Thursday 11th November 2021

Not much to report today. Bright day but bitterly cold.

Another day of carry on in the cupboards. I cleared out most of the kitchen ones - just two left to go through. I already have 4 big boxes for the charity shop. Feeling good letting stuff go, and finding the right place for what stays.

Made a big Spanish tortilla and salad or dinner. I needed to use up half a cauliflower, so substituted that for potatoes, and it worked really well.

I had to type up the minutes for one of my meetings later, but it didn't take too long.

Wednesday 10th November 2021

So - 15 years passed like lightning, and that tiny 4lb scrap is now pushing 6 feet.

We had a nice evening, interrupted by the school's virtual parent's evening. But I guess hearing eight other adults say what a great guy you are is very life affirming on your birthday. It certainly was for me.

And yes - the cake was as good as it looked. We had chicken fajitas and nachos beforehand.

Tuesday 9th November 2021

Nice day, although I wasn't out in it too much. I had written a list and wanted to get some things ticked off. Nothing very exciting or interesting in a bloggable sense. I deep cleaned the bathroom and then turned out the linen cupboard. I’m being really ruthless with my decluttering. I have an urge to really pare back, and i’m enjoying that feeling.

On the way back from the school bus, we noticed several photographers setting up at the stone circle, hoping to catch the sunset. We wondered how many million photos there are of the sunset at Callanish. I think I have probably taken a fair few of them. This photo was snapped as I drove past last week. Obviously I stopped the car.

Dinner was OK- salmon, roast vegetables and quinoa. I was still distracted with my linen decluttering so my heart wasn't in it.

Later watched Bake off and helped the boy with a book report for school. He's 15 tomorrow. Imagine that…

Monday 8th November 2021

I'm tired tonight, as I often am on a Monday.

It rained practically all day. I was expecting it to be quite difficult, as I had a logistical problem; the car was due to be in the garage when the boy was coming out of the gym. In the end it worked out fine and we drove home through the dark and stormy night to dinner all ready to heat up and the fire just needing a match to it.

I think, because I am on my own, I tend to overthink things and build them up into something bigger than they are.

Two of my friends have covid and one is waiting on a test result. There was to be a talk on tweed weaving down at the community hall tomorrow but its been cancelled because of the rise in cases. It's very worrying.

Friday 5th November 2021

Bonfire night. There was a community display down at the quarry, but we stayed home with the dog. We have new neighbours and they set off their own fireworks, so we did see some in the end. The dog was fine.

It was a busy day today. Friday is my main day to go into town. I have a workout session, then shopping and any business that needs attending to.

The boy finishes school at lunchtime on a Friday and goes to the gym afterwards. When I pick him up, we normally order pizza and collect it on the way home. That's exactly how it played out today.

I did some work for one of my committees when we got back, then it was just really downtime after that.

It doesn't sound a lot, but it takes out most of the day and uses up a lot of my energy.

The weather is supposed to be stormy over the weekend, so we won't be moving far. There's plenty to be getting on with in the house.

I think i’ll have a screen break over the next couple of days. Yes, that seems like a good plan.

Thursday 4th November 2021

The day started off bright and sunny. Despite what I said the other day, I decided I would hang out some laundry. Rain was forecast but not till the afternoon. As I was pegging up the last of it, one of the crows flapped overhead, cawing loudly, and, I thought, rather mockingly.

Sure enough, as I walked back to the house, the rain began to fall. It was that fine smirring rain that soaks right into everything. The wisdom of crows…

I spent the morning in the big polycrub, cutting down the autumn raspberries and trying in the summer ones. There were just a few berries left - a final treat for the gardener. It was good to get that job done. I gave everything else a really good watering.

It was after midday when I got back in, so I had a quick lunch - sardines and salad, tidied round and sorted out my wet washing.

Dinner was Chana Dahl, roast buttercup squash with chilli, and pitta bread. It was very yellow, but superb nonetheless.

We watched more Parks and Recreation and I caught up with my knitting. The festive edition of The English Home magazine arrived but I'll save it for the weekend.

Wednesday 3rd November 2021

It was bitterly cold today - icy winds and rain. We knew this, of course, as it was forecast.

I have two days when I can be completely at home - no trips in to town. That should mean I can really get stuck into something- practical or creative, depending on what's on the list. Today I ended up skipping from one thing to another.

But when I looked back at the end of the day, I had managed to do achieve quite a lot. And I had a few ideas for some projects that I’m planning. Never imagine that pottering and pootling are not constructive uses of time.

Annoyingly I caught the end of a Christmas film today, while I was lighting the fire. Of course I watched it, but that is the last until the very end of the month.

Nice salad for lunch and a delicious chicken and vegetable stir fry for dinner. I got the recipe from one of those Korean mindful homemaker videos on YouTube. Lovely wee film - Hamamama I think she was called.

The Aurora is dancing tonight. Took a couple of snaps on my phone then watched for a while. Not too long though, as the energy is too much for me just before bed.

Tuesday 2nd November 2021

Nondescript sort of day. Some heavy showers on and off. I washed all the hats, gloves and scarves, and half thought of hanging them up outside at one point, but didn't. I think we might be past the point of that now, although it's good to get laundry out, even for a little while. It dries better inside.

This morning I made a start on clearing out the hall cupboard. I am trying to seriously declutter,an ongoing task, but I mean it this time. I got one shelving unit done, and will work my way slowly through the others. It’s a big cupboard and i’m determined to organise it properly. I have a plan.

Went to the coop again today and there is food. Bought fruit, few bits of veg and milk. People with wrapping paper in their trolleys already.

Had a really good workout at the gym - part of my self-care regime, then picked the boy up from school.

Cooked seabass and roasted vegetables with quinoa salad. Very tasty.

Fire lit and settled back to watch the Bake Off. I thought the wrong person went out, but it’s pretty obvious who is going to be in the final.

Monday 1st November 2021

November is here! My birthday month - and the boy's too. I’m always determined to enjoy the eleventh month without the taint of the celebration that looms in the twelfth. It’s hard to avoid, but I will try.

It was a stormy night and the wind kept up for a good part of the morning. I always find Monday to be a bit of a lost day. Cleaning and putting the house back to rights after the weekend, (as if we had raucous parties every night), laundry, sorting dinner and laying the fire. Then into town to pick the boy up and take him to the gym. I usually catch up with some shopping, or just wait in the car and knit on my car scarf and listen to the radio for the hour he's in.

Today I went back to the coop and found empty shelves again! No fruit or veg and not a drop of milk to be had. I complained and was assured the ferry was coming in at 4. Not much use today, but hopefully there will be something left tomorrow.

Came home - driving into a pink and grey sky. It was dark by the time we got home.

Nice dinner - black bean chilli, then TV and knitting by the fire.

Not so tired this Monday. I think we've benefitted from the extra hour.

Sunday 31st October 2021

Halloween - my Grandfather's birthday. He was born in 1898 just a couple of hundred yards away from my old house. The whole day is suffused with memories of him as I was growing up. Halloween was more about celebrating his birthday - the dressing up and dooking for apples was just part of the fun.

I felt a bit lonely and isolated at one point today - thinking about all those times when everyone in my family lived close by, and gatherings were frequent. Now it's just me and the boy. It was just a passing feeling, really. A nostalgia for a place and time - of things no longer…

The day was quiet, weather a bit stormy in the afternoon. It was nice to have that extra hour of light in the morning, and to kindle the fire earlier. It feels right, somehow - the slower rhythm of Greenwich Mean Time.

Had a nice dinner, and a dessert, as it was Sunday. I enjoyed a lovely zoom knit night and got a few rows done on the boy's jumper. Starting a new book tonight. November tomorrow.

Saturday 30th October 2021

I did go swimming this morning, and it was amazing. The sun came out - the water was perfect. I ended my swim without the wetsuit and came out aglow. There are more photos on Instagram if you feel so inclined.

its a beautiful, understated beach this one. There is a freshwater loch along behind it, with a nice raised walkway between them. I took the dog for a stretch along here afterwards. A perfect morning.

it was lunchtime when I got back, so I made our favourite avocado toast and poached eggs. I decided to continue the self-care theme in the afternoon and had a long shower, then a face mask. I’m feeling pretty chilled now - its been a while since I’ve done something like this.

Good Thai curry for dinner, wee glass of chianti, and watched a bit of Strictly. The boy is now watching UFC, while I’m knitting and peeping at the screen occasionally.

Heading off to bed shortly, I think I’ll finish my book tonight. Clocks go back, so an extra hour tomorrow.

Friday 29th October 2021

Quieter day today and very pleasant outside. Normally I’m in town on a Friday, but my gym session was switched to yesterday, so I caught up with the food shop then. Mind you, there wasn't much food in the co-op. No fresh produce - a whole aisle of empty shelves, hardly any meat or milk. It's becoming fairly common these days, which is worrying.

Anyway, I wanted to get out into the garden and catch up on some jobs I've been meaning to get around to. But then I made the mistake of tidying up the house first and then doing a couple of bits of committee admin. Of course, by then it was lunchtime, and I allowed myself to do a few rounds on my sock knitting. In the end it was after One when I got out, and my heart wasn't really in it. I did a couple of bits and pieces - cleared round a few shrubs, put some mulch down and cut back some overgrowth, but I had lost the spark.

Note to self - get outside first.

The boy was home early, as it was Friday, so that was me in. I lit a fire and finished my socks. There's a picture of them on instagram.

Then dinner and TV - we're working our way through Parks and Recreation. All in all it was a mildly productive day. I’m hoping to go for a swim tomorrow.

Thursday 28th October 2021

Really lovely morning. The air was soft and smelled so fresh. I stood on the drive, breathing it all in. Thinking of the folk in the Lake District who are gearing themselves up to deal with severe flooding.

I attended the funeral of my uncle today. It was at the other end of the country, but in this new virtual world, that's no longer a barrier. I did manage to feel part of it. The sound and picture were very clear, and the tributes were so moving, but seeing my cousins was very sad. I just wanted to hug them. Instead, there I was sitting on my sofa hundreds of miles away.

And then I was off about my day - recycling centre, food shopping, gym session, school run. Normal busy weekday.

But I felt different.

Wednesday 27th October 2021

Much better day today. Sunny mostly, with a stiff breeze.

Was kept in by admin, mostly. Many phonecalls dealing with the car insurance company, which took up a good chunk of the morning. The afternoon was spent preparing for a community meeting, planned for this evening, at which I am minute secretary. Also responding to a consultation on behalf of a different community organisation, of which I am the clerk. That took up a lot of time and I really had to concentrate.

By then it was time to pick the boy up from the bus stop on the main road. Then dinner, a chatty call from one of the girls, the meeting, which was on zoom, and then helping with chemistry homework. My brain has had a good workout today, at least.

Nice to settle back and read a chapter or two of my book, and write up my day, such as it was. I’m enjoying this wee practice- not thinking too much about it. Keeps it simple.

Tuesday 26th October 2021

Better day today, although the weather was slightly worse. I had a good sleep, which always helps.

Had a visit from Historic Environment Scotland this morning. Well - two representatives of that body, to be exact. They had come to survey the stones in the ruins of the old Blackhouse further down the croft, to see if they could be used in the repair of Carloway Broch.

They needed some big stones to underpin the area they were working on, and had appealed to the community for help.

I was in two minds about it, because I do like the ruins - tangible reminders of the old way of life, and also there are lots of wee birds that nest there in the spring and summer. On the other hand, the Broch is an important Iron Age building, built over 2000 years ago and is the best preserved example in Scotland. I liked the idea of my stones being used to ensure the Broch stood for another millennium or two.

Anyway, they waded down through the long tangled wet grass and had a look, but it turned out my stones were too round, and they needed flatter, longer ones. So that was that.

I was secretly relieved.

Monday 25th October 2021

Not much of a day - typical Monday really. It was very cold, and such rain in the morning! Cleared up in the afternoon but I couldn't get any heat in me and I struggled to get going all day. I did make a pot of soup and got some housework done, so not entirely unproductive.

J was training after school, so I drove over later to pick him up. Listened to Brain of Britain (radio 4 quiz) on the way and got quite a few questions right - always gratifying.

Thought on the way home that next week at this time, it will be almost dark.

Both of us tired - J fell asleep after dinner and stumbled to his bed shortly afterwards. I knitted a few rounds of my sock, went out to gaze at the moon, then packed it in for the night.

New day tomorrow.

Sunday 24th October 2021

It was quite a wild night, but the morning was bright and sunny. Still windy and showery on and off. Rainbow weather.

I went out to take instagram photographs of the pumpkins I have grown - as we do nowadays.

I noticed the gate had blown open in the gale. I also noticed the neighbour's white cow in my other neighbour's garden

As I walked back up the drive, I saw deep hoof prints in my own grass. There was a large cow pat in the middle of the lawn, already covered with brown flies.

I’ll move it to the compost bin tomorrow- this being Sunday.

Later I went down to the bottom field for a walk, and to see the trees and pond. It all looked fine, although not a lot of autumn colour showing. Some pondweed growing round the edges, and the marshy banks felt more solid.

(I'm trying out this daily journal format to see how I like it, and if I'll use the blog more.)

Daffodil Days

We are knee deep in daffodils here. As the rest of the Northern Hemisphere moves on to the pink and lilac hues of the later season, we are still firmly ensconced in the bright yellow mantle of early Spring.

Daffodils are a symbol of hope and renewal - one of the first splashes of colour to appear in the garden, reminding us that life is reawakening after the Winter rest.

They were my husband’s favourite flower. He always claimed that the most important times of his life seemed to happen when the daffodils were in bloom. Career changes, passing his driving test, falling in love, getting married, moving home - all these life events were played out against a golden backdrop

When he was diagnosed with cancer, we thought he would have maybe two or three years left with us. That first autumn, I planted bulbs all over the garden, in places he would see from the window, and he talked about how many more daffodil seasons he would see. It became almost a touchstone for him.

In the end, he only saw one more daffodill time. As the little clumps of yellow, planted in hope, just a few short months earlier, began to punctuate the flower beds, I supplemented them with supermarket bunches for the house.

I found a pretty crystal vase in the charity shop, and I remember his delight when I first placed it, filled with those shop blooms, on the table by his chair. Just a simple thing, but it brought a moment of joy and light into those dark times.

Six daffodil seasons have rolled around since then, and many more bulbs have been planted around the garden and on the verge outside the gate. I even have a cutting bed, specifically for the house, although there are many wind casualties that find their way inside too. I think it’s fair to say I am now self-sufficient in daffodils.

And as I go around, gathering extravagant armfuls to fill vases around the house, I feel privileged to enjoy such an abundance of beauty. If, as Wordsworth wrote:

One daffodil is worth a thousand pleasures…

then I am rich indeed.

The Romans apparently planted daffodils in remembrance of loved ones, and it’s easy to see why. Their cheerful resilience is the epitome of hope emerging from the dark. A signal that life continues and expands. But still, that first bouquet of the year is always placed in that crystal vase; I see the beauty and simplicity - and I remember John.

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Spring Stories

Spring always seems to be a slow process here. It begins with the return of the light, just after the New Year. Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, but within a couple of weeks, the days are undeniably longer. Soon, we are hurtling towards the Equinox and beyond, and the living room fire is unlit more often than not.

Yet the weather takes it’s time. Oh yes there are those beautiful days - days where I can smell the new growth, and feel the promise of the seasons to come in the sun on my face. But there are many more, at this time of year, when the Spring feels as far away as November. Gusting winds, gales, hail showers and seemingly endless rain.

It feels as if nothing will ever grow again, but of course it does. Even as I peer out of the salt sprayed windows and the wintry croft, I know that the bulbs are pushing up, and the frogspawn is appearing in the ponds.

And when I dash outside, between the showers, I can find the drumstick primroses in their familiar spot and check on the tadpoles’ development. I can harvest the wild garlic and young nettle tops to make a Spring pesto, and rescue the daffodils flattened by the wind.

The pesto is simple enough to make. I gathered colander full of wild garlic leaves, spring nettle tops, parsley and chives. Or whatever you can find. (If you don't have much, or any wild garlic, add a couple of cloves of garlic.)
2- 3 good tablespoons of toasted pine nuts.
3 tablespoons pecorino or parmesan type cheese.
Olive oil - 2-4 tablespoons, depending on the consistency you want.
Salt
Blanch the nettles quickly and rinse the other greens. I give them a good couple of whirls in the salad spinner.
Toast the pine nuts
Grind them coarsely with in a mortar and pestle.
Add the grated cheese and greens.
(I usually blast the green stuff in the food processor, then add the pulp to the mortar but you can do this all in the blender if you prefer)
Add salt to taste.
Mix in the olive oil.

I used some of it to make this Spring pesto sourdough (recipe here). It is very delicious and this is the second year I’ve made it- I think that counts as a seasonal tradition, don’t you?

Incidentally, I’ve managed to keep my original lockdown starter going for over a year now. It’s been touch and go a couple of times, but it’s still hanging on in there. Much like the rest of us in these strangest of days.

Croft Notes

The township stands on a high headland, bordered on three sides by the long curving fingers of the sea loch. The croft itself is just under four and a half acres. It comprises of two narrow fields running West/East - the top field being fairly level, and the second sloping down towards the big communal drain that runs along the bottom fence.The ground is decent, although there is a boggy area near the bottom. There are the remains of the original blackhouse in the second field, and evidence of runrigs can be seen running down the slope from the dwelling.The top field is quite exposed, with the prevailing wind coming over from the South West, - almost directly from the Atlantic, while the bottom field has slightly more protection due to it’s sloping nature.

The land has not been cultivated for many years, but has been used for grazing livestock. Readers of my old blog may remember our sheep and cattle adventures, and the previous crofter ran sheep here for decades.

Since I took over the land, I planted a shelter belt of about 400 native trees down the south boundary fence of the top field. Eighteen months on, they have taken well, with very few losses, More recently I planted a much larger area of woodland at the bottom of the croft, in the marshy area - mostly alder, birch and willow. I also had a large pond dug, to help with the drainage issues there. It’s still early days, but most of the trees are looking good. I’ve lost maybe about a dozen to what I think is wind damage, exacerbated by the hard plastic of the vole guards that were placed over the saplings. Some of them seem to be growing back from the bottom, but others have not. I’t’s definitely a work in progress.

In the top field, up near the road, I’ve had a large 12 x 4 metre polycrub built. This is an amazing space and will make a huge impact on what I can grow here.My plan is to grow mainly fruit and tomatoes here, with room for a few extras. I already have a 6 mtr one at the side of the house, so I know how invaluable such a structure is in this climate. This smaller crub will be mainly for year round greens, salads and herbs, and sweetcorn in the summer. I’m also planning to have some raised beds put in at the side of the new crub, and take advantage of the shelter by planting fruit trees in the lee side. A potting shed is also in the works, so all in all that should give me a really good productive area. I’m not discounting a wee croft gate stand for the excess.

The grass has not been grazed for a couple of seasons, but will be cut, hopefully at the end of August. I was reluctant to have it done earlier, because I know there are nesting birds, as well as at least one corncrake. Once this is done, I am hoping to manage part of the land as a wildflower meadow, and another part as habitat for ground nesting birds. And more trees - oh and maybe another pond - and… well who knows what else? it seems every time I go out there the ideas flow.

Its taken me five years to work out what I want to do with this land - or maybe (and more likely) for this land to work out what it wants to do with me. I hope I’m worthy. Watch this space.