Eriska, Scottish Island

Wine and Spirits Education Trust Course up and running!

When I first returned to Eriska I investigated the opportunities for furthering my wine and spirits knowledge and apart from a generous offer from my Father, which involved him passing on his well gathered knowledge the closest training was in Glasgow and given the road conditions in the winter after late night tastings I passed it by.

However as the old adage mentions if you wait patiently then it might happen, so last year when we started working with Nick Adams, a renowned Master of Wine, to develop our wine list and offering we grasped the opportunity and added the opportunity for the team here to learn from the WSET and take exams to reward them for their hard work. This week the course started with a mix of staff members form all departments in the hotel , leisure club members and other local hoteliers. The opportunity to take a course on their doorstep and run during civilized daylight hours has been quite a magnet and hopefully if the enthusiasm keeps pace we will have a 100% pass rate.

So far they have covered the basics of tasting and with help from Robert in the kitchen have worked on food and wine matching and this not only highlighted the best combinations but also forced them to try some particularly bad matches. This will not only help in their knowledge but will help them passing on knowledge to our guests and will I hope grow the guest experience. Now they have 4 weeks to up on homework before Nick returns in March for phase two of the course.

First Grass growth

No sooner does the ice recede and the ground soften up just a little than spring is most definitely upon u. the first sign was the snowdrops peeking through the ground but we are certainly well on our way out of winter now as I met gerry on his grass cutter setting off to the golf course.

It already seems like months ago that we were winterizing the machines and preparing them for a hibernation of a few months and here we are not only preparing to cut the grass but having seen the box full of grass cuttings and been able to smell the fist signs of spring are definitely here. No sooner will we have started than we will be back in our schedule of cutting grass on an almost hourly basis. Once we are up and running it is nearly a full time job to keep on top of the list with greens 3 or 4 times a week, fairways twice a week, semi rough weekly and tees and approaches more than once a week.

Howeer before we become to frenetic we will have to remind our new inhabitants of the third fairway that they need to move on. they have to date down a fine job fertilizing the fairways , although we have had to advise players to clean their balls and not to lick them! before there second shot to the green but the grass is already glowing with nutrients and I am certain it will pay off in the long term. It does however act as a double edged sword firstly keeping the fairways shorter without machinery for few weeks longer and secondly because there is more grass on the fairways the birds tend to avoid the greens and there shorter grass. maybe next year they will return with more friends and do some more fairways for us- I have already asked Gerry to prepare signs to move them out to the new holes that would certainly benefit from more fertilizers!

No rest for the wicked!!

Sometimes when we reopen after our brief respite in January we grimace as guests arrive and ask us if we enjoyed the break or even if we had a good holiday- in reality we often work harder when the hotel is empty as we can get many jobs that need work completed without the continual interruptions and this year is no different. Although the painters may beg to differ as it seems no sooner have they covered corridors in dust sheets and started painting than one of us walks through and disturbs the from their hard work or joiners working on the new balustrade on the front stairs just complete the set up of working scaffolding than we have to ask them to move as we need to push past to reach the top floor.

However as always we try and complete a number of tasks that will be instantly appreciated and a number behind the scenes and this year we set about the usual mix with the corridors and front stairs getting makeover and behind the scenes the new wood pellet boilers being installed along with a whole new hot water system All these changes have been planned and programmed allowing time and thought to prepare us for them but the biggest change this closed period was not planned or predicted by me but came as a complete surprise as the day we closed at the beginning of January Chay announced his intention to leave Eriska and head for Africa to be closer to Anna- his wife's- family.

So although on the surface we hope to be able to continue as normal behind the scenes we Will have to adapt to the changes and re-balancing of roles within the hotel and most importantly the estate. He finished his current role at the weekend and Willl be around the scenes for another month before moving on. It does therefore offer us the opportunity to look back both a at life before Chay returned and since he arrived back from his last adventure overseas. He has now been back at Eriska for just over 10 years and during that time he has both seen and overseen many changes and developments, but he now feels it is time for a new venture and naturally, although he will be missed, we all wish him well.

  

Ready- well nearly!!

On reflection it must have been much easier for my parents to complete winter work given they were closed for a longer length of time but in respect I can still remember the last few days before the hotel reopened its doors being hectic and a huge sigh of relief when the first guests entered and all seemed calm- or so my memory tells me, This year we have been closed for just over 3 weeks and had set ourselves a demanding and tight schedule of projects. Well that was before the weather played havoc for the first week and deliveries promised did not materialize.

However we are nearly there and despite painters still wandering the corridors with brushes and pots and engineers standing over boilers with perplexed expressions we think we are nearly there. Today we will be running a full test on the heating system which involves pumping full power and heat into the house- so I hope everybody has there holiday shorts ready and then checking that every room has the new system operating and controllable. It involves all the bathrooms running hot water and seeing how quickly the system recovers and it will hopefully all go without a hitch- or so we hope although with 24 hours till the first guest crossed the threshold we have a small window for error.

But on a positive note the new wood pellet boiler sounds and looks much better and the work redecorating the corridors has brought them up in line with the bedrooms and seem to make them all look wider and more expansive. I am certain we will find small glitches when we start to operate it all at full capacity but lets hope they are only minor incursions and that they will not affect progress. 2010 will be our 37th season at Eriska and I keep thinking it should be getting easier but in reality it probably never will but as long as we look forward with optimism it should all keep us positive! 

Easing back to work after a good break

Normally my January consists of a couple of days hectic organisation before I head overseas for a break and then return home via some sales calls. This saves me having to fly back and forth too much but it can also be slightly disconcerting as it works off the benefits of the break even before I have made it back to Eriska so this year I decided to simply go on holiday and then come home- but that was until I remembered that I should be in London at the Master Innholders General Managers conference so a detour was on the cards.

However due to a few delays in the well thought out plan I managed to reach the conference with little time to spare from my transatlantic flight, had a good day yesterday at the meetings and this then insured that I got a full nights sleep before another day of conference and then returning home to Eriska later. The good side was tghat I seem to have avoided jet lag, and I was a blank book for accepting ideas about the future of hoteling and hospitality- the bad news is that I have even more ideas circulating in my head and have to make sure by the time I walk into the office the ideas from holiday and the ideas from the conference are well thought out and ready to be presented.

Well above all I am back refreshed and ready for our 37th Year at Eriska!!

End to the Oh ohs and start of the Terrible Teens!!

well we ended the last decade, the Oh Ohs in typical chaotic fashion here at Eriska. However the change in piper- Angus MacColl our regular New year piper had become  otherwise engaged however he arranged for his son, another Angus to help celebrate the new decade with us.  It has to be said that he was extremely efficient and indeed kept great time  for the piped eight some which finished dead on the time in line with his last note, leaving only a few minutes to charge glasses and prepare for the bells. Then after the traditional greetings and a round of Auld Lang Syne, played expertly on the piano by one of our guests it was time for Chays fireworks.

Another triumph at the pyrotechnics as the show began with some low level pieces and grew in a crushendo to the high rockets before returning to the floor to finish the show. The addition of an extra lighter, in the guise of David - obviously equipped with goggles and High Visibility jacket- not to mention the on the discreet if thorough on the job training provided by Chay helped speed the show on and insured that there were no late arrivals as we have had in previous years when we are walking back inside.

Anyway a all in all a good way to end a decade and a suitably subdued way to start the next , now fingers crossed that the frost will lift and the First Golf competition of 2010 will be able to commence!

Golf abandoned- creative thinking substitued!

I suppose any realist would have given up hope of running any kind of golf competition given the freezing conditions but ever the optimist i had hoped for a thaw overnight with the possibility of a few holes under competitive spirit if a bit altered rules but it was not to be so it was back to the drawing board!

luckily we are not short of ideas here at Eriska although whether they are good or usable is often a matter for discussion, so we launched a simple treasure hunt this afternoon with several criteria- firstly it must be equal to the lowest possible denominator, secondly it must finish before dark-the thought of wandering out at dusk seeking lost guests whilst feasible isa not ideal, thirdly given christmas exertion and over consumption probably a modest pace would also be more welcome. So armed with this and plenty advice we set and ran the Erisak Treasure hunt.

It was needless to say received well by the winners and misconceived by the loosers but I suppose the main point is that we all got out in the fresh air to enjoy what may be the last day of winter here at Eriska as the predicted thaw is not far away, at least for now!

Lights, Camera, Action!!

Having now put of Christmas decorations for as long as possible it became a mad dash to get it all done first before Christmas guests start to arrive and secondly before it got dark as hanging tree lights is not so easy for the hanger although for those standing at the foot of the ladder and tree it seems to give them more opportunities to voice an opinion!!

So no sooner where the trees delivered than Chay and his team were hard at work first erecting them and then hanging the lights on. Being an organized Chap- sometimes- Chay had already had all the light sets checked and most importantly untangled form last year and it was then a simple matter of draping the trees in light. I however was conned , with feigned words of praise about last years effort, into climbing the weeping tree outside lilac cottage. Again the tree has been bathed in the light of 2000 bulbs and 500m of wire. The easiest was I have discovered to do this without disaster is to light the rope and then place it on the tree, firstly to see where I have been and secondly to insure that it is still all working as it is installed .

Anyway just as dusk arrived, it was the years shortest day, nothing like a challenge, we completed the task and simply had to cover up the evidence and tidy away any stray wires and then stand back and admire the handy-work. Next it will be the task of Dennis hardley to pop down and capture the scene on camera and then we will be ready for Christmas Action! So so far so good with no accidents in installation, clearly my risk analysis into tree climbing for Christmas lights has paid off- another reason I was volunteered for the task rather than one of my paid associates!!

Weather wc20th December- Christmas Week!

Whilst it certainly looks like a winter wonderland for an hour or two after it snows this soon changes if the roads become slippy and icy and we have been lucky here at Eriska to miss the worst of this with lovely views of snow capped peaks on the mountains and cold first thing in the morning down low but each day it has thawed quickly and so far no accidents to report. Anyway the big question is will Santa arrive on his sleigh or will he have to be motorized and on wheels to reach us!

Today: Bright start but frequent and occasionally heavy snow showers on the hills with sleet on coast generally it will edge south through the day, giving some significant snowfall, especially over western hills but by tea time we should be through the worst of it although the northerly breeze will make it seem even colder.

Monday:Some sunny spells but with a decreasing risk of heavy snow showers although there will be some lying snow drifting in strong northwesterly winds.

Tuesday: This cold spell of weather will continue with some sunshine and further sleet and snow showers, heavy at times. Also severe frosts inland. Lighter winds.

Wednesday: It will remain unsettled and often windy during the day with a mixture of brighter spells and showers or longer spells of rain, sleet or snow likely across many areas.

Christmas Eve:  The precipitation will be occasionally heavy but it is possible it will become less cold during this period with precipitation perhaps turning to rain. Otherwise it continues generally cold, particularly across higher mountain areas with overnight frosts and icy surfaces

Christmas Day:It will be cold but should be dry although i'm afraid there is little chance of a white Christmas here at Eriska!

Saturday:After a dry start it will slowly deteriorate becomming unsettled and mostly cold. The main sleet and snow risk will continue on the hills

 

Ba Humbug to Christmas-- for now!

I am sure I am not alone wondering if there is a correlation between festive fatigue and the fact that some people bedeck their houses and businesses in ever increasing numbers of decorations closer and closer to summer every year! It was amazing how noticeable it was last week when I was in Switzerland where houses were not really noticeably christmasy and when I asked I was told it was normal for the decorations to go up 12 days before Christmas- a bit like it used to be here in Scotland but not now!!

In fact when I was in London during the first week of November for a meeting at the Dorchester I was amazed to see the tree and tinsel already in place. Luckily there was no christmas carols bellowing from the rafters or I think I would have had to walk!! Anyway this year we will not be decorating the house until the last possible opportunity as we have had a Special request from a guests who is escaping for a quiet weekend of reflection before the onslaught of Christmas at the end of next week. Clearly I was happy to oblige although my Mother has a different view. She would prefer to put up the decorations in private when the hotel is closed and as far from Christmas as possible so if we have forgotten anything then there is time to rectify it.

The positive side however for her is that we will all offer to help and by doing so will see the immense work she puts into the operation and rather than standing on the sidelines commenting we may be able to lend a hand and it will also teach us why we spend so much time carefully taking down the arrangements so that next December we can find exactly what we are looking for ! Anyway its not that we are scrooge and humbug about Christmas- indeed it is a wonderful time of year for Eriska as the House lends itself to a house party atmosphere- no papers, stress or rushing simply reklaxation and enjoyment.

Anyway there is only so much Festive spirit to go round that we would prefer to keep it concentrated on the 12 days around Christmas and New Year and I am sure others agree - There is only so much Ho ho ho's and Jolly Japes that Chay can manage!!