Week 1

As Dr Seuss said: "It's wide open there in the wide open air." The space here is fantastic - all the various 'spaces'! And the starts are so close to me at night. On my first evening here I went for a walk and saw a full rainbow on my left and a beautiful sunset on my right. Isn't that such a lovely way to start?

I work in the Abbey in the housekeeping team and have got stuck in straight away. It was a great way of getting to know the Abbery and to feel a real part of this community. I've been cleaning, teaching guests their tasks, pouring teas, and generally trying to be helpful as possible. Everyone here works really hard but you do it all while singing shanty songs or in hysterics over conversations about choosing a saint for convents or laughing with the pirate chefs in the kitchen. We eat meals with the guests, wash the dishes alongside them, and worship with them in the Abbey, but they do have their own programme going on too.

I've been trying out loads of new things from attempting to build a go-cart with the warden's three girls to singing in the staff choir (we sang songs in six parts!), and went along to the Write Club. I've also been to a ceildh, a swim in the freezing sea, a pirate party, driving around Mull with some friends from Swansea, a little concert by one of the residents, seen cute highland cattle, made a cattle, had a stunning cream tea in the Argyll Hotel, and tried to remember people's names... No wonder I could do with a nap!

There are two services that frame each day. The liturgigal nature of the proceeding are an unfamiliar territory for me - but so far so good. I was asked to do the reading for the Sunday service which was slightly terrifying but I was also grateful for the chance to participate. The music has been mostly unfamiliar but very beautiful. The sacristan had to remove Lily, the local friendly black cat, from the morning service today. The other cat I've met is Tiger who is usually catching a ride on somebody's shoulders as they walk along. There's so much going on I hardly know where to begin...