This moment

Taking a moment - to share a moment - a moment I want to pause, savour and remember. Happy to be joining in, once again with the wonderful Soulemama.  Wishing you a blessed weekend.

An Autumn beach picnic

A fiery, misty dawn burned off into a glorious day, still with a hint of the Summer warmth.  A perfect day for a beach visit, to remember, celebrate and enjoy.  But chores first, and play later - and a beach snack to prepare.

Spicy muffins, seemed like a good idea - there are lots of ideas around online for autumnal cakes, which are perfect to pack for a trip outdoors. A quick root around the cupboards and pantry and I
thought that parsnip and courgette spiced muffins sounded perfect.  After a good few hard frosts, the parsnips are just coming into their best just now, and they are often overlooked in favour of their more flamboyantly hued cousin, carrot.
Recipe
1 large egg
1/2 cup  soft brown sugar (I used UK cups - 1 cup =250ml,)
2-3 T melted butter (you can use sunflower oil if you prefer)
mix these together very well then add
1 medium parsnip - grated
1 medium courgette (zucchini) -grated (aim for around a cup of each)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
sift together
1 cup wholewheat SR flour ( or 1 cup plain flour and 1 t baking powder)
pinch salt
1.5 t mixed spice (or combination of cinammon, ginger, nutmeg - whatever your favourites are)
Add dry ingredients to the batter, and fold in until just combined.
(The mixture was slightly dry looking)
Divide between 6 muffin tins, (lined with cases or greased as you prefer)

 Bake at 150 deg c for around 20 mins, until light brown and firm. (they don't rise a great deal)
Leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins or so.

And what more autumnal beach picnic accompaniment could be more appropriate than spiced hot chocolate? And for me - it has to be Cardamom and real chocolate (85%!)

Just bash a few green cardamom pods around a bit and add them to enough milk to fill your flask. (I added a generous spash of double cream too) Heat gently, until just coming to the boil, remove from heat and add chocolate and sugar to taste - whisk until frothy and pour into the warmed flask, cardamoms and all (they will infuse away until ready to drink.

Then, find yourself a beach, or other similarly beautiful spot and enjoy.

Perfect♥

Remembering

It's two years today since my Mother died. 

Although our family is scattered over the country now, we came together in spirit to celebrate her life.

We wrote her name in the sand.

We left flowers on the rocky shore

We climbed the hill where her ashes are scattered.

We remembered her with love.

Thank you to Daniel and Daniel for photographs 3,4 & 5

Brief Encounter

Taking a moment - to share a fleeting moment - a moment I want to pause, savour and remember. Happy to be joining in, once again with the wonderful Soulemama.  Wishing you a blessed weekend.

New Girls

We have some new ladies on the croft. Two new Dexter heifers, and one female calf have joined us on the island.  This is Madame, here - she is due to calve around Christmas time.  She is a beauty - very friendly and gentle.  We are hoping she will become our milk cow after her calf has been born. Lots of learning to be done there, and we are currently sorting out a place to do the milking - most likely down at the old barn.  Fortunately, one of our neighbours, until fairly recently, kept a milk cow, and he has been a wellspring of wise, practical advice.

The other two - Celia and her heifer calf, Gretel, are a bit more wary, and don't tend to come too close.  See, they are still wearing their lot number stickers from the auction, and won't let us remove them.  Ah well, I dare say the Lewis rain will deal with that in time. There is a fair bit of work to be done to get these girls used to us though. When we were all down the field the other day, Celia got quite skittish when she saw James, and made a run at us. I think we must have got between her and the calf.  It was a very scary moment seeing a horned beast charging towards us.  Fortunately she backed off when John shooed her away, and we trudged, rather shakily, but chastened, back up to the road.
Gretel is 5 months old, and Celia, her mother has apparently been 'running with a bull' over the Summer, so we are hopeful for a calf from her in April or May. Lets hope we can earn her trust over the next few months then.

Delia and Baby, our original two cows are still there, but are currently in a different field.

That is because they have company!  

Gorgeous Georgeous, our neighbour's Highland Bull is spending some time with them right now.  Isn't he magnificent?  He is like a Viking!  We cannot imagine what the offspring will be like. A Highland/Dexter/Belted Galloway cross? Everyone is highly amused at the idea, but whatever the result, it will be beautiful. 

We had hoped to have our AI operation up and running by now, but we have suffered a few setbacks with the logistics. We decided, after taking advice, that it was more important for Delia and Baby to be in calf, sooner rather than later.  Now we have made a few useful contacts, and found out a lot more on actually getting the AI straws and equipment to the island, so we are hopeful that from early next year, we should be able to keep the continuity of the Dexter breed in our wee herd.

So - another step along the crofting way - the beginning of another vertical learning curve. Never a dull moment, to be sure.♥ 

Seven Days

This week we have been:

:: entranced by the golden Autumn Light

:: falling in love with Gretel

:: enjoying old movies and popcorn by the fireside

:: marvelling at the miracle of a tiny seed which grows into a strong and sturdy plant

:: grateful that this is our morning rush hour traffic

:: warmed by the company of friends and neighbours

:: and cycling in the twighlight.

Wishing you joy and blessings in the coming Seven Days ♥

Around the Croft

And so the sun moves Southwards on our horizon, as we slide towards Winter, and the first frosts already sparkle on the peatstack.  It has been a while since we meandered around the croft - let me show you what has been going on.

We have a dozen sheep now - although not all of them were keen to be in the photo shoot.  We have adopted a new croft mark, which will make it easier to identify our girls at the fank. Lambing was sucessful, thankfully, and we have a couple of potential additions to the breeding stock. The lambs are weaned now and away to the moor, while the ewes are off to a different part of the hillside for a well deserved rest and some fresh grazing.  In about a month's time, they will be brought back down in time for tupping, and the cycle begins again.

The cows are doing well - waiting patiently here while John opens up their new salad bar.  They are both going to spend some time with a very handsome Highland bull on Friday, and when they come back, they will be joined by 3 new Dexter girls - 2 in calf heifers - one with a calf at foot. John is away on the mainland picking them up as I type - very, very excited. The AI project is still simmering away - hopeful for next spring/summer.

Our main project this year has been the vegetable garden. The pigs were still with us until the end of June, so by the time we got a couple of raised beds organised, it was already well into the Summer before anything was planted. Nevertheless, we stuck in some seeds, and the last couple of trays of plants lingering at the crofter's co-op, and I have to say i am thrilled at the results.  Unlike the rest of the country, we had a wonderful Summer - warm and sunny.  If it rained - it fell gently through the night - there were no midges - everything we planted grew. Chard, spinach, radishes, salads, fennel, turnips, carrots, kale, cabbage,Brussels sprouts, courgettes and leeks have all come away nicely.  We have now built 4 raised beds, and started work on developing an ornamental border around the edge of the plot.  We have planted some native trees and a couple of fruit bushes, but we will work more on the fruit garden over the Winter if we can. There is room for another raised bed, and a parcel of spring flowering bulbs is winging it's way towards us right now.

We harvested a fine crop of garlic down at the growing shed, and this years bulbs are already planted in one of the new beds.  Probably a bit early, but our season is so short, so it won't harm them to grow on for a month longer. These Summer cabbages (Greyhound) have been fantastic and we have eaten them almost every day for 2 months, without tiring of their fresh green taste.  It is just so good to be able to put home grown veg back on the table - now I feel this is really home.

Hens are still laying - although not always in the right place, and there has been a lot of time spent searching out the latest nesting spot.

And that's it for our croft tour - working quietly away and marvelling at how things seem to get done  - always work in progress -  just as it should be.

I will be back in a few days to introduce our new ladies. Tioraidh an drasda ♥

Equinox

Wishing you peace and joy and balance xx

Out of the Sheiling

I sit here, listening to the gale blowing outside, and hearing the occasional rattle of hailstones on the window pane.  The morning sky has been punctuated with rainbows as the clouds have raced across the sky, reminding me that I do, in fact, live on an island in the North Atlantic, and not the Carribean.

Indeed, the Summer here has been glorious - warm and dry - hot even! For weeks on end, we listened to the despair of those on the mainland, as the torrential rain poured down on them, while we basked in the much coveted rays. Fires raged for several days in the Castle grounds, we were advised to 'use water wisely". On a visit to family in Edinburgh, James and I sat with our suntanned faces glowing among the pale skins of the others! We had to spend time watering our crops - not a chore we are accustomed to here. We often forgot to take coats and jackets with us when we went out. The sunshine seemed endless and every day was a bonus. It was all rather surreal and astonishing.

But now it is over, and  the Summer has finally given way to Autumn. The wind has a chill to it, and the evenings darken earlier.  Time to drawn in - to begin to harvest the work of those balmy Summer days.  I had a wonderful time in my "Shieling"- productive, fulfilling and refreshing.  I have indeed, made cheese, listened to stories, sang songs, knitted and spun, but I have also reconnected with myself, found new interests and friends, and learned - oh so much.  I hope to share some of this with you as we begin the long exhale towards Midwinter. ♥

Summer's End