The joys and insanities of community life

6.5 weeks done, 1.5 to go!  It will be strangely sad to leave a place that has such a predictable (and sometimes rather frustrating) rhythm. There is a continuous weekly cycle: 40ish guests arrive each Saturday, are introduced to the residents and voluteers and participate in all aspects of the community for the week. They then leave on the Friday morning and we have one 'changeover' day before the next guest group arrives, and so the cycle continues!

As with anywhere, it is quite easy to become ingrained in the culture of a place.  I have decided though, that there are key indicators of it being time to leave Iona:
 Number 1: I have a ladle preference - when serving soup or porridge I get seriously annoyed if someone has stolen MY ladle....it is the perfect size for the bowls and has a nice sloping handle.
Number 2: Plastic cups must be stacked according to colour and if I'm feeling extra creative, going in a rainbow formation from left to right. 
Number 3: Toilet cleaning stories have become acceptable dinner table conversation.  There is true satisfaction in a clean toilet bowl.  I have a specific 'order of operation' that I'm sure I could complete with my eyes closed....



The wonderfully unique Abbey Housekeeping team after a long shift in the drying room

Aside from cleaning, I have had time to do some more exploring and photographing (not hard when everything is so beautiful!).  A few weeks ago I went to Staffa, a little island not far from Iona that is famous for it's caves and puffin colony.  the caves were wonderful but I have decided that puffins are silly creatures anyway....everyone else I have talked to who went to Staffa came back with amazing puffin photos but alas they were feeling camera shy the day I went. I did see a few glimpses but none worth photographing.  Thankfully there were lots of seagulls and other birds that were quite willing to pose for me! 

View of Iona from our boat

Proof that I was there...the trip itself
was great :)



Interesting rocks...a bit like the Giant's Causeway in N.Ireland

Approaching Staffa



Going into the mouth of Fingal's Cave

The lovely MB Iolaire












Some stand-in puffins...behind them is the island called
Dutchman's Cap

There could be a puffin here....
somewhere....

That's enough from me for now....here are a few more special Iona pics (I seem to have quite a collection!).... God bless :)

 

Oh help, I'm thirty!

Yes, the end of youthfulness has finally come....I half expected to wake up on Monday with my first grey hairs, new aches and pains, and perhaps some wrinkles too!  Thankfully none of this happened, it was instead a wonderful day. 

It had been raining like mad the day before so my first summer birthday was not looking like being very summery.  The morning was a bit misty but thankfully it cleared into a beautiful sunny arvo that was almost hot-ish! 

I've never had much of a habit of advertising upcoming birthdays, but since this could have been a rather depressing milestone it was actually good to have everyone knowing and helping celebrate. 



The day began with a skype call to Dad and Alison, then my sister Renae and her hubby Adrian. I opened the pressie from my sis when chatting..it took a lot of resisting to not open it earlier! I also got special gifts and greetings from big sis and friends too :)

"How much tape did you use?"

"Oh wow! It's a...."





"Aww...lovely card :) "

"Wait, there's more....."

At lunchtime I got a birthday cake cooked by Anja, the Abbey cook. Very yummy!

In the arvo I persuaded a group of vollies to go swimming with me to fulfil my number one birthday wish!  The calendar says it's summer so that's enough of a reason to swim I think :)  The sky was blue but the water was freezing!  With lots of screaming we managed to get in and stay for 15 mins before deciding it really wasn't so warm.  It was great fun though, and not half as cold as I expected :)

That evening I went out to dinner with Gail, who shares the same birthday.  Together we turned 95....quite a milestone....only 5 more years until we get a letter from the Queen!  We had yummy fish and chips before 2 other ladies came and joined us for a chat. 

Gail, Dawn, Maddie and I :)

So all in all, a very special day!  It's quite interesting to celebrate with people I've only just met, but living in community speeds up the 'getting to know you' process quite a bit!  Here are some other random Iona pics.  Enjoy your week :)

Beautiful moments

The newness of being on Iona has mostly worn off now, and the time is flying by!  This week I took a quick trip home to Inverness for Annie and Mark's wedding (Annie is assistant manager at the Lighthouse cafe).  This meant a 7-2:30 shift on Wednesday, catching the ferry at 3:30, 2 more ferries and more driving before arriving in Inverness at 8:30.  After an amazing night of sleep in my own wonderful room I did some shopping in a real supermarket before the wedding and celebration on Thursday.  Then, up early on Friday to get back here in time for a 1:00pm shift!  Coming back to Iona after the wedding made me realise how special Inverness is. The relationships and sense of home that I have there is something to be missed, even for 8 weeks!  It was an amazing day though and I'm so glad to have been there.  Here are some lovely wedding pics.



Life on Iona continues with it's wonderful moments and challenges.  Sunday here is like any other work day, which in itself is a challenge for me.  We still get time off, but the days vary depending on our rota.  If rostered on for Sunday we can attend the Abbey service if we get permission or are not too busy.  This morning I got time off to go instead to the Parish Church in the village.  There were only about 20 people there but it was a wonderful experience!  Walking down the road to the little church and hearing the bell being rung was such a contrast to the huge resounding bell in the abbey tower, but so much more intimate too.  The minister even remembered my name at the end of the service. If possible I will go next week too :)  The Abbey services are beautiful in their own way....but I find it difficult to meet there with God for worship. 

Speaking of beauty, that is certainly not lacking here!  I walked to Port Ban for the sunset earlier last week and it was amazing.  The sea was like a shimmering silk scarf...it was sparkling so much I couldn't take my eyes off it!  I think God must enjoy seeing us in awe of his creation.  God bless! I hope you have a wonderful week :)

Someone sniffing my camera...

Passport control into the next field...I had to pat to get past



No sheepie...the grass isn't greener over there.

And finally, the beautiful sunset at Port Ban :)

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 :)