Hebridean Life

I was thinking back to yesterday’s visitation by a pair of golden eagles, and imagining their bird’s eye view of these islands. A fair approximation would be the views from the top of Clettraval, the 300ft hill behind us. Access is easy, as Clettraval is topped with a giant golfball-a radar... Sign in to see full entry.

I spotted two large birds of prey swooping low over the next door field, and thought at first they were the short-eared owls which cruise around here sometimes. But no, these birds were far too big. I rushed for the binoculars, and by the time I found them again they were soaring above Mac Towers. A... Sign in to see full entry.

Our green-fingered friend N arrived yesterday bearing a bag of home-grown veg. Celery the size of triffids, parsnips, carrots, leeks, a turnip the size of child’s head, curly kale, handfuls of herbs- all spotless, insectless, and bursting with heady green fragrance. Uistlady is now on the board of a... Sign in to see full entry.

My father sent me a huge box of spring bulbs last week. Some of them, particularly the forcing hyacinths, look good enough to slice into a salad. There are crocuses, tulips, iris, and miniature daffs for the rockery. The other daffy bulbs are of varying degrees of fatness: Carlton, Verger, Pinza.... Sign in to see full entry.

Mr Mac went out to a meeting and came back bearing two objects that looked like peeled and varnished bananas. Dr J, a much-loved stalwart of our community, had sent them over for my perusal. Turns out one is a tooth of the very sperm whale Mr Mac and I stumbled upon during a walk last week. It... Sign in to see full entry.

I should say something about the views from our house. Breakfast is rather mesmerising, because the dining room faces north-west. That means the islands rolls away from us in strips and stripes, dotted with crofts and cattle, for about a mile to the sea. Seven miles out is a line of flat islands,... Sign in to see full entry.

We battled horrible gales to attend a consultation meeting in Benbecula about Scotland’s first Marine Bill. ‘Sustainable Seas for all’ is the catchline. Various interested parties turned up for the presentation by a nice chap from the Scottish Government’s Marine Strategy Division. Amazing facts... Sign in to see full entry.

I must put right one perception about these islands- it doesn’t rain all the time. In fact the Outer Hebrides, along with the far north of Scotland and the Northern Isles, have had the best summer in the UK this year. Day after day of glorious sunshine, and yesterday was another. Our swallows left... Sign in to see full entry.

Thank you all so much for reading and commenting on my blog yesterday. I’m going to try and figure out how to post pics, thanks to Ciel for your advice and funny comment about my Freudian slip re my daughter! I know this is a terribly long post, but nature dealt us an extraordinary hand yesterday,... Sign in to see full entry.

I've just posted a picture of the two babies resting on the roof above their nest this morning. Sorry it's not very good, I don't have the right lens for ornithology! Also I haven't a clue how to see pics on Blogit. anyone help? Sign in to see full entry.