St Clement's Church

Are you ready for the second instalment of the Magical Mystery Tour?  You will need some sensible shoes but you will be rewarded with a picnic lunch with spectacular views.

Here is where we sat with our lunch and then had a stroll along the craggy rocks, admiring the yellow sand and the gentle lapping of the waves as they rippled across the beach and pebbles.  It was soothing to the soul  watching the gentle rhythm of the sea.  It was also fun to watch the antics of the sheep who have one thing on their minds GREEN GRASS!...and their next mouthful.

 After lunch we carried on our drive down to Rodel to visit St Clements Church.  You can see it from quite a distance away due to its tower and it is built on quite a hill.

  St Clements is a late 15th Century Church in Rodel built for the Chiefs of the MacLeods of Harris.  It is dedicated to Pope Clement 1.

It was obviously very dark inside the quality of the photographs are not good.

I took photos of the information boards so that you could see them for yourself if you enlarge them.  The graveyard contained a number of MacLeod tombs, so it was quite interesting reading some of the headstones.

We then drove on to Leverburgh the second largest village after Tarbert named after Lord Leverhulme an English businessman who funded the construction of roads, piers and houses in the 1920's. We did browse a couple of shops but were not tempted this time to buy anymore Harris Tweed.

The beaches along the coast of Harris were a wonderful sight, the yellow sand and azure sea were magnificent.  It was indeed a great day out and one that will be repeated very soon.

We finally had some sun yesterday so a start has been made washing the fleece, given to me by a generous neighbour.  It is still quite dirty so I think it may need a second wash.  This is quite a learning curve for me as I have never prepared a fleece for spinning before.  Any advice would be gratefully received.

We are going to Ness Gala this afternoon, have you any plans for the weekend?

See you soon.

The Magical Mystery Tour

We had been promised a rise in temperatures and sun by the weather forecastors.  Sadly this did not materialise, there was a rise in temperature of one or two degrees but no sun to be seen at all.  In fact the odd raindrop  was apparent here and there, not forecast at all.  We did not let this deter us, our minds were made up we were going to go on one of our little adventures and drive down to the adjoining Island of Harris.  A picnic was made along with a flask of coffee and some frozen lemonade and we were ready.

Let me take you on a magical mystery tour...

As you can see from the photographs it was overcast and dreary, with a slight mist over the mountains but it didn't detract from its beauty.  A rather desolate but powerful landscape with plenty of stunning views to hold your attention.

We were soon approaching Tarbert one of the main Townships of Harris where we stopped for a stroll around the little gift stores.  There was so much to see and admire, certainly some very talented people.  The paintings and photographs were a real delight.

 After a coffee and comfort break we were back on the road or should I say single lane tracks with twists and turns and never ending amounts of passing places.  Quite scary at times but breathtaking in its beauty.

 Let me show you the tracks and some of the others we shared it with...

  That made us smile, moving over so we could pass...

It did brighten up a little and we managed to find a beautiful place to sit and have our picnic.  I will save that for another post.  It was so nice to get out and about for a few hours and admire the beauty that surrounds us.

Gerard is feeling a lot better, although was a little stiff getting out of the car.  The steroid injection has certainly helped.  He is back to walking around the house a little.

The chive vinegar I have never made before but I intend to use it for a salad dressing and marinades.

See you soon.

Made With Love

Another overcast day but at least it is not raining...yet!  I have pegged the washing out on the line and with this brisk wind it should be dry very quickly.  At least its not doing a hoop le hoop around the line today, just blowing almost horizontal.  The weather changes tomorrow according to the forecast, a rise in temperature and sun.  I do hope that they have got it right I yearn for some sun and plan to have a day out to enjoy it.

I have started to make some chive vinegar this morning, picking some beautiful flower heads first thing.  They look amazing soaking in some white wine vinegar.  I came across the idea from Faye Henry at The Blessed Hearth blog, hers looks amazing.

We have yet again an abundance of eggs so a couple of quiches have been made for the freezer and one for lunch.  We have neighbours calling in for lunch today for a catch up.  Beef sausage and black pudding rolls and pork sausage and sage and onion stuffing rolls are also on the menu.

Served with potato salad using potatoes straight from the garden and a lovely green salad.  I am so thankful for the few things we have managed to grow this year and hope that we will be able to grow so much more once the garden room is finished.  The roof is now finished and windows are in the process of been replaced...slow but steady progress.

I have some lavender bags all ready for the seams to be sewn as well as some juggle bags for the children.  I do like to add a homemade gift to their parcels, a little something made with love.

I have just been given a big bag of fleece so that I can have a go at washing dying and spinning, exciting times.  The sheep here on the island are all starting to look a little thinner as they shed their winter coats, shearing has started.  Peat cutting is also underway, such hard work but necessary for the winter weather.

Hope all is well with you and that you are enjoying some sunshine.

See you soon.