Summer suns are glowing!

It’s a well known hymn and great to sing on a bright summer’s day. The trouble is as a minister you plan ahead to give the organist some time to practice and by the time Sunday comes the sun is nowhere to be seen. It’s not long till the Glen Fete and while we pray for a sunny summer’s day you never know.
When the Kirk Session met recently to plan this year’s event our stalwart organiser, Donald McPhail, announced it was time for him to take a back seat and hand over the reigns.  We recorded our sincere thanks to Donald for many years service in organising the fete.
Donald’s replacement, George McMillan, looked bemused as his election was whole heartedly endorsed without him saying a word! I’m sure Donald will ‘keep him right’ and on the day we’ll seat George in the customary organisers chair at the stage and ply him with tea and ice cream. I trust you will all give George your ideas and your support and pray for sunshine.
The sun was shining on Colintraive Church the day of our meeting, a glorious setting.  However, the words of Rev. Austin Erskine were ringing in my ears as I stood in the pulpit and looked through the glass doors to the yachts sailing by.  “If you are finding it hard to concentrate, just remember there’s a congregation trying to concentrate too and their view is not nearly so pleasing”.

May the sun glow for you this summer.

Rev. David Mitchell   

Glendaruel Caravan Park, as a contribution to the recent Cowal ArtsFeast, staged a small but intruiging exhibition of artworks and stained glass loaned by several artists who have a connection with Glendaruel. There is also an historical display of old photographs and information relating to the Glendaruel Estate.
This initiative proved so popular and generated such  interest it has been decided to leave them on display throughout the summer during shop hours or by arrangement (Tel: 01369 820 267)
The Caravan Park would like to thank the following for their contributions: Anne Ferguson, Eleanor McLaughlin, Paul Morley, Carol Paterson & Hannah Frew Patterson.

A few months ago Anne McNaughton suggested getting a team together for the annual fundraising Moonwalk in Edinburgh. The event, in aid of breast cancer charities, involves 12,000 walkers, starting at midnight, and walking the length of a marathon (26.2 miles) in decorated bras. To be fair, we were a little dubious about the augmented underwear part of the challenge, but on the morning of  June 15th, seven of us, in garments of varying taste and modesty, crossed the finish line after walking for nine hours.
There was a great deal of humour, blood, sweat and tears, literally. But all that tramping around the glen must have paid off  because we all took it in our stride. Our bodies are now finely tuned athletic machines (?!)
Annie, Anne, Beth, Fiona, Heather, Jelena, and Kirsty give huge thanks to everyone for their generous donations, with a special mention to our families for their support. The amazing total we raised was over £4,000.
For the record, had we not been held up by the crowds, queues and toilet stops, we would have done it in around seven hours. Honest.

Now is the time we should be seeing results of all our hard work of the last few months. As usual it does not work out as planned. It seems that my plans have not been the same as the head gardener’s. I planted dahlias where usual plus a few new acquisitions and was foolish enough not to mark where they were. She came along later and planted other things on top. We will have some interesting pairings for the cottage garden image which usually involves planting everything close together to create plenty of colour and hide the weeds. The head gardener decided to plant colourful annuals in large pots. Blue Petunias and pansies with busy lizzie are predominant with begonias and geraniums to come.
Some plantings have failed as usual this time because of the long spell of dry weather. We have a water supply from the hill which is adequate for the house but not for a thirsty garden. The result is that the vegetable seeds have germinated but are still very small. Only cabbages and Brussels sprouts bought as seedlings are thriving along with onion sets and courgettes. We have very few potatoes this season. Our strawberry plants, grown through black polythene, like the dry conditions and are about to produce the best crop ever - if the birds leave them alone.
The rhododendrons have produced a colourful display which is now ending. The greatest surprise has been the blooming of one brought from our Colintraive house as a seedling and is now five feet tall with large white flowers and a wonderful scent. I remember its parent bush but, until this year, did not realise that we had that rarity, a scented rhododendron.
The boundary hedge which I cut back severely during winter is growing away again while allowing better access. I have often advised others never to open a new flower bed, it just makes more work but we needed a dedicated rose bed and so I didn’t follow my own advice. The turf was removed, compost and fertiliser dug in and roses transplanted from elsewhere in the garden.  Unfortunately with the very dry weather three of them have died and I am spending time weeding and trimming the edges of the new plot
The next big event will be the removal of the stand of leylandii at the road end of the garden which will allow in more light and wind.  As we have still to acquire a wood burning stove anyone looking for logs is welcome to take some. Just ask.
Tom Mowat

After four hundred years the old Achanelid Bridge is no more. Its graceful curving arch spanning the ten feet over the burn is replaced by a gaping 40 foot canyon of mud.

Curiously, no one - not the engineers, not our local councillor, not the farmers who use it - can explain why. As soon as its replacement was mooted, I went under to have look. It appeared sound. Well, nothing that two men and a bucket of cement couldn’t fix in an hour including tea breaks - and without disturbing the resident bats.

Of course, the high hiedyins, as in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado, have ‘got a little list’ of bridges in Argyll to be upgraded whether they need it or not. Unfortunately Achanelid is spelt with an ‘A’. Were it Zebra Bridge we could well wait another 400 years - when the old bridge would still be standing sound.

One consequence of the works is that we’ve had no visitors for six weeks and we’re spending a fortune on fuel. Another is that the burn has taken on the consistency of oxtail soup. We, the Fyne & Awe Fisheries and SEPA are not amused.

Of course, we elect thecoucillors not the executive. This was an executive decision. Council-lors only do the really important things like deciding if you can build that conservatory and claiming their expenses. Shakespeare understood -
“… but man, proud man,
Drest in a little brief authority,
Most ignorant of what he’s
most assured …”
Angry? Me? What about the bats?
Michael Kaufmann