Fine hailstones finding their way through tiny ventilation gaps in the roof. It was a colder day at The Noust. Alasdair and Ian made quick work of levelling and bracing … Continue reading Day 2: Tuesday 6 February

A great day’s progress. Alasdair and Ian continued to build the ultimate workbench with flooring boards obtained from Graeme MacColl and Dorinda, and, in particular, to provide a strong fixing … Continue reading Day 3: Wednesday 7 February

Another good day. Stevie has now cleaned the rusty table of the bandsaw; it looks amazing. He also put a section of pontoon walkway on the step, covering Robert and … Continue reading Day 5: Sunday 11 February

The skiff kit has arrived. Parky dropped it outside The Noust first thing this morning. We brought it inside and lovingly laid it flat. Our first reaction was: is that … Continue reading Day 6: Monday 12 February

The Bench (I think it has earned it capital letters by now) is still not quite finished, despite the careful attention of Ian, the fizzing energy of John P and … Continue reading Day 7: Tuesday 13 February

Hard. Men. Both. Battling a wild, wild morning, Ian T and Donald Archie had made it to The Noust. It was not a reassuring sight. The western half of the … Continue reading Day 8: Wednesday 14 February

What a difference a day makes. Lake Noust has disappeared, and the inside of this superbly well-ventilated building (did I mention that it was designed and built by local architects … Continue reading Day 9: Thursday 15 February

I forgot to mention two things yesterday. Firstly, the pancakes from Eileen T were delicious. It’s wonderful how fine home baking lifts an old boat builder’s spirits. And secondly, Ian … Continue reading Day 10: Friday 16 February

It’s obviously a more advanced case than I thought. Ian, who I diagnosed with Skiff Withdrawal Syndrome two days ago, and who was instructed to take a day off, sneaked … Continue reading Day 11: Saturday 18 February

Our two days off saw Ian and myself surreptitiously visiting The Noust to turn The Bench from a workhorse into a thing of beauty, using masking tape and Mr Skinners’ … Continue reading Days 12 and 13: Monday 19 February