Well I got off to a fine start today with a bowl of muesli 
Actually that’s a lie, I endured the smell of grilled bacon whilst my stomach churned longingly for the ‘unhealthy option’ that I’ve been ‘suffering’ for months 
I really do need to loose a couple more inches around the belly, but it’s not easy with my cabin being right outside the mess room. There’s always a healthy option available on the good ship Finlaggan but I just don’t have the will power, or more correctly the exercise.
Having said that, my compatriot from Raasay and I have been charging up and down stairs and ladders all day checking the emergency lighting. Though the day started off with me fabricating an adjustable bit of wood (don’t ask) then assisting with a boiler service,
though it’s a little larger than what I’m used to
The oil pumps on this are almost as big as the Loch Striven’s boiler I have no idea how many kilowatts it is but the pre heater for the fuel supply was 13kW !!!! Having said that, the Finlaggan has a ‘heat recovery’ system that uses exhaust heat from the engines to heat water and central heating too.
Our complete tour of the ship checking the emergency lighting had us out in the fresh air so I managed to catch sight of a school of porpoises and a ship.
Sadly I only got a picture of the empty tanker ‘Navion Hispania’ as we left Uig in the afternoon and not the cetaceans
Though I’m a little puzzled by her route,
it was almost as if she’d decided to call into Stornoway for a ‘carry out’ then changed her mind
It was during one of my visits to the control room that I spotted a familiar caravan on one of the TV monitors, a little later I spotted this blurry but recognisable image in the ‘Quiet lounge’
It was a compadre from the small ferry fleet ‘The man from Gourock’
I should have stolen his shoes Not that you’d ever catch me sleeping during the day
I know, I know, it’s a pretty lame effort but it’s been a twelve hour day and I’m whacked, not only that but I’m fancying a ham roll So I’ll just leave you with ‘The daily pothole’, this being a relatively minor affair just north of Brochel.
Celebrated in song, book and theatre worldwide is ‘Calum’s road’ yet the council can’t even maintain it or any of the other roads on Raasay
This is just a ‘snapshot’ of a couple of hundred meters of road at Brochel.
Hi Paul, I think a technician of some sort was put aboard her from Stornoway.
Cheers
Niall
Comment by Niall Sinclair — March 5, 2013 @ 10:24 pm
Hi Paul, I think a technician of some sort was put aboard her from Stornoway.
Cheers for that Niall, thought it was unusual for a tanker to be inside the Minch on such a fine day.
Comment by lifeattheendoftheroad — March 6, 2013 @ 5:42 am
Glad that I’ve finally subscribed to your blog. Was last on Raasay in September visiting my uncle, Rod Clark. Been a few years since I’ve been up to the north end of the island though. My great grandmother was Christina Nicolson from Torran and my dad remembers going there on holiday as a little boy just after war. Looking forward to reading more of your blog (including previous entries). Intending to be on Raasay at some point this year, just don’t know when at the moment!
Comment by Linsay MacLean — March 5, 2013 @ 10:25 pm
Hi Linsay and welcome aboard.
Cheers, Paul
Comment by lifeattheendoftheroad — March 6, 2013 @ 5:40 am
I wonder if a digital pedometer could detect the length of ladder you must climb to burn off a strip of bacon? This sounds like a maths problem for the experts–summon The Dude!
Comment by drgeo — March 5, 2013 @ 11:41 pm
Five thirty AM DrG, been up for half an hour suffering ‘cold turkey’ or is it ‘cold bacon’
Comment by lifeattheendoftheroad — March 6, 2013 @ 5:38 am
Just ask yourself, “What would Rocky do?”
Comment by drgeo — March 6, 2013 @ 7:12 pm
Just ask yourself, “What would Rocky do?”
Run a mile
Comment by lifeattheendoftheroad — March 7, 2013 @ 5:40 am
You never know paul, that council tar wagon may have made a few journeys to raasay by the time you head home….
Comment by The Peoples Republic of Northumbria — March 6, 2013 @ 3:43 am
Morning Steve,
I’m afraid that little spree of hole filling was just the councils last spree to use up their roads budget before the end of the financial year. That will be us bumping along for a while yet
Comment by lifeattheendoftheroad — March 6, 2013 @ 5:37 am
oh bugger..
Comment by The Peoples Republic of Northumbria — March 6, 2013 @ 6:33 pm
An adjustable bit of wood? Such a thing doesn’t exist! Maybe you could elaborate?
Alan
Comment by Alan — March 6, 2013 @ 8:49 am
All pieces of wood are adjustable, but only in a getting smaller sense.
Comment by Phil Cook — March 6, 2013 @ 10:10 am
An adjustable bit of wood? Such a thing doesn’t exist! Maybe you could elaborate
I should have taken a picture Alan, it’s actually two blocks of wood with a threaded bar between them and is adjusted by moving the nuts up and down the bar then locking them. Very handy for putting places where a regular block would shrink due to heat.
Comment by lifeattheendoftheroad — March 7, 2013 @ 5:44 am
Have found a way of enhancing muesli by frying it in the pan with the bacon.Is an adjustable piece of wood a tree?
Comment by Andy — March 6, 2013 @ 10:06 am
Hi there! Just back from a week in Madeira and catching up with your blog – great photos as always. Just a wee hint re trying to lose weight: 1oz unsweetened muesli has over 100 calories!!! When I went to Slimming World a few years ago, they suggested it was better to have egg, lean bacon and tomato (all cooked without fat of course!) instead of muesli for breakfast! Perhaps a few less portions of the crumble might help!
Comment by Sue from Sallachy — March 7, 2013 @ 3:58 pm
Hi Sue, I’m sure one egg and a rasher of bacon is just fine, my problem is all the other stuff next to them on the hotplates
Best just to stay out of the mess room and stick to the muesli in the ECR 
Comment by lifeattheendoftheroad — March 7, 2013 @ 7:15 pm