A New Year

I can think of many ways of spending the first day of the New Year, but out on the Sound, with the air temperature little above zero and a stiff northerly blowing to add a spice of wind chill is not one of them. This boat, the Sula Beag, is run by Sea Life Surveys, sailing out of Tobermory. Their website proudly proclaims the fact that they operate throughout the year, and I was impressed to see that they were searching for whales and dolphins on both the last day of 2009 and the first of 2010.

It was a quiet hogmanay celebration in Kilchoan, though, with a clear sky, we had a good view of the eclipse of the full moon shortly before 7.30pm. The Sonachan held a ceilidh, with lifts provided from the village for those we didn't want to drive in the present icy conditions, and the pub stayed open late, but most people were with friends and family for the bells.

Most of today was overcast but, for a time at least, the wind dropped and the sun came out. This view looks across Kilchoan Bay from Ormsaigbeg, with the parish church on the left and the Community Centre on the right, the Kilchoan House Hotel being the large building at centre.

The Diary wishes its readers a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

The Diary is taking a break for a week.