It’s been three and a half years since we bought the plot and two and a half years since we moved here. We planned not to get involved in very many activities until the house is finished but we keep meeting really nice, friendly people who entice us out. We’ve been lucky with our neighbours so far but Andrew and Rosie, from whom we bought the plot, are moving to Skye next summer, with Tom and Kate and we will miss them.

We were very sad when another neighbour, Jenny, died of cancer not long after we returned from Oz. She was able to stay at home until the very end, thanks to the Marie Curie nurses who came out to support Gordon. There just aren’t enough of these specially trained nurses around so we wanted to raise funds to train more. Suse, along with Diane, Fiona and Sean, had their hair shaved and set up a web page for donations. We are very close to our target. Not having seen herself in a mirror for 2 years anyway, Suse wasn’t too bothered, but it was quite a shock for John. Suse still feels the cold on the back of her head and wears woolly hats a lot!

The lack of hair has had certain advantages for our new hobby, kayaking. Our good friend Ali the architect got us to join her on Monday evenings in Tarbert Harbour. The coach, Dave McBride, is very enthusiastic and generous with his time. We have ventured outside the harbour walls, once to Easdale Island – no, we didn’t paddle all the way, Dave took the kayaks up to Seil Island on a trailer and we paddled from there. The plan was to circumnavigate the island but conditions were too rough and John capsized, purely to entertain the 300 or so spectators who had come to the World Skimming Championships, you understand. Dave caught the trip on video and we have a copy! All this made us decide to invest in dry suits for early Christmas presents and, of course, on our next trip out in scary rough conditions, it was Suse who decided that she should test the efficacy of the dry suit. Since then we have been across to Ardpatrick Bay in lovely calm conditions. Whether or not we eventually decide to splash out (ha ha) on good sea kayaks, paddles, spray decks, bouyancy aids and something to transport the boats is another matter. Emily has a couple of general purpose kayaks which she will not be using at Stonehouse and which would get us out on the canal or inland loch. Meanwhile, the dark nights have seen us going to Lochgilphead pool to practice rescue and self righting techniques, including rolling, which neither of us has managed yet.

Suse is still working on Lothian Life which is keeping its head above water, just, less thanks to advertising and more thanks to affiliate marketing (when people click on a link and buy something). Are there plans for a Kintyre Life? Hmmm, not yet. One of these days, she plans to get back to novel writing and has been finding old manuscripts in the garage which may yet see the light of day. Internet publishing is all very well but a good old-fashioned book is very satisfying.

John works relentlessly on the house and even Ali says, ‘John needs to get out more’. We went to 3 of the Scottish 6 Days this summer and organised an orienteering event in November so we are looking forward to being able to do more orienteering next year. However, we are very aware that we could easily wipe out all our eco credentials if we hit the roads too much.

While John is resuming playing the guitar, Suse has found a group of people in Tarbert who do Tai Chi – it’s a different form but she still goes along and does the qi gong exercises, then practises Wu style in the corner! She has also joined the Book Club, who meet once a month and has been to a couple of meetings of the Big Green Tarbert Initiative.

We don’t miss the roads and traffic and only occasionally the shops, galleries, cinemas and theatres of life in the Central Belt. It’s surprising how busy it’s possible to be here, not just in our own wee bit of house and garden but also in the village and surrounding area. We are also looking forward to having more time to explore the local countryside in the campervan. It would be a different life without the internet and skype but we have no regrets at all. We have entered a quieter, more spiritual phase of life and are loving it!