J & D > From the east bedroom window, the light is failing fast. With the sun now below the south-western horizon – behind the islands to the south west, the shadow of the Isle of Barra casts darkness over the southern end of Uist, and the waters of The Minch. In the far distance – 30 miles to the east, its just the the snow-covered peaks of the Isle of Rhum that catch the last rays of roseate light that passes over the top of the lower hills of Uist and Barra.
Continue reading →J > There’s been so much wind and rain, lately, that it’s now impracticable to give the sheep supplemental feeding – hay and sheep ‘pencils’ (a compound feed shaped like short stubby pencils) – outdoors. There’s far too much wastage, and on a very wet day almost all the food I put out may be spoilt. One morning last week, as I was manouvering through a gate with a full bag of sheep pencils over my shoulder, an especially viscious squall of wind and rain struck me sideways ; and …
Continue reading →J > From the perspective of the every-day life of islanders, Lochboisdale is not a through-route to the mainland, as so many first-time visitors to Uist assume. It’s at the end of a very long dead-end road ; except not dead yet, but clinging-on-to-life. That’s why, these days, the centre for shopping and services (whether medical or religious) is now at Daliburgh. That’s six miles away – at the junction of the Lochboisdale road with the main north-south route that joins all our islands together, rather than joining us to the mainland.
Continue reading →Denise >
Attention all guests booked to stay at Carrick Eriskay next ‘summer’. Calmac’s Summer 2021 timetable will be published Wednesday 16th December. We recommend making your vehicle reservation as soon as possible, especially for Carrick bookings during July and August. Read More on Calmac Website >
J & D > No, not the famous book ; and, no, with all those trees, this is definitely not in Uist!
Here we have a photo by our daughter Becky, whose natural talent is clearly evident in this exceptionally well composed and captured photo (though luck does certainly have a role in these things). And for such a small image file, the quality is remarkable.
The viewpoint is above the Towy valley, in Wales. This is the sort of landscape that Denise and I hope to get to know better, next spring – hopefully.
Continue reading →D > We pulled on boots and coats, and set off for a simple walk along the lane to the hill fence, up the old sheep fank on the side of the hill, and back again. We went out empty-handed – we didn’t even have our phones or cameras ; and certainly no guns. And yet, we came back with a couple of brace of widgeon!
Continue reading →Jonathan >
The Beauty of a Hebridean Winter : View from Smercleit, South Uist across the Sound of Barra
J > This photo is from the same session as the previous post, but it didn’t fit with the theme of husk, so I left it out. Now, however, I think it deserves a post of its own. There’s something that’s so unexpected about that remnant of colour in a landscape (and garden-scape) now almost completely turned to shades of brown and grey.
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J & D > As winter deepens, fresh foods give way, one by one, to stored or preserved. This week we’ve harvested the Japonica Quince fruits, which are inedible (that’s an understatement, if ever there was!) when raw, but make the most perfectly sweet-yet-sour jellies.
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Denise >
Here’s some seasonal knitting in my work-bag : a couple of Shetland Lace Scarves. As fast as I’m knitting them, you’re buying them! They’re approximately 120cm long by 22cm wide, and very very light. The yarn is 100% Fine Merino, hand-spun by me with a ‘random’ selection of pre-coloured ‘tops’.
The price is £78.00 for either. Check our Hebridean Woolshed page for p+p charges.
To buy, email me to check availability. I can send an electronic invoice for secure payment by card.
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