Tuesday – I am not at all sure what happened on Tuesday during the daytime. I know we had a long Skype chat with Ranger Mike and Casey in the evening but the daytime activities totally escape me.
Wednesday – Sarah and Clive arrive, which probably means at least some of Tuesday was spent digging out camping mats, sleeping bags, cooker and kettle for them as we had them looked out and in the car ready for them. Ady and I met the boat – we had several deliveries including CoOp food and our new strimmer, so Ady took our stuff and their stuff along to the campsite while I walked along with Sarah and Clive and their dog Rusty. We got them settled and left them putting up their tent as we drove back along and came home. We had lunch, set up the strimmer and did some strimming, Davies and Scarlett went to check for post. Sarah and Clive came up for a cup of tea and chat and then headed back down to walk Rusty having arranged to come back up for dinner later. I finally finished off the strawberry bed and then got dinner sorted.
Sarah and Clive came up and it was a really late, whisky fuelled night ending after 2am!
Thursday – Sheerwater boat trip. We packed up lunch for everyone and called for S&C on the way past the campsite. We saw very little – a few porpoises, some scant seabirds but it was a glorious day out there and the sea was like a mirro – flat, calm, turquoise and reflective. Just a stunning day to be out on the water. S&C wanted to go to the ranger talk in the evening so we arranged to meet them for a pre talk beer. It was a night when lots of Rum folk were out so we stayed rather later than planned and in fact S&C caught us up walking back home. Ady cooked dinner which was lovely and it was a much earlier night with them heading away around 1130pm.
Friday – Another mental block of a morning, I have a feeling it was really showery so we were mostly indoors although it cheered up around lunchtime. We went down to collect stuff from S&C and took their bags and kit along to the pier for the first boat as we were  collecting a meat delivery. We said goodbye to them, went to the boat and wheelbarrowed all the stuff up. Ann from Soay’s book had arrived so I read a chunk of that aloud with Scarlett properly listening and Ady and Davies dipping in and out. It’s compelling reading but that is likely due to my utter fascination with Ann anyway as a character of the last 4.5 years of our life who we don’t really know yet see every week. Oh I’ve just remembered that I did booking the ferry to and from Harris & Lewis and sorting out car insurance at some point earlier in the week.
Ady and I went down to the village for a few beers before dinner but were home by 830pm.
Saturday – I’d been sleeping badly and had a poor night so woke still tired. Scarlett and I chatted in the morning, listening to the radio and crocheting as it was too midgey to go out. Ady came home at lunchtime after a shift in the hostel. It remained midgey but we walked down to the village and did some bramble picking around the campsite. A really nice curry for dinner and more of Ann’s book in the afternoon.
Today – a better nights sleep and a bit of a lay in for me. Then an hour or so wood chopping and stacking up, a bramble picking walk with Bonnie followed by the first jam making of the year. Ady has been dismantling an old pig house to move across to a fresh area. I promised Scarlett I would go river swimming with her this year and as summer is running out and today was a very warm, non midgey day it felt like a good opportunity so her and I did that after lunch. It was mad – really cold and a stumble-y walk to get to the spot but really good fun and just lovely to be swimming in a river, not sure of the last time I actually swam or was so immersed in water. We had about half an hour in there before heading back and Ady made cups of tea / hot chocolate to welcome us back.
Vee – an SNH volunteer who has been here for 3 weeks and is off tomorrow popped up for a cup of tea and chat before we went off swimming and Mike popped up afterwards so quite a sociable afternoon. We had a lovely roast dinner and a couple of episodes of Lost. With all muscles used in wood chopping, bramble picking and swimming I am sure I will sleep well again tonight.