A day in the life of an Abbey housekeeper

And so the fun continues!

7:30am       Alarm goes off, I pretend alarm didn't go off
8:00am       Get up, get ready and walk to the Abbey, avoiding the sheep poo if possible
9:00am       Morning service
9:30am       Start work!
                  Washing laundry/scrubbing toilets/vacuuming/making beds
10:45am    Set up for morning tea
                  Make tea/coffee
11:00am    Serve Morning tea
11:30am    Wash dishes from morning tea
12:00pm    More washing/scrubbing/cleaning/laundry etc
12:30pm    Set up for lunch
1:00pm      Serve and eat lunch
1:30pm      Wash up lunch dishes/mop scullery floor
2:30pm      Finished!
                  Go for a walk/check online land/sleep/chat with lovely people
5:00pm      Back to the Abbey to set up for dinner
6:00pm     Serve dinner
6:30pm     Serve dessert
6:45pm     Wash dinner dishes/mop scullery floor/pack up dinner stuff
7:30pm     Finished again!
                 Random social activity/crochet or reading
9:00pm    Attend evening service/be lazy and don't attend evening service
9:30pm    Set up and serve After Service Tea if I'm on it this week
10:15pm  Think about bed/read/chat/go for a walk
11:00pm  Go to bed
                Listen to snoring!!

The shift varies a lot, sometimes starting at 7am for breakfast, or sometimes in one block. I think I'm getting quite used to the routines here now, and am enjoying being around people so much. There are 15 volunteers staying at the Mac and it has a great feel. Here are some pics of daily life in the Mac:



Lots of people getting
sick...this is my strategy
for staying healthy. It says,
"Leesa's cup full of Leesa's
germs for Leesa only" hehe



Vollie = Volunteer
Ressie = Resident
There you go, whole new language
it seems......

My lovely bed in Mac A where I
listen to snoring.



On my day off, Greta (fellow vollie) and I went across to Mull and drove to Tobermory, the biggest town on Mull. Poor Nessie couldn't come across to Iona, so I had to go across and see if she was ok! It was great to get off island for a bit and explore some new shops! Here are some pics:

There was a space in my stomach that could
only be filled by fish and chips.
So so yummy! I would drive 1.5hrs again
just for this!!!!

Random knitted birds on a string...very cool though!

Greta taking pics....

......me relaxing!

My day off ended in a rather lovely way too, with an evening walk up Dun I (big hill in the middle of Iona). The sun sets about 11:30 at the moment so it's never too late for a walk :) The evening light is amazing. From the top you can see the whole island and surrounding water. The sea is so gentle it feels more like being on an island in the middle of a huge still lake.




Contemplating the lovely scenery....

View from the top. The big building on the right is the
MacLeod Centre...the Abbey is on the left.



Jumping off!! My jump wasn't very good :(

More stunning beauty



Enough from me for now. Just in case, mobile phone coverage here is pretty bad, so if I don't answer I'm sorry! Best to msg instead. Internet is ok, but only available in one room in the Abbey.
Have a wonderful week. God bless :)