25 November 2013

ONE AND ANOTHER

Weather permitting, we are are headed to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving in a couple of days to visit the cousins.  I took these photos of "the cousins" and some of their friends this summer.  Since I am, above all, most thankful for my remarkable, loyal, and highly entertaining family I thought this would be a good time to share.  Happy Thanksgiving!



















17 November 2013

BACK TO BELLAS

This summer we went back to Bella's, the matriarch of the Mackays, the nearest neighbors to the croft.  It is, every year,  one of the very best things about being there, to be welcomed by Bella and her endlessly revolving queue of visitors and family who usher us in to have cups of tea and whiskey any time of the day.  This year, unfortunately, we wound up all too often visiting to use their phone (long story short: if you rent a car in Europe it might be a good idea to just buy yourself a puncture repair kit as they are no longer allowed to leave spare tires in the trunk (or rather, tyres in the boot). 

The dogs were especially feisty this year. They have two herding dogs who are almost disturbingly intense.  The younger one, Tide, literally herds anything and anyone that moves ALL the time.  I really started to feel sorry for the chickens.  The elder statesman, Boss, mostly lies at Bella's feet in the kitchen and guards her.  This summer in an attempt to wind up Boss, Tide would herd Princess Neptune, the pet sheep, into the kitchen.  Boss was not amused about having a full grown sheep in the house and would freak out and the sheep would run upstairs, causing total mayhem.  Tide has quite the sense of humor, doesn't he?  

Boss followed me around when I went out by myself with Roan, shuffling from one side of me to the other, actually physically herding me.  I am sure he was thinking, "This one's from the city, I can smell it.  She's going to fall in a hole!" so he kept an eye on me.  

Roan had an absolute blast running around with Uisdean, who let him play on the giant dump truck that was parked at the top of their hill, and let him chase the chickens and feed the lambs.  Sam raced him around in a wheelbarrow full of straw.

Bella, ever tinier and deafer and older, still has an immeasurable fierceness and biting sense of humor.  It is a testament to the life up there, in one of the most remote, desolate places possible, so desolate that you have to drive 3 hours to get a flat tire replaced, that she is always surrounded by her family and friends.  And no one makes a big deal of it, either.  Everyone just takes the time to pop in with a tin of cookies and maybe a bit of news or gossip.  There was one house nearby that a family had lived in for over a decade but no one like them because they never visited with anyone.  Why would you live up there if you don't want to visit?

The last thing we do when we leave the croft on the way back to civilization is pop in to Bella's.  We always say we are just going to quickly say our goodbyes and then hit the road, but we always wind up staying for tea and biscuits way longer than we should, magnetized, not wanting to draw ourselves away from these people or this way of life.

View from Bellas

Tide and Neptune

Bella in the sun

Roan and Uisdean feeding a sickly lamb
 
He was OK in the kitchen because he was so wee

Uisdean, Tide, Roan, and Sam

Uisdean and Tide

Princess Neptune, causing trouble

Sheep on the 2nd floor


Boss and Roan

Bella

Roan's nest

Chicken stalking

Visiting

Bella

Roan and the tractor


SKIPPING STONES

I find it amazing that a boy who cannot sit through a single page of a book without moving and/or asking a question can spend hour upon uninterrupted hour repeating a chosen task with utter focus until he perfects it.  If only "Skipping Stones"  counted as a physics credit in school this kid would be set.



13 November 2013

PLEASE HOLD...

I believe this explains the state of customer service lines nowadays...



07 November 2013

LINGERING SUMMER DAYS

More photos from Scotland this summer...


A big greeting from Granny Joss

Sam at his absolute happiest

Kite

This thistle nipped Roan the first day so he proceeded to pee on it at every chance
I don' t think this tractor has been used in a while

Wearing Granny Joss' vintage equestrian riding helmet

Locals turned this bus shelter into a greenhouse for their tomatoes
Learning how to scale a fence

Friendly horse

With Grandpa Neil

Sand boat

Pantsless frolicking
Island Neave

Happy boy

Kitchen view

Joss leaves little notes everywhere for guests
Googly in repose

Heave ho

Amazing light

Amazing clouds

Walk to Coldbackie

Coldbackie beach with the Rabbit Islands behind