Looking back on Tuesday, it was a day to look skyward. It is October, however on Tiree there are not the usual tell tale signs that it is autumn. One thing that ‘Mrs Life on Tiree’ misses on the island is the colour of the autumn leaves and being able to kick those that lie strewn across the path. Yet the day had a real autumn feel to it. Daylight hours are rapidly decreasing and the intensity of the light has dimmed.
Technically, sunrise over Tiree was at 7:59am. However, from our house the sun did not rise over the Scarinish headland until about 8:08. For a minute or two our eyes were drawn upward in wonderment at the transformation of the sky. The sky had taken on the rich colours of the rising sun, even although it lacked the warmth and intensity of a mid-summer sunrise.
Later in the morning, probably just after 9:00, I set out for a walk around the township. Old habits are hard to break, so first of all I headed for the pier. Then it was back up Pier Road and past the Memorial that looks out over the Passage of Tiree. Turning left at the ‘Main Road’ I passed the Police and Fire Stations before turning right along the track that leads to An Sithean and then on towards the houses that formed the former Scarinish School.
It was after crossing the ‘Main Road’ that I began to think that I ought to have brought the camera with me. It almost goes without saying that if you leave the camera behind you will regret not brining it along. The mobile phone camera would have to suffice. As I looked up to the sky my attention was drawn to all the different cloud formations that were above the island and surrounding it.
Identifying the various cloud formations is a skill that neither of us possess but that does not stop us appreciating the sky above. It was not just the various formations that caught our attention, it was the different colours and hues – some reminiscent of autumn.
It was just a short distance to the lighthouse that stands above Scarinish Old Harbour. The view out to sea often takes in the sweep of the Paps of Jura, the Treshnish Isles, the Isle of Mull and even Mainland Mountain peaks.
Before dropping down to the harbour and walking along its sandy beach, there was time for one last glance across the Passage of Tiree.
From the other side of the harbour from the lighthouse the eye takes in the view that includes the Scarinish Hotel and the BT tower. How impressive the clouds above the township.
As the day wore on the wind gradually began to rise bringing with it fresh vistas. Looking south out of our living window the clouds had lifted sufficiently to afford a clear view of the Paps of Jura some fifty miles distant.
How could I resist taking a brief walk to see if the Rum Cuillin was visible. Yes! To avoid the lamp post and the crane working on the old pier I took to the fields.
Today, Wednesday, early on the clouds brought a short sharp shower but at present the sky above the island is a bright blue.
This is “Life on Tiree’.
