We lost a friend the
other day.
We first met Rosalind shortly after we moved to Skye, and in the eight or so years in each other’s
company, we became very close. She was a wonderful and unique person, and I
will deeply miss the ‘come for lunch’ visits that lasted well into the evening,
and the many discussions about how to grow vegetables on Skye.
She had a full and
interesting life. In her 20’s, she travelled the world - backpacking and alone.
Highlights were working on an Australian sheep ranch and hiking to Everest base
camp. Once back in Scotland ,
Rosalind made her living by becoming a cook, and prepared meals in cottages and
castles, often for hunting and fishing parties. Rosalind had a lot of stories
to tell.
Rosalind lived on
Skye for some 40 years. Most of that time, her home was a tiny ancient cottage
at the very tip of the Waternish peninsula. When she first lived there, she had
a partner, and together they began to restore what was then a roofless ruin.
However, he shortly moved on, and Rosalind knuckled down to continue the work
the pair of them had started. She
continued to improve the cottage, and its garden, for the rest of her life.
But it was a harsh
place to live – exposed to every whim of the weather. The winds blow
relentlessly, and often cold. The location is wonderful when the day is calm
and the sky blue. But for the other 48 weeks of the year, crouching down behind
the ancient stone walls is the most sensible defence against the driving rain
and icy winds.
Rosalind has two
sisters who live in the south of England . They will inherit the
cottage, and are likely to sell it. Meanwhile, Sue and I find ourselves ‘caretaking’
Rosalind’s home.
We spent the
afternoon there yesterday. We are hoping to find someone to look after the
grass cutting, as I really don’t have time to do it myself, but being in Rosalind’s
garden, seeing all the new growth sprouting from the plants and shrubs, and
doing the tasks that she would have so enjoyed doing herself, has helped Sue
and I cope with the loss of our dear friend. Rosalind now lies peacefully and
without pain, in a beautiful burial ground not half a mile from her cottage.
We miss you Rosalind.
We miss you Rosalind.
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| Rosalind's cottage |
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| Sue working in the flowerbed |
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| It's a big garden |
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| The rear of the tiny cottage - just 3 rooms |
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| From the front door |
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| The location - the cottage is on the right, and the Outer Isles are on the horizon. |
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| Trumpan churchyard - the ancient church is a ruin, and steeped in history and legend |
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| Resting in Peace |
7 comments:
Celia has written: Rosalind sounds like a very special lady and a dear friend to you both. You will miss her but what lovely memories you must have.
Andrea has written: Nice tribute R, Rosalind was indeed a unique and special person, the island has lost a wee treasure in her. Good to know she is resting peacefully in view of her lovely cottage. X
What a beautiful tribute to Rosalind. She sounds like a very special lady who has lived life to the full. I wish I could have had the priviledge of meeting her.
James has written: Richard, thank you for your moving tribute and beautiful photographs - Skye was obviously at its best the other day. We got to know Rosalind over the last few years and were privileged to be invited to her lovely cottage and to be able to welcome her in return to our house at Colbost. - such a private and unassuming person, yet with so many and varied creative talents: gardener, cook, weaver, musician and much more - she will be sorely missed in the island and beyond. It will perhaps be a consolation to the two of you that by looking after her house and garden at this difficult time you will be a great help to her family who live so far away. May she rest in peace in the place she loved and among the friends to whom she gave so much.
Helen Zarod has written: A lovely person!
I am so sorry to hear that Rosalind has passed. I am sitting here in my flat in Wellington, New Zealand, looking at one of her beautiful tapestries that hangs on my living room wall and remembering...
I met Rosalind for the first time in the summer of 1984 when I was living in Hamburg. My husband had been to Skye and persuaded me to take a holiday there. We ended up in Stein and, exploring Waternish, we came upon Rosalind's beautiful cottage, were greeted by two dogs and three cats and, of course, Rosalind herself. We spent our summers from 84-87 in Stein and become good friends with Ros, enjoying many a delicious meal (her prawn lasagna was out of this world! I still have the recipe), home made wine, home baked bread, wonderful music and long chats by the fire. We bought a number of her works, of which I still have two that I will always treasure. She was extraordinary. We lost touch over the years, but her strong and beautiful spirit will always be with me in her beautiful "Sunrise" and "Moonlight" and the scent of the dyes she used is still there. I am so sad to hear she is no longer in her beautiful home, and I hope the next owners will honour her memory. I always will, with love.
I was sad to hear Rosalind had died. I have not forgotten spending a most interesting day with her when writing an article about her unique cookery book, nor have I forgotten the amazing food she made and also her weaving. She was such a very nice person and I was pleased to see the photos of her cottage.
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