Shout!

Picture shows the Tobermory RNLI lifeboat leaving the harbour this afternoon at about a quarter to four on a 'shout'.

Renovation of the 'Sir Ernest Shackleton'

Many of you will recognise this picture of the 'Sir Ernest Shakleton', the boat in which Trevor Potts, who runs the Ardnamurchan Campsite, followed the great voyage undertaken by Shackleton from  Antarctica to South Georgia.  For some time the boat has been propped up at the campsite but now it's on the move.

Stephen Scott-Fawcett FRGS, co-ordinator at Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, of the 'Shackleton Boat Project (2014)' has sent the Diary these pictures of the boat now under a major refurbishment in the big sheds at Caim. Stephen has been liaising with Trevor for the past three years in connection with his generous gifting of the boat to the Polar Museum at SPRI. Stephen has visited Kilchoan each year during this period of time to progress the renovation of Trevor's famous little craft and to tie up plans in Cambridge.

Trevor now has a team working on the boat, including Ian Cargill, who has worked on the Ardnamurchan Distillery pagodas and Visitor Centre, who is renovating some of the woodwork.

As well as Trevor - sitting on the boat - and Ian, the team includes Ross (left) and Graeme Stafford (right) of the Peat Bog Faeries, who are doing the painting, all, of course....

....under close supervision.

The intention is to transport the boat to Cambridge in early to mid-October, where it will be on permanent display to the public outside the Institute building in Lensfield Road, Cambridge. There will be a permanent display board erected beside the boat - which will be under a protective canopy and fully-masted - telling the story of Trevor's 'In the Wake of Shackleton' expedition of 1993/4, and the incredible story of Shackleton's original sea voyage in 1916.

Many thanks to Stephen for background & pictures.

Black Adder Again

Just at the rear of our house, behind the vegetable garden, a path runs up to the back of the croft land and the meadow where I'm spending more and more of my time.  On my way back in this evening's warm sunshine, the black adder - see earlier post here - was lying, sunning himself, on the path where it crosses an old stone wall.

He disappeared too quickly for me to get a photograph, so I stood back, crouched and waited - and was rewarded when he stuck his head out of a moss-covered part of the wall.

I took a couple of pictures and then we sat and looked at each other.  He obviously wanted to come out and enjoy some more sunshine so, after a while....

....he slid out, coiled himself up so he could take full advantage of the sunlight and, at the same time, watch me.  Look again at the top picture and, if you haven't already spotted him, he's in the centre.

He obviously wasn't going anywhere, and seemed quite happy with my presence - until I moved, very slowly, to pass him and make my way home, at which point he, equally unhurriedly, slid back into his wall.

Piglet Invasions

Betsy's eight piglets, which are supposed to be held by an electric fence in an enclosure in the field opposite our house, are now almost permanently on the loose.  The other day they were in Trevor Potts' Ardnamurchan Campsite, frightening the visitors' children and dogs.

Recently, they've taken to creeping up through the long grass....

....making a dash across the road, and then trying to get under the front gate into our precious garden.  This morning, one of them had half-pushed himself through when....

....Hughie came past in his pickup and, knowing this was breakfast arriving, the piglets made off, followed by the Diary's shouts of, "I'll sue....  I'll sue...." which, as usual, Hughie ignored.

Marine Goldfish

Many thanks to Kilchoan fisherman Justin Cameron for allowing his picture of a marine goldfish to be used by the Diary. He found it in one of his prawn creels just to the west of the pier, at a depth of about 25 fathoms.

The Diary is no expert on marine fish but Google suggests it's a boar fish, Capros aper, also known as the Zulu fish.  It's uncommon in shallow water, preferring depths of around 100m, so it's out of its habitat sitting in a creel.  There's an interesting page about it here.