Friday morning did not bode well.
The ferry arrives early on Fridays – 9:35am.
The weather was grey, overcast and with a breeze.
A yacht at its moorings was evidence of the slight swell.
The MV Clansman swung round to approach the pier.
(The ferry always berths with her stern ramp to the linkspan.
)
As she turned clag suddenly belched from her funnel – toast burnt again?
In the afternoon the cloud cover gave way to blue sky.
Out and about we took the long way home via Balephetrish.
There was a lone sail board out in the amazing blue waters of the bay.
Gradually the cloud cover crept back over the island.
The breeze had dropped by the time of the moonrise and sunset.
Ever hopeful that we might catch a fleeting glance we ventured out.
Our walk, more of a stroll, took us down to the pier.
Mrs Life-on-Tiree was pleased to see Sammy make an appearance.
Sammy (or is it Sally) is a seal that in the summer frequents these waters.
The blood moon was proving elusive.
The sunset was also hidden from our view.
However at least it made an impression on sky and sea.
The sunset makes an impression on Gott Bay.
To the East the Mountains of Mull were visible
To the North the Rum Cuillin made a backdrop for Ruaig.
To the South and South-East the sky was dominated by dark clouds.
Mrs Life-on-Tiree was so observant.
She spotted what appeared to be a large mouse.
It had made quite an impression on the concrete surface of the pier.
We retraced our steps to the memorial in Pier Road.
It did not look like we were going to witness the lunar eclipse.
Nevertheless the memorial looked dramatic against the evening sky.
Close to the memorial a gull nestled on a rock outcrop.
It had one eye appreciating the colours to the north west.
Then with the other eye it was looking in vain for the blood moon.
We continued up Pier Road and made our way towards the lighthouse.
On our way we stopped to look down on the old harbour.
We were closely watched by the sheep.
Leaving the lighthouse we made our way down to the old harbour.
The waters were attractive even in the low light conditions.
There was just enough light to hint at reflections.
We walked across the sand of the harbour basin.
Turning round we looked back across to the Scarinish hotel.
The lights from the dining room were reflected in the shallow waters.
Above Links Cottage and its environs there was a parting of the clouds.
It was just sufficient to allow the final evidence of the sunset.
But there was still no hint of the moonrise or lunar eclipse.
As we crossed the Machair there was still a red streak.
The house called ‘Cuillin View’ stood out against the skyline.
We kept looking back for any sign of the moon only to be disappointed.
Thankfully two mights before we had a clear view of the moon.
The setting sun had tuned it red – but not blood red.
It was almost the full moon and it was red!
This is Life-on-Tiree on the evening of the Blood Moon.
On the lovely Isle of Tiree we have so much to be thankful for.
So much to be grateful for – even if we did not see the lunar eclipse.
