I was in the study early and about half-past nine Tom arrived to take me to Dumbarton to meet with a possible supplier of fabrics. However the shop-owner was away on a job and we will have to go back later or buy from an internet supplier. Met Jimmy who is restoring my boat and we all went off together to the Dumbarton maritime museum (I'm sure that is not what it is called) but we had a fine cup of coffee together and a chat before returning to Luss. Back here I worked on the services, preparing the music, typing the orders of services and the scripts and late in the afternoon I heard that Anne's mum had died. It is sad. I have so many happy memories of her -- at Buckhaven when I was minister there and she was one who was always at everything supporting her church, counting the offering on a Sunday after church. And when I first came to Luss she and my mother would come through and either sit at the front window in the lounge and have a grandstand view of the people passing by and the many weddings that would take place at the church, or else going along to the Highland Games together and sitting on their deck chairs watching the heavy events, enjoying ice cream and being part of all that was going on. She has been housebound for a while and I saw her just a few months ago -- she remembered me (she has been plagued with memory problems) and it was lovely to see her. She was a lovely lady who lived for her family (and whose family lived for her). And as she achieved the grand old age of ninety three and lived a fulfilled and happy life there is no need to be sad that she has died. She'll be missed but leaves so many happy memories. And you can't say better than that.

We had an early supper -- pork and cabbage, followed by a sticky toffee pudding with cream -- and watched a bit more of The West Wing before bed. It has become very cold.

February. Already! It is staggering. Into the office and started on emails. Then off down to the National Park to meet with Bridget and Sharon to talk about the new toilets. It will be wonderful to have new toilets in Luss. Our present ones have been a disgrace for years -- but then they were never meant to last as long as they did. I shared my pleasure at the toilets with Bridget and also my concerns relating to the issues raised with me by the tourist guides and those from the business association (relating to the lack of coins and even sterling carried by visitors from cruise ships, and the difficulties possible if one toilet is charged for and another across the car park is free). We talked about the ongoing running of the toilets and I said that I was in favour of a co-operative approach that involved the Park, the community and Argyll and Bute Council (because of the possible tie-in with staffing duties at the car park). We've each got some homework to do and then we will talk some more. But new toilets will be a very major asset to our village.

Back home Andy was waiting for me. he is taking forward some of our tourist and visitor initiatives which will be launched very soon. So lots is happening. While Andy is doing this, Chris is hard at work on the glebe. It will soon be Easter when we hope to have everything up and running. There were phone calls waiting for me as well -- a number of issues, some of them congregational and some presbyterial all needing to be resolved. So it was a busy afternoon. After a quick tea -- baked camembert with cranberry sauce, followed by chicken, potatoes and onions -- it was up to Arrochar for a Board and Session meeting. It was a good meeting -- it has been a difficult year financially for us. We survived with all of our bills paid -- and that has to be good. We ended the year with £15,000 of reserved -- which has to be excellent. But we only survived the year because of two one thousand pound gifts. So in a sense we were two thousand pounds down. And, in addition, we are having to spend two thousand pounds on dealing with the aftermath of a lead robbery from the roof. This year we have two thousand pounds less of expenditure (because of the way our external payments work) but we shall have to draw five thousand pounds of our reserves into our property fund which will deplete our reserves by a third. Now that's OK because that's what reserves are for, but we must ensure that we don't have to do that again next year or our reserves will disappear. So the watch-word is stewardship. Eileen reminded me that this wasn't a good time for such a reminding. I remembered Gordon Jamieson's words (Gordon is the Church of Scotland Head of Stewardship) that no time is ever a good time. But the Church's costs will continue to rise just as our own home expenditure does and we have seen our energy costs rise by a thousand pounds a year over the last two years.

We also dealt with a number of property matters. Not least among them was the aftermath of the lead theft. It will have cost us two thousand pounds by the time we are finished with it, and we were fortunate that the thieves were discovered in the middle of their theft -- the cost is mostly for repairing damage. Local people, and the police, I'm told, know who did it but no action can be taken against them. Still compared to many other churches, and thanks to the intervention of a local person who saw what was happening, we have been much luckier than many. We also discussed the cleaning of the exterior of the Church and the vexed problem of heating the building, particularly on Sunday mornings. I wouldn't care that it was costing us more if only we could be warm! Last week Neil turned the blowers on at seven in the morning and I personally found the Church still to be very cold at 10 a.m. Retta thought it was warm but I certainly didn't and Isobel's last words on leaving our church today to set up home in Helensburgh was that she would look for a church that was warm when she arrived there. Stewart and his committee will continue with their experiments and I wish them good luck! At the Session I thought that the most significant point was that we congratulated Hannah West on being selected to represent the Presbytery at the General Assembly as the youth representative. She will be excellent and I am really quite proud that we have someone like Hannah who can do this for the presbytery. It will look good on her CV as well! Back home we watched an episode of The West Wing before bed. I really have given up on TV -- we need it for our visiting groups who like to watch the football -- but I am quite happy with DVDs and I hear the news on my car radio.

Up and off to the Presbytery Business Committee. There is great talk about altering the shape of presbytery -- fewer meetings, perhaps and fewer committees. Anything which enables ministers to spend longer in their parishes will have my support. Off to Arrochar for the funeral of Duncan Fisher, the last of the Fisher family to live in Ardlui and a real old character. The Church was well filled with people standing as well. I paid tribute to Duncan in the following way:

Duncan was born at Largiemore Farm, near Otterferry. He was only three years old when the family came to Ardleish and it was here that he grew up with his brother and three sisters. he was educated at Garistock at Ardlui and then at Tarbet, leaving school when he was twelve. He worked on the farm at Ardleish until the war broke out and at this time, because of war regulations which prohibited him from remaining at Ardleish, he moved across to Midross to work with Johnny Miller. At Ardleish he had worked with sheep, now he worked as a horseman on the farm which centred around growing potatoes.

It wasn't long before he met Ruby. The farmhouse at Ardleish was always rented out to visitors for the summer And Ruby's family took the rent of the farmhouse for a month. Romance blossomed and Ruby became a wartime bride as they were married in St. John's Cathedral in 1942.

Duncan moved to work at the sawmill at Jamestown and he and his new wife set up home in one of the sawmill cottages within the grounds. I gathered that Duncan enjoyed the work, although he did lose his pinkie to the sawmills' blade. It was the opportunity presented to Duncan's father to move to Stuckendroin that saw Duncan move back to Ardleish, initially as a shepherd, but then, with his father's assistance, taking it over for himself.

And this became his life. He remained as a sheep farmer at Ardleish until he reached sixty-five and retirement.

Now, of course, in this brief synopsis of Duncan's life, there is much I have passed over. The building of the family home 'Hill View' at Garistock in the mid-fifties, the arrival of his three children, Duncan, Irene and Gwen, the holidays Ruby and Duncan enjoyed, travelling to Majorca and Teneriffe, the collecting up of the family into a taxi and taking them all off to the Cowal Games where Duncan really enjoyed listening to the pipe bands.

But, my goodness, those days are almost sixty years ago for Duncan has enjoyed a long and happy retirement. There have been sadnesses for Ruby died in 1998 and when you live to such a ripe old age then you see many of your friends and family die. Ruby's ashes will be buried with Duncan today -- a reminder, as if one were needed, of how much they shared together and meant to each other.

But, I am sure that the pictures you have in your mind of Big Duncan, of Doch, are happy ones. Do you remember him cutting bracken and planting trees? Or tending his rhubarb patch and his few flowers around his house -- he was never really a gardener? Or the little job he had looking after the toilets at the station -- a job which he believed gave him the right to travel the length and breadth of the rail network without a ticket, and because everyone knew him and loved him, he got away with it. Or the once in a life-time trip to Australia, to Tasmania to visit his cousin?

Do you remember him with his dogs? I'm told it was his sister who asked him to take on his first Labrador and from that time on he was never without one.

I'm told that he would sit by the fire with his dog, at peace with the world. Sometimes he would read, often cowboy books or detective stories, sometimes the National Geographic to which he had subscribed for seventy years. He loved nature and geography and when he had a television, it was nature programmes he enjoyed. (I'm told he got rid of his television because he didn't think it was worth the licence fee -- but got a new one once he reached the age when one was given a licence for nothing.)

Your abiding memory, perhaps, will be of one who was your friend, a private person, but one who was never happier than when his home was filled with friends. You'll remember his dry sense of humour which could shut you off in a sentence and most of all you will remember one to whom you were important, whether as his son or daughter, his grandchild or great grandchild, his friend, his colleague.

This isn't a day for sadness because Duncan has lived a long, a fulfilled and a happy life. Smile as you share your memories of what he has meant to you.

I want, on behalf of the family, to thank Duncan's carers, special people everyone of you, enabling Duncan to stay in his home right up until his final, fatal stroke. It was his wish and you made it possible.

Duncan was a man loved by his family and held in very high regard by the community of which he was an important part – your presence here testifies to that.

Without a doubt we shall all miss Duncan very much – but he will not be forgotten. So today we give thanks for Duncan’s life, for his friendship, for his commitment to our community, and for all that he was to those for whom he was most special – a caring father and extremely proud grandfather and great grandfather.

Duncan's grandson, Andrew, also shared his memories of his grandfather. Back home, I got things in order for the meeting of the Heritage Group and later had a meeting with Neil about some of the things which we are planning for the Church at Arrochar.  The Heritage meeting, which I led, was looking at a fifteen hundred year time-line of ministers of the Church in Luss and as we looked at the time-line I tried to help folk understand it by relating to incidents which were happening around -- both in Luss and wider in Scotland and in the development of our national church. I had enjoyed preparing for this meeting but there is a huge amount to do before we have a definitive story to share. Back home, we had some spaghetti as we resumed our watching of The West Wing before bed.

This is going to be a busy week. Started in the study with emails, correspondence and administration tasks. Prepared for the Presbytery Property Committee and dealt with a number of pastoral matters. Went off to the Presbytery Property Committee where we worked through the agenda finding unanimity in all of the various issues which were raised. The Presbytery property committee is a strange mixture of organised and programmed visits and inspections of properties, granting of permissions for alterations and improvements and dealing with property crisis as they arise. Some congregations have plenty of money and to spare, others have almost nothing and we have to try to help find funds for necessary repairs as well as to sanction them. It is rather more of a job than one which I would really like to have as an 'extra' tacked on to the other things which I have to do and I giggle a little (or at least grin) when ministers faced with linkages in the future under the presbytery plan talk about eh difficulty of fulfilling presbytery duties once they have a linkage to deal with. Tell me about it!

Sunday. Two services. Today we celebrated Candlemas (2nd. February in reality) as well as the Gospel reading for today from Mark. I enjoyed our services and I understand that URTV and Andy have been in discussions about our services which are already broadcast around the world being broadcast through URTV as well. Certainly we are planning to launch additional video footage through our web-site in the coming days. After the service I met with folk who had things to talk about and later in the afternoon we found ourselves at the Village Rest for a late lunch. IT was well-filled and I enjoyed Haggis followed by an all-day breakfast! Back home, we lit a fire and watched the rest of the Charles II series. It was good.

A good day with a trip to the Outlets and to Antartex in the afternoon. I suppose subconsciously it was a bit of a celebration that I had no weddings and that I was able to enjoy one of the gentle Saturdays which were part of my life until I came to live in Luss. There was time to get ready for Sunday calmly; to sit in front of the fire and read over all of my notes and generally to feel prepared for all that Sunday would bring. I bought a DVD of the television series Charles II and in the evening later on we watched the first part of the series. I really find these series so much more enjoyable when one can watch them right the way through. I seem to miss out on so much when I have to wait a week to see what happens next -- who was that person again? and what was that all about? And now that DVDs are so cheap it is an easy way of doing things. Reminded myself of the days when I used to buy blank video tape and it cost more than thirteen pounds per tape. How times have changed. The Charles II series was interesting because I have been thinking about his reign and the influence it had on the Scottish Kirk.

Getting ready! Getting ready for my talk to the Heritage Group next week. Getting ready for services on Sunday. Making plans for the glebe for the new season. Responding to the large number of Guilds from all over Scotland who have expressed an interest in coming to visit us at Luss. Initially this was planned to be our 'outreach activity' for last year but everything takes just a bit longer than expected and this year it is really taking off. This is grand because it will involve everyone -- those who will meet and show round; those who will make and serve the afternoon teas and it will create business for the village as many of the groups will stop off for a meal at the Village Rest.

At lunchtime Rachel and I set off for Our Lady and St. Patrick's High School were we were guests at the school Burns' Supper. As usual with everything at this special school everything was absolutely superb and we had a grand afternoon and were royally looked after by staff and pupils alike. Back home, Anne had arrived to visit. We walked the glebe and after a Chinese take-away (curry and foo yong) we watched some television. This might not seem remarkable until I tell you that we have been without television since the start of December when the storms damaged our aerial. (It was repaired on 31st. December and the repair lasted three hours.) We watched an old Murdoch Mystery and came to the conclusion that we hadn't missed not having television at all.

Up early and into the study. Prepared the services for Sunday, scripts, orders of service, music for Arrochar. Met with the family of Duncan Fisher who has died in Ardlui -- Duncan was ninety-seven and the last Fisher left in Ardlui. His funeral will be next Tuesday at Arrochar at 1.30 p.m. Met with folk from St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Helensburgh. They have had a lot of interest from the young folk in their Church, not least as a result of the Pope's most recent visit to Scotland. As a result they are planning a programme of activity and wondered if they could come and use our facilities here. Of course, we would welcome them and I hope that something will come out of this. Met with Diane from the National Park. Diane is arranging the Open Doors programme for the National Park later in the year. I showed her what folk could see if they came here -- the sound and light show, the Heritage Room, the Cinema and the Loom and I told her what would be available on the Glebe. We will be delighted to be part of this special weekend. Also was in contact with a number of Guilds who are planning to come to Luss as part of their programme for this year. This was planned to be our theme for last year, but things always take that bit longer to filter through and there is a colossal interest which is building this year. So we will adapt to that. Met with Simon from Luss Estates to listen to his plans and soon it was time for the Community Council Meeting. We were joined by Simon, by Paul and Bob from the Police, by George one of our local councillors, by Ken (who is standing as an MSP councillor in May) and by our members Alyson, Sarah, Robbie, Rachel and Ian. Patrick was absent because he is on holiday in Majorca. It was one of the best meetings I have been at in recent times -- happy and really positive. We agreed to hold a 'Street Party' to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee -- we will seek to involve all the different organisations in Luss to share in the planning. We agreed to hold our Stake Holders Conference on Friday 24th. February. Invitations to everyone will go out next week but we already have agreement from most of the organisations in Luss to be represented. Jackie Baillie has agreed to chair the event and it will be the start of something really special, I am sure.

Relaxed with a pizza and profiteroles after the meeting and watched an episode of West Wing before bed.