October
It’s been a while since I was last here. Joe’s back at school today after a two week half term holiday, so everything’s been about him since mid October. I’ve mentioned before that, when you live somewhere remote with no family support (i.e. childcare), you just have to accept that any non-school hours are going to be spent with said child.
Yes, he knows that I’m not here to provide wall to wall entertainment - I’m a great believer in children being imaginative and not reliant on constant adult input - but we do do a lot of things together. We’ve watched films, read (Little House in the Big Woods), done jigsaws, baked (meringues)… Joe’s been busy crafting while I’ve done the inevitable housework, and the Playdoh has made an appearance.
But that’s all indoors stuff. Mostly we try and get out and about. There have been a few activities at the library. Joe’s spent time with a school friend who came over to play. We’ve been down to Armadale (see here) and he went again the following week with the same friend and his teacher. We enjoyed the gardens at Dunvegan Castle before they closed for the winter too, and have been out and about exploring. A new favourite place of his is St Columba’s Island with its historical ruins and strange tombstones. Perfect for this time of year, with the rooks circling above and the trees fast being stripped of their leaves.
The weather has mostly been good, but we’ve had a few days of horizontal rain and strong winds. The nights are getting cold now and the blankets are back on the beds. We’ve been closing the curtains against draughts too, and on a trip to Inverness we bought hats and gloves, waterproofs, and I picked up a new jumper.
I had a night at the cinema, all on my own, to watch the Downton Abbey film. Not everyone was post-retirement age but there that demographic was pretty well represented! I really enjoyed it despite the constant noisy rustling of sweet wrappers and popcorn packets (I don’t cope well with Other People’s Noise and get THE RAGE) but I managed to tune it out by focusing on the screen. So that’s progress.
The long drive home, through the pitch dark, is something I don’t generally mind. Granted, you can’t see the edges of the road, and it’s 22 miles of nothingness, but seeing the house lights reflecting on the sea at Edinbane means I’m less than 10 minutes from home. I listen to music and stay vigilant because of deer, and sure enough one suddenly appeared, blinking in the headlights but not moving. I stopped and we stared at each other for a few seconds then I beeped the horn and it ambled off somewhere.
Socially, we’ve had a busy few weeks. We went to a lovely birthday party and also went here for traditional music, fireside drinks and cosy jollity. It’s great to have somewhere like this five minutes’ walk from the house as it’s open all year and we can go after school for treats (and we do). Being a small community, we know the owners and you always bump into someone you know. It’s also where I’ll be running my next workshop - more about that later…
On Saturday night we had a party out in the shed. Jay spent a lot of time cooking (two curries, pulled pork, lemon cheesecake and key lime pie). I cleaned the house properly and we had fairy lights twinkling and the stove crackling away. It was nice to see friends and neighbours, and to meet some new people too. Joe loved it and the cat came in to join us - he suffers from quite severe FOMO - and we’re having another (smaller) gathering for Halloween later this week.
And now we’re almost in November. The clocks have gone back. I’m in a slight panic about what to wear for Jay’s works’ Christmas party next month in a posh hotel. Apostrophes aren’t my strong point btw, so apologies if I’ve messed them up there.
Do I get a dress? Or a top to go with a nice (but hardly ever worn because it looks like it should be in the costume department of a ballet company) skirt? Will I ever wear a party dress again after this particular occasion? Does it make more sense to get something I can get more use from? I need some new shoes too. Don’t get me wrong, I love clothes. Shoe shopping, not so much. But I need to think this through. The epic trip to Inverness always results in a breakneck dash between various retail parks, shops and supermarkets so this won’t be a relaxing day’s retail therapy with a frothy coffee and nice lunch halfway through to regroup.
Anyway, moving on.
Things to look forward to: Quiz Night at the village hall… Planning my next workshop (seasonal decorations using windfallen nature finds and old books)… pumpkin carving… bonfire night… various Christmas markets… sewing Joe’s first Beavers badges onto his uniform (this novelty will no doubt wear off quickly)…
Hopefully there won’t be as big a gap between posts for a while, but if you’d like to see more pictures you can find me on Instagram.
