Cold evening's

Winter has started and the evening's are getting cold. Last night I was out in the garden with the dogs and noticed the northern lights, well more a northern glow, a beautiful green glow over part of the island. Accompanying that was clear skies and the most stars I've ever seen, I could even see the band of the milky way. To top that I was lucky enough to see a shooting star.

I have started to feed the sheep for the winter now, they love their concentrate food, I think as it's covered with molasses!!

Seals on my dog walk

Sunday was a nice day so I decided to take my black labrador 'Tweed' on anew adventure to a different beach than normal. It is a nice walk to the beach and when I arrived I was greeted by 18 very nosey seals in the bay! I didn't let the dog off the lead here aa seals can be very vicious and attack dogs but I watched them play for a while.

Olives new friends

Olives new friends finally let me take their photo, native to the western Isles these are a little breed of sheep but have an amazing ability to jump really high when they don't want to be caught! !

Busy, busy and some new friends for olive

Well I am a terrible blogger, and cant quite believe how long it's been since I have written. It was only when a friend asked if I was still writing I realised how long I have not posted.

I have also realised I can now do this from my smartphone, I am a technophobe and usually can't make things work but if this post goes well then I will have a new string to my bow.

Olive is still naughty and will grow ever more so as the nights are drawing in now winter is here, this year it has felt like winter has not gone as summer was awful. The few warm days were appreciated even more as they came so far apart. Feeding the flock has started, but only to get our new arrivals friendly with us. I picked up 6 new Hebridean a little while ago. 2 ewes and their 4 naughty little lambs. I will post some pics of them soon but they have been busy eating everything they shouldn't on the Croft (we have no willow left! !).

Last night was an amazing display of the northern lights, the best I have ever seen, and from my Croft. I am no photographer so have no pics of it but we have some amazing people here on the island who can, have a look on line and see......

Right, if this post posts I will know that not all technology is against me and blogging in future will be (less) difficult   .......

picture of one of the many storms, whist watching for whales on Point. 

Merry Christmas to all

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Olive and her friends say Christmas greeting and hope 2014 is a good year to grow lots of yummy grass!

Weaving, Walking and Wind!

Its still busy with Tweeds, historically weaving has been slow during the winter but as it is really popular now for all things from jackets to shoes to even tweed covered radios the weaving is still keeping me out of mischief! I have done many beautiful coloured tweeds but even the more subtle tones are beautiful in their right.
Below is one of the more colourful tweeds!

I have been out in the hills just into Harris, and was fortunate enough to see Deer, 2 of which leapt across the path in front of me, I think I was more startled then them though!! It was only a small hill, but I had amazing views and was the only person for miles around

We had a huge storm here on Wednesday, a weather station on the North of the Island recorded over 100mph winds. It was really scary, the worst storm we have had since moving here but came out unscathed. Only 2 damaged hen shelters, but no hens hurt as they sleep in houses during the night which were sheltered from the storm.

Not only was there wind but hale and thunder and lightning too so it was an unpleasant night, but I was thinking of the poor sheep up on the croft. they were fine behind their shelters and they got and extra helping of food on Thursday to make up for the cold night!!

Visiting Usit's

Recently I had a little shopping trip with my mum, over to Inverness for some retail therapy. Mum had not been down to the southern islands of the Outer Hebrides, North Usit, Benbecula and South Uist (all joined by causeways) so I decided that we would have a little detour and spend a day on the Uists before getting the Ferry from Lochmaddy (north usit) to Uig (Isle of Skye). Pictures below are some taken around the Uists, which have very different scenery to Lewis and Harris.

After reaching Uig on Skye we drove to the east side, but didn't take the bridge across, we went down to Armadale, as there is a little shop we saw advertised, called Ragamuffin, and it sells really cute and unusual gifts and clothes. From here we got the Ferry over to Mallaig as  the last time I drove the Fort William to Mallaig road they were doing extensive road works and had a convoy in place so I wanted to see what had changed! Below is a picture taken from Armadale Ferry Terminal

After driving the Mallaig road, I stopped in Fort William, to visit Nevisport, a outdoor shop, where the staff were fantastic in getting me sorted with new walking boots!

Spent 2 nights in Inverness shopping, then off home via the Ullapool ferry. On the way back to Ullapool we had some spare time, so took the Road to Gairloch (A832). We only went a little way down the road but found, just off the main road a lovely parking spot with a great view, see below!!