I’m almost inclined to comment whore….

Honestly, I finally get my act together and no one has anything to say about it!?!

I slept in this morning, very lovely and after a late night last night and the dregs of my cold still hanging about it felt much needed. I was most amused last night that after all my feeling left out of my online friend loop on the night I got back online properly the people I spent most time hanging out with were fellow islanders! I was bantering with Vikki, Fliss and Kate on facebook and email.

Ady had already been productive and had brought my clock in from the horsebox. We’d debated it and decided the static walls are not strong enough to hang it from but every time he went in the horsebox he looked at it and fretted about it getting broken before we’d ever put it up here so in the end he decided it was better up and at risk than down and at risk. It does feel properly like home with my clock up 🙂

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The kids breakfasted and then we sent Maisie home (as in the trailer tent). We listened to Popmaster (am not at all keen on the new themetune…), I filled out some forms to register with the dentist and then did some knitting and finished off a little purse for the craft shop while the kids watched a wildlife documentary on iplayer.

At midday we headed down to the pier, collected the battery that was on charge (we have 3 now, the pigs battery (which this was), the static battery which runs the lighting and water pump and the solar battery which powers things with plugs. We buy an electric meter card and can use the boat shed to charge stuff up – a full charge on a battery costs about 25p, electricity is only 7p a unit here) and then met with the other Goddards ready for the Sheerwater.

The sea was a like a boating lake today, you could see for miles, flat as a mirror and very beautiful. Lots of porpoises were out, lots of shearwaters but not a lot else really. It was lovely as ever though and a fitting end to their visit here. We dropped off Maisie’s bedding at the trailer tent and then Ady and I headed croftwards while the kids stayed on to hang out in the village. Back at the croft I rang my Dad. It was a really bad line so I didn’t get all of what he was saying but he had various bits of bad news to impart (nothing personal for me, just news of friends of his) – I promised to ring back at the weekend for a proper chat. I do miss him 🙁

I rewaxed my waxed jacket which I’ve been meaning to do pretty much since we arrived here. I wore it loads WWOOFing last year and noticed after we arrived here that in patches it was not really waterproof any more so ordered the spray to re-do it which duly arrived and was put in a cupboard. I wet it in the river and then hung it on the washing line to spray and rub in the stuff. I collected it on the way back up this evening, nice and dry 🙂

I then left Ady putting final touches to the goose pen. We have a goose and gander arriving on Saturday’s boat and although they will be totally free range after a while we need to pen them until they know where home is. We have a donated chicken house for their shelter so have just put a bit of fencing around it for now to put them into when they arrive. I walked down to the village with the intention of catching up with various people and buying food for this evening. I ended up having a beer with kate instead but that’s fine :).

Ady appeared with the car as I reached the crossroads walking to the beach to meet Julie so I got a lift with him. I helped Julie and Lorna find Lorna’s shoes which had been abandoned on the beach and then we started cooking dinner over the fire. Julie was lured to the dark side to have a beer so her and I abandoned the midges, Ady and the kids and walked to the shop to buy one. We waved at Fliss sitting in her conservatory on the way and on the way back asked her if she wanted to join us and she did! 🙂 So glad we asked.

So a lovely last night looking at Mallaig and the yacht lights in the harbour twinkling as it got dark, eating sausages and just loving where we live :). Julie and I shared lots of ‘I love yous’ and then we headed for home, dropping Fliss off on the way. Rain was forecast so we parked the other side of the culvert and river and walked home in the dark. I grabbed my dry jacket off the washing line on the way and within about a minute of us closing the door behind us the rain has started and the wind is blowing again. So lucky to have had a last night like that just before the weather changed.

Tomorrow sees loads of people heading off island along with Julie – Fliss is away for the weekend, as is Vikki, Sean and Ali go for 2 weeks and I heard a whisper that Jinty is off again for a weekend. I’m glad we have upcoming visits aplenty from other friends lined up to keep us going.