The Mantis

No, it’s very close to one you got already.

IBM will get this smartish:

Tarskavaig or thereaboots.

Amarillo

I’m sure that’s Rum, not Skye. Further south, maybe even in Skye.

As long as you’re going mid May - mid Sept.

I’m just a young boy with a bus pass... Started youth hostelling with my pals about 15 or 16. Borders, Glen Affric, Skye, Lake District, Devon & Cornwall. Met the missus at Uni and been going over to Lewis since 1977, over 40 years. Not long back from 2 weeks in Norway on a coastal voyage Bergen - Kirkenes - Bergen for our ruby wedding. Made a photo book with Blurb as a birthday present for Mrs Mantis which just arrived yesterday. Very impressed.

A very comfortable vessel indeed. Built in 2000 at Ferguson’s. Here’s the 1964 Hebrides which was built at Hall-Russell. You drove on at the side 3 cars at a time, got arranged on a turntable, then went down on a lift where the deckhands pushed you round and you drove off into the hull. Took ages. it was replaced by the 1985 Hebridean Isles which was launched sideways into the river Ouse at Selby in Yorkshire.

Except Mckay is playing in the Premiership this season. Last season is a more valid comparison. 20/34 = 0.59 sure as hell trumps 16/52 = 0.31 or 7/28 which is even worse.

Mrs Mantis had an aunt and uncle in Culduthel Road. They ran Shetland Originals which was in Castle Road just round the corner from Bridge St. When they retired it became an Edinburgh Woollen Mill but now, like so many other places, I see it's a restaurant, Shapla. Upstairs and round the corner from there in Bridge Street was a cafe back in the 70s. 5 of us were youth hostelling at the old SYHA in Culduthel Rd/Old Edinburgh Rd. One of the guys had no cutlery so he decided to liberate his knife, fork and spoon from the cafe by hiding them up his sleeves. Unfortunately when we went to pay they slipped out all over the floor.

My first job after I graduated was with Brown Bros who were up the road. The Inverness manager was a chap called Keenan. - It seems to be Sōbar now. Never been in but it must be a fair size as it was a warehouse.

...and now you can never go back ?

Aye two saddos ? No we came up yesterday via Oban. Been to Iona today and now we’re back in Balamory looking forward to a few drams. Looks like ICT aren’t getting anything from Ayr ?

Iona from Fionnphort? By coincidence I should be there tomorrow as we’re having a few days in Mull. According to wiki the Loch Buidhe took over there in 1992. Here’s one of the Morvern in 1989 in superb weather

You were doing well if that screenshot actually helped... Is this a talent you’ve been keeping quiet all this time? Haven’t done much of that except a few of the Skye Munros. And one amazing night abseiling off the Buachaille in the snow with headtorches ? Mind you, if it was you in the shot, I’d expect a decent sized car to be tied on.

?

His dad’s?

Wish I’d got a shot of this before the bridge was built.

Looking forward to a cup tie now where Old King Coll will gift us a vital goal with one of his classic cockups.

That’s why he was having a wee fumble at Morelos ?

MV Rosehaugh at Corran slip in 1994 and MV Corran in 2008.

Just had a look at Wiki and she was designed with a water-jet propulsion instead of propellors as it was so shallow in the Sound of Harris. I'm going to have a rake around for pics tomorrow as I know she started going into Berneray instead after the causeway was built. We took the kids there about 1994 or thereabouts. Meanwhile here is the Loch Bhrusda at Leverburgh in 1996.

Will need to have a good look at that later then when I get home ? we stayed over in Glasgow for the Indy March. At least yesterday was decent so got some good photos.

Fair comment, but had a glance at Wiki and Ryan has 10 caps compared to Tierney's 12. Also Tierney played 102 times for Celtic and Ryan only 48 (with 21 goals). But Ryan also has 108 premiership games between us and Aberdeen. Talk on here seems to have shifted to the January window, whereas I've been talking about season's end up till now.

Never been to Lismore - almost went last year as we hired a motorhome but we only had it for 3 days. I believe there's a car ferry at one end and a passenger one at the other. Here's the MV Kilbrannan. Served the Kilbrannan Sound originally, Lochranza to Claonaig, but this is Scalpay, Harris, Sept 1989, before the bridge was built. Kilbrannan is a bow-loader and went to Aranmore in Ireland in 1992, where she remains to this day, so the internet tells me.