Well, here we are with our 1st of April Issue, but unfortunately, due to matters outwith our control, it is actually the evening of the 1st as we write, and prepare to send, these words into the ether. Too late then for an April Fool jape, or 'Huntiegowk' as we knew it in the days of our youth. Shame! We shall just have to make up for it next year...
So, just what has been happening on Colonsay since The Corncrake last hit the streets? Well, we could almost ask you, dear Reader, the same question, as your Editor has been on the mainland for the last few days of March and isn't yet up to speed with the 'goss', as the means of communicating newsworthy events between residents is affectionately known on the island. No doubt however there will have been some drama or other, some of which might even be printable...
One thing for certain, as we observed as we sailed back to Colonsay only yesterday with some 120 fellow passengers, the island will not be the quiet one we left only a few days before; yes, the visitor season is upon us again, and with only one sailing, the first of the new Summer timetable, the population of the island has already doubled. And a busy visitor season it promises to be, as the BBC recently repeated the Colonsay-based documentary, "A Wild Spring Day" which brought many first-time visitors to the island last year.
And here we are, well in to our opening blethers, and the weather has never been mentioned! This must be rectified forthwith, so here we go... The weather of the weekend 19-20th March brought unbroken sunshine - but with a marked contrast. Saturday was a bright but cold Winter's day whilst Sunday was a delightfully warm Spring day. And here are a couple of photographs the Photographic Desk took while out testing the new issue of Corncrake sunglasses :
Ah! at last, Spring has sprung, we all thought, and all over the island garden chairs and barbecues were released from their winter hibernation and dusted down ready for the long, hazy days ahead. Alas, 'Spring' was but a brief affair and we found ourselves digging out the winter woolies again the following day as temperatures plummeted. And so things stayed, culminating in perhaps the coldest day of the entire Winter (is this not Spring? - Ed.) on Wednesday 22nd. We are not sure what the Wind Chill Factor was, but it must have been Max Factor as everyone was walking about with reddened cheeks while the queue of brass monkeys at the welders was a sight to behold.
And as if to prove that every cloudless day can have a less than silver lining, read on...
What is it with The Corncrake these days, we hear you ask. Every Issue seems to have a headline 'Burning Issues'! Well, this time round, our story begins in the island Hall just after 7pm on the evening of Monday 20th March.
Inside, a goodly crowd had gathered, including the island children, for the Hall Committee had pulled a few strings and managed to get a puppet theatre company to come over and entertain us. Proceedings were in full swing when there came the sound of electronic beeping from various areas of the Hall. And the beeping? It came from the pagers of the four Fire and Rescue Service volunteers in the audience. This was an emergency call-out!
For some of the volunteers this was there first real call-out, but mild panic turned to immediate action and, finding minders for their children, the volunteers sped off into the night.
Before reaching the Fire Station, it became obvious what was behind the call-out, for the sky up by Milbuie was a-glow! Some heather and bracken burning had got out of control - so much so that the alarm had actually been raised by a military jet pilot on exercise!
The firefighters were soon on the scene, but the scale of the fire was enormous, stretching from a starting point at Garvard, past Milbuie over to Machrins and the flames were heading down toward Ardskenish; the first problem our firefighters faced was just where to start. The following photographs, taken from around the 's' bends and the Machrins straight, show only a small portion of the extent of the inferno :
The usual cause of such widespread fire, the wind, was not the guilty party in this instance, although the breeze was certainly helping the flames to spread; no, on this occasion it was the sheer dryness of the heather and bracken after one of the driest Winters on record. Our volunteers' first priority was to prevent the fire attacking the homes at Machrins and at Milbuie but telegraph and electricity poles were also in great danger. The fire also threatened to leap across the road onto Baleromindubh and Balerominmor, so our firefighters were literally stretched to deal with all the potential dangers. A real 'baptism of fire' for our volunteers. (thanks for that line, Bob!).
And it was tough going to say the least, having to tramp through heather and bracken up to their knees (even further up for Lucy!), in an attempt to beat out the flames. The belching smoke also meant that the attempts to beat down the flames had to be done in a rota system, each 'rota' having to be relieved every few minutes before its members choked on the smoke and fumes. This relentless and arduous labour continued for hour upon hour, and just when it was thought that they were getting in control of the blaze, the breeze turned direction, sending flame and fire raging toward Jim and Jeanette's house at Milbuie West!
Fortuitously, there was a water hydrant near the cottage, and after 15 lengths of hose were employed, water, as well as beaters, could be used to eventually eliminate the danger. The blaze however then circled the cottage and again threatened to spread across the road further down the glen. It was many hours later, at 6.45am, before our hardy volunteers could pack up, knowing that they had beaten the fire and saved lives, homes and livestock. And, electricity poles were still standing, allowing them to have a hot bath before crawling in to bed for a bit of shut-eye before going about their normal daily duties an hour or two later.
A huge 'thank-you' is due to our small band of volunteers, but they are too modest to accept the praise that they so richly deserve, deflecting it by pointing out that had the island not recently received a new fire tender, things could have turned out very differently indeed. Their 'boss' on the mainland, Danny Downie, was however full of praise for our volunteers : "They did exceptionally well. The effort and commitment they put in is second to none. They are a credit to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and the community they serve."
Next day, the acrid stench of burning hung over the whole island, some 2,000 acres of which had been devastated the night before. Our photograph below shows to a very small extent the damage wreaked, but also how close the fire came to spreading over the road to Baleromindubh and, who knows, perhaps onwards to Scalasaig...
Following the fire, there has been much speculation on the island as to exactly what caused it. Being Colonsay, the speculation has encompassed everything in the spectrum between the weird and the wonderful. One wag even had it that it was an arson attempt by Sh.. you know who, to burn down the airport before it could be built! Meanwhile, this is denied vehemently by Sh.., saying that she was most definitely not arson about that night. And so on it goes. At least the fire has provided the locals with fuel to fan the flames of controversy...
Had in fact it been an arson attempt on the 'airport', it would have been an unsuccessful one. For, visiting the scene of the fire (or at least a small part of it), the Corncrake team were able to see at first hand how the flames had skirted the airstrip and left ongoing work intact. Driving on to the airstrip road however (see photo on left below), we could not help but think that an attempt to recreate the M8, or indeed the M23 Heathrow Approach, was underway. We were assured however that, contrary to appearances, this was simply the creation of a passing place, another of which can be seen in the photograph on the right :
And, sure enough, the porta-kabins could be seen still in situ, and unscathed by the fire. The area has also now all been pegged out, and for the first time on Colonsay, we can see something that vaguely looks like a runway :
Which brings us back to a request we made of our Readership some issues ago, but which apparently fell on barren ground; are there any suggestions out there for a name for our airport-in-waiting? 'Corncrake International' is a personal favourite, but then again, we may be just that wee bit biased...
Regular readers will undoubtedly have noticed that there have been quite a number of Colonsay related births of late. And even our Nigel Grant, a man usually up to his oxters in work, has noticed. Or at least we hope he has, for in the space of a few days, Nigel recently was blessed with another TWO granchildren!
On 16th February, Nigel was presented with a new grandson when his son Graham's wife Paula gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, Magnus, who weighed in at a healthy 7lbs. Graham and Paula now live in France and in the not too distant future, so will Nigel, who is rarely seen these days without his French phrase book...
And a photograph of young Magnus? Glad to oblige :
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And just after this event in big France, on 27th February to be precise, Nigel was presented with another grandchild in Little France (which is actually the part of Edinburgh where the new Royal Infirmary is to be found). For Nigel's daughter Fiona gave birth there to a lovely baby girl, Marie, who weighed in at an even healthier 7lb 10oz. Fiona and hubby Barry are now safely back on the island with our latest resident, and kindly provided us with a photograph of Marie (at the age of 20 minutes!) to share with readers of The Corncrake :
Moving on to less parochial matters, the word on the street is 'word', or should we use the Gaelic 'facal'? For we hear on the grapevine that a new Gaelic spell-checker has just been released. And the even better news is that it is FREE, a phrase with which The Corncrake is inordinately fond.
The European Language Initiative's spell-checker project, or 'Pròiseact an Dearbhair', has taken less than three years to complete yet it contains an astonishing 525,000 faclan, or words. Gosh, that's nearly as many as Jessie uses in an entire day!
The spell-checker is designed to provide a useful everyday tool as well as helping to unite Gaelic users behind a nationally agreed standard. The first version now being launched is designed to operate on computers using Microsoft Word. Versions for use with other types of software, including Open Source, are currently in development and will be announced shortly.
As we perhaps began to mention earlier, but got a bit excited, an important feature of the spell-checker is that it is available for downloading free of charge. So, what are you waiting for? A-màireach?
The website in question can be found at : www.ltscotland.org.uk/gaidhlig/gaelicspelleng.asp
Sìuthad!!
This is the column where YOU get the opportunity to share YOUR photograph taken on Colonsay (or indeed Oransay, but there's nothing much over there, is there Duncan?), with your fellow Corncrake readers. So, keep the photographs coming, they do reach a wide and appreciative audience.
Our selected snap this Issue comes from the camera of regular visitor and Corncrake contributor, Louise Hemsley. Louise took the photograph one mid-morning in May 2005, just after a wild hail squall, on Tràigh nam Bàrc :
Looking at the photograph, we began to wonder if some kids on the beach had buried Louise in the sand with only her camera for company. Louise however was quick to explain : "the image was taken at ground level with the
camera resting on my rucksack attached to a camera pod - wet knees were
the
price I paid - the wind was too strong for me to stand up and hold the camera
still!! By the way, I was on my way to An Locharnach on the Ardskenish Peninsula. The weather
continued wild and windy with a mix of brilliant sunshine and hail
squalls. A fantastic Colonsay day to be remembered for ever. To round it off, I had a great
ride to
Machrins farmhouse in the Post Bus!"
So, well done Keith, and our grateful thanks to Louise for sharing that with us. There is further good news for those Readers who will be on the island in early May, for Louise is planning at that time to mount in the Hall a Powerpoint presentation of her extensive Colonsay photographic portfolio. We suspect too, that there may be a snap or two of Louise's native Lake District...
Full details will follow when available.
And so we again reach that point in Corncrake proceedings where the poetic Muse holds sway. And on this occasion, we are indebted to regular contributor Julia Page for a poem penned by her own fair hand. Not only that, Julia has also provided an apposite Colonsay photograph to accompany her words. Take it away Julia :
There's a beautiful garden of thrift
Reaching up to the sky,
Tumbling rocks down below.
There on her nest,
Sits a beautiful bird gleaming white
In the blue morning sky,
Pink flowers sway to and fro.
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Silently, swiftly she flies
As we wander close to the rocks.
Round the bay she will glide,
Soaring high, swooping low.
Cautiously, slowly, she circles
Around our heads and then down again
Back to her nest.
Now it's time we should go.
Julia Page 1997.
So, many thanks to Julia again. And, dear Reader, do you have a poem, self-penned or otherwise, that you could share with fellow Corncrake Readers? And if you don't, why not just sit down today and write one? We at Corncrake Towers are well prepared for deluges of mail...
Determined to make our 'Where?' poser a little harder, particularly for the much-too-smart young Donald-Ross MacDonald, we enlisted in our last Issue the help of regular Reader and contributor Alastair Morton. And the photograph provided by Alastair? Well here it is :
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With Issue 133 committed to the ether, your Editor strolled into the day, confident that people would eventually be begging, prostrate at his feet, for even a wee clue as to the unidentified location.
And all we can say now about this Editorial confidence is not just that it may have been a wee bit misplaced, but that we should perhaps "Get a Life!!". For, the first two people met during the short duration of this stroll in the Spring sunshine both said "Oh, I saw your photograph of the 'Dog Pool' up between Uragaig and Kiloran." Returning home somewhat more deflated than when we had so recently left, our spirits were hardly raised by the receipt of an e.mail from Donald-Ross. Yes, you guessed, he also identified our mystery location as the 'Dog Pool'...
Ah but, it was at this point that your Editor realised that he had got it wrong (big surprise there then...). While our snap looks a bit like the 'Dog Pool', a cursory glance at the map reminded us that there is more than one such pool in that vicinity. As confirmation of our error, we then received an email from reader Mike Hearne pinpointing the spot and then Louise Hemsley went one further and provided the correct grid reference of NR380981. And just to confirm the Editorial insanity, we read again Alastair Morton's email and looked at a second photograph which accompanied it : " the exact
location is
to the north of the pebble beach that leads to the natural arch which
is
marked on the Ordnance Survey Explorer map (354). That is off to the
right
of this second photo" :
Yes, we must get on our walking boots and visit Uragaig again soon. It does house one or two EGGstaordinary characters too...
So, determined to provide a 'Where?' photograph that your Editor cannot fail to correctly identify, the entire Photographic Desk were despatched under pain of death to return with one which was easy enough for your Editor but which might still exercise young Donald-Ross's powers of observation. And, by gum, we think that they have hit the spot! :
So, just where on Colonsay or Oransay would you see the above? And, if you are feeling super-smart, what time of day does the shadow tell you it is?
Entries as usual to : editorcorncrake@yahoo.co.uk ; by telephone : 01951 200336 ; or by post to : The Editorial Suite, The Corncrake, Corncrake Towers, Scalasaig, Isle of Colonsay, Argyll, PA61 7YW, Scotland. Entrants are encouraged to obtain all their postage stamp requirements for the next year or three from Colonsay Post Office.
Ha Ha suckers!
Sorry... don't know, dear Readers, what came over us there. But, yes, you can no doubt guess that our last 'Look Back' photograph, taken by your Editor, did cause you all a lot of problems. And so simple it looked too; three people in a Bar...
The good news however is that at least the location of the bar did not cause any problems. Nor did the standing customer, for it was none other than our very own Margaret Smith :
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Yes, it was the Colonsay bar as it was some 13 or 14 years ago. And the barmaid? Well, there were a few guesses before Lucy Johnstone (yes, she was a barmaid!) was correctly identified.
Which brings us to the most difficult one of the trio - and one which no one got until Margaret and Brian Smith's son Davy got it right...but then changed his mind! Let us read Davy's own words, written in his own inimitable style : "at first glance it would be easy to mistake him for David Bellamy or perhaps I'd have a guess at "Hugh" one of our larger, bearded American cousins who used to visit regularly and occupy the corner in question. But I think it's more likely that it is my father, who must have been deposed by some massive force of nature from his usual position in the other corner. The venue is the bar on Colonsay (as it was) and I reckon the year must have been around 92 or 93."
Well done, Davy. And although we took the photograph ourselves, we could not say for sure if it was 92 or 93. But yes, the 'mystery' man was indeed our American cousin from Lake Winola, Hugh McDerment, this fact being subsequently confirmed by Frank Nicholson, lately safely returned to these shores from his Winter pastures.
And so we move inexorably on to our 'Look Back' photograph for this issue. Who can identify all those pictured, the year, and for extra brownie points, the location? :
Enjoy!
Our thoughts and best wishes go to Netta, currently recuperating at son Neil's Glasgow home after a recent successful visit with a surgeon in Glasgow's Southern General Hospital. We hope that it will not be too long before another washing hangs on the line at Creagoran, upsetting the box-burning ambitions of our resident Shopkeeper.
Thig thu air ais dhachaigh gun dàil, ar chridhe.
Sunday March 26th was an historic day across the whole of Scotland as the Scottish Executive's ban on smoking in enclosed public places came into effect. This brought a few quirky anomalies with it, such as lorry drivers crossing the border from England suddenly finding that they were breaking the law if they failed to extinguish their cigarette on driving in to Scotland.
The most contentious area of the new legislation however concerned the ban on smoking in licenced premises such as bars, hotels and clubs. No longer would the 'man in the street' be able to enjoy a puff with his pint. The licenced trade predicted that the ban sounded the death knell for their industry.
And so, your Editor found himself with yet another working Sunday, feeling duty-bound to visit the Bar to see at first hand the immediate effects of the ban in our local hostelry. We did not however get as far as the door of the Bar before encountering the first ban-induced change, for a continental style approach to drinking had already gripped a few of our Sunday topers :
No, this is not our smokers picketing the Bar, this is them enjoying the new 'al-fresco' smoking facility provided by the Hotel. We feel sure the fresh air will do them good... Inside, the Bar was doing a roaring trade. Even the institution that is the Sunday domino session remained intact, the intrepid smokers having already devised a rota system to the game.
And so it would seem, if first indications are anything to go by, that life will indeed go on after all. And if any Reader is keen to buy an ashtray, we hear that the Hotel has an unrepeatable offer going at the moment...
The Corncrake can somtimes find itself playing 'Happy Families', and such an occasion ocurred recently.
Our regular Reader will recall that in Issue 132 (Genealogical Letters), we heard from Greg Munn, a Canadian descendant of Colonsay now resident in the U.S. Greg kindly forwarded photographs of two of his ancestors, James Munn and his wife Elzabeth MacMillan, who were both born on Colonsay and who emigrated to Prince Edward Island on board the "Spencer" in 1806.
Following this, we received a letter from Mae Saunders of Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose gr. gr. gr. grandparents James and Elizabeth were. She was unaware of Greg's existence or of the existence of actual photographs of her ancestors, so you can understand just how excited she was!
Well, what could we do but put Mae and Greg in touch with each other, and as we write, they are undoubtedly rabidly exchanging family stories. They have however found the time to write to The Corncrake and enclose further family photographs, which can be viewed in the 'Genealogical Letters' section of this very Issue.
Ah, it does your heart good...
Yippee-i-ay, yippee-i-oh!!
Well, pardners, soon be time to mosey on down to the saloon and shoot up the sheriff! Well, on reflection, you can miss out that last bit - give poor Don a chance to earn his spurs - but there will soon be the opportunity to hear the strains of "Westering Home" in the Bar give way to western hoe-downs and a few yippee-i-ays and yippee-i-ohs. For, American
singing duo 'Single Saddlebag' will be playing at 'The Colonsay' (aka the Hotel) on May
6th
from 8.30-10.30pm.
'Single Saddlebag' is Alice Hanks who sings her way
through a repertoire including old swing songs, classics from the early
country music artists as well as cowboy songs of her favourite western
songwriters of today. Alice plays acoustic bass and is accompanied by
Jim
McMillan on his (apparently) trusty Gibson guitar. Alice is one-part of sister duo Saddlebags who have been inducted into the
Idaho State Cowboy Entertainers Hall of Fame.
P.S. - Dung collectors please note - we have it on good authority that the horse will NOT be making an appearance...
What more can be said of the resiliance and tenacity of The Corncrake in its commitment to bring you, dear Reader, the rare and the exotic? Hopefully by now it is the stuff of legend!
And so it should be, for in only our last Issue, we vowed to bring you, within the decade, a photograph of that most elusive of creatures, a Colonsay snowman. And bang on cue, some 9 years and 50 weeks early, what do we have for you? Yes, you guessed : .jpg)
We cannot however take the credit for this scoop of the decade, for the photograph was actually taken by the builders of the snowman, Lucy and Barbara, before the snow began to melt and the Photographic Desk eventually appeared on the scene. We did however do our Reporter thing and asked the girls searching and penetrating questions such as what had prompted them to build the snowman in the first instance. Candidly, Barbara and Lucy admitted that, having exhausted all the local talent, they decided to build their own...
Our regular Reader will now be familiar with the ongoing saga of Broadband provision on the island, or rather the lack of it. Well, it looks as if the saga could be coming to an end, for in the last few days, Alan and Isabel Robertson have become the first people on the island to have broadband successfully provided to them, rather than just promised, by B.T.
The Corncrake has not yet had the opportunity to investigate this breakthrough fully, but we are led to believe that other potential B.T. customers on the island are similarly about to have their broadband wishes met. More on this breaking story in our next Issue.
Back in the mists of time (aka Issue 131), we asked our Google-beating Readers if they could tell us why the Strathcona and Mount Royal Coat of Arms is to be found mounted on the ceiling in Aberdeen Town House.
Quicker than any search-engine (come on, give us a wee bit of inventive journalistic leeway here...), we were able to read, courtesy of one of our small but growing band of Readers, one Catie May, the answer to this little mystery. But now yet another Reader ( gosh, our Readership could soon hit double figures!), has provided us with even more information on the subject.
For former Colonsay resident Isabel Summers used to work as secretary to the Town Clerk there, and she has been able to tell us that Donald Alexander Smith, the first Lord Strathcona, had gifted The Beach Ballroom and St. Katherine's Centre to the City of Aberdeen (indeed, both buildings do have an acknowledgment to this effect) and that the Coat of Arms in the Town House was the Council's ostensible mark of appreciation. So there.
Good to know though, that such generosity runs through the veins of our present Laird. We've made a mental note to test this at an early date...
NEW COLONSAY VEHICLES - PART 5.
Well, since we started up the engine of this 'occasional' feature, it just seems to want to run and run, which is a bit more than can be said of most of the cars on the island...
That said, there have been quite a number of local drivers with unfamiliar vehicles since our last posting on this subject; indeed, too many for our overworked ( and as we are constantly reminded, underpaid) Photographic Desk to cope with. We have suggested to our P.D. an earlier rise in the morning, but this seems as unpopular as an ashtray in The Colonsay these days.
And so, of these unfamiliar vehicles, we are grateful to Jessie Machrins for slowing down that wee bit, allowing our P.D. to capture her for posterity at the wheel of her 'new' green machine :
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Yes, no longer will the sunglassed Colonsay Mafia give a red alert of their approach; the new green-coloured vehicle is designed to blend in with the environment, giving Seonaid and her extended 'Family' an extra fear-factor edge as they patrol their island. Be alert... and be very, very afraid...
One casualty of your Editor's recent mainland travels is, unfortunately, our Caption Competition. The few days leading up to a new issue of The Corncrake is when the competition is judged, the winner contacted, and a photograph for the new competition elicited. The timing of our travels did not permit this process to take place, and so we have little option but to carry the competition from Issue 133 forward.
The good news however is that, if you have not yet entered this time round, you now have the opportunity to do so. Go on, you know you can do it. Just think, not of the prize, but of the Glory! :
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Entries as usual to : editorcorncrake@yahoo.co.uk ; by telephone : 01951 200336 ; or by post to : A.N.Other, The Corncrake Caption Competition (Issue 134), c/o The Editorial Suite, The Corncrake, Corncrake Towers, Scalasaig, Isle of Colonsay, Argyll, PA61 7YW, Scotland. Calls may be monitored for quality control purposes.
THE ISLAND IS MOVING TO SUMMER OPENINGS, JUST IGNORE WHAT FOLLOWS (We'll be caught up next Issue!).
Please note that there is also a Notice Board on the Homepage; anyone wishing to publicise any event or attraction is invited to send details to the Editor.
THE ISLAND HALL :
BADMINTON - every Tuesday and Thursday c.5pm.
THE ISLAND HALL is also available for rent: Ceilidhean, dances etc. £50; private parties £75; weddings £100.
THE PANTRY :
The following times apply as from Monday 31st October :
Monday, Wednesday and Friday - 10am to 2.30pm
Saturday only - 10am to 3.30pm
Friday (carry-outs) - 5pm to 6pm
Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday - CLOSED
THE ISLAND STORES :
Opening hours as of Monday 24th October :
Monday, Wednesday and Friday : 9am - 1pm; 2pm - 5.30pm
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday : 9am - 1pm
Sunday : CLOSED ALL DAY.
THE COLONSAY bar, hotel, restaurant :
Bar and Restaurant hours for April are as follows :
Saturdays: Bar: 12-3pm; 6-11pm (BONUS DRINK!! 6-7pm; Buy first drink, get second one free; (1 per customer - excluding malts)
Lunch: 12-2.30pm
Restaurant: 6pm
Sundays: Bar: 12-3pm; 5-11pm
Lunch: 12-2.30pm
Early pre-ferry supper: 5pm
Restaurant: 6pm
Mondays: Bar: 7-11pm
Restaurant closed
Tuesdays: Bar: 12-3pm; 6-11pm
Lunch: 12-2.30pm
Restaurant: 6pm - Dine and DVD nite. 1 child (13 and under) eats free for every adult dining.
7pm: Free kids DVD screening
Wednesdays: Bar: 12-3pm; 6-11pm - QUIZ NITE - starts 8.30pm
Lunch: 12-2.30pm
Restaurant: 6-11pm
Thursdays: Bar: 12-3pm; 6-11pm
Lunch: 12-2.30pm
Restaurant: 6-11pm
Fridays: Bar: 12-3pm; 5-11pm
Lunch: 12-2.30pm
Early pre-ferry supper: 5pm
Restaurant: 6pm
COLONSAY BOOKSHOP :
Winter Hours, Monday to Saturday - 2pm to 4pm
You are always welcome to call in whenever you see the door open or a car outside; but if you have a special query or request please feel free to telephone one of us at home - Georgina Hobhouse on 01951 200375; Kevin or Christa Byrne on 01951 200320.
We can search for new or second hand titles and can often get them for you surprisingly quickly!
COLONSAY HOUSE GARDENS and CAFÉ :
Closed for the Season.
CHURCH SERVICES :
The Church of Scotland and the Baptist Church on the island work closely together and frequently hold joint services - please see notice at the Shop for details of venue and times. All are welcome and our visitors are cordially invited to join the island congregation.
For the convenience of our Readers, letters addressed to The Corncrake appear in two sections. Anything to do with current events appears here, and any letters concerned with historical research etc. appear under "Genealogical Letters" at the start of the REGULARS section of The Corncrake.
Dear Editor,
We follow with interest the happenings on Colonsay where, many moons ago, we were resident for 5-6 years. We have many happy memories of those years, the friends we made and the fun we had. Sadly, most of our compatriots have now moved on to the great pie in the sky, but a few still remain. We believe that our son was the last baby to be born in Colonsay House (not the Big House itself, but the Stable Flat) in 1965, with the good old Dr. Mackinnon in attendance - and we are very happy that Paul returns to the island of his birth with his wife, Morven, and 3 young sons with great enthusiasm a few times each year.
On Sunday last, we eagerly watched the repeat of the film taken on Colonsay in Spring a few years ago, and hope that this might become available either on video or CD - a great promotional feature for the island!
Earlier in the year, a letter appeared asking if anyone knew the reason for the Strathcona and Mount Royal Coat of Arms in Aberdeen Town House. I worked as secretary to the Town Clerk there for a number of years and asked the same question. I was informed by the Archivist at that time that Donald Alexander Smith, the first Lord Strathcona, had gifted The Beach Ballroom and St. Katherine's Centre to the City of Aberdeen (indeed, both buildings do have an acknowledgment to this effect) and the Coat of Arms in the Town House was the Council's mark of appreciation.
I attach a photo which might evoke some memories in the older population, of Ivor Brown and Dougie McGillvray working on the wreck of a fishing boat which ran aground on Kiloran Bay circa 1964. The engine of the boat was removed but not without difficulty, as the ingenious workers (Ivor, Dougie and Ian) had of necessity to work between the tides and mostly underwater in the engine compartment, using the boat's own wooden spars as sheerlegs :
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Best wishes.
Isabel and Ian Summers
Blairgowrie.
Dear Editor,
Hope all is well with you!
Just been looking at the most recent "look back in" picture and I reckon that it is Lucy behind the bar and I am fairly sure that the person nearest is my mother, which only leaves the identity of the bearded individual to be established.
At first glance it would be easy to mistake him for David Bellamy or perhaps I would have a guess at "Hugh" one of our larger, bearded American cousins who used to visit regularly and occupy the corner in question but I think it's more likely that it is my father, who must have been deposed by some massive force of nature from his usual position in the other corner.
The venue is the bar on Colonsay (as it was) and I reckon the year must have been around 92 or 93.
Regards
Davy Smith.
Dear Editor,
I just thought I'd let you know that Jane Howard is letting me put some paintings in the Estate Office this summer.
This means I have a brilliant excuse to visit Colonsay on my way up the the North-West on a 'painting delivery' trip. Alas I can only fit in a short visit but will be staying at the Hotel on 10th and 11th May. (If there 's a Pub Quiz on the Wednesday I'll join in the fun - but just a little tip - avoid my table, I always lose!).
Sincerely,
Mary Frame.
(Another opportunity for locals and visitors to see Mary's work which has adorned recent issues of The Corncrake - Ed.).
Dear Editor,
Just read another newsfull Corncrake. Pity we lost the cause of the airstrip, another victory for the vandals.
The picture you took as a beardless boy shows Margaret Smith having a hauf with Hugh McDermid. During the eighties, Hugh was a regular visitor to Colonsay, he came from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania where he was a controller in the electricity supply industry. He enjoyed several vacations in the hotel bar.
A widower, he re-married and brought his wife Joan to Colonsay. Once. Retired, he now lives at Lake Tahoe and as a dutiful husband has resisted returning to the island hostelry where he held court for a number of seasons. A nice man.
The rock pool I think is at Port nam Fliuchan behind the fallen stack which makes a natural arch.
Yours,
Frank Nicholson.
Dear Editor,
Oh dearie me, what news is this about the threat posed to the future of the Great National Game on Colonsay by the onrush of "progress"?
Can it be that the greater "winged birds" - greater than the dreaded Ravens - could actually be going to take away our beloved golf course?
Your item in the latest Corncrake, telling us that the course will be closed until further notice strikes dread in the hearts of those of us who stride the links each year. Our holiday visits won't be the same without the tussles with the wind, the rummaging down rabbit holes, and the attempts to judge the pace of the greens just right to counter the daisies. Ravens will be childs-play compared with birds driven by aero-fuel.
Seriously, what are the projections ahead for the course and the airstrip? More specifically, will we be playing in June this year?
We await news with apprehension.
Yours,
Malcolm Menzies.
(Malcolm, there is to be a meeting this coming Thursday - our next Issue will carry the good news of the imminent re-opening of the course. (Ooops! Did we just spoil another Corncrake exclusive? - Ed.).
Dear Colbhasachs,
First of all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.
Secondly, sorry for our slackness. It's been 3 months since we returned to OZ and life has been nowhere near as relaxed as it was on Colonsay. No births or marriages to report but I am working on it...
You will be proud to know that Boxy is becoming an islander, he is moving to Tasmania (that little island off the bottom of Australia). His job will entail looking at cows and talking to farmers all day. Technically he will be working for a Kiwi company so might be able to wing a trip to see Jo and Lucky.
I've pretty much been working since we got back and am on the long road to being an Assistant Winemaker. Perhaps this and lots of babies will happen in Tassyuka Tasmania.
Trying to describe Colonsay and Colonsay life to our friends and family has been difficult as it is such a unique place. But we both know that it was the highlight of our trip. Angus will be pleased to know that Boxy has purchased a dartboard and is the current Clan Box Champion. He still has an ongoing love affair with his guitar, the latest thing is bastardising other people's songs, but "1000 Times No" just doesn't sound the same...
We'll keep it short and sweet. Hope your all well and surviving the winter (Melbourne was 43 deg C on New Years Eve ).
Christine and Boxy
P.S. We hope Uruy's chugging along well for Will and Jody.
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