I had blogged honest. It’s just that when I hit publish it all disappeared and then it was late and I couldn’t be bothered to try and recreate it all. I’d already lost a whole WW blog newsletter and had to be all inspiring and motivational all over again there so this blog was the natural casualty of that. Sorry.
Erm… I had done a day by day account, let me see if I can remember it and try again.
Monday – Still pretty ill. Quiet ish morning at home, delivered a cake, met the boat went to the doctors. I had an actual appointment for being ill, the other three were just having a first sighting since we registered with the surgery appointment. I had my chest / back listened to, did the puffing into the cone thing and came away with steroids and the promise of antibiotics coming the following day. I think there is more of a belt and braces approach to medicine giving here but on the basis of how crap I was feeling I was quite happy with a drugs cocktail. I’ve been diagnosed with a chest infection and I have to say given this is probably the fittest and healthiest (certainly the lightest and slimmest) I have been in my adult life I am have felt pretty rubbish so certainly was at the needing some medical attention point.
The doctor was very lovely, patient and kind and really listened. I came away feeling as though I had been properly seen.
I had a Blasda meeting at 5pm and Bonnie managed to come with me by virtue of pretending she was staying on the croft with Ady when I left but sneaking after me and catching up with me when I was too far down the hill to walk back but without collar or lead. She was actually very well behaved and not too much of a problem. The meeting was brief and I met Davies and Scarlett coming down the hill towards me with collar and lead so we walked back together and collected some rowan berries on the way to make some jelly with.
Back to the croft where the rest of the day fades into a blank rather. I know Ady cooked a really nice chicken stew with dumplings and we watched the remainder of Outnumbered while we ate. I know the kids had an early night and Ady and I attempted to watch Contagion, borrowed from Fliss and Sandy but we both started to fall asleep on the sofa so gave up and were in bed by about 1030pm. Oh to have both sofas and beds to retire to – the novelty may never wear off :).
Tuesday – Having realised I was out of sugar meaning all my jam intentions were not going to happen I spent some time plotting sugar getting opportunities. The doctor rang to say my ABX were on the Sheerwater so Ady and I headed down to the village to beg some sugar and meet the boat. We ended up nearly an hour early (we’d not been sure on the time of the Sheerwater so did a bit of fishing while we waited. We ended up catching two pollock, collecting my drugs and coming back to the static to cook the pollock for lunch.
In the afternoon I rang Vikki who had some spare sugar so Scarlett and I headed down there to barter some sugar for eggs and have a cup of tea. We came back up and I cooked dinner and did baking for the Market Day. Quiche (large for our dinner, small individual ones for Market Day), cheese scones, lavender shortbread. It was a later night than planned as baking evenings often are. Scarlett and I also made some jam – blackberry and lavender.
Wednesday – Market Day. Ady and I were up early to get stuff to the hall, collect some stuff from the craft shop and get the hall set up for Market Day. We then met the ferry, collected various parcels for us and for Fliss and Sandy and dropped them round there before going to do Market Day. Ali came along for part of it. I lost my patience at the pier when feeling patronised and put upon which was my first real example of being anything less than helpful and community minded – I suspect the ripples may echo round Rum for a few days yet… 😉
Market Day was very slow indeed, not worth the time spent there or the effort and cost in baking although at least all baking gets consumed back at the croft by us so doesn’t go to waste. We’ll do next week and that will be it for this year. We called round to Fliss and Sandy’s for a cup of tea before heading for home.
Back to the croft for a bit of an earlier dinner – curry and a nice evening listening to music and chatting. All too easy to forget to just enjoy being us four :). Davies and Scarlett spent the day playing lego and enjoying the relative spaciousness of the static without anyone other than the two of them in it.
In the evening I did some blogging and sent out a newsletter to WW blog followers about our first bout of crowd funding and money raising to start creating our dreams.
Thursday – we were determinded to have a productive day and indeed we did :). First thing we all donned wellies and grabbed a notebook to walk the croft. We split it into nine sections and have determinded some ideas of what wil go where. We looked at house sites, debated polytunnels and raised beds and livestock areas and ventured off to the side of where the croft land extends to and over a small burn to a very beautiful spot within spitting distance of the croft. We were all reminded anew just how gorgeous this place we live is and how fortunate and priviledged we are to be here and call it home. 🙂
We gathered food and laundry and headed for the village dropping off the washing at the castle on the way. At the pier we caught up with Kate and Ian who we’d not seen all week, had a good poke around their boat and then were pleased to see Paul & Carole and Fliss & Joss arrive to join us on the Sheerwater, particularly as Ranger Mike was not on board today. We saw pretty much nothing but enjoyed the ride :). Collected the clean washing and got home. Scarlett made tea for everyone, I hung out the washing and Davies walked the new pig pen area to tread down the grass ready for strimming which Ady did. The kids caught the new chicks so I could try and sex them – definitely two the same, I’d say hen but it is possibly still early days and I am more adept at bantams than chickens so we’ll see.
Ady and I moved the pigs over to the next patch of ground which was alternately rainy and very midgey so not entirely pleasurable but worth it to see them so happy in the new area of long grass with loads of new roots, plants and flowers to munch on :). The ducks have finally started laying so we have our first two duck eggs :). It’s felt like a very productive crofting day.
At 7pm we called Beer O’clock and headed down to the shop. Fliss was there, along with Norman, Jinty, Kate & Ian, Vikki (briefly), Ranger Mike and then Claire and Steve. It was a really nice evening with a great vibe so we ended up staying a wee while longer before heading for home. Ady made lasagne while I baked some bread and as no one has to be up in the morning we pretended not to notice how late it finally was when we ate dinner.