.

My turn for Friday cakes today , and as I hadn't baked where to go? Paterson's the bakers of course. In summer, with more visitors around, the shop really gets going with all sorts of goodies. I was able to bag the last of Roger's brilliant chocolate cakes and some Empire ( which I still call German, don't forget the war) biscuits. Some Stornoway black pudding (the very best) and Victor James Fintry tablet. What a haul. With the dog McUgly in the car I had to keep an eye on the basket all the way home.

And talking of baking, there is a meringue war going on at the hotel. Someone was seen pocketing a meringue at the last funeral tea! Marcus will have no truck with such behaviour. People are taking sides.

Booking today to go to a concert by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at Crear. Crear is an exceptional venue on a hillside above Kilberry. It is a beautiful conversion of farm buildings and you sit and listen to exquisite music overlooking the Paps of Jura; we cannot recommend it enough and if there is a concert on during your stay, you must go. They even serve wine and canapes at the end and you can chat with the players. All on the CREAR web site. And if you don't manage a concert a trip round to Kilberry is still worth while; you can get lovely bar lunches and meals in the Kilberry Inn and the scenery is all very dramatic. Unfortunately it's the only detour for us it the road between Ardrishaig and Tarbert is closed, and being single track this can lead to severe problems - Tesco lorries in ditches etc etc. doesn't happen often.

OTTERS.

A few sightings recently which is quite rare for round here. Mike spent a while watching one recently at an UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, but actually pretty near the cottages. And Sandy spent the other evening watching three of them fishing in the sea at Grogport, so that's a nice little evening ploy for you. They are quite friendly wee creatures so if you are lucky enough to come upon them you can get quite close. It's nice to think of them trundling around inland - we once saw one swimming away in a loch about 2000' above Kinlochleven.

And if you like creatures like this, why not take a trip to Loch Coille Bharr at Crinan where beavers have been introduced. Even if you don't see the beavers, it is an exquisite wee loch with a delightful path wending through the birch trees. And at the head you can sit on a bench dedicated to our old friend Roger Larsen, forester there for many years, and take in the wonderful view.

This is the dog McUgly. It's a VERY flattering picture, but not as flattering as the one in the Oban Times which enticed me to drive for over two hours to the rescue kennels at Barcaldine to collect him. What a shock to find a fat brown thug prancing moronically around his pen, and Fiona saying 'we don't think he's house trained' and 'you'll never get him to Carradale without a dog guard'. Ha! How wrong we were. He is a delicious dog with bags of character and slimmed down he doesn't look quite so bad. So when this fearsome brown face peers at you through the bars of the gate when you arrive don't be scared - he just wants to get into bed with you.

An excellent walk up Rhonadale Glen yesterday serenaded by millions of cuckoos, after we'd said good-bye to our cottage week-end visitors. Met Marcus and Mo from the hotel with their telescope out eagle watching. This year the eagles are nesting again and rumour has it that there are two eggs in the nest, so lots of exciting bird watching ahead of us.

The Drama Club plays in the Hall on Saturday were a great success with a large turn-out; as tends to be the case now we weren't sitting in serried rows, but were casually around tables in night club style. It was a pity they hadn't booked the drinks licence in time. Fortunately our friend Audrey was in the know and produced a bottle and 3 glasses from her bag so, while everybody else knocked back the diet coke, we were able to enjoy a cheeky little Merlot!

Well, here we go. Another brilliant morning in Carradale and unfortunately the shock absorbers on the MG Midget will have to wait while Mike paints the windows of Mhairi's cottage and I tend the Chilean fire tree which is just ready to burst into all its scarlet glory.

Glad to see Argyll's MP was safely returned and will now be helping Nick Clegg form a government, or something.

Some people seem to have be having some problems with paying their deposits on-line. If you're not happy that the thing has worked just give me a call (01583431683) as we know immediately if Paypal has taken your money. I know at first I didn't realise that paying by Paypal can take any card and you don't need a Paypal account.

Well, another great Spring morning here in Carradale. Great splashes of lime green tucked in among the dark fir trees across the road where the beech trees continue their erratic unfolding - why do beech trees come out in fits and starts? And last week the swallows swept into Dorothy's porch and their summer quarters. If you stay in Mhairi's cottage you can watch their progress and listen to their constant comfortable twittering.

Still waiting for the Argyll and Bute election result; always the last - well, all these islands - but we imagine it will stay firmly Lib Dem. and then what?

And what's on in the village this week-end?

Well the Drama Club are presenting their award winning (twice) play so there will be a good turn-out for that. Village Hall 7.30. Quite a bit of coming and going in the cottages - as we let for any day and any length of time it needs a well-regulated calendar to keep track. And our new on-line booking system is really keeping me on my toes. But so far we haven't tried to squeeze seven families into one cottage at the same time.

The cricket club are beginning to get into full swing; imagine, Carradale with a thriving cricket club? Great stuff Robert. Huge new screens and covers have appeared on the football field (which terrify the dog McUgly as he whizzes on his evening walk) , and it looks like being a very enthusiastic season. We'll keep you posted!