Stormy Night – Stormy December
I haven’t written a blog in months, so apologies first, but in my own defence I have been busy. What with guests, visiting family last month and replenishing my stock of woven goods, my days have been pretty full.
Now, as winter begins to hit us with all its force, I find I have time on my hands. So lets get back to the original idea of writing a blog; to provide my readers with ‘my reflections’ regarding living on this beautiful Island starting with today. Random thoughts? highly likely. Insights? maybe. Observations? Most definitely!
Last night was epic, with flashing lighting and rolling thunder. Lila hated it! She doesn’t like storms. She doesn’t like it when the wind whistles down the chimney or when hailstones suddenly clatter against the windows. Mind you I can’t say I blame her, it can be a tad on the startling side. I suppose the difference is I can make myself a cup of tea when it all starts and read a book on my iPad whereas well… to my knowledge, whilst she’s a very intelligent dog… she can’t, its just unnecessary, scary disturbance to her doggy mind.
We woke up late to more of the same. Dark clouds, lumbering across the skies, leaving snow on the hills and hailstones on the grass. Blackbirds chittered in alarm as each new cloud brought a burst of hail guaranteed to alarm the hardiest of wildlife and even the Hoodies seemed phased by it all today. Probably the result of a sleepless night. It can do that to you, you know, not having enough sleep. Anyway…..
Somewhere in amongst all this I still managed to grab a quick half hour on the hill behind us to give the girls (Lila & Tali) a quick walk in the weak afternoon sunshine. At least when up behind the house I can see the clouds advancing and can beat a hasty retreat if necessary. But oh, it was good to get some fresh air. Being cooped up all day in our ‘wee hoose’ is never a great way to pass the day – unless there is a good fire burning to make it cozy that is. But on a ‘work’ day, with Stuart slaving away at a smoking laptop I feel guilty if I don’t have a ‘To Do’ list to keep me on the go.
I have to say it became somewhat quieter once the gales had died down. The birds no longer had to spend dodgy moments trying to land on violently swinging feeders in order to get a morsel of food. Unlike Tuesday when the wind was so strong even the Heron had trouble making his way across the glen and landed in a flurry of feathers on the driveway in a state of shock. After a few moments during which he gathered his whits, he sailed off towards the River Drynoch in the lea of the hills. Sensible lad.
There’s something unendingly beautiful about winter on Skye. I was looking up into the starlight sky the other night admiring Orion’s belt as the dogs did their last tour of the garden, when I saw not one but TWO shooting stars. That’s two wishes I get. Wey hey!
It still gets to me though, a clear night here on Skye, even after four years. Millions of stars, not just a few bright planets like you get in the towns with their light pollution and smog. Pretty breathtaking actually. To my way of thinking, you can’t beat that sort of awe-inspiring beauty. Makes up for all the rough stuff winter serves up as a side order as well … till next time then.
