Paradoxically, Ben Hynish was the last of our three hills to pique my interest. The presence of the Golf Ball radar station somehow marked it as a place of activity. A place with a road. A place of people. Looking
The Song It Sings
In Any Event
One aspect of my job that I find particularly rewarding is meeting people. Offering opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy being active in nature is core to our remit as a Ranger Service. I’m delighted to tell you that, since
Angry Birds
It’s fair to say that most birds, at most times of year, lead quiet and unassuming lives as far as their interactions with people are concerned. Birds don’t seek us out. They don’t come looking for trouble. – Unless they
Blow-Ins
Our migrant birds are returning, and with them, came the first guests of the season. After months of relative quiet, it felt strange to watch Clansman disgorge a line of glinting vehicles and smiling faces. Surf boards and bicycles wobbled
A Mermaid’s Purse
The expression “Mermaid’s Purse” is slightly euphemistic. It conjures up images of Ariel and Sebastian, belting out another steel drum standard in Trident’s underwater kingdom. Personally, I like to imagine the mermaids leaving their purses in a pile on the
The Wheel Turns
I opened the door, stepped out into the morning sunshine, and heard it. A satisfying “snick” – the sound of a cog tooth settling into a new groove. Everything was in a new groove. Overnight, the wheel had turned and
Sea People
The water came almost to the rim of my wellington boots… and that was all it took to make them feel bold. Under the milky surface, shadows slipped between drifting knots of weed. They ventured close to where I stood,
A Cold Wind Blows
Incredibly, it has already been a month since I moved to Tiree. The island has changed in that short time – and it has changed me. Lamentably, not all modifications have been for the better. Living on Tiree in winter
Steel Birds
Tiree is an island of many moods. On some days, the flaxen light and tender fluting of swans drip like mead over a patchwork of croft fields. At other times, the wind drives white horses high onto the beaches. For
The Moment
Boarding MV Clansman called those unsettling half-dreams to mind; the ones where everything seems the same, but is also somehow different. CalMac’s trademark décor was bathed in the familiar whiff of burned toast. But my instinctive route to the bar