I remember last year (and probably the year before too) the ‘last boat’ panic that sets in on the islands. As the inevitable December weather disrupts things people get all stressy about getting off Rum for Christmas if that is what they are planning and start obsessively checking the weather and predicting cancelled ferries. We should have three more to come; Saturday. Monday and Tuesday. Our usual Thursday ferry won’t come on Christmas day but a special all around all the isles boat runs on Boxing Day instead.
This slight hysteria means that people are already heading off, the first lot left today and I reckon if we get a Saturday boat the other folk planning to be off for Christmas will probably leave then ‘just in case’.
Our festive veg came today – sprouts, chestnuts, sack of tatties along with usual fruit and veg so we’re fine for food. I am hoping the planned chilled food order comes on Monday as that will bring nice cheeses but if it doesn’t, well it won’t ruin Christmas 😉 Obviously we already have the turkey sorted 😉 I think there are one or two last presents which have not arrived yet  but they can always have an IOU wrapped up instead and be a late gift awaiting ferry arrival, I think every Christmas and birthday so far has had at least one instance of that!
This morning we walked down to the shop, bought a few bits, headed to the ferry, the log burner for Big Dave came off – not sure if I blogged already but he has swapped us the big fire that Gav bought for the cabin (much, much too big but will be perfect for the cob house), plus the sink and hob that Gav bought and Dave won’t use, altogether well over £2K worth, for a new log burner like ours which is far more suitable for the cabin. It was an epic saga to find one and get it here which took us countless phone calls and emails and cost over £200 but is still a very good deal for us. So relieved it is finally here safely.
Back to the village, walked around to the freezer and then back to see if post had been done, it had not so we came home for lunch. After lunch it was looking bright if cold so the kids and I grabbed bags and headed down to the village again to collect the post and the veg while Ady chopped more firewood. Unfortunately it did not stay bright and dry and started raining, increasingly heavily as we walked down so we all got wet! Between us we managed all the veg except the sack of potatoes which we left in the car although it was very heavy even between three of us. Made me think about living back in Sompting and how we’d never dream of walking to the supermarket a mile away to buy a weeks worth of fruit and veg and then carry it all home again… should have taken the wheelbarrow really but it’s so hard to push over the really bumpy bit of the track and up the really muddy bit of the croft hill.
Once home again kids got into pjs, I had a shower, we got all the veg put away and I showed the kids a clever pom pom making trick using a fork I’d seen on facebook yesterday. We’d picked up some dvds, audio books and books from the library not having realised that Highland Council must have sent new stock over sometime recently and so raided it earlier. I read a chapter on platypus to Scarlett from an Attenborough book and then we all watched Mr Ben with increasing levels of hilarity. Such a charming reminder of my own childhood 🙂
Along with the veg had been 2kg of pickling onions so I made bread dough and then spent an hour topping, tailing and peeling them to soak in brine overnight ready for pickling tomorrow. Ady made dinner – delicious lasagne. Tonights festive film was How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
I was looking for “ball barrow” online as I remembered seeing them once and thought mebbe would be easier on your plot.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/uk.rec.gardening/XZ3bsM2YOCU
Got a surprise reading the first response to the question!
Comment by mich — 19 December 2014 @ 8:29 am
But last comment in that thread made me sad. Wish I’d read all the way through before posting as can’t delete now.
Comment by mich — 19 December 2014 @ 8:36 am
Further digging shows the German manufacturer NuVations/Nubarro was hoping to distribute in the UK through Caldwells but Caldwells Manufacturing Ltd went into administration. So many companies struggled :-(.
http://www.diyweek.net/news/news.asp?id=12467
from the comment looks as though someone else trying to bring to UK.
You probably don’t want to buy one but I’m in an investigative mood this morning!
Comment by mich — 19 December 2014 @ 8:52 am