Stormy Day On The Outer Hebrides

It is blowing a gale outside.  Although still dark you can hear the wind as it whistles and whips around our little cottage.  There are of course delays and cancellations forecast on the ferries.  The storm was anticipated so I prepared for it yesterday just in case the power went out.  Gerard brought extra wood and kindling in so we don't need to go to the wood shed.  The only reason we need to leave the warmth is to see to the chickens and take Mickey for a walk.  At the moment the winds are 75 to 80 mph.

Yesterday I made a warming chicken stew and dumplings. 

I have made enough to put some in the freezer, a easy meal already prepared for our return.

A mixed grain loaf of bread is already for today too, which will be nice with some soup that I have made for the next few days and the freezer.  Butternut squash and carrot and a pan of parsnip with a hint of nutmeg.

I have plenty of fruit which I have been incorporating into meals.  Yesterday we had salmon with orange and avocado pear and winter coleslaw it tantalised the taste buds.  The salmon was bought from the harbour in Stornoway and was a real treat.  It is easy to over indulge at this time of year but we are trying to be sensible as we know the family always spoil us with food.  

More chocolate spoons/stirrers have been made to take with us to Holland.  Hot chocolate to warm us up after we have explored the forest and the enchanting fairy tales of Efteling.

The toppings already to be added to the cocoa mix.

Another batch of soap was also made yesterday, this time a seasonal one to add to some put aside for a Charity event.

Cards and parcels have all now been posted.  All we have left to do is packing.  We can now sit back and enjoy some quality time catching up with each other and enjoying the season.  A little reading and watching films would be nice.  There are several craft fairs been held tomorrow, so we will try to get around a couple and then batten down the hatches and enjoy our cosy cottage.  Have you any plans for the weekend?

I will leave you with a little visitor to the front garden.

As always I thank you for your visit to my blog and your uplifting comments.  Have a wonderful weekend.

See you soon.

A Week Of Reflection

Last weekend saw the first anniversary of my nephews death, he chose to take his own life.  As a family we have had a week of what ifs?  In the end, the final decision was his and we can only respect that.  I can only hope and pray that he is at last at peace, the stress and anxiety he had in life gone forever.  It has certainly been a week of reflection with so many other happenings around the world.   He will be forever in our hearts, gone but never forgotten.

On a lighter note there has certainly been an Autumnal note to the weather here, the temperatures are dropping earlier each day.  The stove has now had the flue cleaned and is good to go so we have had a fire the last couple of evenings.   The stove gives a cosy warmth and a rosy glow.  Add the beautiful sunsets and it is an idyllic place to be.

Idyllic...sadly the midges were rife yesterday so difficult to be out and about.  We had a trip into Stornoway to pick up some supplies and they were unbearable.  Who knew something so small could be so irritating?  I have already been using some skin-so-soft that was recommended by the locals so hopefully I will remain bite free.

Whilst out and about I did call into the Charity shops and picked up a couple of patterns to add to my ever growing collection for 5p each...

..and a Winter quilt magazine for 30p.  I had a lovely hour last night browsing and dreaming.  There are some beautiful creations, if only I had the skill.  I am realistic about my limitations but at 30p it was lovely to look through.

I had some soap compound left over from a previous project, so put it to good use this week, making a soap each for the Grandchildren.  The centre of each holding a small dinosaur, they will have fun with them.  

I also made a couple adding some dried lavender, they smell wonderful.  I have added a cotton crochet facecloth into an organza bag.  All ready for gifts.

Both Wilbur and Daisy started school this week, Daisy is loving it.  Long may that last.  Wilbur told his Mummy he has better things to do with his life.  Thankfully he is still going in without tears or a tantrum.  He needed a project bag so one was dutifully made, filled with love and posted.

Finally Mickey has been constantly in the garden this week, standing and guarding us for hours on end...

...keeping a wary eye on the Canadian geese, they are prolific at the moment.  Although for obvious reasons I am unable to get a decent photo of them.

It has taken a little adjusting to life on this beautiful Island not least the lack of shopping facilities.  To see so much amazing wildlife in their natural surroundings, the stunning skies and beautiful landscapes more than makes up for it.  We have found our forever home...

Christmas has come early to our household and a start has been made, early due to the fact that we will be visiting family  November.  Visiting and bearing gifts but I will save that for my next post.  At the moment our thoughts are on all those affected by the devastation caused by the fires and hurricane Irma, we have been in touch with friends in Florida to let them know they are in our thoughts and prayers.  All we can do now is watch and wait.

Take care and see you soon.

Soap Making

I bought a soap making kit from the car boot sale and had a really fun afternoon making the soap.  The set consisted of soap compound, fragrances, marigold petals, lemon grass, Irish moss, 3 soap moulds, pipette and the instructions all for the bargain price of £1. 

 

I wanted to make some for a small gift for my Mum and had dried out all of the lavender from the garden which is one of her favourite things.

 

 

The smell was a real delight.

 

There was enough of the soap compound to make 12 soaps, so I cut it into quarters to make three at a time.

 

 

The compound was cut into small pieces and placed into a microwavable jug and microwaved at 10 second intervals.  It didn't take long to melt at all and then I added a small amount of the fragrance and poured into the mould.

 

 

I then added the lavender, with hindsight I was a little too generous.  Once it was cooled it was left in the fridge for another hour and then removed from the mould.

 

 

It was a fun pastime without the worry of chemicals making the soap yourself.  I will definitely be getting some more soap compound so than I can experiment with the additions.  Pearl or opaque soap can be made by adding talcum powder.  Some additions such as oatmeal or ground almonds can be added to make it a body scrub.  It would be nice to experiment to make some toppers for Christmas gifts.

 

See you soon.