It is never easy, in the last minute rush to assemble articles for publication, to ensure that we get the 'balance' right: perhaps there seems to be too much natural history... or too many memories, insufficient contemporary writing. In fact, it would appear to be luck, rather than good judgement, that ensures that the final hotchpotch of articles is each year much the same as that of previous years. However, there is one big difference - the magazine is getting bigger.

One can perhaps consider the magazine as being in some way a small reflection of what is happening on the island as a whole - the increasing size being part and parcel of the increased interest in Coll from people of all backgrounds and interests. Take the past year for instance: a visit by Prince Charles; visits by a radio journalist and two television film crews; studies by ecologists and an archaeologist to add to those already done by botanists and ornithologists. Coll may look like uncharted territory to the uninitiated but it seems that soon there will not be a corner which has not been photographed, filmed, analysed or just plain sat upon...

Perhaps it was just a more eventful year than most or maybe this is a foretaste of what is to come. As a magazine we are bursting at the seams with articles that result from studies of one kind or another - and we welcome these and many more.

There is also a great interest in the past and the history of the island can be felt very personally by anyone that wanders through the village or even amongst the old peat banks in the hills. Articles which illuminate the past flow quite readily into our hands. Some might say that it is unwise to dwell too heavily on the past. That might well be true, but no one can deny that an accurate presentation of historical fact, such as has been provided so well by Betty MacDougall over the years, enables us to better understand the present day. Memories too can bring life to the past and oral history, although selective, can be endlessly fascinating.

Perhaps the most difficult area for the magazine to cover is contemporary life. The reporting of news and events is often predictable and dry - perhaps it is time that someone wrote about themselves, their daily lives, their hopes and fears. Who will be brave enough?

Thank you to all who have assisted in the production of this magazine. Contributions and suggestions for future editions are very welcome and should be sent to Alison McVey, Ceann a Bhaigh, Isle of Coll, Argyll PA 78 6TE