Not very exciting , but we've just installed a nice large tumble drier in the bothy for all to use. Douglas and Colin's already have washer/driers but when the Bendix in Mhairi's gave up the ghost ( nearly 20 years old - why did my expensive new Hotpoint give up after 18 months?) we just put in a washing machine only.  We've been so busy over winter that drying sheets had become a bit of a problem, hence the decent sized tumble drier.  So, a useful wee extra we hope.

On a business point, the cottages have always come under the Wallis Hunter banner, being part of Mike's overall business.  However our jewellery is moving over to becoming a limited company at the end of March, and the cottages will be the only thing left in Wallis Hunter.  Makes no odds to anyone -  but with modern payment methods, cards Paypal etc, it causes me (accounts!) a lot of hassle.  Have you tried opening a new bank account recently?  Don't.

Well, so much for Spring, Woke up to a nice covering of snow this morning - you may be able to spot the brave wee daffodil hiding behind the fence.  My doughty assistant made it up from Campbeltown, but the school bus is still sitting at the top of A Creuch  (that VERY steep hill), scared to descend.  We get slightly stuck here in the snow - all these braes and glens - and the best this winter was a taxi driver heading back to Campbeltown who spent all night on the hill at Saddell.  But it doesn't happen often.

A foul weekend, so we were all delighted to go up to the Hotel on Sunday for a Red Nose bakery event.  We all took wonderful cakes up, and then ate them.  Place was packed and the raffle was terrific - Mike and I managed to claim 3 prizes - and we put two more back.  But we needed the wine as we had been entertaining at the week-end and stocks were depleted. Full marks to Tom and the hotel for a great effort.

Whist is starting in the Hall again on the odd Friday, so you may be lucky enough to be here at the right time. It's great fun and no-one gets cross if you play the wrong suit.  Mike and I last played whist in the high Andes in an extremely cold tent, by candlelight - so cold that you couldn't manage to hold the cards.  So Mike refuses ever to play again. Just as well.

Well, the sun's out now so hopefully the bus will have descended , the head mistress will have appeared, and life will go on its merry way.

Well, I'll bet you're all wondering what this stunning photo is.  FROGSPAWN!  A real harbinger of Spring and has just appeared on our pond up on the forestry road.  Whatever the weather, whatever the winter, we can guarantee that the frogspawn will appear around February the 15th.  How do frogs know the date?  Is it something to do with Valentine's day and frogs and princes?  Who knows.  But one year no frogspawn appeared anywhere.  The dog walkers were all distraught.  'Have you seen any yet'  was the cry -   and then at last , but we could never work out a reason. 

Sometimes , just as it's hatching, the Forestry decide to grade the road, dig up the pool, and ruin everything.  Gradually over the year we resurrect it, and the frogs still come back.  If I'd been them I'd have give up long ago and gone to a more frog friendly spot.  On a sunny day, if you're lucky, and creep up VERY QUIETLY, you can see as many as 80 frogs sitting in the sun gently croaking.

So, Spring is nearly here, Colin's garden is a mass of snowdrops, the first daffs. are nearly out, and Carradale is winding up to get going for the coming season.  The Network Centre is changing hands, our shop is now closed, the slip at the harbour is NEARLY finished (they have a wee web site if you fancy a keek carradaleharbour.co.uk) and Roger is baking again at the baker's and has moved back to the village so it lovely bread and rolls again. Time to start planning your Carradale break.

Well the Christmas Roses managed to come out in time for Christmas so that was a welcome sight.  These particular flowers have a long history - started off in my Father's garden in the Borders so they are probably about 80 years old at least.  It was always so icy there that they had to be nurtured and hidden under glass, and usually appeared about April. Not so in Carradale!

We had the delight on Christmas Day of no water.  For years we were on our own supply and it frequently froze over the festive season - one of the reasons we went onto the mains.  So slightly ironic.  Especially as it went off on the first of January as well. But on the whole we are delighted with the mains supply - we got a bit fed up with the peat and pine needles which, despite our best efforts, crept into the system.

New year and Christmas behind us we're all set looking forward to 2015.  At the moment only Mhairi's cottage is available, but after February Douglas will come on line again.  We will raise prices very slightly this year - I know, I know, there's no inflation etc etc.  But we always give our brilliant band of workers pay rises and Alan does a marvellous job on the cottages.  

If you're boaty people the slip in the harbour is well on the way and you'll be able to launch  from there - don't think it applies to many of our visitors - but maybe it will entice someone new? No problem leaving boats in the car park up here.

So, we look forward to seeing you in the coming months - oh yes, don't forget that our shop is now closed , we're just too busy doing other things.  But we're all still here working away.

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