Bobbing along, bobbing along

He's here or there or somewhere.  Could be somewhere on the oggin bobbing along in the middle of West Highland Week.  Finners (alias Findlay Clark) has tied his scarecrow securely to the railings of his wonderful little red yacht.  Red October is racing with Findlay looking after her and hoping to win lots of stages.

The scarecrow is called "Turkish", Findlay is hoping that most boats will slow down behind him to have a look when they are racing so that he can win by default.

Good luck Finners and Big Red, enjoy your sail.  Look after them Turkish and make sure they get the odd trophy or two. I don't know why it is called Turkish maybe because it's not Greek?  Meanwhile

Bobbing along, bobbing along on the beautiful briny sea (de dum, de dum, de dum)

With a royal flush, they raised the stakes

Could the prize for scarecrow go to the Richardsons for a second year? If I was a gambling man I certainly would have some of my money on this favourite

MISSING PERSON!!!!

Some nice soul has taken the Kintraw scarecrow.  I hope it is a joke and not something done out of badness.  The whole point about having all the scarecrows is to make a humourous event out people's efforts.  Each of the scarecrows is made lovingly by an individual to provide entertainment for us all.

Now, if someone is taking him on a road trip and sending back photos from his journeys along with blog stories we could maybe forgive them.  If they are going to ransom him we could maybe forgive them but please don't just have taken him to destroy or hide.

There won't be a reward for his return, but wouldn't it be wonderful if he just appeared back at the gate to Kintraw.

BRING HIM BACK WE MISS HIM!!

Crafty Kitchen Wisdom

God syndrome quote # 1
from Jeremy Clarkson

“I don’t understand bus lanes. Why do poor people have to get to places quicker than I do?"

Even a God's fig leaf can get a little small

I went to have a conversation with Clare's naked runner.  He's so clever.  Arrived in the village in time to view Katie running with torch and see the others going to the hall.

What a wonderful fun evening that was.  Even though it felt as if we were standing around for ages, everyone was chatting the sun shining and few midges biting.  It was a brilliantly organised occasion.  Well done Bruce, Chris and Val (Not forgetting all the runners, canoeists and bold sailors)

However there he stood at the entrance to the Anchorage, tired but exultant.  His Laurel crown on his head and fig leaf in place.  I was a little concerned about his fig leaf, it was beginning to look a little brown and shrunken but he didn't mind, seemed happy enough with the situation.  If you look closely at this photo you can find it, just.

A rather shrunken fig leaf, but, hey, who cares?

Maintaining watch over the yacht centre and the road into the village.

He was too tired to talk but as I stood beside him I could clearly see how many cars were coming in to the village, hopefully to attend all the festivities and go to the gallery in the church.

As well as music every night in the Galley there is also the celebrations for the start of West Highland Week this weekend.  Music, barbecue and hog roast as well as ordinary food over  at the Lord of the Isles.

And talking of music the greatest queen and god in history apart from Alexandra the great probably, is standing in the Catterwell garden - Freddie Mercury, God of Rock.

Maybe not Greek but then the poster said Greek gods and queens. 

Friday at the Olympic Opening Ceremony

As people all over Craignish switch on their tellies to watch the Olympic extravaganza, Queeny gets her spot in the mosh pit staked out along with one of her pets. " come on Team GB " she yells losing her cool momentarily

By the pricking of my thumbs-----

I have had a busy few days, for those of you that know him Daniel is back and so I've been busy catching up, with grand-daughters and family visiting to say Hi.

But now I have a little more to say on the subject of the scare crows.  They are all brilliant aren't they! One of the best is the two little dogs outside one of the cottages which has a sign saying 'they did say Greek Dogs didn't they?'.  Suits my sense of humour.

There is a wonderful scarecrow of Cerberus (three legged) outside the Anchorage.  There is a long story attached to this one - the heads exploded apparently but I wasn't allowed to see them before they were fixed.  Certainly not allowed to photograph them.  I will now.  Actually, no I won't.  I went along to photograph them today and they were all broken.  So, sorry, no photo here.  I will ask Axle and Taryn what has happened and I will see if they have a photo.

The Hydra is fantastic, many heads and monstrous shape, it bears little resemblance to the original wooden structure.  I love the fact that the faces of those who work in the shop are represented on each of the heads.  I also love the fact that the twins thought it really funny that Grandad's picture was on the monster.

So we have a hydra, a cerberus, further round in Craobh other creatures of the deep and the little surfer at Craobh Watersports.

Scary creatures coming from human imagination - not forgetting Rory's Lady of the Lagoon (which I find really scary ) -

 by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!

At The Charcoal Yurt

No trip to the Craignish festival is complete without visiting the Charcoal Yurt. At. No 30 on the scarecrow trail at Moine Ruadh. This is not so much an exhibition as a happening, giving a glimpse into how life and art could be if we only let go a bit. Join the Artist to make your own charcoal drawing or if your very lucky buy one of the beautiful ones around you. And the scarecrow? To coin a phrase from will.I.am:

He's dope. To get to the yurt turn off the main road at Craobh Haven and take the third track to the left.

Ps you can Follow the charcoal yurts through festival on Facebook

Lady of the Lagoon

lurking at position 37 on the torch relay, the 'Lady of the Lagoon'

one for the ladies

Bachus

Craignish Castle has always been a synonym for temperance and austerity. Hopefully this fine intoxicated specimen chilling by the entrance on this sunny Tuesday morning will sort that out. The quality of the empties (best French wine) and the chic little flip-flops can mean only one thing -Sarah Brown is back in town.

 

 The best queen this country ever had. Even in scarecrow form, Freddie Mercury still rocks.

Did someone say GREEK DOGS?

Bracken Surfing - Everyone is doing it!. If you want a demonstration of the latest Argyll craze , head for Ach Na Caltainn. From Ardfern, head along the loch and turn up at the Goose Farm. Through two cattle grids and you're just about there. If you fancy trying you're hand at this extreme sport you'll need to supply your own board and find the best surf spot - Craignish Coastline is perfect for this new pastime - Forget Machrihanish - From now on, surfing on waves is like hot beer (totally not cool).

The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts all on a summer's day;
The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away.
The King of Hearts called for the tarts and beat the Knave full sore
The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts and vowed he'd steal no more.

Saturday - first day of the trail. Over on the Lunga side of the peninsula there seems to be a shortage of scarecrows. Down at Phil and Becky's Walled Garden, the mystery is solved. Like a scene from tales of the unexpected, on the gravel pile, between the forsaken cars, a queen conceals itself. Seemingly trapped by those striped legs, anchored by the honeycomb, is an unwitting scarecrow - whose scarecrow is he and what is to become of him? Lets hope the creature doesn't make its way across to Ardfern or down to Buidhe Island or we're all doomed! Are the bees revolting and giving us a taste of our own medicine - frankly who would blame them?

Friday - The relay - worth running home for - A beautiful day, a beautiful village full of beautiful people.

The naked runner took a deep, happy breath, his race was over and now there was nothing left to do but to pass his blog baton on to all the other magnificent scarecrows that were gathered around him.

Late Thursday, as darkness fell on this the eve of the relay race, no doubt, in warm bathrooms and bedrooms all over the peninsula final preparations were taking place. Muscles need massaging, skin needs oiled, fig leaves need checking for size, tans need topped up, beauty needs sleep. The naked runner felt completely alone in the cold and dark of the Argyll night. He found solace in one thought: if he could just keep going, in fifteen short hours, he would tie up with these heroes of the beaten track. He would set his foot in line with their proud strides, he would share their wind.

They're coming! Marching to the beat of the drum!

Gradually all over the peninsula from Craobh to the Castle at Craignish and back the scarecrows are rising and standing proud as if they are hearing the call of a distant drum or thinking of the taste of the amber nectar.  I tried catching Clare's naked runner today but he was having none of it.  Running away down the side of the loch, looking like a man on a mission.  I still think he must be Hermes.

Hermes in the distance

A wander up to Mandy Hamptons and there I was met by the wonderful sight of a group of bees buzzing happily in the corner of her garden.  The Queen (Greek Gods and Queens the poster said) surrounded by her workers.  You can tell which one is the queen because she is wearing her crown.  Mandy is a little worried about them because she is going away for a week and so they will be a little neglected family.  She was thinking that perhaps they could be looked after as a community project.  Anyone going past Mandy's could have a quick look to make sure they're OK on their way past if they don't mind.

Across the other side of the peninsula to Craobh water sports and the first of the scarecrows over this side.  Apparently there is a hidden gem on Craignish, hadn't met him before but he is a nice man and his input to the two scarecrows here seems fantastic.  They have two scarecrows.  One which represents Poseidon is to go and stand at the road end in his boat.  With his trident and string beard he is the imposing figure that I imagine Poseidon to be.

But perhaps the creature I like the best (family failing) from Greek Mythology is Kobalos.  Not a god but a sprite.  Mischievous and dedicated to tricking and deceiving mortals Greek myths depict the kobaloi as "impudent, thieving, droll, idle, mischievous, gnome-dwarfs"  Helen and Mark have got one, and he's going on their roof, probably one of the highest set scarecrow of any.  He's just little but I like him.

Surfing Kobalos

 This is getting to be such good fun. I think the scarecrows listened to me yesterday.  All we need now is for the gods to keep smiling on Ardfern and allow us to have fantastic weather for a little while. 

OR MAYBE I SHOULDN'T TEMPT FATE.

The salt sea nipped at his bare feet and a high tide threatened. Blowing in from the open sea, twisting round the white masts and making the halyards slap, something rattled its own name; 'Craignish Festival'. And he found himself running to the beat. Suddenly, perhaps swamped by the rhythm, or intoxicated by the heady sent of fun, he let his foot slip and he stumbled on the rocks. Recovering his dignity, he laughed out loud. He wouldn't be the last person to fall in this village over the next two weeks. With a different band in the pub every night, Black Umfolosi in the hall on Monday, poetry night at Rorys shed on Thursday, not to mention the pirate parade, it would be a wonder if there was anyone still standing at the end.

Come out, come out wherever you are

My dog is getting so fed up with me.  He used to love to walk in the rain, particularly if it was relatively warm rain, but now he's getting old.  He much prefers to stay at home but I need him to come with me on my scarecrow hunts.  I think I found something hiding today. 

Down towards Barfad behind a gate is a dolphin.  Greeks liked dolphins, they had statues and drawings of them all over the place and they always thought that they were the helpers of mankind.  Dionysus turned a group of Etruscan pirates into dolphins so that they could help sailors when they were needed.  I don't know if the dolphin behind the gate is an Etruscan pirate or if he is even going to be a scarecrow, I'll keep an eye on him and let you know.  He is definitely rather lovely.

 

So I hunted all day to try and find evidence of more scarecrow building, without success.  Later on in the evening I headed for Kilmartin and joy of joys what should I find but a wonderful scarecrow at the hall.  Dressed in blue, speedo helmet and triathlon medal.  Neptune diving into the ocean surrounded by shells and seaweed, who else could have built it than our resident athletes who live at the top of the hill.  It's great.  

On my way to Kilmartin I tried to see Hermes, but he was wet and miserable so he asked me not to take his photo until tomorrow night when Clare has taken him to dry out and feel more comfortable.  Winged feet aren't any comparison to wellies.

The whole village is beginning to feel the build of excitement coming up to the festival.  The hall is dressed with bunting and looking really festive.  

Heading towards the festival everyone is working really hard I have been told.  I just wish I could find some naked scarecrows.  

Come out, come out wherever you are!

Todays bitter and persistent rain had taken its toll on his olympian body but his sprits never dampened.The runner smiled to himself as he headed down craignish peninsula towards the village and home. But in the corners of his smile, an observant onlooker may have detected the curl of anxiety. He had not covered as much ground today as he would have liked. There was still some distance between him and his goal. No time for complacency. He wondered if the volunteers putting together the arts exhibition in the hall felt anything like the same pressure. The heron was flying along the single track road, the cormorrant was flying on the loch and time was flying,

I didn't lurk very successfully

Well I wandered round the village all day.  I found one gorgeous scarecrow, but I don't know who she is meant to be and I can't speak to her builder until later.  This is she.  You can't see her head, but it is there and she has a gorgeous red flower on it.  She is wearing jewels and a green scarf.  No prizes for guesses but do you know who she could be?

 I also found Demeter (or Ceres as she was called by the Romans) who is the Goddess of Agriculture and she was standing in the rain clutching her representative cornucopia of grasses.  She is wearing a crown of wheat and corn too. She has a very smiley face, and she seems to be gazing into the distance towards the harvest time.  Perhaps she could be looking for Persephone (her daughter) who she was often pictured with.   

I went on a hunt for Clair's naked runner, but the dog decided I was too wet and he wasn't going any further.  I am sure he is getting nearer to the village, I think he must be Hermes.  The wings on his feet will ensure he gets here when he needs to, to find his small running partner near the yacht centre.  By the way, did you know that Hermes is responsible for inventing the alphabet?  I like that, but he also invented numbers.  Schoolchildren may have quite a few reasons to dislike him.

I will need to try and lurk again tomorrow and hope I find a few more.  I'm having fun being nosy hope you don't mind.

I'm going to be lurking.

In the village the workers toiled to make their scarecrows.  Greek Gods and Queens the poster which was the invitation to this years scarecrow trail trumpeted.  OK, I thought, I can do that, I can put clothes on an inanimate object and turn it into a scarecrow.  

Greek Gods are easy, there’s so many of them.  There are Titans and Olympians who are the main Gods and Goddesses and then lots of minor ones.   Greek Queens? Well perhaps the most notable of these was Helen of Troy – not properly Greek, but you could do a scarecrow surrounded by a thousand ships, especially in Ardfern.

 The more I thought about it the more I panicked.   I have as much artistic ability as a bull in a china shop and very little imagination.  I can’t build anything, but I can say what I see

 So, I thought, I know, I’m going to chase around the scarecrow trail and take a nosy at all the scarecrows being built and put photos of them on here at build stages.  What’s going to be interesting is if we can guess what they are going to be.  

The most obvious one for all at the moment is the one outside Julie’s.  She has dressed a tree in a white chiton.  It has arms but no head yet, she says she is going to be a beautiful Goddess.  As one of the higher echelons of the Olympians it is likely that she could be Hera or Athena, but she doesn’t have a name yet.

The chiton has a lacy top and is  going to have a gold belt.  Wearing gold accessories all she lacks is the sandals, but at least she is firmly planted on the ground.

Bruce has started to build the most amazing creature ever.  I’m not going to tell you what it is yet though, it will spoil the surprise.  Suffice it to say it’s got lots of necks and five people work in the shop.  It promises to be quite a heady monster. 

Clare’s naked runner keeps on going and his story is unique and descriptive .  I will catch him at some point and interview him about his history and why he is running  Til then I know chiton sounds rude but it was definitely a form of greek dress.  I hope you don’t mind  me turning up at your scarecrow you will be within your rights to tell me to leave

HAVE FUN ALL YOU CLEVER TALENTED PEOPLE!

Monday, and day three of his journey. The Barbreck fields afforded no shelter from the intense summer sun as he ran alongside the A816 towards Ardfern road end. On his left, the Loch sparkled generous and wide. On his right, the lush green of Barbreck grazing land. The farm bustled with anticipation. in a few days the field would be host to a grand pop-up shop for West Coast Living full of vintage furniture, textiles and accessories, with art and photography by Karen Beauchamp and Bill Baillie. But today he enjoyed the solitude broken only by the sound of contented cattle and grazing sheep.

After a wet night running in the forest near the Bealach among the bracken and the felled trees with only the moon for company, the naked runner arrived at the standing stone above Kintraw. Without changing pace he raised his head to cast an eye down the great blue of Loch Craignish towards his village. It was Sunday, only five days to get to Ardfern. If he hurried he would be there on time. The relay runners were setting off on Friday at 4pm from Craignish Point and running to Craignish Village Hall. Could he get to the village in time to meet up with them? he would certainly try his best.

Welcome To The Craignish Scarecrow Trail Blog. This year -  2013 - our scarecrows ran away to the circus, joined the carnival and starred in musicals. To read the blog for this year, in the order of our clocks and calendars, go to the archive for July 2013 and work your way through July and then August. This is the  Craignish peninsula, Scotland........ We don't rush things here ........ so why don't you pour yourself a glass of whisky and look through last year too.