A Day in the Life of Eriska

Weather wc 5th February

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:18:00 GMT

For a week the forecasters have been warning us of a great divide in the Uk with cold weather and snow on the East and mild weather and warmth on the west. last night driving home form the Rugby at Murrayfield, this became clear as temperatures below freezing all the way to Lochearnhead and as we came over the hill and drove down towards lix toll the temperature increased by 10 to a mild night. It is quite ironic as we sit and watch images of snow and freezing in the south and here we can hear grass cutters and birds enjoying the start of spring. However I am not so foolish as to start planting out seeds yet as you never know what really is ahead except uncertainty!

So what will this week bring to Eriska?
Today : A dry start will remain bright but scattered showers will push in mid afternoon

Monday:Bright with sunny intervals and a few light showers these mainly towards the west coast. Cloud increasing later, with more persistent rain reaching us during the night

Tuesday: Cloudy with some mostly light rain or drizzle at times, though tending to die out again overnight. Winds will be light.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy though some bright or sunny intervals will develop through the day. Some rain will spread to higher grounds later.

Thursday: A bright morning with a few showers. Becoming cloudier in the afternoon with occasional rain and hill snow.

Friday: Much of the day staying dry though rain in the far west, and becoming windy with coastal gales.

Saturday: Cloudy cold and dry with much lighter winds.

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St Andrews Cross back flying high

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:57:00 GMT

This time last year disaster struck in a stormy evening and the original flagpole from 1887 came tumbling down form the top of the house. The pole had stood for over one hundred years and it must have been a tremendous gust which broke it in half. In truth I expected to find a rotten core but the inside was a fresh as the day it was first painted and even had the smell of fresh timber. Interestingly the pole also had numerous coats of paint which had built up over the years. in truth I had once considered sanding it down but when I was standing 4 flights of stairs above the ground I decided that it would be not only simpler but safer just to apply another coat of paint!
Anyway last year after the disaster we looked into a new pole and Duaine suggested that we try using one of the old sailing masts we had in the shed from Chays departure, it was about the right legnth, had a ring on the top to hold the lead and should be strong enough to with stand the wind as it was used to withstanding wind and rain when out sailing. This was all a good sounding plan but was never really thought through as it was simply attached to the stump remaining of the dead flagpole and in the heavy winds before Christmas it began to slope and as every minute passed it tilted more and more until my rescue attempt was basically to bring in a horizontal mast and consider the options.
So today , on a calm sunny day, we installed the new mast foot and control, tested the lines and hoisted the Saltire back above Eriska. Whilst it might not look as impressive as the old wooden mast to a acute admirer to most of us down on the ground it will remain a thing of beauty. Personally I think it looks great and anyone questioning this is welcome to have go and do it better and in the meantime I will continue to search for an obsolete wooden mast and maybe one day we will be able to refit it back on top of the house. When we do just let me know as I have the iron foot of the old mast awaiting as we had to burn the wood out of it before it could be removed and now it stands waiting in the tower!

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Golf course gets first cut

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:40:00 GMT

It is always interesting keeping a diary of events here at Eriska, firstly its important as my brain forgets quickly and it proves very hand to be able to look back and check what I have achieved and completed before writing my next list and secondly it is always interesting to look back and see how the seasons compare with previous years.

Today saw the first cut on the golf course, not surprisingly it removed a great green growth and several boxes of grass from the greens, but slightly more surprising was the amount of growth on the fairways which despite the heavy rain and strong winds seem to date to have weathered well. The diary however tells a very different tale as if we compare the same day last year we were still under a heavy frost and there was not only no need to be on the course but simply no way we could have cut the grass. today we have daffodils up and out and the the gardens are starting to show growth. I do however suspect that w e are in for a bit of a surprise as the temperatures down south have started to plummet.

Anyway for time being the flags are out and we have had one or two venturing out onto the course for an early season game, hopefully we can now get on with growing the course rather than tending to the winters damage and recovering the hard work of last year. At least we can keep our fingers crossed!

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Weather wc 29th January

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:42:00 GMT

As I look out of my office this morning it is difficult to remember it is still January and winter as the daffodils are peaking out of the ground and it is pretty mild and promises to be a dry day. However as I am continually reminded we must not be lulled into a false sense of security and given some of the low temperatures across Britain last week it is probably not yet safe to put away the gritting machine and snow shovels - just yet! So what's ahead for the first week of February?

Today: Cloudy with outbreaks of rain later in the evening.

Monday: Rain turning to snow over the highest hills but we should stay snow free at lower levels with frost over night.

Tuesday: Generally dry with clear spells and a widespread frost. A few freezing fog patches likely.

Wednesday: Remaining cloudy with rain in the morning but clearing up to become mainly dry and bright.

Thursday: The slow-moving band of rain will move across Scotland and be replaced again by brighter conditions with isolated wintry showers on higher ground.

Friday: Mostly settled and cold leading up to the first weekend of February

Saturday: A cold bright day promised for the Calcutta Cup but it should at least be dry and still at Eriska.

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39th Year at Eriska kicks off

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:32:00 GMT

It is hard to believe that our closed time is over and we are now back to work. The time has flown by and whilst we have achieved a great deal there is still so much more to do. To start with we had to stop our news from Eriska earlier in January than expected. A large lightening storm affected a number of telecommunications hubs on the west coast and we had to go into "stealth" mode ( A term I learnt from the US) for 10 days. Its amazing how you do not really appreciate anything until it is not there. For some it has been the loss of a car for others a lost mobile phone but for us it was the loss of the internet.

Not only could our friends and guests not communicate with us- unless they used the old fashioned telephone or fax but for us we had no access to information or help. I have to at this point out how ridiculous it was of BT -one of our providers- to ask for my email address so they could send me an email to acknowledge the fault which I was asked to respond to to confirm that we had no internet! When I tried to bring the attention of the operator to this contradiction he simply told me that was the computers instructions. ie the computer says no!! When I then explained we had no mobile signal he asked in his best Indian Accent if we lived on the moon!!

Anyway we managed to get back on line and that kept the team busy here catching up on the pile of correspondence and communication. Outside as soon as we had completed the cleanup of the festive period storms we were confronted by even more wind and gales but luckily there were few trees at this point to come down and the roofs and slates held up well. My prediction that creation of an indoor facility would lead to a change in climate seems to have been true although it is now wetter and windier than ever before- hopefully the worst is over and we can now look forward to a good weather 2012!

Anyway we are all back to work now and the house is looking better than ever, Simon and his team in the kitchen have been working on new ideas and dishes and now is a chance to put them into practice. It is almost unbelievable that this is now the 39th time we have opened the doors at Eriska to another season and hopefully as we close in on our 40th Birthday we can move yet another step closer to the dream that my parents began back in 1973. Anyway we are as keen and enthusiastic as ever and hope 2012 brings all of us luck and success.

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Busy End to 2011

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 08:39:00 GMT

If "There is no rest for the wicked" then sometimes I wonder how much trouble I must have caused but in reality we all create our own timetables and we would not be busy here at Eriska if we did not set our minds in such a direction at the start of the day. Our New Years guests all arrived on Thursday and a combination of their endless energy, the weather and an action packed program has certainly insured their is little time for rest.

Yesterday it was a chance to us e the new indoor leisure facility with a mini highland games and once again we found that skill and ability has nothing to do with success when it comes to the Eriska Scoring method but all in all we had a successful afternoon and certainly a lot of fun and much drier and warmer than last year! However one of the delights of this time of year is that we are forced- endless media reminders help- to look back over the last 365 days and reflect and look forward to the next year and hope and dream what it might bring.

In reality although I confidently buy my weekly lottery ticket the odds and luck generally tell me that the lottery will not solve my problems- 4 tickets on Christmas eve with absolutely no numbers should have been a hint- and that whilst lots of outside influences will affect 2012 outcome it all starts with me and my plans and hopes. So later on today between a quiz, a barbecue and a treasure hunt i will try and take a few minutes- and will encourage the team here to do the same so that we can enter 2012 with even more direction and plans- at least then this time next year we can asses what we have not achieved alongside what we have!
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Happy Christmas- Christmas Weather?

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:40:00 GMT

Well they confidently predicted that it would not be a white Christmas this year but I think any of us looking outside over the last week would have been able to tell them that. Anyway if there is one thing that can be true about the current weather is that it is a mile away from last year- in fact we are almost about as many degrees positive as last year was negative. The wind is blowing and the rain falling and certainly there is no risk of ice for Father Christmas heading home but what is ahead this week to finish the year?
Christmas Day: Cloudy with rain across the whole area but promises to be heaviest over the local hills .

Boxing Day: A mild but windy day with gale force southwesterly.

Tuesday:A mostly cloudy day with outbreaks of rain, these becoming more persistent during the afternoon. Strong to gale southwest winds.

Wednesday: Further period of heavy rain starting the day but then becoming
mainly dry and bright but cooler

Thursday: . Cloudy wet and very windy all day- not ideal for our New Years Guests arriving but at least it can only get better!

Friday:Generally unsettled with showers or longer spells of rain affecting all parts at times.

Saturday: looks like we will end the record breaking wet year with another damp day but then maybe we will be able to start 2012 with dry skies and calmer conditions for the fireworks display.

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Christmas now in full swing

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:20:00 GMT

Our guests all arrived yesterday - venturing through some heavy rain to reach us but luckily the worst held off here and most arrived at Eriska in dry conditions. Last night saw a champagne reception- any excuse- and then a selection of activities allowed those who had been in training to exercise their prowess ---at the roulette wheel. Today we have been forced to postpone the Eriska Golf Championship due to pretty strong winds and instead will head indoors for our very own version of the highland games!

Our plan therefore is to compete for the Robin Buchanan-Smith Trophy- we are lucky enough to have the current holder of the title staying with us- on Monday. Those who played with my father may be aware of his lack of direction on the course but the immense enjoyment he gained from being out with others so it will be of no surprise that these are the prinicpals behind the trophy award and hopefully the game on Monday. But for now it is over to our Mistress of the Highland Games- Seona- and her indoor dry but i am sure immensely fun if challenging games!

Then back to the main house for afternoon tea and letter writing to Father Christmas before he leaves home this evening.

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Storm damage now invisible

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:02:00 GMT

So after a couple of weeks we are all back to normal, although i would like to think that visitors to Eriska were either not inconvenienced or simply unaware of what was going on behind the scenes. The new conservatory in front of the library had the greatest impact when a slate was thrown off the roof and through one of the largest panes. It has taken a week to source a replacement and then a few days to find a weather window but today the replacement was installed and already the heating has been turned down as the double glazing kicks in. I am also assured that the new unit will be even more efficient as it has some new technology which stops heat escaping and helps heat gain although I am not convinced that this change alone will pay for the glass!

The internet connection- hit by lightening has also been replaced and this now allows full wireless connectivity throughout the house and the environs, again it is something which we have all lived without up until a few years go and as soon as we start to rely on it it seems we cannot manage without wireless connectivity for a day now-- but we have had to- and we are glad to see it all back. The scaffolding which covered the kitchen wing of the house has also been demolished and removed allowing our new lead guttering and repaired slates to be revealed? Hopefully that will be the last of the strong winds for some time - and at least now there is little left on the trees to come down and most of what landed on the drive Bobby and Andrew have now cleared and it is either in the undergrowth or in the log store.
So now wwe are nearly ready for Christmas, the trees are erected and decorated, the staircase has iots pine coveraing with bright fairy lights and the cards are strting to decorate the shelves and mantlepeices. All we now need are staff and guests and teh n we will be off!

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Weather wc 18th December

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:08:00 GMT

With most of our thoughts turning towards Christmas we all expect snow on the ground and cold nights but in reality here at Eriska this has definitely been the most rare weather pattern as normally it is dry and sunny but mild. Before we opened the house form Christmas we were always kicked out by our mother around noon and forced on a route march round the estate to check on the buildings and the animals and only on rare occasions can I remember being wrapped up and treading through snow or blown away by wind and rain. maybe this is just selective memory but it is borne out by photographs. I think in reality the darker mornings and early dusk makes us think it is colder than it actually is as we hamper down in front of roaring log fires with the curtains firmly closed. Anyway what will the weather bring us in this run up to Christmas.

Today: After a stunning sunrise we are clearly due for sunny spells although I suspect wintry showers on higher ground.

Monday: It will be another cold day with sunny spells and further wintry showers. The showers will be mainly over hills but mostly light and well scattered with just the odd one elsewhere.

Tuesday: Mainly dry with clear spells and a widespread frost at first. Soon becoming cloudy with rain and hill snow after midnight and reaching many places by morning.

Wednesday: Cloudy with outbreaks of rain and hill snow becoming heavier for a time. Drier, clearer weather will follow in from the west during the afternoon but it will start to feel much warmer.

Thursday: Drier, brighter again to start but then rather cloudy with rain at times . It will be milder and windy and again the temperatures will rise.

Friday: Staying generally unsettled throughout the period, with showers or longer spells of rain. The wind will remain which will make it seem colder but the lack of ice will be evident.

Saturday - Christmas Eve- : Showers will be most frequent and locally heavy although Father Christmas should have a dry flight from the north and conditions should be favorable for a safe journey providing the sacks are tied down as it could be windy!

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