It never ceases to amaze me that we have something so exotic and exciting as dolphins living in the waters here. The first time we saw them was in the sound by the harbour, it was sunday morning around 10am and the Easdale grapevine reached us that there were dolphins in the sound, we all rushed down, clothes thrown over PJS, hair everywhere, to be met by a similarly dishevelled bunch down at the harbour, watching the most incredible display by the dolphins. Their speed, agility and apparent playfulness was astounding to me and since then I have been just a tinsy bit obsessed. So it was a dream come true to come across a small pod feeding in between Easdale and Belnahua on our way back from Ardfern in the boat. We were literally all squealing with excitement and were just a little nervous when they swam alongside the boat and we could see just how big and strong they are. It was an incredible experience and for anyone coming to An Lionadh I can't recommend highly enough taking a trip with www.seafari.co.uk  the local wildlife boat operator , even if you dont see the dolphins there is lots of other wildlife including porpoises, sea eagles, deer and wild goats.

An Lionadh has been a real home to us this winter, we've been going most weekends and the whole of the Christmas and New Year break, a time of great festivities  and a SUPERB effort on the part of the islanders for their ability to party and put on a great panto! Not only is Easdale a beautiful island but it has a wonderful and diverse community who work hard to make the island what it is today.  Winter is a great time to visit the island, the weather is always dramatic and where better to watch a storm than from a ringside seat, all cosy with the fire lit and a pot of tea on the go, or something stronger, which was definately needed to see us through the assault the Atlantic gave us during this particular storm!

It was scary and exciting at the same time, a bit like being in a washing machine.....The view from the house is phenomenal, come rain or shine, and to soothe the soul after all that drama, here is a reminder of a calm summers eve sunset.

For this season we have put in new carpets and they make a fantastic difference to the house, it is light and airy now and no more sludgy green 1960s carpet!

Months have past since my last entry and many adventures had at An Lionadh. The house has been rented out a lot this summer and it has been fantastic for us as we have had so much positive feedback from our visitors, even the ones who had the awful weather! The view keeps you entertained, whatever the weather. Perhaps the most awesome weather was the dregs of hurricane Katia. We weren't in Easdale at the time, but were glued to Facebook, watching the dramatic pictures rolling in. Here's one that nearly made me cry...(the house survived).

We were lucky enough to be in Easdale for most of July and we had fantastic weather. All the kids ever wanted to do was swim at the quarry, but occasionally we dragged them out in the boat for some island adventures, Fladda, Jura, Mull and Colonsay. All stunning.

We had the usual amazing wildlife sightings from the house, most notably dolphins on 2 occasions, but I failed to get a decent picture. It is my lifelong ambition to get some decent pictures of dolphins, and also to get a loaf of bread over to the house on the ferry without it being totally squished! Ah, life's great challenges!

Over the winter our boat is kept at home out of the water and this gives us the chance to explore the land around Easdale. There are lots of fantastic walks in the area and two notable walks that we have enjoyed recently are on Seil, the Ballachuan Hazel wood (go to Kilbrandon church on the road to Cuan, park there and walk down the driveway on the East side of the road) and the walk from the Tigh na Truish pub at the  Bridge over the Atlantic to Phuilladobhrain (Pool of Otters). Both fantastic walks with spectacular views at the end of them. At Phuilladobhrain we found some 'pearls in the mussel shells the otters had opened which was a first for the kids. I can clearly remember finding pearls in mussel shells on a beach in Cornwall as a child so was delighted my kids were getting the chance to discover such treasure. This was a short walk, 15 mins to the sea, but the Hazel wood was a good half hour each way. Both highly recommended.

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We have decided it would be fun to keep a blog of some of the adventures we have on Easdale and the surrounding area. By way of introduction, we are a family of 5 who were lucky enough to buy An Lionadh as a holiday home in 2009. We visit a lot, and inbetween times rent out the house. The island and its community have enriched our lives hugely and we hope to share some of these adventures by way of this blog! Our visit at Hogmanay was funfilled as usual, parties, pantos and pints just about sums it up! Hats off to the community for their tireless pursuit of fun!
Last weekend we were spring cleaning and to our joy we spotted an otter from the kitchen window, the kids then had a face to face moment with it down by the beach which caused much exhilaration. We LOVE otters! Watch this space, many more wildlife spottings to come