Sunday 15 September 2013

Seven Days











It has been a beautiful week, and we have been out and about in the good weather. I finally managed to climb up to a new monument that has appeared at the road side not far from home. It commemorates the site of the first Lewis agricultural show. It is a stunning setting to be sure, looking over towards the hills of Harris, and the land is just beginning to take on a tinge of gold.

With that in mind, it was good to take advantage of the sun, and get some tidying up done in the garden. The first of the equinoctial storms were forecast, so I needed to secure some of the taller plants and make sure the wind protection was in place. The bees were working hard on the last of the borage flowers, and I worked long into the evening, clearing beds, sowing and planting for winter crops, planning for next year.

Banana cream pie made a brief appearance on the kitchen table. James and I have been following the Great British Bake Off on television, so each week we make a dish based on the theme. This time it was pie week, so a great excuse to make the recipe from this book.

I've had a slow puncture on my car for a few weeks, and John has been diligently re-inflating it for me. It was really high time I took it into the tyre repair shop, but it was one of those things I never seemed to get round to. This week, on a drizzly afternoon I managed to cross that job off my to-do list. The garage was busy, as it usually is, and I had to wait for a while. Still, it was pleasant just being there - leaning against the door post, the soft rain falling, the warmth of the shop, the mechanics going about their task - slowly and methodically, the sound of the local Gaelic radio station playing in the background, people coming and going, that special garage smell, and the oil stained advertising signs - exotic names like "valvolene" and "yokohama" - just waiting my turn. I had a nail in my tyre, which was duly repaired, and I was back on the road.

We had a wonderful Community night out - a celebration for a  very special person - our Croileagan (Nursery School) leader, who retired at the end of the Summer term after  27 years of service. She has played such a big part in the lives of everyone in the township. As testimony to the love and esteem we hold for this lady, many people turned out to this event, and there was so much hilarity as we recalled the various highlights of her time there. The picture shows the " Guess the Santa" game.  Santa invariably gets stuck on the mainland and can't get to the Christmas party, so over the years, numerous men from the community have had to step into his shoes. Could she tell, blindfold, who the Santa's were? Amid gales of laughter, and a few lines that maybe the children didn't quite understand,  a score of 5 out of 5 was recorded.

I am still picking flowers from the garden for the house. A mix of cottage garden flowers, and a new favourite - quaking grass - so pretty and delicate.

I had lunch in town yesterday with my loves, at one of our favourite restaurants. Nice relaxed place with such good food - I just love their warm crispy chicken salad.

Afterwards we licked ice cream cones as we walked along by the harbour - the water was so still and reflected the blue sky and bright colours of the fishing boats moored there. We wondered if this was the calm before the storm, but in fact, the gales here have not been quite as bad as predicted.

So that was my Seven days. A few small  moments of joy, that I can take with me into the week ahead. Wishing you all a week full of delights.

19 comments:

  1. It looks as though your seven days were filled with friends and productivity! I love the guess the santa game and can imagine the fun that would entail. I am also a huge fan of the Bake Off and my birthday presents last weekend mainly consisted of Bake Off items, my favourite being a cake tin to store my latest creation in. The pie looks really yummy and I can't wait for next weekend when I will be baking again. Good luck in the storm that's forecast for now. In Lincolnshire it is just beginning to start so I can't imagine how you are faring. Take care. Chel x

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  2. Incredible image from the rock!

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  3. Yummy pie and beautiful photos.

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  4. Well, I still feel so fortunate to have found your site. This week confirms it. Banana cream pie, tires/tyres, Santas, and more all seem to appear seamlessly as I scroll through the moving screen.

    And the flowers, too!

    Good to hear that you've got that nail out of your tire/tyre, and that travel will be less iffy in the next week.

    Mindful of your beautiful post about the changing sunset times as September grows long, this is a special time of the year, when the temperature cools a bit, yet the sun still lingers. It's grand to see what is happening up there in your part of the world. So different from NYC and its hustle, yet so very recognizable.

    xo

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  5. Beautiful photos - especially that first one, stunning! Love your thoughts on the tyre shop, too. I can practically smell it :)

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  6. What a beautiful week with fantastic photographs.
    Thank you.
    Dianne - Hereford

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  7. What a lovely celebration - I love Guess the Santa - brilliant! I was also fascinated by your quaking grass. We inherited a Danish dinner service which I was told is called quaking grass. I wondered if this was a poor translation never having heard of it before but now I can see that the pattern is in indeed the delicate quaking grass - how pretty. Helen

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  8. fall flower picking is heaven on earth, love the idea of guessing who is Santa, I can imagine all the laughter. We have a slow leak in one car as well but it's very very very slow so we let it go :)

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  9. I'll jump in and join the rest in saying how lovely that first photo is -- just as I imagine one might enter Narnia. Thanks for sharing your week, ~Lisa

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  10. What a beautiful week with fantastic photographs.
    Thank you.

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  11. Anonymous20/9/13 02:06

    Love that last picture. That green boat named Wanderer would be perfect!

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  12. Hello. I have recently discovered your lovely blog (I think from the Outlander Kitchen perhaps) and I have really enjoyed reading all about your life in Scotland, first on the mainland and now on the island. I, like your sister, live in Canada. Next bookmark will belong to the Yarn Along, as it combines two of my favourites, crafts and reading.

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    1. Hello Carolyn - welcome and thank you for your lovely comment. My sister is just outside Ottawa, and we hope to be visiting next year. i read Cross Stitch many years ago - i think that is what outlander is, but I had no idea it had evolved into such a big series! xx

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    2. So she is far from me, I'm in Calgary. But I do hope you enjoy your visit to Canada. Oh yes, Outlander serious is now hmmmm, I want to say 8 books now.

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  13. The pie looked like it was well enjoyed! Most excellent post Xx

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  14. Thank you all for your great comments - I so appreciated you taking the time xxx

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  15. Enjoying all your beautiful photos and your everyday life. Our Family made it up to Skye in September and we couldn't believe how beautiful the islands are. Now we are back home again but wanted to say thankyou for sharing your life online so that I can still keep "traveling". :)

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Many thanks for visiting me. I love to read your thoughts and appreciate each one. I will respond to comments and queries here, so please check back xx

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