All over for another...SIX MONTHS!

Well that's it - we're back, everything is unpacked, the car is breathing a sigh of relief outside, and the washing machine is set ready to run later with the first load of washing. We left the cottage at 10am yesterday - packing up never takes us long these days, we're well practised at it, and by 10 not only was the car fully loaded but the cottage was returned to the spotless state in which we found it. The nice thing about taking the later ferry is that we have a lovely relaxed final day - so we stopped at Baleshare on the way through and look....

...I promised I'd try to show you what all that lovely yellow Iris looks like when it's in bloom - it gets better than this but it didn't quite make it while we were there - still pretty good though no? From there we carried on South down through the islands - arriving at Lochboisdale where the ferry to Oban leaves from in plenty of time. As usual, we ditched the car in the ferry queue (in spite of being VERY early - they're used to that!) and went to grab some lunch - actually warm enough to sit outside too - amazing! Wandered back towards the ferry - still very early, but bumped into a pal who'd just driven down to drop some folk off for the boat so we had a nice chat with him while we waited! The boat arrived bang on time and we were one of the first few on thanks to the extreme earlyness! This has the advantage that on a busy day you are up on deck in time to watch the loading of the final vehicles - which can sometimes be entertaining - they cram cars into the smallest of gaps...

Oddly enough we were further forward in that line, and I commented to MrEH when we got out that I was surprised they'd not put me another couple of inches forward - I bet the driver of that red car wishes they had! Once everyone is on they waste no time in getting away...

...always a little sad seeing the Hebrides slipping away behind us like that, but at least this time we knew it's only a few months, rather than a whole year, until we're back again! Anyway, for the next 5 hours we had a ferry crossing to distract us - and for the first part of it the weather was just lovely - hardly any wind, water like a millpond, and lots of birds to look out for - Razorbills, Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Gannets and puffins can all be seen easily from this crossing, and with a bit more practise Manx Shearwaters and Storm Petrels too. The Petrels are the toughest to spot - tiny birds, a little bigger than a sparrow, and they rarely come in close to the boat either! Our favourite spot from the boat this time round though was a little easier to see...

...a Basking Shark! They're seen in Hebridean waters quite often during the summer, but this was the first time we'd seen one - amazing! There were Dolphins too - always lovely to watch them leaping and diving. A little after that the rain started falling and the decks emptied indoors - us too, and the rest of the crossing was spent reading, dozing, and eating surprisingly good fish & chips. We arrived at Oban on time and with the rain still falling quite heavily drove the 2½ hours to our bed for the might just outside Glasgow.

The rest of the journey today is straightforward enough...as usual we share the driving, stopping for a late breakfast/early lunch, and then again to change drivers as required. As we spotted the sign for Doncaster's Robin Hood airport from the A1 I realised that it was only 20 minutes or so until the UK's sole remaining airworthy Vulcan Bomber - XH558 - was due to leave to fly out for a couple of air displays, so we diverted to there to see her leave...

...well if you're that close it would be rude not to really, wouldn't it! Amazing to see her on the ground - but even better to watch this...

...the local residents clearly agreed too as there was a good crowd there watching. She nearly reduced one old chap to tears - he was saying that he remembered living in the area in the 1950's when they used to scramble three of them at a time - flying out right over his house "My, the windows used to rattle and the whole house shook" he said - still gazing at the departing aircraft, now just a faint speck in the sky. Definitely a complete contrast to the past fortnight, but a nice way of ending the holiday nonetheless!

My camera will now get turned back to aviation matters for a while - with a couple of days at Scampton later this week, and then Biggin Hill Airshow next weekend, to start me off. Lots planned, and lots to look forward to!

Robyn