Visitors, Islay Show & Bronwen's Brithday

The photo shows the local community garden where we try to buy all our vegetables.


Been a while since I updated this - been busy with golf and visitors. The golf was the Kildalton Cross, which is the major event for members here. It comprises two medal qualifying rounds, on the Monday and Tuesday and then the top 32 play matchplay for the cross, the next 32 play for the plate or you can opt for the seniors competition of you are over 55. The matchplay takes the form of two rounds on the Wednesday, quarter and semi finals on the Thursday and 36 hole final on the Friday, so you have to be very fit to win the thing.

Needless to say I did not qualify for the Cross (starting 4,8,5,9 is not good) and ended up playing in the seniors, getting knocked out in the first round, by the guy who finished as runner up. The next week was taken up by Bronwen's brother and sister and their partners spending a few days with us, which upped the alcohol intake slightly. It also co-incided with some weather good enough for Bronwen (and later the others) going for a swim at Port Ban - our nearest beach. The Thursday, apart from being Bronwen's birthday, (photo shows evening meal) was Islay Show, when the whole island seems to shut down and you meet everyone you know at the show ground. I had expected to just spend a couple of hours there but we arrived about midday and did not leave until after 4. The highlight was making your own smoothie by cycling hard to generate the electricity (the co=op guy in the photo is Charles, who is the co-op manager and also happens to be the new golf club captain for 08/09).





Since then I've been to Foreland House gardens to buy some hedging plants - escalonia and fuchia, which has meant digging up a borders to put them in - not easy at all. I've also done a stint at the community garden - (photo at top of blog) on the one wet day we've had this week (until this afternoon - its raining now, show for the Open Day at the airport). Its been pouring all over Scotland, but not here. I also ordered a load of logs - not being sure just how many were in a "load" and the photo shows the result - took me a couple of hours to stack it all in the garage.

That's all for now - Bronwen is away for a week's hill walking on Wednesday, having been all this week at a Gaelic course along with a friend of Pams who has been staying with us.