Eriska, Scottish Island

Weather wc 29th November

If one swallow doesn't make a summer then you can rest assured that one day of dry weather doesn't mean the end of torrential downpours daily- but at least we can hope as yesterday was a real stunner with blue sky, thick frost and even ice in the morning but fantastic sunset and clarity all day to at least put the dreadful spell of the rest of November behind us. Anyway it can only get better given the rain and rain and rain so lets keep our fingers crossed and hope. At least we managed to get Lilacs new conservatory built and finished and now we can admire it from outside!

Today:

Some clear spells overnight have allowed frost to develop and fog patches thickening at dawn but it should lift quite quickly and should be another nice day

Monday: Mainly dry and bright with sunny spells, the best of these over the Islands and around the west coast. Isolated showers may push through from the east. Cold and breezy.

Tuesday: Mainly dry and bright with sunny spells. Isolated wintry showers possible. Moderate to fresh northeast winds at low levels.

Wednesday: Sunny but cold and still dry with crisp sunshine

Thursday:A slight change to cloudy with rain or snow into west later and becoming breezy.

Friday: Mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain during the afternoon.

Saturday: Sunshine and blustery showers in the morning will give way to a risk of snow across higher grounds and certainly mountain tops

 

Design Inspection

We have over the years used a multitude of methods for work on the design of the house, initially it was purely financial in that we could only put what we could afford into the rooms and if that meant purple sheets- my father always assumed that this was very trendy- an brown valances then so be it. It was not that we were simply constrained by budget, that is always a huge consideration, it was more that we were more led by budget. then as Eriska developed we became able to choose a More personal style including materials and furniture which we both came a across and discovered and believed was suitable for the evolution of Eriska.

Then in the 90's we engaged Jack Notman, a well known architect from Glasgow, who believed strongly in interior architecture and he helped to guide our development dn gained the greatest from the limited space we had and helped in a major refurbishment which included the transformation of all the bathrooms and the upgrading of the entire room stock in the house. Jack came at the whole design question from a completely different perspective with the dimensions and scales of the rooms leading to the treatment of each area in a different manner and also his knowledge as a guest, which he had been able to adapt.

Then a couple of years ago when we began our latest refit we searched for a different approach to the deign and after a lengthy beauty parade began working with ward robinson to develop and refurbish Eriska with the brief to both be sympathetic to the building and its long history whilst at the same time allowingg us to meet the needs of today and the future expectations of tomorrow. It has therefore been really interesting how many of the new features are simply putting the house back to its older more traditional past with for example the return of the diningroom into three distinctive areas as it was when it was created back in the 1880's and the use of many colours and textures which although looking quite contemporary are infact similar to the images we have of the house at the turn of the last century.

Anyway yesterday Jill Holst- the main input to the design was back working with us and trying to understand how we use the areas and seeing if we can improve them still further. As ever we set down many parameters which reflect the history of Eriska and gave her some ideas we had had, mostly quickly discarded as both impractical and not appropriate but i am getting used to this sort of feedback!! She will now have a think about the task and hopefully will be able to come back to us with new ideas. The main areas this time for consideration re the corridors and staircases and given that these are areas that are both heavily used and visual they are often areas ignored in houses as they are only conduits to bedrooms and public spaces. Anyway when considering these she also has to work on the long term goal and consider how the complete house will be when the task is complete.

In short it is easier in some areas than others as plans to update the hall involve very few changes , and whilst many will be delighted it is not surprising as the hall is the centrepointof the house and apart from a few minor alterations to carpets and chair covers has not changed in 130 years so we would be foolish to introduce change now. Whereas the front- fire stair- is only 40 years old and was created as  a matter of necessity, the house only had 1 staircase to the second floor before, so any improvement to the area will be advantageous. Although the staircase is populated with wonderful Snaffles Prints and plans may simply be to re-frame these in a sympathetic manner and then rehang them with better lighting. Anyway it is now back to the design team and we all await the initial concept drawings.

Wine Education!

For the last few years we have, I believe worked hard to develop both our wine list at Eriska nd our wine knowledge and whilst we have made great in roads I also believe we have reached a bit of a plateau. So we have been exploring several different options to continue this development and to push us foreword even furterh. Therefore it was quite timely if incredibly lucky that we were approached by a Master of Wine who offered his services to us firstly to help develop and promote the list and secondly to help qualify the team and encourage the training to a new level.

So this week we have had our first meetings and whilst much of the time was spent discussing the WSET training programmes and working our schedules an programmes to help us both learn and qualify. Plans are now set and the diary is filling up and then we moved to the second issue which was filling in gaps in our list. when doing this we have looked at two areas, the first being wine regions which are not well represented but were they to be so they would help increase the enjoyment- and sales - to our clients and the second was to help encourage readers to understand our approach to wine and how we are serious about increasing their appreciation of the offering.

He leaves us now with lots of food for thought and above all excited about the movement we can make and the achievements we have alluded to attaining. Now its back to work buying stocking, researching and selling the wine.

Passing on the Pride of Britain mantle

Yesterday was the 27th annual Conference of Pride of Britain Hotels and  it brought to an end my three years as Chairman of the consortium. It is hard to believe that the time has passed so quickly and indeed it has been a really interesting role and one which whilst I took it on with trepidation and knowing that it was a role I had to fill one day,l having served on the board for a number of years, I also had tried to avoid for as long as possible.

It is always much easier to sit on the back benches and offer advice and this becomes far more obvious in the fist few minutes of taking on the chairmanship so i will be looking forward to returning to the crowd from today! However there will also be a bit of me that feels that Pride of Britain Hotels is part of me as for the last 3 years I have , although not directly affecting the direction of the consortium, been  responsible for it both positive and negative actions.

So its with a great deal of relief that i pass on the reigns and a great deal of Pride that having been selected and chosen by my peers to fill the role I hope I have handed it on in a reasonable shape and ready for the trials and tribulations ahead.. Now back to Eriska and proper work!!

weather wc 22nd November

I suppose in reality when we consider that we are almost at the end of November we should not be surprised by the winter wet weather but given the terrible conditions over the last week in the middle of the country I do believe we have a right to moan a wee bit. Anyway part of the issue must be the dwindling day time and this is not helped by the overcast evenings and mornings keeping the dawn a bit duller and  certainly heralding in the night. This was even more apparent when yesterday morning we woke to a nice bright sunny day when the day before when the alarm went off we were still very much in the dark

Lets simply hope that the next seven days is a wee bit dryer and brighter and we will all seem a little happier- or so the thinking goes! So whats ahead for the next week.

Today:Dry at first with some sunshine, but cloud soon increasing and bringing rain by the afternoon. Some heavy bursts of rain are likely this afternoon and it will become windy.

Monday:Cloud and rain clearing away to allow some clearer spells to break through. However, after a dry interlude showers will develop, becoming heavy at times.

Monday: Unsettled with showers or longer outbreaks for rain for a time. However, the rain will become more showery again during the afternoon.

Tuesday: Winds becoming strong to gale force as rain spreads in later in the morning, persistent and heavy at times.

Wednesday: Continuing very unsettled with strong or gale force winds and showers for much of the time, though more persistent rain is likely for a time during the morning

Thursday: The general weather pattern is not expected to change much during this period with low pressure often dominating. Day to day detail remains uncertain but it is expected to remain very unsettled with further showers or longer periods of rain.

Friday: Remains often windy with a risk of gales or severe gales at times, especially in coastal areas exposed to the south or west. Some calmer and quieter periods are also likely however. A

Saturday: After the  mild conditions earlier in the week, temperature levels are expected to be generally near the seasonal average, often feeling cold in the strong winds. Showers may also turn wintry over the high ground of Scotland and perhaps other northern areas later. Overnight frosts becoming more widespread in the clearer spells inland.

 

Annual Inspection report

After a bit of a fluster and prevarication we finally managed to get our annual inspection form the AA. In previous times we were always inspected in the first half of the year allowing an up to date report on how we were progressing and giving us the opportunity to benchmark ourselves against our colleagues. But I suppose the first sign that we have finally managed to break the shackles of a seasonal business has been the AA's decision to start its anonymous inspections in the last quarter of the year.

Eriska still remains highly seasonal with the weather- supposedly- playing ball but in reality it is the combination of reduction in daylight hours that impacts most on business as from the clocks changing to winter time until Easter our business changes slightly too with more short stays and a slightly more Uk based clientele than normal. The greatest challenge for us therefore is to be able to balance this against the task of maintaining standards and offering a consistent product. To this extent it is good to be visited at varying time of the year and at least allows us a better view of progress.

There is however always a down side to this as Scotland's larder is never quite so abundant in November as it would be in June and I am not sure if potatoes and turnips would offer a balanced diet. However with hard work and perseverance we continue to try and push the boundaries using great local suppliers to source our ingredients. The good news is that once again it was highlighted in the report by the inspector and he enjoyed his visit, the bad news is that strive as we might and despite the pats on the back form him we will remain at the same level. Consistent comments that we meet out desires in try to achieve expectation should open day be reflected in the changing bar and whilst we see the bar of anticipation raising ever higher it would be nice if one of the anonymous visitors who drop by - for once acknowledged this too- anyway its back to the grindstone again happy in the knowledge that once again we are at least no wore than last year! 

Festive Spirit?

Some here might think that I am a bit "Ba Humbug" about Christmas, I don't really like Christmas decorations going up too early and try to ignore Christmas and the invitable Christmas Spirit until it is all upon us in the second half of december. This clearly is not a sentiment felt by the majority of hoteliers or retailers as I was down South this week and not only saw Christmas decorations in shop windows and Christmas menus outside restaurants touting for Festive meals but even found one hotel with its Christmas tree up and decorated ready for the festive occasions. I suppose one side of me would say that having paid for decorations at least they are making best use of it but in reality it also seems to slightly degrade the reasons behind the festive break!

Anyway that said I need to be careful as I was in the print shop this morning choosing some shots for our newsletters and more importantly for our family card that we send out. Today is one of those days that we are pleased that others are more organized than me as Dennis Hardley kindly took some wonderful shots of Eriska under a blanket of snow and whenever we get frost or snow he endeavors to catch as many shots as possible as I am sure to ask for them at a time that not even a cleaver filter and photo shop could be used- unless of course Father Christmas was approaching eriska by boat- given the rain we have had this week!!

Anyway the image has been selected and now we can get back to ignoring the festive period but it will not be long before the smell from the kitchen is Christmas Cake and mince pies and then again I will have to hibernate in my office and pretend i am unaware of the impending Spirit!

Conservatory progress

After a bit of a false start with a delayed appearance of the conservatory on Lilac we now seem back on track as Chay managed to get the frame delivered over the weekend so when the team arrived on site first thing on Monday morning they could immediately get straight to work.So when I came down the drive this evening I could see progress popping over the wall. The frame is now completely erected and whilst it certainly makes a statement and is showing just now, probably because most of the trees are bare and there is little cover, but it now feels like it is going to give a huge amount of additional space to the cottage and whilst it will be different from Rowan it will benefit from the elevation and aspect to the south and should keep the sunshine most of the day.

Tomorrow will be another day of huge advances as they will link in the old slate roof to the new glass elevation and then they will simply have to glaze it and then it will be back to the finishers to put the final touches in place. as usual te weather has not exactly played ball and it has made construction slightly unpleasant so I am sure as soon as it is watertight the rain will stop and the sun will come out and then the builders will complain that it is too hot inside to work!! We will never win but the good news is that despite the conditions the outside, ramps and slabs have all been completed and at least the rain has kep the slabs all clean and fresh looking. Now for the floor tiling and painting and then we will be ready- but not sure Chays deadline of Saturday will be met!

weather wc 15th November

After a week of doom and gloom from the forecasters and a map on the internet covered in severe red and orange weather warnings it certainly sounds like November and the winter has arrived. Regrettably form this side of the bridge it doesn't seem to have arrived at Eriska as niether has the wind blown nor the rain come and yet we arre reminded only to travel if essential- not great for the tourism business! But at least I now have  chance to put the record straight. So what positive spin can I put on the week ahead!

Today: A bright and mainly dry day with some sunshine at times, though a few showers are likely, possibly heavy around the coasts but lighter south to southwesterly winds will make it safe!

Monday: A few showers at first this morning then becoming dry for much of the day. Cloud will thicken in  afternoon and allow the temperature to climb

Tuesday:A dry start then rain quickly spreading from the south, some heavy, accompanied by strengthening easterly winds. Turning brighter and showery again later.

Wednesday: Bright with scattered showers although it will be clearly changing later in the day

Thursday. Wet and windy with more heavy rain clearing to scattered showers. Staying very windy but not dangerously so!

Friday: Very unsettled and at times windy weather is expected to persist across the weekend

Saturday: There will be further spells of rain interspersed with clearer or brighter conditions, but also showers. Some of the rain or showers will be heavy, especially across  hills.

Multi Talented Wedding Planner!

On occasions we have been asked to organized small discreet weddings where only the couple are involved and we arrange the registrar and even become the witnesses too. Indeed there is something special being asked to help on such an occasion and being part of the couples special day. Today was one such day and Rowena had arranged for a couple to be married this afternoon.

They had visited earlier in the year to check all te  details and we had put them in touch with the authorities, who had phoned prior to check who the witnesses would be so that all the paperwork could be preprepared and simple signatures and the ceremony was all that was left. Not being the most reliable nor guaranteed to be around Rowena had wisely asked Fabrice and Andrea to be the witnesses and the rota was arranged to make sure it would all fit in. However that left me to discuss any final arrangements with the couple. All seemed fine except that Rowena had offered someone- not specified to take some pictures with their own camera so they could record the day.

As the dreaded hour loomed it soon became clear that I would be free and it was assumed that I would take the images. Clearly no one has ever seen photos taken by me or they would have searched high and low for a replacement. anyway it was a wonderful ceremony and I think I captured most of it on film, but it was diffcult to concentrate on all that was happened and at the same time remember not to put my finger over the lens.

After the ceremony I quickly returned the camera and disappeared hoping that in the emotion of the day the camera would be forgotten and any disaster I have created will not be discovered until later. Good news though this evening- not one image of a blurred finger and most had full bodies and faces visible- Success and maybe now a new sideline for me on quiet Saturday afternoons- on second thoughts I will just stick to hotelling!