Rally - The finale

Tobermory Main Street, Sunday afternoon

My apologies for not being able to provide the extensive service over the weekend that such an event merits but it got quite fraught at times. Given the constraints of the rally time schedule and closed roads it is very hard at times to get ahead of the rally, collect a few stories and quotes, write them up and then find a phone signal! During the event itself I can speak only to the top 20 or 30 before having to move on, and the only time I catch up with everyone is at the re-starts and finish.

As for finding signals, my thanks to Gerry at the Salen Hotel for allowing me to sit on his stairs and use his wi-fi, the Isle of Mull Hotel who didn't know what I was doing, the staff at Tigh Solais in Tobermory and Big Ade at the Aros Hall who left the wi-fi switched on allowing me to sit on the bench outside and hook up in the early hours even when the Hall was locked up.

In fact this was the reason for the old style print 'MullMurmurs' being stopped. Having a print centre in one location and having to get information from the rally back to that central point in time to get distributed ahead of the rally again proved impossible. So despite its failings, the internet is perhaps the only real outlet left - provided you can get a signal.

I'll tell you what though it was funny to see a group of spectators with only one getting  a signal reading out the story of the moment to his/her pals who couldn't get a signal cos they were on another tariff!

And just to bring my main wee story up to date. I know there were lots of youngsters out there rallying at the weekend, and I only met Ruaridh and Fred for the first time on Friday, but they epitomised all that is rallying. Fun, enthusiam and a love of their sport. But did you know that when they cracked their manifold on Saturday afternoon and were in danger of going out, the Duffy boys (men!) helped them to weld it and fix it. Calum and Iain getting their sleeves rolled up to help to help the stars of the future. That to me sums up the spirit of Mull.

There are however two folk I won't miss. The Polis next door to me who woke me in the early hours, trying to get the sheep out of his room. Either it was a full set of trotters on the parquet floor or two pairs of high heels! And then there was the guy on the other side who is so taken by all the options on his not-so-smart phone that his alarm signal mimicked a fire bell. At 6 am this morning, I was up like an electric shock, one leg in my breeks, hopping around on the other looking for my wallet before I realised what it was. May all his door handles fall off his hoose when he gets home and may his butt plug be forever cemented in.