Random Extras

Despite living a little more remotely I am not short of things to go and do and see, covering a huge range of things from wildlife to social events to madcap fun things and fundraising. Here are a few of the things I have been doing to keep myself entertained recently.

The Secret Coast Bikers:

Our little corner of Scotland is known as Argyll's secret coast, because most tourists never venture this far. It is a shame as we have some of the most stunning scenery, beaches and attractions in the UK (in my humble opinion!) I was invited to join the Secret Coast Bikers Whatsapp group some months ago but not been able to join one of their adhoc bike rides until mid-July. Five of us turned out for a pleasantly warm day with sunny spells and, amazingly, no rain. We did a relatively short run up to the Rest and Be Thankful for a delicious bacon sandwich (mine with additional brie - very posh). Then we headed back via the winding forest roads through Lochgoilhead, stopping for another chat and many gruesome self-inflicted DIY injury and other health scare stories. It was lovely to be out on the road, throttle open and part of a group of like-minded souls. Can't wait for the next one.

RNLI raft race:

A fun day of fundraising for the RNLI with a small raft race from the lifeboat station to Tighnabruaich pier, where the Waverley paddle steamer was berthed for the day. There were sandwiches and cakes, a raffle, craft stalls, bunting along the pier and a great atmosphere. Three children's rafts and three adult rafts took part, with the children given a head start. All the rafts were homemade, without nails or glue, and there was a range of inventive materials used. The sun was out and it was absolutely baking, with the whole town turned out to watch and catch up with friends and neighbours.

Glow worms:

Also known as fireflies, these beautiful bugs put on their evening displays from late June. I missed the organized tour as I was away in Ireland, but I decided to go on a hunt for them on my own one evening. I waited until about 10.15pm before setting off, to make sure it was almost dark by the time I reached Glenan wood. I decided to drive the long way round via Kilfinan as this was prime time for deer and I often see them by the road on the way over the top. As prediced there were two deer, startled by my headlights as I rounded a bend - one was a beautiful stag with huge antlers, and one female. My lights picked them out for a few seconds before they disappeared into the woods like ghosts. Further on a pair of red eyes turned out to be a small badger loping along by the side of the road. Once there I set off walking along a track I've never tried before, looking for grassland and the glowing green bums of the glow worms. The woods were lovely in the dark and I felt relatively ok there on my own. After a while of hunting I turned back, knowing that woodland isn't the right habitat. Just by the gate is an area of long grass so I thought I would quickly check there before heading home. Almost immediately I could see the little green beacon from quite a distance. A lone female was shining her light in search of a mate. It is so difficult to photograph them in the dark, especially as it was breezy. What a treat.

Charity Car Wash:

We are very lucky to have a fire station in Tighnabruaich. For a very small town it is very well served. They were holding a car wash event to raise money for the fire station, and what better opportunity to get the grime cleaned off the Land Rover and make a donation in return? They seemed to be doing a good trade and had fire fighters and several kids helping out. One little girl could barely see over the bonnet - so cute. First the car was hosed to wet it, then set about with sponges and brushes by half a dozen volunteers, and then hosed off again to finish. The windscreen is finally free of squished insects and the wheels have been given a good blast to get the mud out.

The reopening of Tighnabruaich art gallery:

The Tighnabruaich gallery had been empty since we moved here but a few weeks ago I received a flyer inviting local residents to the grand reopening, featuring work by four local artists who are part of a two year collaboration with the gallery. I went with Sai after work to see what it was all about. It wasn't busy, but apparently had been packed earlier in the afternoon, but it meant we got chance to see the art in a relaxed way. There were canapes and drinks and a good range of styles and themes of pictures to admire. If I'm honest, whilst some of them were brilliant, some of them were really not my kind of thing - perhaps just an aquired taste, art is subjective after all! What do you think...?