News from Staffa House
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September 2009
A long-awaited project comes to fruition - solar panels on the roof of Staffa House! After much research and deliberation,
we now have a solar thermal system up and running, installed by Sun Harvester Solar Systems of Stirling. We're very excited -
it's great to check the monitor as the day progresses and see the temperature on the panels and in the hot water cylinder
climbing upwards and helping reduce our carbon footprint.
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October 2009
The rowan berries are wonderful in Fionnphort this year, showing themselves off to their very best in the front garden of Staffa House.
Our friend Katrina gathers up some of the berries and makes rowan berry and apple jelly with them – truly local and organic food!
The visitor season is quietening down now, so it’s time to resume ‘Music Box’, Gillian’s pre-school music programme which she leads
on a weekly basis for the young children of the Ross of Mull and Iona. This season we’re holding the sessions over on Iona –
let’s hope the gales stay well away on Thursday mornings and allow the ferry to run! If any late-season B&B guests wish to join us
for the music-making, please feel welcome….!
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November 2009
Winter timetables are upon us! Both Calmac ferries and Bowman’s buses operate a different schedule from the end of October until mid-March.
It’s easy to be caught out – for example, there’s no longer a daily 9.15am bus from Fionnphort to Craignure, so please do check the little notes
on the timetables carefully before you travel! Ferry sailings to Iona aren’t as frequent as in the summer and the earliest/latest ferry of the day needs
to be booked in advance, but getting to Iona is still perfectly possible so don’t be put off, this is a very special place in the quiet season and has much
to recommend it.
At Staffa House we’re busy planning our winter jobs, but it’s great to welcome one final group of guests for 2009. They have all served on the Ecumenical
Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. (EAPPI). They gather at Staffa House for a long weekend to reflect on their experience in that troubled region, to share their stories, challenges and hopes whilst enjoying nourishing food and the peaceful autumnal landscape on the doorstep.
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December 2009
Where’s that list of winter jobs? Running a B&B has its own rhythm and routine in the ‘quiet season’. We swing into action, with various projects - new floor tiles, fans and lights in the ensuite bathrooms, fresh paint in the guest bedrooms and landing…… it’s all go! We have a great team of people working with us, they take such pride in their work and we’re delighted with the results.
Meanwhile it’s a bit chilly outside – someone says that there’s snow on the way for Christmas…..!
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January 2010
What weather! And what scenery in which to enjoy it! Family members gather over New Year at Staffa House to enjoy superb winter conditions –
sparkling snow on the hills, cloudless blue skies and cold, crisp air, with some memorable sunsets. There are some spectacular ice effects around too –
even Fionnphort beach is a bit like a skating rink!
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Nothing will deter the intrepid shinty players on Ardalanish beach however – they turn out in good numbers
for the annual match on New Year’s Day – a wonderful mix of fun and fresh air, perfectly rounded off with warm
soup and delicious baking served by Minty Mackay and friends up at Ardalanish Farm.
Inside jobs continue through January –
new carpets are fitted and we enjoy putting up more local artwork in the guest areas of the house – we’re very fortunate
to have so many talented artists living on Mull and Iona. Hope we don’t run out of wall space!
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February 2010
Marmalade madness! Ali is hard at work for three days, chopping, boiling, simmering, testing, filling jars, only to start again on the next batch!
The entire house is full of a sunny marmalade smell and the neat little jars are stowed away safely – all ready for B&B guests to savour with warm wholemeal
toast and lots of butter!
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Cold, sunny weather continues on Mull – where are this winter’s gales? A pod of dolphins turns up unexpectedly in the sound of Iona.
They must think it’s time to come and play already! The colours of the setting sun on the pink granite of Torr Mor are a daily delight.
With most of the house jobs done, the garden beckons – we have new projects in mind for 2010, including a raised bed for growing more vegetables….
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March 2010
The season must be approaching! There are a few more visitors on the ferry, boats are being painted,
the hotels are getting ready to open on Iona, the first group of volunteers have just arrived at the Abbey….
Beautiful snowdrops form a carpet in the grounds of the Heritage Centre on Iona, soaking up some lovely warm
March sunshine. The days are getting much longer now and the birds are singing away in the mornings.
We take the opportunity for a little pre-season break, walking along the Coast-to-Coast path in northern
England before returning to Staffa House to greet our Easter guests.
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April 2010
There’s a real buzz around the place now that April’s here. The ferry to Iona sails back and forth regularly, with its familiar ‘ding-dong’ each
time it leaves Fionnphort jetty. The boat trips to Staffa have started again and puffins have been sighted – if you’re staying at Staffa House
we can phone at breakfast time and book you on a trip. The skylarks are back, singing their hearts out all day long, and of course the evenings
are getting lighter and lighter – no need for those torches now. The daffodils timed it just right for Easter and the primroses are shyly appearing
in their favourite places – look out for them if you’re driving along Loch Scridain. Inside Staffa House there is conversation and laughter around
the table at breakfast and dinner – another season underway with much to share and enjoy.
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May 2010
May’s a wonderful month to be in Fionnphort. We heard our first cuckoo on May 2nd, and our bird feeders outside the conservatory have been mobbed by half a
dozen hungry goldfinches and a couple of siskins, not to mention numerous sparrows and blue tits. We can hardly keep up with them – no sooner are the feeders filled
than we turn our backs and they’re empty again! Staffa House seems to have become a B&B for the birds, as well as for our human guests!
Do bring your binoculars if you come and stay with us, you’ll have great close-up views. Meanwhile the puffins are busy making themselves at home on the island of Staffa –
our guests have reported good sightings when they’ve been out on the ‘Iolaire’ with David Kirkpatrick and his crew. May is also the month of primroses – in abundance.
The roadsides are adorned with beautiful clumps of yellow, you’ll see them for yourselves if you drive between Fionnphort and Pennyghael.
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June 2010
The fresh colours of early summer call for a fresh coat of paint on the exterior of Staffa House!
Alan and Andy work long hours to make the most of the dry weather and soon the house is happily displaying its new colour scheme to all who pass by.
Meanwhile, on the catering front, we’re delighted to learn that we can now order organic milk from The Ferry Shop, so we’ve switched our supplies entirely
to organic. Better for us and our guests, and better for the environment!
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