J & D > Having had no customers yet (since opening on the 4th of July, five days ago) at the Hebridean Woolshed, and the roads quiet, we took much of the day off for a good walk in the ‘Middle District’ of South Uist.
Continue reading →
South Uist – Gearraidh Na Monaidh : Wild Parsnip (we think!)
South Uist – Gearraidh Na Monaidh : Buttercup Croft – Eiseabhal
J & D > We’re Open! And we’ve a new look, too! This year, the stock in our shop is hand-made to an even greater degree than previously. Scarves, for example : they’ve always been hand-woven (by Denise), of course, but now more of them are woven with hand-spun yarn, rather than mill-spun ; and there’s more of such yarns that are hand-coloured with plant-based dyes.
Continue reading →J & D > The ferry left early in the morning, we were aboard as foot passengers. Due to the social distancing requirements, the capacity of the ferry was limited by the seating layout, rather than area of the vehicle deck, and with about 8 passengers in all the huge ferry was said to be pretty full! The others were truck drivers, and crofters taking cattle to the markets in Oban.
Continue reading →J & D > As of yesterday, the 29th June, in Scotland, non-essential shops accessible directly from the street have been permitted to re-open. However, it’s on the 3rd of July – just three days away! – that restrictions on travel in Scotland will be lifted (including restrictions on the ferries) and completely self-contained self-catering holiday accommodation can re-open.
Continue reading →J > Now that we don’t keep chickens on the croft, there’s a vacuum that’s being filled by wildlife. Thus are the hollows in the turf-and-rock ramparts of the old stack yard now healing with new grass ; except, that is, one hollow, which has been taken up by a female Lesser Black-Backed Gull. Whilst her partner patrols overhead, surfing the sea breazes, she has made her nest, laid three spotted-green eggs, and now has two spotted-grey-brown chicks, that are easily missed when they hunker down amongst the bare rocks of the ramparts.
Continue reading →
It could be a garden-related art installation : in which case the mass of plastic pots congesting the garden paths would be nicely symbolic of the massive accumulation of pots of various colours, shapes and sizes in the work-shed, upstairs in the storage loft. But if this is symbolic of anything, it’s of the need to liquidate assets in a time of crisis.
Continue reading →D > The last potatoes (roasted) from those we grew last year. 2019’s crop of potatoes wasn’t the heaviest we’ve had, but they stored very well : not a single potato had to be thrown away. Just a short break until the first of the fresh-dug new potatoes!
Continue reading →D > J and I have recently been collecting some early Bog Myrtle [aka Sweet Gale] leaves from the Eiseabhal common grazings just up the lane – there are vast areas of it there. I’ve been in the dyeshed making some colour with four types of mordant.
Continue reading →D > Natural colours (indigo, undyed white, crotal) accidentally photographed with smartphone – unmodified
Continue reading →
English
Basque
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Polish
Portuguese
Scottish Gaelic
Spanish
Welsh