Friday – morning we fixed a couple of raised beds which I had cobbled together with reclaimed nails and done a pretty shoddy job of a couple of years ago. They had never actually been filled with soil or used and had fallen apart. So Ady came down with the drill and lots of screws and made them all sturdy and fixed. We decided that we will fill the raised beds with soil from where the pigs have been. It will be a hard task digging it up and barrowing it across so may well make it onto the volunteer list of things we all get stuck into doing 2 barrows each as a team.
We had lunch and then went down to the boat as we had some food shopping coming from the CoOp and to get some sausages out of the freezer ready for the community meal. Back home for a bit more work outside, I did some weeding and watered the polytunnel, then a shower before heading down to the village. We had a smaller turn out but still a good percentage of the community for the meal – which had a Childhood Favourites theme. We took sausages and baked beans, others brought macaroni cheese, jelly, arctic roll, roasted veg, corned beef hash and lashings of ketchup. In honour of the event Jinty and I split a can of cider and a can of lager and had a pint of snakebite and black each 🙂 I then went on to alcoholic ginger beer alcopops stylee 🙂
It was a good night and plenty of being raucous and laughing lots. We wrapped it up earlyish though and were home for midnight.
Saturday – early start as Mairi was coming off the first boat which gets in before 9am. We met her from the boat, then dropped Ady and the car off at the hostel to work while Mairi and I walked back to the croft. We saw outside drinking copious cups of tea and catching up until Ady came home at lunchtime. More sitting in the sunshine and chatting and Ali & Eve came up for a couple of hours in the evening. A really nice evening with Ady cooking a lovely curry and many bottles of fizz being emptied.
Sunday – Mostly more of the same really, sitting on the sporran in the sunshine chatting. We had sausages cooked on the barbecue for late lunch which was delicious and a couple of glasses of wine to wash it down with. Then we walked down to the village to collect some bits from the shop before heading round to the castle to meet up with various islanders to sneak into the castle flat for a surprise birthday party for Doug. Much shushing and muffled giggles had us all installed in the lounge while Doug was in the shower ready to yell SURPRISE! when he came out. It was a really lovely evening with lots of nice food, more fizz and good company. I think Doug was a little overwhelmed but I imagine it will be a birthday he remembers forever. Home for a cup of tea before bed.
Monday – A lazy morning before taking Mairi down to the boat and waving her off. She really is the easiest guest 🙂 Fab to see her and have such amazing weather for the weekend too. We collected some amazon shopping from the village, wheelbarrowed it home and had lunch. The weather had totally changed so it was an indoors afternoon. Doctor Who, pasta bake for dinner and a fairly early night.
Today – like most of the UK we have had crazy weather today – snow all morning but t shirt worthy sunshine all afternoon. I made the most of the wind turbine this morning by getting lots of online stuff done, this afternoon I have mostly crocheted and listened to various Radio 4 downloads – about meat eating, about the Green Children of Wolfpit, about Pitcairn. All really interesting stuff, very thought provoking. I watered the polytunnel and more seeds have germinated that I planted last week.