Walk On The Wild Side

Come on in, the soup is ready sweet potato and carrot with a hint of ginger teamed up with some cheese on toast.  Warm and filling.

I seem to have a glut of cheese at the moment, all the Christmas cheeses are been sold off for ridiculous monies so I have been picking them up.  Some have lengthy dates on them but are Christmas shaped but that doesn't bother me.  I had some chicken left over from the roast yesterday so once again I have made a pie, this time with a pastry crust.  A chicken, mushroom and onion pie with an onion sauce.

I did cheat this week and use a Colman's packet mix for the onion sauce.  I popped in a rice pudding with dried fruit and nutmeg in a bid to fill the oven.  There was also cheese scones made using some of the Christmas cheese.  There was also date and walnut scones made to use the dates left over from chutney making.

I added a spoonful of mustard to the cheese scone mix to add to the flavour.

I picked up some wool a few weeks ago so it it my intention to spend the afternoon winding it up.  A start has already been made.  I find this quite relaxing and love the process.

Those beautiful yarn cakes are a feast for the eyes.

A storm hit over the weekend which has damaged the seal from the front door lobby to the main cottage, causing a leak.  Repairs will commence as soon as the winds drop  and it dries up a little.  Ferries were once again cancelled on Saturday due to the adverse weather conditions.  Spring is around the corner so we will be able to say that we survived our first Winter.  A hiccup here and there maybe but nothing that changes our love for this amazing Island and its people.  The winds are damaging it is certainly a walk on the wild side.

We have been amazed by the amount of snails around, they are prolific on the garden paths.

Rabbits are plentiful too but Mickey doesn't seem to notice.

Can you spot 2 of them near the fence?

Back to winding wool, as always thank you for your comments and encouraging support.

See you soon.

Scenes From My Week

Midweek saw the sun come out and the temperatures rise so the perfect time to have a drive around our beautiful Island paradise.  We had nothing pre-planned but with camera in hand off we went on our tour around the West side of the Island.

First stop was a stone Sheiling, there are numerous ones scattered around on the moors, a seasonal dwelling that were lived in during the summer months when livestock was put to pasture.

Our next stop was Bragar where there is a whalebone arch.  It was erected by Murdo Morrisson a former postmaster.  The whalebone arch was formed using the jaw bones of a whale who had beached itself and died in Bragar bay.

We then went on to have a quick visit to a black house at Arnol and then on to  watch the waves breaking on the rocks nearby.

Sadly, the wonderful weather didn't last a storm headed in and ferries were once again cancelled today.  That is the Western Isles for you changeable weather is part of its make-up.

I think one of the things that strike me the most about the Island is the majestic skies, the cloud formations are amazing.  The ever changing views due to the weather are a delight.

Hope you enjoyed our little tour.  The winds are now howling around our little cottage so we have banked up the stove and poured ourselves a glass of wine.  Cheers, hope you have a wonderful weekend.

See you soon.

Heavy Traffic

We had a wonderful tour around the West side of the Island today where heavy traffic caused delays...

Such a good job we were not in a hurry.

See you soon.

New Neighbours

The snow has now gone and we are back to blustery rain showers, I think I prefer the snow.  It does however make for some great photo opportunities, today I have been watching the birds.  I had to tear myself away from the window in a bid to get some jobs done.  Washing and ironing waits for no man.  I also wanted to get some cards made for the Grandchildren, Valentines day is just around the corner.  I do like to post them something every week, mostly postcards so they can see Granny's Island.

The cards are simple using some vintage style paper, I cut out a heart and added a pearl embellishment. 

Simple but effective just need to write them a little note.

I have finally finished the cushion cover I had started to crochet.  It started a life as a throw but then I changed my mind and had a vision of an eclectic mix of style cushion on the pews that we are going to renovate for the craft room.

I added pom poms to the four corners using a pom pom maker, they are so much easier than cutting out the circles from cardboard and are done in half the time.

I have added them to the pile and intend to start on some embroidered ones and a couple of patchwork ones.  A slow but steady process that I am enjoying.  I am enjoying the process of planning this amazing outbuilding although it is slow going.

These photos are from yesterday when we still had a sprinkling of snow, I want to introduce you to our new neighbours...

There are a couple of beautiful black ones which I will get better photos of when I take a walk down the croft.

Hope you are warm and cosy where you are, the weather conditions are all over the place at the moment.  As always I thank you for your visit, your interest and your comments.  There is a lemon drizzle cake, mince pies and a couple of quiche's in the oven if you want to stay for lunch.

See you soon.

Scenes From My Week

Very little has been achieved this week in our little cottage, unless you count the beautiful skies and scenes from our cottage windows.  I can stand for many a happy hour exclaiming over the beauty.

Wrap up warm, buckle up and I will take you on a little jaunt  and you can see for yourselves the scenes from my week.  The beauty that I am blessed to see on a daily basis, each day a changing scene as we go through the seasons.

A sprinkling of snow making the ordinary into a spectacular Winter Wonderland.  The dramatic skies and cloud formations adding to its natural beauty.

Come on in and I will put the soup on to warm, today we have parsnip and ginger with cheese and onion bread fresh out of the bread making machine.  The stove is lit so take a seat and warm up while I get it ready.

To close Mickey says hello, here he is having a romp in the snow laden garden.

Thank you all for your lovely, uplifting comments they are all greatly appreciated,

See you soon.