The Mule on Mull :-)

Been kinda distracted of late, think I got waylaid by another late one on Saturday or if I didn’t then I certainly felt like it on Sunday. Whatever I spent most of the Sabbath doing chores about the house and getting ready for phase 2 of my ‘holiday’ This will be the part where I actually go away so much time was spent getting my caravan, Land Rover and tools ready for the trip.

The tools being required for my holiday and not for fixing the Land Rover or caravan (fingers crossed). The annual trip to Lochaline with MV Hallaig being cancelled indefinitely by our local MP Kate Forbes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Forbes This will hopefully stop the lunacy of taking a ferry from a ‘lifeline’ service to cover the drydocking of a ferry that serves an island that already has four or five ferries. This is great and long overdue news for Raasay but I do miss my wee trip down there with the caravan and CalMac paying my expenses

Anyway on Sunday I checked my lights, Changed the rear number plate, made my bed and filled my new toilet cistern pump. I’d had to free it off before going to Lochaline 12 months ago so just got a new one rather than fix it yet again.

Three ferries

Heading off at 8:00 on yet another glorious spring morning

 

we stopped in Broadford to fill up with diesel and stores at the Co-op before meandering towards a good dug walking spot just outside Kyle.

 

It’s just past the 30MPH end about half a mile on the right at a place called Scalpaidh Bay and there a great path through the woods and up to Scalpaidh loch.

 

There are loads of old ruins and judging by the two old oaks growing out of the middle of one they must be REALLY old

Our next stop was at Loch Oich

 

on the Caledonian Canal where I bought a mocha and cake at the café there  https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g2549626-d7811042-Reviews-Well_of_the_Seven_Heads_coffee_takeaway-Laggan_Scottish_Highlands_Scotland.html Both were excellent with Molly and Bonzo enjoying their complimentary sausages too, yup the owner asked me how many dogs I had then gave me a sausage each for them  

 

Then it was on through Fort William without even stopping at Lidl and straight aboard the ferry at the Corran Narrows.

We stopped for another bite to eat and walk on the Morvern peninsula  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morvern shortly before turning onto the single track A884 to Lochaline.

 

This year the third hybrid sister the MV Catriona is relieving for MV Lochinvar’s annual docking.

 

The short crossing across the Sound of Mull took us to Fishnish and not long after we arrived at Tobermory Campsite  https://www.tobermory-campsite.co.uk/ and my old friend the owner, Angus Williams came out to meet me I used to stay here in the late seventies and early eighties and it has certainly changed

 

Free Wi-Fi, nice clean facilities with great showers and just a ten minute walk into Tobermory.

After getting myself sorted out and realising that I had once more forgotten to bring a saucepan I made dinner in one that Angus loaned me. A much better option than what I did last year at Lochaline, which was to boil my pasta in the frying pan Anyway, after dinner I went up to look at the Mule with Cameron in preparation for today.

The Mule being at http://www.isleofmullcheese.co.uk/ Sgriob-ruadh Farm where along with the 150 cattle they keep pigs

  

I need to get some more pigs

The Kawasaki 4010 diesel Mule

This morning I had a somewhat late start but had the pleasure of a nice clean smooth floor to work on and my Landy for company

I could even set my laptop up on a nice sturdy bench next to the engine to which I was fitting a new piston.

 

After a couple of hours I walked back to the caravan for lunch with the dugs as it’s only five minutes over the hill from the site.

With Cameron’s help after lunch we got the engine back in and transmission belt fitted before ‘knocking it on the head’ and calling it a day

It’s gonna be a peach :-)

A nice early night and a good long sleep had me waking up to a clear blue sky with no sign of the smoke that’s been lingering around Skye and Raasay for days. The ‘wall to wall’ sunshine promised for days has finally arrived Dunno if the heath fires are actually out but I cannae smell any burnt heather and the smoke isn’t blocking the sun  

Must have been cold during the night right enough cos the seat on my quad is soaking wet but my wee cherry blossom is looking lovely.

 

Yesterday was a pretty laid back day with the dugs and I walking over to Torran for breakfast number one and strong black coffee.

   

The path being adorned by primroses that you don’t notice when speeding along on a quad

  

After vacuum packing the chorizo, sausages and straining the brawn that was still warm six hours after the five half heads had been boiling for four hours .

 

I headed round to the neighbours to see how they were getting on and also to ask if they’d seen the missing half a head

 

My old house and garden looking lovely in the spring sunshine. There was no sign of the missing half a head right enough but after another coffee I came away with a black pudding, some Arnish and Raasay sausages and a fine piece of haslet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haslet which I can’t wait to try.

A traditional Lincolnshire meat loaf, I’ve only ever had it when I lived in Lancashire over thirty years ago and have never seen or heard of it since.

Eagles everywhere

Then it was home to just potter about, cleaning the shed putting the boiler away and admiring the eagles soaring above my house.

 

Perhaps they had found the missing half a head

  

So I went to check my ‘graveyard’ still no sign of the AWOL head but there were plenty of eagles

  

The Shiant Isles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiant_Islands (centre image) have never looked so close.

 

After that I turned my attention to the next major project on my list, fitting a whole new rear half chassis to the Disco I’ve have a few other things to deal with first but meanwhile I gave it a good spraying inside and out with underseal.

  

Smoke from the Moll fire blocking out the sunset, a fresh one burning to the north,

 

time to leave the dugs on my bed and head to Torran for dinner