Sunday 20 October 2013

Have a seat

Even after being quite ruthless with my 420 photos I still uploaded 106 photos from our Oban weekend.  So, get comfy, grab a cuppa, and enjoy the photos with occasional comment.

Saturday:

Saturday started with the best weather for sailing.  Only the mildest of breezes (still by Tiree standards) and beautiful sunshine!  The pier was surrounded by the most amazing shades of blue.

 photo LovelyDayforasail_zps5fe8e33a.jpg

 photo SunnyBay_zpsed0b9d75.jpg

 photo AquaBeauty_zps1bc7d8d2.jpg

We had the Clansman to take us to Oban.

 photo Blues_zpsb97191bc.jpg
 photo ClansmanCap_zps49fd6a81.jpg

 photo HelloClansman_zpsf2d133ad.jpg

I felt a little sad and scared when we set sail.  Bye bye Tiree, even if it is only for two nights.
 photo ByeTiree_zps3b673c9a.jpg

 photo ByeTilly_zps5b79fdbd.jpg

 photo ByeGolfball_zps18e9c1bc.jpg



It was a late morning ferry so we all had a "civilised breakfast" on the boat.
 photo CivilisedBrekkers_zpsfe7c5576.jpg

Even if the chairs were tied down!
 photo TiedChair_zps7a322745.jpg

I can't help wondering if Island Bakery did this placement on purpose:
 photo FunnyPiccy_zpsd27bca1e.jpg

There were some lovely views on our journey.  This is a view leaving Coll:
 photo CollView_zpsbe97aad1.jpg

Whale bones? at Coll.
 photo WhaleJawPoss_zps163faba1.jpg

A nestled house on Mull:
 photo NestledHouse_zps0e2bdc28.jpg

Church on Mull:
 photo PrettyChurch_zps55cb4c51.jpg

Trees!
 photo Trees_zpsb40d65f1.jpg

The lighthouse at Oban:
 photo ObanLighthouse_zpse7ea1c5e.jpg

View across the bay at Oban:
 photo AcrossObanBay_zps513a422e.jpg

This little chap was very obliging for me:
 photo LittlePoser_zps4be75d3f.jpg

Our first evening in Oban:
 photo EveningPiazza_zpsaa0bdd6a.jpg

 photo HeronSunset_zpsfdfd40d2.jpg

 photo HeronSunset2_zpsfb9f6c99.jpg

I took nearly a dozen photos of this strange thing on a ladies plate:
 photo BobbleLemon_zps12d6efd7.jpg
Turns out the kitchen put a little net on the half lemons they serve with fish.  I honestly thought it was a bobble hat!

I borrowed Peter's charger as I'd already gone through a set of batteries in the camera.  Had to laugh at the last bullet point!
 photo SillyInstruction_zps8c283594.jpg

 photo SunsetfromRoom_zpsd6c240d6.jpg

Sunday:

Sunday dawned clear and bright.  Jo went to church and I went exploring.

 photo MorningOban_zps90eed3f4.jpg

 photo SunnyMorn_zpsa1f66312.jpg

 photo SealCruise_zps7f4731ad.jpg


After the service we met up and went on a hunt for the Colosseum.  We initially went the wrong way and found this route:
 photo DunollieInfo_zpsb5454fc7.jpg

 photo DunollieTrail_zps888d9c4d.jpg

 photo DunollieCastle_zps733d2313.jpg

 photo DogStone_zps81cfc039.jpg

 photo LHouseDunollie_zps9e65c6fc.jpg

Still, we turned around and followed this path towards town.  Trees!  Dry leaves!  It was almost surreal after being on Tiree.
 photo WhiteTrees_zps31fbcd6f.jpg

 photo Upwards_zps97908445.jpg

Unfortunately we got completely the wrong hill and after having a bit of an issue getting down I decided the Colosseum was another day.  Instead we meandered back to the hotel taking shots and spending a few hours sitting on the beach.

This building bemused me.  The blue cage things were apparently purely aesthetic.
 photo StrangeFrontage_zpsdffbb810.jpg

Church of Scotland, looking like it belongs in Spain we thought:
 photo AlmostSpanish_zps8a50ae2a.jpg

Our hotel with it's bishop's hat frontage:
 photo Ourhotel_zpsf10c0dac.jpg


Next door had this rather grumpy "coo" in it's entrance.  I think I'd be grumpy if someone sheared half the fur off my next then mounted my head on a wall!
 photo ShavedCoo_zpse29676cb.jpg


This house is across the bay.  They have their own helicopter.
 photo AlrightForSome_zps3dfaedea.jpg

I'm not sure if the gentleman I saw photographing this had just built it or had simply spotted it.  A little tower of carefully balanced stones:
 photo BalanceStones_zps1fb0e495.jpg

Turns out the little ones on that rock were used to even up and ensure balance.
 photo BalanceFromAbove_zps00d1fd53.jpg

During our time on the beach Jo and I found pretty shells and some sea glass.  Jo also had fun trying to skim stones.
 photo MusselandSnail_zps11f3368b.jpg

 photo MusselSnail_zps058a4f90.jpg

This sign was in the hotel lift, it is very accurate, especially going up!
 photo LiftNotice_zps351523bc.jpg

Why anyone would have a pheasant halfway up their bonnet is beyond me.
 photo BonnetPheasant_zpse411a5e8.jpg

Very bristly claw:
 photo HairyClaw_zpsbb576e2e.jpg

We had pizza and burger on the promenade that evening where we were passed by this amazingly fluffy dog:
 photo FloofyDo_zps60edfde5.jpg

I don't think the heron appreciated me taking photos.
 photo GrumpyHeron_zps15474d86.jpg

 photo SecondHeron_zps20290a8b.jpg

 photo ObanSunset_zps598f88fa.jpg

 photo ObanEvening_zps952446b8.jpg

 photo RedBeams_zps4254c692.jpg

 photo SecondSunset_zps1c4b0146.jpg

 photo SecondEvening_zps4abaab14.jpg

Monday:

Not a drastically early morning, but breakfast at 6:30 was quite tiring after two nights in a strange bed.  The weather wasn't as nice and Nicola and I spent quite a bit of the home journey out on deck as the lounge air was a bit ''used'' and making us queasy.

 photo ByeOban_zps8aad4976.jpg

 photo BirdRock_zpsc48d3c08.jpg

 photo MixedSkies_zps50a5f0d6.jpg

Tilley!
 photo BusyTilley_zps014bade9.jpg

 photo InnocentPup_zps4985641e.jpg

 photo PinkHouse_zpsbcc080f4.jpg

Training dummy?  Bored sailors?  Who knows.
 photo RopeDummy_zpsa996cc29.jpg

 photo RopeFlop_zpsf2990991.jpg

Boats:
We saw a LOT of vessels on the journeys.  Plus, Oban is great for getting some really good shots of ferries.  

I checked on this tanker's progress Monday, between Saturday afternoon and Monday afternoon it had gone all the way to somewhere near Norway.
 photo AnklowFuture_zps5ca51381.jpg

 photo CharterBoat_zpsac0f1ede.jpg

 photo CarolAnne_zps9ea52c4e.jpg

 photo ClansmanOban_zps192e732a.jpg

  photo Clansman_zps14f81e1c.jpg

 photo FishingBoat_zps78e20d7e.jpg

 photo FerrySet_zps763e1dce.jpg

 photo FishingBoat4_zps7ac38a4d.jpg

 photo FishingBoat3_zps52b67cab.jpg

 photo FishingBoat2_zps63b1c506.jpg

 photo FishingBoat6_zpsa7bd3f83.jpg

 photo FishingBoat5_zps481b3095.jpg

 photo IoMLeavingOban_zps28d04e51.jpg

 photo IsleOfMull_zpscc6d1180.jpg

 photo LoTI_zps8b7e9246.jpg

This fishing boat actually had people on deck!
 photo PeopledFishingBoat_zpsbae20a9a.jpg

 photo RustyFishingBoat_zpsd97ca337.jpg

 photo Tanker2_zps4a724389.jpg

 photo Tanker3_zpsc4959127.jpg

 photo Yacht_zps9f5c5cd4.jpg

Birds:
There were shags and cormorants in Oban bay, they quite enjoyed having a rest on the floats:
  photo Cormorant_zps86e3cc41.jpg

 photo Shag_zps27165a61.jpg

  photo Shags_zps830b406e.jpg



Random bits:
Smiley barrel on the ferry home:
 photo SmileyBarrel_zps1f4c695c.jpg

The smiley pier at Coll:
 photo SmileyPier_zps2fda4ed5.jpg

Wheelie bins.
 photo WheelieBins_zpsc2e5f984.jpg

I've got no idea what this is MEANT to be but it seems to be a float/buoy/marker in Oban bay with a towel stuffed in it.
 photo TowelFloat_zps2afbab00.jpg

Spare giant rope on the Clansman:
 photo SpareGiantRope_zps23f60396.jpg



That's it folks!

We had a lovely weekend and all came home refreshed.  I know Tiree is home as I was like the horse that smelt the hay and chomping at the bit even though I was shattered.  Sorry it's taken nearly a week to do this post, but 420 photos is a lot to sift.

TTFN