Oh dear, here we are in November and never a post for months!  The season always seems to get away with us as it trundles on and suddenly we're coming up to Christmas and New Year;  but a super November for once has meant that more brave people than usual have ventured down and overall we've had a great season.

In our jewellery workshop next to the cottages we have surprised everyone by deciding to shut our shop,  Not to retire, as some suggest, but because we are just so busy with the manufacturing side of the business.  So a mammoth sale has been going on for the last two weeks with lots of very happy people getting terrific value Christmas presents. Mike especially will miss the chat and the shop, but he'll always have you poor people in the cottages to pass the time of day with.  Be warned!

The chicks that hatched in the summer are now whizzing around in a very bossy manner and we STILL can't decide if they're hens or cocks. But being softies we'll just go on letting them potter around the garden. 

We have put up the prices only very slightly for next year.  Yes, we KNOW that there is virtually no inflation, but we always put up wages every year and that accounts for quite a lot of our outlay.  And we do try and maintain the cottages well - new curtains, new settees, and a bit of decorating have all been on the agenda. We have also had to upgrade the Wifi as we find that with so many gadgets arriving at the cottages these days it has been getting quite overloaded.  Hopefully the problem is now solved.  Mike and I are spectacularly bad at understanding these things, but we have the wonderful Sandy to hand who loves grovelling in the attic and sorting things out.  

Well, time to go and welcome a poor couple who seem to have taken about 7 hours to get here - facing the back road in the dark for the first time is a bit of an ordeal. (although with the help of the electricity project at Crossaig the back road is considerably imroved with many more lay bys) . More of that anon as they haul huge undersea cables from Kintyre to Hunterston.  Could be exciting!

Well here we go , the annual round of chicks -  will they be boys or girls? We ended up with only 2 , and we have our doubts about them, but they are very sweet and there is little you can do when a hen decides she's going to sit. And of course fewer eggs so I've had to go back to porridge in the mornings.

A lovely summer though mixed weather in August. A friend came down specially to tackle parts of the Kintyre Way, but it was thick mist and rain and we had to make do with the pub at Machrihanish instead. The golfers were made of sterner stuff and one came in in bare feet wringing out his socks.

Brambles are well on the go - not as large and juicy as last year but loads of them - Mike loves bramble jam so they will keep me busy - a nice way to spend a miserable winter's day is to hoick some out of the freezer and make jam. wonderful smells round the kitchen.

Last week-end was the Mull of Kintyre Music Festival and we managed a couple of super concerts.  Braebach a very innovative Scottish Band, and the highlight of a lunchtime do was Soig  Sibiril, the Breton guitarist.  Quite quite brilliant.  So we get our little treats down here.

Makes up slightly for the loss of the Picture House which has had to close.  We were great fans and will miss it a lot.  In theory, if they raise the cash, a new improved Phoenix will rise up in 2016 , but we shall have to see.  So Screen Machine here we come.

Hello again!

Yes, today Trish has asked me to write the cottage blog as she is just so busy ( she's got a new poly tunnel, and we can't keep her out).

Anyway, I'll bring you up to date.

Another super summer, aren't we lucky?  It's seldom that the Glasgow Fair has wall to wall sunshine but so far so good and the beach is packed. Quite a nuisance really as Arne and I just love running flat out from end to end, but it does scare people a bit. But our friend Mairi has been staying next door and taking us swimming everyday so it's been great.   Anway the cottages have been nice and busy and lots of dogs to welcome, and teach the Doggy Country Code to (don't chase sheep, don't chase the hens, don't chase people, go easy on deer - who always win anyway) ;  most of them are what I call portmanteau dogs ( labradoodles, cockieleekie and the like ) which seem to be very fashionable these days. Who am I to talk?  I'm proud to be a daffie (staffie/debateable) and of course my good friend Arne is a Gollie (Golden Retriever/Collie).  What will they come up with next?  Scope there for a competition.

Forthcoming attractions?  Well there's a nice Gaelic Concert on the cards, a tapestry exhibition in the Village Hall (22nd - 24th August) and of course the Harbour Day on the 2nd.  You'll remember that last year I was second in the best dressed pirate dog competition.  Hope Scott asks me again this year as I have knocked up a few  eye patches and got myself some lovely leather boots from the Red Cross shop in Campbeltown.  Here's hoping!

Already getting bookings in for NEXT YEAR!  How on earth can people plan that far ahead? I have to keep Trish right on these ones as she  bungled a double booking this year from someone who had booked months in advance.  She assures me it won't happen again, and one of our fellow cottage letters will always come to the rescue.

Well I'm off down to Campeltown to watch the Commonwealth Games Opening at the Cinema.  The wonderful wee cinema in the town now has constant programmes - both films and streamed in from heaven knows where.  So if you're here with your phones/tablets etc just tune into the weepictures web site and find something to entertain you.

Woof

Just in case you were wondering which way Mike and I are going to vote in the Referendum , here's a clue.
There's a pretty clear division amongst our friends - the retired doctors and accountants value their pensions too much so are going for the safe status quo, while our risk taking gung ho business pals are opting for a great big 'YES'.  But it's not something to fall out about and I will try not to mind when Jeremy Paxman keeps referring to 'the Queen of England' and various other snubs we have to put up with.

Weather is glorious and the village is getting busy with the cottages filling up;  as usual lots of old friends returning but we love to see new faces so why not try a visit.  I refuse to use that grotesque word 'staycation'
and I'm sure loads of people never feel the need to rush off to Lanzarote .  

Remember we welcome dogs and there are wonderful dog walks right outside the cottages.  We have had some quite adventurous visitors this year, both walkers and cyclists, and they've had great fun exploring sections of the Kintyre Way.

This brings us on to things like wind farms and electricity .  As I said before we've had a lot of trouble with the builders of an electricity station north of Carradale wrecking the road and causing general upheaval.  Well, after a heavy campaign by the Community Council, the Campbeltown Courier, and the Council, we now have an excellently surfaced road and loads of tarmaced lay-bys so at the moment all is well and the road is better than its ever been.  On top of that they've surfaced the hall car park and there are promises of more.  They are now wrecking the countryside, especially around Grogport, where new pylons are to be built, but one can only hope that in time the Kintyre vegetation will win out and all will eventually be hidden.
Wind farms and turbines are causing a lot of upset in Kintyre - who can blame a land-owner for coining in thousands every year - but they can be very divisive once they creep down from the spine of the peninsula to the coast.  And it is trying for everyone, having diligently gone through all the democratice processes,  only to have the final decision overturned by the Scottish Government. 

Enough politicising!  Time to wander down to the beach and risk the first dip of the season.

Just to bring you up to date with everything -

Well, it looks as if red squirrels may have returned to Carradale.  When we first came they were in the woods opposite the cottages, but gradually disappeared. However 3 sightings around the woods in the last few months so we are crossing fingers..................They are certainly to be seen around Tarbert and Skipness, and we have no greys, so we're hopeful.

Rhododendrons are coming up to their peak despite the Governments best efforts to remove them. What a hope!  The Point is a sea of purple and against the dark grey skies looks terrific. It is a gorgeous time of year everywhere - if you are heading down here look for the great swathes of bluebells on the hills around Inverary.

We are being sorely tried by the building of an electricity station north of Carradale. We have all made a huge fuss about being inconvenienced and  they seem to have taken the hint and are madly mending the road and making nice big lay-bys;  but try and avoid their 6 o'clock dash up to Tarbert as it can be trying to meet andless white SUV's trundling towards you.  On the plus side they are making us a nice new car park at the village Hall and I'm sure we'll prise more goodies out of them . The Community Council is on the job.

And Roger is returning!  Yes, Roger who was a key member of the Paterson's shop is coming back for the summer so once again we'll have wonderful Carradale baking and you can all trail up and down the village carrying bags of rolls. An essential part of a holiday.  We've just returned from Ireland (wonderful bread) and have discovered a terrific baker's shop so made a special detour to buy wholemeal loaves ( it does have a hotel attached ), so we understand.

For wet evenings Campbeltown Picture House (the oldest in Scotland) has got a wonderful new programme with endless performances, digital productions of West End Plays, and live shows.  Do check it out if you're in Campbeltown as it's delightful and slightly cheaper than the ABC in Glasgow. They have amazing plans for the place and deserve support.

IT'S CURTAINS FOR THE COTTAGES!

Last year on  a very pleasant holiday in Norfolk (Norfolk for goodness sake, Cromer, Great Yarmouth, acres of flat...); well, it was the opposite of Scotland and there were some very nice hotels, and we were struck by all their lovely curtains. So we decided we needed new curtains for the cottages.

Up till now I always thought you had to make your own curtains;  I didn't realise you could go into a huge emporium in Glasgow and actually BUY them.  And just so much better than my rather pathetic efforts.  So off we went to Remnant Kings (now there's a mis-nomer if ever there was one) and spent about 3 hours coming to a very expensive compromise -  put me and Mike into a room and ask us to agree on something ..... Another 3 hours was spent deciding on linings ( fireproof, thermal, etc etc) and then we went home.

6 weeks later an enormous parcel of curtains arrived and - having  put in new rails , another major job -   we hang them up and - disaster!  Mhairi's ones are too long.  Either there is some mystique in the way you measure curtains, or they got it wrong.  And try taking up professionally made lined curtains!  Another 6 hours per pair.


However they are now up and hanging and very nice they are too.

So please,please enjoy the new curtains.

It's always a great delight when the first primroses appear - and they often flower till the end of May so keep us cheery until the rhododendrons come out.  Mike and I both have our favourite spots and vie to see who finds the first flower;  he won but his are being eaten by deer this year!  I have a lovely secret hazel grove up the hill which has escaped the attention of the Forestry , and is always carpeted with the flowers -   and I won't tell you where it is. But if you are out for a walk, do brave a few of the paths off the main forestry roads as they can lead to delightful little spots with wonderful vegetation. And nobody minds where you wander.

A lot of the rhoddies have been cut down - we don't know if it's a grand plan to get rid of them (some hope) , or they are all part of this dreaded larch desease.  So all over the hill you see little spirals of smoke where a pile of them are being burned - a fine job in the sunshine but it must be pretty grim in the wind and rain. We are having a rep. down from the Forestry Commission to the next Community Council meeting so we will quiz him. We often feel that as a village we are totally surrounded by Forestry land but we never really know what they are up to. A patch up the road has caused a lot of trouble falling over and blocking the road or bringing down wires, so they have been persuaded to fell it. Makes your route into the village look very different.

Well, the first of the daffs are out - not particularly early given that we've had a completely frost and snow free winter - but if they've any sense they'll keep hidden away from all the rain and gales.  I knew it was a great idea for Mike to buy expensive winter tyres - we've not had a drop of snow since.  But they do birl us through the rain and pot holes very nicely.

No frogspawn yet.  We had, for years, a wonderful frogs pool on the edge of the forest road above us.  However Carradale has been hit by the larch virus which attacks Japanese larch in particular - and there were quite a few in the woods above us.  So in their usual messy way the Forestry have been in with forwarders and huge trucks etc and are in the throes of clearing these out.  The road is horrendous and the frogs are obviously steering clear! So dog walkers, you have to stick to the Bay at the moment.

New curtains!  that's our latest excitement. Just a question of actually putting them up.  Mike is so busy building a new bathroom in our own house that he ignores my cottage nags.  But all will be ready when we really get going by Easter.  Keep the bookings rolling in.

Hello, and welcome to 2014 at Carradale Cottages.  Just to show you what a warm balmy climate it is down here, these are the first snowdrops from Colin's garden which will soon have a carpet of them.  As people walk past they all have a sneaky look through the gate because they are quite renowned.  Colin was very pleased with his snowdrops and when we took over the cottage and sorted the garden we had to make sure they remained .

Well, bookings are coming in thick and fast this year. If you are an old hand you would note that we have actually REDUCED our prices - in line with a lot of other people.Well, times are hard for us all and we'd rather have the cottages occupied than bleakly empty.

Cath, our wonderful cottage lady, has moved on from the village so Alan (better known as Neilly) has taken over. Years of working in the hotel have given him an excellent grounding and you will not notice any slip in standards.  We hope to do a bit of re-curtaining and things over the next month or two,

Carradale is much improved by the re-opening of The Glen bar and restaurant.  Now run by a couple of real professionals it looks super inside (they admit there's still much to do outside so don't be put off) and the food is excellent and easy prices.  A wonderful addition to the place which we must all support.  On the down side Angie has had to cut her opening hours in the shop but as no one on holiday gets up before eleven anyway, it shouldn't affect you.  And in the summer a new slip is to be built down at the harbour, so bring your boats as well as your golf clubs!

You will be a bit taken aback as you drive down the back road.  A super sub station is being built north of Carradale and fairly massive works are going on to take all the wind power off to Ayrshire.  We are battling with the contractors to make the sure the road  is always kept open, and at least they promise us nice big new lay-bys.  It's all a bit of an upheaval but we have little say in the matter and we just need to make sure that no-one is inconvenienced.

And finally the goats on the Point.  They are in good form - soon to be producing lots of kids as  they give birth early in the year. Mike took this picture with my brand new Olympus film camera!  Well, I'm sure I'm not alone in not being able to work digital.  More exciting, some of our Christmas visitors were able to watch 3 otters playing for ages in the the grass out there which is a wee challenge for you.

Right, get those bookings in - web site is always kept up to date and we try and get confirmations off as soon as possible now we've got going for the year.