Fàilte gu Ulbha

Beautiful day,, sunny, warm not too hot, no rain, light breeze. Perfect day for Ulva one of my favourite places on or around Mull.

After a slow start, (I slept for about 10 hours and managed breakfast!) we set off stopping first at the beautiful garden of Lip Na Cloiche, I had brought her some empty pots from home and wanted to buy some of her plants that always seem to do well for me.  It was looking beautiful although the towering echiums had few flowers but a lot of preparatory leaves for next season.  I noted some other things to try as I love the height of her plants and their airy feel.  

Onto Ulva but sadly Susannah succumbed to the bug and she and Jonathan went home.  We managed some langoustines and a good walk, going up to the walled garden, the big house which is being Banjo’d for a BBC series and hopefully an exciting future. They were filming there.   We also met a couple who were repairing the drystone wall as volunteers.  He said he had happened to mention when in the garden the previous year he knew how to do it and is now committed annually.  He’s retired, from Yorkshire but also does it on Canna. He looked extremely fit! 

We went on our usual walk, looked out at Inch Kenneth, where we’d hoped to go today but despite getting an early morning summons to the beach for 1030 felt it wasn’t really something we were ready to do. I rang the caretaker so hopefully prepped for next year. 

Back at the best restaurant table in the world for tea for me and ginger beer for Vic.  

Home, Vik did a barbecue and incinerated all the sausages, unlike him but fresh charcoal meant they just sizzled up too fast.  So we ate a bean tomato stew with rice and it was just fine.  

Then Jonathan, V and I watched an ep of V’s early Hairy Biker shows which are reliably bonkers.   

Beautiful sunset of which I also took many pictures - stunning.  But it was so still that after two minutes outside I acquire several midge bites, the first this year.