Eriska, Scottish Island

Moley House

It might seem a little curious but I have always had a dream of living in a house built into the side of the mountain. Not quite a Hobbit hole as someone described it but simply a house with one view out over the mountain side, accessed at one end and covered over by the hillside above and beyond.

Therefore over the last 2 years I have been developing the idea and finally managed to get the plans off the drawing board onto plan and through the local planning committee. It might sound quite obscure at the moment but over the next 6 months I hope to be able to show progress and once it starts to take shape then it may become clear or at least less odd.

The first phase will start today of stripping off the side of the hill removing the soil and then a drilling crew will arrive and excavate the rock from the site. Then a "simple" concrete structure will be introduced a bit like a multi story carpark the soil will be put back on top and the work to complete the internals will begin. All sounds so simple!!

Les's weather wc 30th Oct

Weather forecast from Les from Sunday October 30th

If you believe the predictions for this winter we will see polar bears on Eriska, penguins will be dropping in for a game of ice golf, we will be sweeping snow off the greens and Beppo will be issuing skis to the staff members.

To complete this winter wonderland picture, the "outside boys" will be hauling logs, by sledge, to keep the Eriska fires burning and building igloos for the entertainment of the guests.

We'll have to wait and see if the predictions for this winter are right but, for the record, the top ten coldest winters of the twentieth century were:1962-63;1946-47; 1939-40; 1916-17;1978-79;1928-29;1941-42; 1940-41; 1981-82; 1984-85.

The winter of 1962/63 was the coldest over England and Wales since 1740.  A belt of rain over northern Scotland on Christmas Eve, 1962, turned to snow as it moved south, giving Glasgow its first white Christmas since 1938. The snow belt reached southern England on Boxing Day and much of England was continuously under snow until March 1963.

Now, while I go and dig out my thermals, here is the weather for the coming week:

Sunday and Monday - windy, with rain

Tuesday - sunshine and showers

Wednesday - rain

Thursday, Friday, Saturday - a mixture of sunshine and showers

Extreme fitness !!

This week saw the planned delivery of the new Lifefitness equipment for the gymnasium. In reality the initial purchases of 10 years ago have lasted well but the treadmill was beginning to creak and the bicycle was definitely slower and harder than it needed to be so we ordered a new set. I mentioned it to one of the skeptical guests who stated that there was no need for a gymnasium when you could partake in physical exercise on the island(obviously they had not looked out the window at the driving wind and howling gale).

Anyway the lorry arrived locally and phoned for directions and from the image you can see that they parked up in a little less convenient spot than was required. that evening I was ready for the comment as the guest pointed out that he was pleased to see that we had taken his advice and were now using the physical daily exercise rather than the gym but that it was not necessary to order equipment in order to get exercise!!  Very Funny but not so humorous for the driver who spent the day in the ditch and then had to own up to his boss why the delivery had taken so long!!!!

Rioja Research

This week I was offered the opportunity to visit Spain and especially the wine making region in the North- Rioja. One of the disadvantages of living on the west coast of Scotland can be the feeling of isolation from the rest of Europe but thanks to all the low cost airlines this is not such a great factor (if only they ran on time). In truth travel today is so much easier than even 10 years ago but it still takes most of a day to visit from any region in Europe to another region unless you are commuting between capitals.

To reach Rioja we simply flew to London and caught a flight to Bilboa so leaving Edinburgh at Lunch time we were able to have dinner in Lagrona at the heart of Rioja and wine country. Having recovered from the journey we set about a packed day of visits around the region. There were three reasons for wishing to make the effort and visit the region, firstly to expand my knowledge of the wine business, secondly to investigate the potential in creating a house wine especially for \Eriska and thirdly to develop relationships with producers and importers who could help the house wine concept come alive.

Having already hosted the managing director of the winery at Eriska we left the days activities in their hands. Given the Spanish need for siesta and late eating this may prove to have taken its toll on us as it became a longer day than expected. First stop was one of the oldest wineries in rioja dating back to 1887- Lopez de Heredia. In truth although much has changed over the last 100 years little has altered in their production and methods and it was a pleasure to see how even though pressure has been brought to encourage change only developments which truly improve the brands have been introduced- no change for changes sake!

Next we moved to Altanza the complete contrast and other end of the scale of wine making. Completed only 5 years ago this is a state of the art facility which uses past and present knowledge to produce consistent wines at great value price brackets. In truth they are fighting to enter an extremely competitive marketplace and due to support from their creator they can afford to make the product competitive if not profitable yet.! They welcomed the input and challenges of developing a product for Eriska and hopefully we will be able to reach agreement on price.

Its amazing after only one day what I had discovered and returned to Eriska with ideas of ways to develop the concept further. But once again it was another days travel to return but at least I believed I had achieved something positive and although I shall receive stick for skiving off for a holiday others may appreciate the effort when they get the opportunity to taste the fruits!!    

Chocolate Learning

Today two of Robert's kitchen team set off early for Edinburgh to participate in a Chocolate Masterclass. whilst it sounds like pure hell sitting watching someone else working with Valrhona Chocolate it is a great opportunity for our staff not only to meet other like minded chefs but also to learn new techniques from another well respected Chef.

The masterclass is run by one of our suppliers and for the last couple of years they have been able to arrange for Benoit Blin, the head pastry Chef of Raymond Blanc to come to Scotland and show off his talent with Chocolate. it also gives Valrhona the chance to showcase new products and innovative methods. This sort of training offers a wonderful opportunity both for the staff and also for Eriska as we could not afford such a competent tutor to visit Eriska but with the help of Clarks who organise the course we gain the benefit of the other customers in spreading the work an cost of organising such an event.

Both Noel and Prsemek returned from the day full of enthusiasm and now it is their turn both to pass on the knowledge to those who could not attend and develop their skills from what they saw. So new chocolate menus and desserts are expected over the next few weeks!

October-Spring clean!

My brother Chay phoned me today and announced that he had solved our storage problem in the office. He was willing to give up his private office if we cleaned it out and moved him to the main accounts office. I  quickly dashed through to his hovel and glowered at the pile of papers on the floor, neatly filed he said, the stack of brochures on the shelves, all cataloged he suggested, and quickly decided that rather than move him we would be better to tidy our own office space.

All this is in preparation for the delivery of the Book my father wrote before he passed away in April. I had been simply left to collate the photographs and text, oversee the publishing and printing and distribute the book once it had been completed. all very simple on the face of it but now the nitty gritty of finding 6500 book spaces!   Anyway today was perfect with the rain pouring outside and little else to interrupt the afternoon we set about a major spring clean, 10 bin bags later and a space has been cleaned only for Chay to arrive and say that it was not big enough- we'll see!!!

Different view

Its amazing when you live and work in this part of the world how you develop a very stayed view and become blazee about all the wonderful scenery around you. Indeed whenever I am away and I return to Eriska just as I drive over Strone hill and see the land disappear over the horizon I remember how beautiful the view and scenery is.

It is however easy to take this for granted and it is wonderful when others point out different viewpoints and scenes. Indeed it is even better when people take the trouble to capture the images either on Film or canvas. This year we have opened eurozone in front of the main house to let guests paint and sketch in the dry and around teh island we have constructed picnic seats which double as artists easels but we cannot arrange this everywhere there is a viewpoint however there is no where a rug and waterproof sheet on the ground will not suffice for the budding Picasso's among us.

This week one of our guests sent a link to her website with shots of the island and after a couple of moments I was able to identify each spot where she stopped. This who know Eriska may also like to try

http://www.madelineart.com/MadelineArt_com_Scotland/madelineart_com_scotland.html

Les's weather w/c 23rd oct

We are in to typical autumn weather, with lots of showers and wind sweeping across the whole country. But did you know that showers are usually most frequent around late morning and early afternoon, when the temperature is at its warmest?

A heavy shower can drop around 100 million raindrops on to an average sized garden and before you ask, no, I don't know how to count raindrops. Had you tried that in Argyll last week, you would have drowned.

However, you can measure rainfall. Just cut the top off an empty plastic bottle and place it in an open location, away from trees and buildings. You need to protect the bottle from being blown away though, one way is to place it securely in a bucket of earth.

Then every day, at the same time, carefully pour the rain into a measuring jug and record your findings to compare rainfall at different times of the year.

Rainfall levels in Scotland range from more than 3,000mm per year in the West Highlands to under 800mm a year nearer the East Coast.

Measurable rainfall (over 0.2mm or more) occurs on more than 250 days per year over much of the Highlands, decreasing to about 175 days a year on the Angus, Fife and East Lothian coasts. Meanwhile the driest part of Britain, along the Thames Estuary, averages about 150 days per year. Rainfall includes melted snow, which accounts for part of the Highland figure.

Weather forecast for week commencing Sunday, October 23rd:

Next week's weather is a complete mix of sunshine and showers,

Monday More dry spells than wet

Tuesday seeing the most rain of the week

Wednesday back to drier spells

Thursday busts of occasional sunshine but mostly grey

Friday driest day of the week

Saturday patchy rain.

Tara -1996-2005

Sadly this week marks the passing of my mothers eldest black Labrador - Tara.

  We arrived at Eriska in 1973 with one Corgi and for the first 15 years were never without a family of dogs, indeed they became a constant fixture lying in front t of the main house always available for guided walks around the island. However my mother always wanted a longer legged dog and eventually my Father gave in an our first Labrador arrived. naturally one was never enough and soon she was in pup and the Labrador legacy began- the rabbits were no longer safe and the walks for the guests soon became longer. Even my Father gave in and Camus his white Labrador, with more of a stubborn mind than his donkeys became a constant fixture wandering behind him as he toured the estate.

Tara however was quite different, she was Camus's granddaughter and was born with shorter legs, a canoe dog as one of our Canadian guests told us due to her  lower centre of gravity. She was always mischievous and even when she grew older could escape, (even though she was supposed to be housebound,) to tour the island and terrify the rabbit population. Sadly last week Tara passed away peacefully but I know as one who had been taken on walks by her she will be missed especially since with the shorter stride she had to work so hard to keep up but never fell behind.

My Mother still however has Marti, Tara's daughter to keep her busy and I am sure another dog will join the family before to long.

 

Changing View

This morning as I woke to the television I was surprised to see a view which looked familiar so I quickly began to pay attention only to learn that the picture of the boat passing some rocks was indeed the Foster Yeoman quarry boat crossing over to Glensanda with Eriska in the background. Listening closer to the report was the news that the quarry had just applied for increased planning permission for the Glensanda Quarry.

It is hard to believe that over 25 years has passed since John Yeoman first stayed at Eriska in his quest to find the most suitable site in Scotland for a major quarry investment. Now as we look west we can make out the quarry outline and although it is far from camouflages time has allowed us to get used to the site on the hillside, indeed the most notable sign is probably the regular ferries ploughing the water around Eriska transporting the men and materials required for the Quarry. Indeed without Roads to the quarry the logistics of crossing the water on a daily basis may have deterred others but seems to have made Glensanda even more unique.

Yes the fact that huge amounts of Rock are being exported all over the world from Kingairloch is worrying but the creation of stable strong employment has to be weighed against this and once again in time the extension to the quarry will meld into the landscape. We are not great supporters of change for changes sake and certainly we do not bear the brunt of the changes in the view but we will see some of the changes and in the long term provided they are carefully controlled then the long term gain to the local area must be considered.