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June 2008 Batman! dinner dinner dinner dinner...... Batman! An accurate title for our dinner party. Friends came to stay at the house for a long weekend. The weather was fantastic and with their help (and their two boys) we made great progress on several jobs – clearing rhododendron around the boathouse being the greatest joy for me, but the boys constructed a new door for one of the stone sheds which was very useful.
Tired but very, very happy we 7 sat down to dinner that evening. The food was wonderful, the wine flowed and conversations ran happily like water over stones in a sparkling brook. Time passed and dusk drew in without being noticed. Then we realised that we had a ninth in the room (our dog being a constant companion when there is food). He or she was very noticeable because they were flying laps around the outskirts of the room – it was a small bat! How it came into the room we are not sure; perhaps down the chimney, but this is the only room in the main house without a functioning chimney.
Still, shrieks and ducking out of the way our thoughts turned to the obvious question; how do we get this thing back out into the wild. Surprisingly quick and very agile, there was little chance of catching it in flight. As the windows in that room don’t open we reasoned that the best option was to close the doors and curtains to darken the room (making it cave-like) and then opening doors through the house to the rear exit and then using one light near to that door to simulate a cave exit. At this point you are probably laughing, but several circuits later through luck or due to our cunning plan, it headed in the right direction.
Family and friends stationed at each door closed off each room as the bat departed to ensure that we would make progress. Everything went according to plan until the bat decided to stop flying some three metres short of the door. It was probably tired, having been on the wing constantly for quite a while. John came to the rescue, wearing riggers gloves in case of bites or scratches he gently scooped up the bat and took it out to the courtyard wall then retreated to join us to watch what happened. A few minutes later the little creature took to the wing again and headed off towards the loch.
An exciting end to a lovely day.
P.S. Those following our newsletter will be glad to learn that your collective Rain Dance efforts have paid off and the Glen is back on-stream so far as water is concerned. Please now stop your Rain Dances; there is a danger that you might over-do it a bit and we don't need to risk flooding the place. May 2008 Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink May is a fantastic time to be here in any year, but 2008 has been particularly dry and sunny. That is, of course, good for Scottish tourism but it can have a "down" side in an area where many of us draw our water from the burns and rivers. In the whole month we had an untypical 10mm of rainfall so....... the ground dried up! Many of the smaller burns simply dried and failed and some of our neighbours lost their water supply with it. Those operating "bed & breakfast" and similar businesses were temporarily put out of action.
Ardochy House draws its water from two sources; a burn running through the property which we call the "lower water supply" and an "upper water supply" from the heathland, about 3 miles away, via a series of tanks and pipes. We have always considered the upper water supply as a "reserve" for contingencies because the water is slightly peat-stained (though it does give it quite a nice taste). In March, during the very heavy rains, the upper supply suddenly stopped and one of the "must do" jobs on the list was to discover why and rectify the problem. As you might imagine, the plentiful rains and a fast-flowing burn did impact on the urgency which we asigned to that project but by the third week of May the Burn was down to a trickle and "urgent" this task had indeed become.
In true "Time Team" fashion we began with a document search! You see, we never did get the exact coordinates of the upper water supply from the previous owner. In retrospect, that was a bit of a mistake, but a couple of days and several maps later we had a rough idea. One Sunday morning we set out with map and a few tools and a dog for a beautiful walk through the forest and up onto the moor; we had begun our adventure to discover the source of the Upper Water Supply! We may not be Great Explorers who will go down in history for our discovery, but we did locate the inlet pipe and find the problem; in the heavy rain the inlet pipe had come lose from its securing, been swept downstream and now gravity would not cooperate with an uphill entry to the pipe.
With the problem sorted out, it took a further two days to encourage a strong flow through the pipes and tanks to our collection point but Ardochy was saved from drought. On Wednesday we switched over to the upper supply; just in time as the lower supply ran completely dry the following Friday! Rain dance, anyone? April Spring has sprung, the grass has risen The place is a delight! Warm clear days, new plant growth all around, and little lambs in the fields. Bliss. Wandering through the fields I had always imagined paradise to be a little warmer, but one can't be right all the time.
The only conundrum was... where were the crocuses?
Last autumn we had planted daffodils, snowdrops and crocus bulbs along both sides of the drive. Approaching the house from the road, the walled bank on the left was a riot of colour but the flowers on the verge on the right were largely.... not there! We walked up and down a few times and thought about soil, depth, acidity, water content and drainage, and speculated on the myriad of possibilities why those bulbs on the verge had not thrived whilst those up on the wall looked fantastic.
It was the sheep poo that gave it away. There are four loose sheep that wander along the lane and eat the grass of the verges. They had been up our drive, there being no gate to stop them, as evidenced by their deposits of poo. Of course, a sheep is too short to reach onto the walled bank, and as their hoof is not adapted for rock climbing, they must have contented themselves with eating the small green shoots on the verge. Our hard work wasted.
Still, lesson learned; eat the sheep before it eats your crocuses!
March 2008 The Spring Cleaning is not such a chore The cottage spring cleaning got underway at the beginning of the month, together with minor repairs and general replacements (new batteries in the smoke alarms, etc). The largest project was to relocate the ultra-violet sterilisation unit in the Shepherd’s cottage from under the kitchen sink into the drying cupboard so that it is accessible for maintenance and bulb replacement. We also get back much valued cupboard space under the sink. Not the biggest project ever undertaken but without this unit there is no water in the cottage, so I got in a man who can, not a husband who thinks he just might be able to........
Later in the month our first guests came, and slowly the place is coming back to life. Plants are shedding their winter look and we can see small shoots that will become daffodils (planted along the drive wall in the autumn). I think they are going to make a stunning display.
Outside, the warmer and drier weather allowed us to continue with the maintenance schedule we began in February. The cobbled courtyard needed some cleaning and attention to remove the slippery algae that grows through the autumn / winter (long handled scrubbing brush was all we needed), and we decided that the small gate to the house garden is not worth saving. A metal replacement in the same style as the fence / gate elsewhere in the garden should fit in well. And then all of the metal work will need painting! The list is never ending.
On bright, sunny crisp days the view across the Loch to the snow-capped mountains is simply stunning. So much so that some days we get little work done while we stare at it. But what does that matter? There’s always tomorrow. And tomorrow? Well, there’s always that view!
February 2008 Spring cleaning will have to wait. We had quite a backlog of minor repairs, mainly relating to the roof. Twelve slates have been dislodged, along with a strip of ridge over the Shepherd’s cottage, by the winter winds. The gutters all needed clearing, and on cutting back the climbers at the front of the house it was clear that some urgent painting was also in order.
One thing that has become clear to us is that finding trades people to undertake work at remote locations in the Western Highlands is not easy. We tried a number of firms but eventually settled for the fact that we would have to do the work ourselves. Thank goodness (and a big plug here) for Screwfix Direct, from whom we ordered ladders, roof ladders, tools and paint as they delivered as promised one Saturday morning.
Several days of work and the place is much improved. It looks lived in and loved again (and it is so loved) and it is secure against the worst of the weather.
December / January Frantic preparations, objections, revisions; it was a pleasure to get to Christmas.
Through administrative oversight we had too many mince pies and not enough heating oil. The oil was ordered to refill the tank but unfortunately it ran out one day early. When the tank was refreshed we needed to bleed the system through to the three burners that service the cottages, the house and supply hot water to everyone. Without previous experience it took four hours and my turkey baster. John offered to clean out the instrument so that it could fulfil its proper purpose but I decided that we could make do with a spoon on this occasion.
The only person to try burning a mince pie did so inadvertently with an overly-long time selection on the microwave. I don't think it was an effort to keep warm.
Then we peaked too early. The family began arriving from Saturday but the last arrivals came at 11pm on Christmas Eve. It began innocently enough with a cup of tea but shortly after midnight the party was in full swing and the conga line (composed entirely of the “aunt and uncle” age group) scared the wits out of the teenage contingent when it burst into the lounge. The teenage contingent sufficiently frightened, the conga line returned to the kitchen, the booze and the iPod (with speakers). Best pre-Christmas party I have been to in a long time.
Still, seventeen sat down to Christmas dinner in the dining room and silence reigned, if only whilst they chewed. The days passed pleasently with walks and get-together's with neighbours, and a light dusting of snow over New Year made the perfect end to a wonderful time. Here we begin the plan for Christmas. It would be wonderful to gather the family together for Christmas, and now that we have some furniture in the house it is comfortable enough to make that a reality. John’s parents can stay in the house with us, and that leaves a cottage for each of the families. It will mean Christmas Dinner for 17, and cooking it on a Rayburn, but nothing ventured......
I spoke with each of the families and the idea was very well received. From this point on there is no going back. I need to plan the food, etc, and get organised to ensure that we have food, fuel and lodgings sorted out so well in advance. No mopre blogging, back to work
Oak trees are magnificent! They rise from the earth to tower over us majestically for hundreds of years. Man, by comparison, is less than 2 meters tall and has but a short time on this earth. Very short, if he chooses to mess with Oak trees!
On the slope to the loch we have a fallen oak, blown down in a gale at the end of 2006. It has fallen into the slope and for some time we have known that it needs to be cut up and removed to allow new trees an opportunity to grow. Thinking this can’t be too much of a project (the tree is on its side, after all) John set off with trusty chainsaw to cut through the trunk at root level and begin the dismembering process. He reappeared far too quickly, and confessed that in cutting through the trunk he had been “surprised” by the tree. Anticipating that the crown could still pull the trunk downward he had cut from the top of the trunk; but the root ball actually pulled back pushing the trunk upward. His chainsaw now trapped in the part-severed trunk, John wanted his toy back.
It took most of the afternoon with a felling axe to get the chainsaw back. When the trunk was finally severed some 2 ton (estimated) of root ball sprang back into an upright position with a speed that almost caught him out again. Moral of the story – hide the chainsaw before he hurts himself.
September 2007 Can't see the wood for the trees
Running out of wood is a new experience for us. The colder than expected July & August meant guests burned more fires to keep warm (and who can blame them!) which used more wood than we had anticipated, so stocks were low. John had been putting off re-stocking the wood pile as we had no felled trees close to the house and the small tractor he had ordered (which could easily bring logs to the house) had not been delivered. Eventually John accepted that we could not wait for the tractor and one crisp morning he was seen striding from the tool shed clad in chainsaw trousers, forestry helmet and gloves, and carrying his chainsaw saw at a jaunty angle.
We have four beech trees already felled close to the Loch that John had intended to cut into 8-foot lengths and bring back to the house by tractor. Clearly, he was making for these very trees.
What is it about men? Of course, 8-foot sections of tree trunk probably would have been right for a tractor to carry back, but without one I naively assumed that shorter sections would be more appropriate for him to carry. Yet, no! After several minutes of chainsaw buzz silence enveloped the Glen for so long I began to worry about limbs (number of, level of attachment) and blood (loss so far, volume remaining given a 45 minute drive to A&E at Fort William). Then he came into view; 8-foot of beech trunk on his shoulder and puffing like a steam engine. It was clearly too heavy for him to carry up to the house, so much so that he couldn’t talk to me whilst carrying and nor could he put it down – dropping it and moving smartly out of the way replaced any suggestion of “placing” it on the floor. A loss to the cabre-toss he is not.
A constructive suggestion of mine “Don’t be so silly! Cut smaller lengths” was poorly received and he got ‘that look’- the one that tells wives everywhere that stubbornness and brute strength are now to replace measured thought and reason.
By the early afternoon we had six 8-foot logs up at the house, sawn into 1-foot sections and each split into 4 with a maul. In other words, the log pile was replenished. By late afternoon I had a husband with a strong desire not to move out of his chair, and by early evening one that was almost unable to do so. After a night’s sleep, he felt worse and hardly moved at all the next day, but over time tired muscles recover and in a couple of day he was back to his usual, self-destructive ways.
It is nice to see him so happy! We have been away on holiday! But, when we came back.....
The telephone connection – normal meaning “I can almost hear a voice amongst the static” – continued as normal until the carpet fitters fixed it. I would not have thought about asking a carpet fitter to repair a telephone, and in all honesty I did not do so on this occasion. The chap carrying in the carpet into the house managed to apply HVIT – High Velocity Impact Technology – with his foot to the wall socket as he stumbled in the hall. His foot was unhurt, and when we checked the ‘phone not only was it undamaged but the interference had gone!
The carpet fitting service was excellent and given that the ‘phone repair was unscheduled and unbudgeted we thought a small gratuity was in order. So, now we can hook-up the internet modem and get the new computer working.
July 2007 An exciting month - for us and the telephone company!
The line had never been “perfect”, with quite a lot of background noise. Then….. nothing! A poor line is annoying but no line at all makes it rather difficult and John called BT on his mobile. That is not quite as easy as you might think - we get a signal only by standing in the corner of the courtyard. The call centre (in India) gave John detailed instructions for him to test the system, but he had to run backwards and forwards from wall to house to comply, the reverse his little sprint to report back and get the next task. I had a nice cup of tea whilst I watched, but it did remind me on “It’s a Knock-out” (if you are old enough, you will understand).
The procedure ended when the call centre reliably informed John that nothing was wrong with our telephone line and that we would be charged for a home call-out if it was a fault with our equipment. John asked for an engineer to call (I think he asked politely but I was out of earshot just then).
The engineer came promptly and after testing our telephone, the junction box on both telephone lines and our answer-phone he did eventually trace the fault. It seemed that the local council had mowed the verge and with it the “self-burying cable” to our house. In remoter areas BT simply throw the telephone cable onto the verge and leave it! The “self-burying cable” must have been lazy, or bad at digging, as it had simply laid on the grass and fallen victim to the mower.
Still, we are reunited with our poor telephone connection and life is back to normal.
June 2007 Our first guests Time marches onwards, no matter how aprehensive one feels. We inherited a group of Czech construction workers who had been almost constant tenents of the previous owners for several months; their contract came to an end and they moved out. With the cottage empty after so long in occupation, we gave it a 2-day "spring cleaning". John repaired the broken petrol mower, fabricating his own replacement parts from scrap and box-section steel. He was so proud of getting the thing finished it was as if he had won "Scrapheap Challenge". As a reward I let him mow the whole garden, about an acre. Now he wants a sit-on one instead - there is no pleasing some people. Our first guests to arrive, stay and leave in our care seemed to have a good time (they asked about booking for next year!) and so we may be doing something right. It was great fun to meet them and get to know them (just a little) and it made us much more confident for the future. Bookings are now moving quite well so it is just as well that we did not "hate" the whole experience. Unfortunately, we also discovered that the roof to the steadings (agricultural sheds a little way from the cottages) is rather badly affected by woodworm. The damange is so extensive that we need to take of the roof and renew the timbers - so there's lots to do this summer. May 2007 What have we done!?!? How did we come to be running a holiday cottage business in the Scottish Highlands? Well, blame motorcycles, friends and my husband. But mostly blame my husband. John and a friend are keen motorcyclists who take a "boys break" each year. If you have seen the film "Wild Hogs" then you get my impression of their little trips. In September 2006 they set out to tour the Lake District, but ended up on Skye. Don't ask. On the way back, stopping at the viewpoint on the A87 John had a life-changing moment and concluded that he was not going to go back home. Obviously he did, but that started our searching for a few acres and a way of life here in the Scottish Highlands. A few months later and Ardochy House came onto the market and, what a coincidence, it sits just below that viewing platform on the A87. We viewed in January 2007 and we will take ownership from 9 May. Our first guests are booked into the cottages for the end of may, and we have some bookings into the summer season. So, wish us luck and we look forward to seeing you. |
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