Yesterday we took Faye over to Harris for animal feeding. Taking another pair of non resident eyes across the island always makes you see the beauty anew. It was a glorious day too, low sun making everything twinkly and well lit, animals looking gorgeous and Scottish with the red deer, the highland cows, the Rum ponies all putting in appearances, plus the feral goats who if you can’t smell them are very cute, particularly with their kids still small and playful.
Scarlett made cupcakes and I made quiches and pasta bake. I had planned to get outside and do some work towards the growing stuff but it got late. I did managed to dash down to the polytunnel, grab some sowing pots and a handful of compost and re-pot the aloe vera plant which has had three babies in our bathroom (collected at The Babs from Jan) and sow some basil seeds indoors. I decided to experiment, much to Davies and Scarlett’s amusement with the swearing at the seeds as you sow them so did one tray all happy happy then stashed it away out of earshot and did another swearing like a sailor! we’ll see what happens!
Watched Independence Day with dinner – can’t believe it’s 20 years old (21 infact, made in 2016!)
Today we whizzed round to Sean and Ali’s for a last check that they wouldn’t come home to anything unpleasant and then along to the ferry. We had animal feed coming off. Sean, Ali & Eve drove off and Lesley, Ross and Baby Dougal walked off so Rum is almost back to full numbers once more. So glad to see them all back, big hugs all round as they have all been off since mid December. Will see them all tomorrow for birthday beers and brownies.
Back home we arrived at the caravan at the same time as Dave and Faye so they came in for tea and Christmas cake before they headed off to the ferry to leave. I had a play with my new stamping blanks which arrived on the boat and then decided I would go outside after all. I was only out for an hour or so but managed to dismantle some of the blown to pieces cloches I made back in the summer which proved not to be as Rum proof as they needed to be and re-site the hoops using bamboo canes ready to cover with plastic which should arrive next week over the strawberry beds. I need to find a way to fix the mini greenhouse covers which have been ripped by the winds and spread the seaweed we have already collected as well as getting some more from the beach but I feel really good for having made a start. Jay rang and we started to arrange Maisie coming up for a few weeks in April.
We watched a Doctor Who Christmas special we had somehow missed in the rewatching of the Matt Smith episodes which was a good one.