Mull, day 2

Our decision to come to Mull wasn't entirely arbitrary.  Back in 1947, my parents came on honeymoon here, to Tobermory - indeed, they stayed in the pink hotel on the harbor front. I have no idea if it was pink then - but there again, I have absolutely no idea what brought them to Mull.

Deciding where to scatter Joy and Ray's ashes has been a challenge.  Ray said, right at the end of his life, that he wanted them - with Joy's - in the garden in Wimbledon.  Joy, on the other hand, had said in no uncertain terms that No Way did she want hers anywhere in London.  I made other suggestions - her family grave in Ossett; a familiar place in Oxford, and she wasn't amenable to any of these, either.  Needless to say this was never resolved in her lifetime (memo to you all - do what we have done, and make your wishes Quite Clear in your will ...).

So I've fulfilled Ray's wishes in small part, and some of his ashes are under the magnolia tree back at 20 Hillside. But I kept quite a few - not being sure what might be developed and built on in the nearish future - and of course I still had Joy's. So it seemed very suitable to bring them to Mull.  Only ... the harbor in Tobermory was hardly conducive to a quiet and secluded moment or two.  We walked along the cliff path - which smelled wonderfully of wild garlic - but there was no way down to the sea (also, my mother loathed garlic).  Much beautiful gorse in bloom, though ...

So we came back to our hotel, near Craignure, and went down to the edge of the rocky, sandy shore, with much bladderwrack lying around, and the tide just on the turn: quiet, beautiful, private.  The bottom picture is just before I started to let go of two bags of ashes - shook a few drops of Tobermory Whisky on top of Ray's by way of a suitable libation - and sprinkled wild flowers on top of the water as they began to swirl among the rocks, part blending with each other, and part not; forming little eddies, and starting to mingle with the rest of the universe's substance.  It seemed absolutely the right place to release them - and later, looking out over the sea from our room, there was the best of glorious, peaceful views.