Oban: day and night

Sat in the Hostel at Oban, which if you’ve never stayed here is more like a hotel, and situated along the esplanade giving a pictures view of the curving harbour, and out to sea in the other direction taking in Lismore, Kerrera, and Mull.

I landed Thursday on a morning ferry to good weather, if but fresh, that has continued. My photo, heading into Oban Thursday night but looking out to the islands, was spectacular with an orange sunset atop the silhouetted islands.

I’ll soon pick up a scribble book for some planning whilst it is quiet here; mind you Gorillaz is playing on the radio. But I can put up with some background elevator noise.

Claire is home in Tobermory and I miss her, but it’s okay because I have a feeling I’ll be heading over on Monday or Tuesday.

It’s a special place here. I’m kinda a tourist but feel much more embedded as part of the landscape, more so than I’ve ever felt as an adult. I feel I blend in and do my business in Oban, hopefully not being mistaken as a tourist. And on the island of Mull I feel local, having an interest in things, and being settled. It’s a nice feeling. It is one of peace.

The sheer distance from all of England and the fact we are on an island gives us (Claire and I) a separation from Mossley, Macclesfield and other unlike any other I have felt, whether London, Lancaster, or any other location I’ve lived in. It’s a good feeling to have, a sense of belonging and being part of somewhere.

(And with someone you dearly love.)

A room with a view (and beyond.)

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I sit here at a desk looking out across Tobermory toward the Ardnamurchan peninsular and the rugged height of Ben Hiant that dominates the background. Recent days have seen land and seascapes that have abounded with colour, warm orange to cold grey, and have inspired me to turn of the music, to instead listen to and see all about me. I am lucky to live within such a beautiful place, both the island and mainland.

We have been lucky to have a snap in the weather after a series of gales and storms, some with names, others unnamed. All of which shouted the house down atop the cliff overlooking Tobermory’s bay. But we survived with no more than a few more twigs and small branches in the garden, the trees clearly over the years having previously shed major limbs or succumbed and fallen over. I have a suspicion that where we now live is prone to wind and an expected occurrence on Mull, and I like it, the rough and raw sound is soothing to me and world’s apart from inner city noise that I was previously subject to.

I rejoin this post and it is now Thursday and I head over to Oban on the MV Isle of Arran for some business and to register with an NHS dentist! Claire’s joining me afterwards from school and staying over.

So something to look forward to.

I feel so lucky to be living her and for Claire to have made that first step for the both of us. I’ve only been here roughly 5 months and already I feel a part of the island and community. I still have roots back in Macclesfield and Manchester, and for that matter the north of England.

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Claire - Oban Thursday 13th March

Deery me... it's the cheeky deer of Tobermory

The battle is ongoing and a war of attrition, and one of ritual. Namely me keeping an eye out for the deer that think they own the garden and that it is fair game to scoff the bird seed from the feeders I put out, and have to take in at night!

The four legged monkeys even have the audacity and bravery to strut their stuff in the garden, when The Boss if off to work teaching!

The making of a lovely day in Mull

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It is a little “pert” in terms of temperature but it looks as though it will be a cracker of a day in terms of views, colours, sounds. I can already here the small birds chirping away in the garden and watch the Blue Tit pair raiding the feeders before the Chaffinches get out of bed. It is something just to watch to take you mind off all, and to remember that life is simple, and we people complicate it.

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Western Isles Hotel in Tobermory

Earlier today I warmed myself against a wood fire at a Banjo Beale designed room whilst I played pool, sipped coffee, and watched Calum and Claire play pool and darts.

Yes, that’s me, in my new Adidas three stripe shirt.

And boy am I living and loving living in Mull; a far cry from Tameside and my working in Manchester.

And it’s the same for Claire.

First game of pool saw me beat Calum, then Calum beat Claire, followed by a darts match where Claire beat Calum. (No animals or people or children were injured in the proceedings.)

We then walked home greeted by one of those Tobermory sunsets.

The found us office view - Thursday 16th January 2025

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A panoramic view from the found us office over Tobermory and the Sound of Mull.

Today is a splendid day for found us. Glorious morning up until 1pm whereupon I catch a lift to Craignuire to meet up with some fellow islanders. Back for a nice dinner this evening.

I have decided to blog on petercobley.com and not foundus.co.uk, but talk about found us, my 10+ year consulting business in advertising, marketing, and media.

What the scores on the doors, found us?

Well the business is 10 years old since inception on 28th February 2014. I am now 53 and back then was 43. A lot indeed a lot has happened to me, the business, life, the world.

Me

As mentioned I am now older, more experienced, wiser (Claire my wife may disagree vehemently), and have over ten years of running a solo business through economic malaise, COVID, world disorder, and anarchy, a move to Tobermory, Isle of Mull from Saddleworth, and last but not least an advertising industry that was over staffed and bloated and needs consolidation.

If I am also honest, and I need to be, those ten years were plagued with deteriorating mental health due to progressive addiction to alcohol, my OCD, and childhood trauma that finally was brought to bear and dealt with.

So I am right royally pleased with myself for having survived when the odds were certainly stacked against me, of my almost losing myself, and of having to bear cruel judgement by others of my addiction and being ill from it.

But, and we don’t always see past out strife to and beyond the but’s, I have a peace and serenity I’ve never had, and a clear view of the seabed floor like a swim off Mull, where I can see all shapes and things in real time. And my being able to see, listen, and experience the moment, not the past or future, is a true gift. I can dip my head under the surf and waves of life to see my gentle and clear waters beneath, and it is my choice to choose where I look. My view is no longer opaque with my life’s turbulence sullying the water.

Life and the World

There has been a lot happening over the last ten years of business and I oft wonder that if I’d had a crystal ball whether I’d have embarked on starting a business. That said the decline my business has seen is self inflicted. But I’ve also been subject to some bad players I suspect, a downturn in the market over which I have no control, and the simple fact of running an advertising business whereby if you don’t speak to people you get forgotten about, with advertising adhering sadly to the old adage of he who shouts loudest gets heard.

Yet I am always a big believer that in adversity one can see great opportunities in which to prosper (and this does not purely mean money) and in this present moment as I type in the office I am blessed with having come to the end of a long period of upheaval and shittiness, and can now embrace the what next, the fun and challenge of change, being able to re-launch and enhance (not re-invent) what I am and what found us is. I also have the beauty of choice honed by experience so allowing me to not to have to work with advertising arseholes. And believe you and I they are plenty apiece.

So, please don’t forget my little but perfectly formed found us which can offer some absolutely (excuse superlative) honest hard graft to help you grow you business and people. I love it, love working with nice people and companies, and live life with renewed vigour and calmness, of which someone out there, a business out, there will benefit from.

Say hello to founds us. And have a marvellous Thursday.

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Looking South from the found us office.

Western Isles Hotel - Tobermory, Isle of Mull

Yesterday saw a mirror being installed at Indigo’s house in Tob, 10 minutes walk from our pad, followed by some shopping and then a sojourn to the Western Isles Hotel overlooking Tobermory, for a male 50 something bitch and stich talk session, whereupon the world was put to rights.

Hippy mirror

I’d highly recommend the Western Isles Hotel as a delightful place blending modern with old in its various rooms. With great food its glass covered restaurant commands a stunning view over Tobermory and its bay, whilst I’ve never had a bad meal there.

Tobermory and Mull, to me, always looks stunning no matter the weather and the decision by my wife Claire to take the teacher’s role at the High School ground breaking.

Friends, family, and nice folk (no riff raff) come visit Claire and I in our humble but beautiful abode, atop a hill, with sea views to boot! (Oh, and no members of the Saddleworth Runners Club, the ever so bigoted and un-inclusive fell running Club.)

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Captain's Log - Lost Phaser, Tobermory Golf Course (no dogging)

If anyone had cast their eye Friday night across the expanse of Tobermory Golf Course they may have thought something was up, as a pair of head torches bobbed about on the course and in the wilderness surrounding it.

Dogging people may have cried aloud, or that the local deer have been on a shopping spree at Brown’s, the local general store, for head torches.

In fact it was Captain Cobley with crewmate Claire Cobley looking for a misplaced phaser (iPhone) that fell out of a running bum bag earlier that evening. Said phaser was recovered (eventually…)

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Tobermory crime scene

This week saw a band of ruthless criminals invade Ardshona South’s gardens and carry out a heist, depriving the small birds of Tobermory of their breakfast, nay sustenance in times of winter famine.

After Peter Cobley laboured hard in icy weather and danger to install a three tier seed feeder for his small fluffy friends, he became concerned at a noticeable run on the seed he bought, and the discovery of perches on the ground that should have remained in the feeder. He was perplexed.

But all became apparent one winter morning when he observed local deer around 9am acting as a “smash and grab” team. The cheeky so and so’s.

The bird feeder now has to be retired at night.

(All said and done, he is worried as to the deer since they must be staving heading into Tobermory at that time and eating bird seed in a feeder a good 6/8 foot up a tree.)

When suffering from serenity.

And that is what I am suffering from, and boy am I happy to be in such a state. This is a culmination of really working on myself, help from others, and some quality reading. And lastly living on a beautiful island in the Inner Hebrides, which has made such an impact to my mental well being.

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Crater Loch as known locally (which is not actually a crater and is instead a glacial feature.)

I now enter my 12th week of living full time on the Isle of Mull in Tobermory and that’s not a great deal of time when I think about it. Roughly two and a half months. And what a good two and a half months, with each day getting better and better. And what is better?

Better is a sense of peace, where I don’t miss the rush, the litter, the depravation, the claustrophobia, and behaviour of people in Tameside and Dukinfield where I last lived after we sold the house in Mossley. I don’t wish to slag off or critise Tameside, but the district of Manchester is a result of its governance and people.

It’s Council is Labour, and from my own experience is too long in power, untouchable, and pooly run with a number of Councillors riding a gravy train.

It’s residents seem for the most part not to have an interest in where they live, or the people around them. A crying shame for those that do care.

It is said that one should not do a geographical to escape unhappiness as you only take your head with you, but in some cases that is not the case and I can safely say the move out of all of the sh*t in both Mossley and Dukinfield was the most inspired and correct thing to do.

But it all comes down to change and the adage, “nothing changes, if nothing changes”. Embrace change as this is what I did. Is it frightening? Yes. Is it unpredicatable? Yes Can it go wrong? Yes.

My advice is do something of change that you have dreamed of, but never had the courage to carry out. Take that leap of faith.

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Looking out over the sea toward Rum and Eigg.

found us - business consulting and headhunting

Here’s a synopsis of what found us does from Tobermory, Isle of Mull, or Oban on the mainland.