It’s gone 10pm and excited children’s voices can be heard over the sound of what appeared to be a trawler in the bay. With the level of light in the sky it is hard to take in that the sun is about to set.

Weather wise it has been warm and sunny with hardly a breath of wind. Even with a slight easing of lockdown we rarely venture beyond Scarinish. The most frequent outing has been the fortnightly walk to Baugh to collect prescriptions from the surgery.

Family Outing

Work appears to be continuing in the area surrounding the old harbour at Scarinish where the number of boats is growing. Most days we pass the harbour more than once on our daily walks.

Down by Scarinish Old Harbour

Down at the CMAL pier in Gott Bay work has recommenced. It is a hive of activity as the workers prepare for the actual work of recommissioning the former pier. In a previous post CMAL’s press release the whole project is outlined. For the moment portacabins are being repositioned and new ones installed.

Preparatory Work 

The ‘Scottish Farmer’ reports that farmers from Tiree are to appear in a new television documentary series that will be broadcast on BBC ALBA beginning on Tuesday the 7th of July.  The 4 part series was filmed over a period of 6 months and features islanders including crofter Rhoda Meek, and father and son Alastair and Iain Macinnes.

On the 22nd June the ‘Press and Journal” carried a report that the Scottish Government’s transport division has confirmed that new timetables will commence on the 1st of July and will provide additional CalMac ferry sailings. The article states that with tourism preparing to reopen in mid-July people will have the  the freedom to travel long distances within Scotland and stay several nights away from home. The articles continues, ‘For the next four weeks, only islanders in the new extended household category can use ferries for non-essential reasons. Adults who live alone and single parents can travel by sea routes between the islands and the mainland to join up with another household.’

In recent days there have been several ferry layovers in Tiree, some of these extending to 6 hours in support of essential lifeline services. Several more are planned in the coming days. Indeed on Tuesday 23rd of June the MV Clansman will operate the advertised sailing and the MV Isle of Mull will provide an additional sailing.

Having entered the second phase of the Scottish Road map for the way out of ‘Lockdown’ churches will be allowed to open their premises for private prayer. At present it appears that it will not be until phase 4 that churches will be open for corporate worship and even then singing may not be permitted. The Tiree Baptist Church premises at Baugh are still set up as a hospital ward and will continue to serve in  this way for the foreseeable future.  Tiree Baptist Church continues to host the ‘Sunday Gatherings’ week by week on Zoom. It is then released on Youtube and Facebook for those who are unable to access it live.

On Tiree there is much evidence of a community that cares and the renovation and restoration of the former telephone box in Scarinish and its deployment as a community cupboard is just one further practical example.

As we near the day with the longest hours of daylight Thursday was something special. The first photographs were taken about 10:15pm just before sunset and the last photographs were captured around 11:30pm. Even then the gloamin’ continued for several more minutes.

Perhaps it is best just to let the scene surrounding  Gott Bay as viewed from Pier Road speak for itself. Even to the North the Rum Cullins stood proud against a crimson sky.

This is ‘Life on Tiree’.