JANUARY SNOW IN STRATHPEFFER

 As always all the seasons of the year are a surprise especially more recently

with the insidious formal creeping of global warming.

Mid January I was over in Strathpeffer, later joined my friend, Lesley.

Unfortunately our visit was untimely with the arrival of snow 

- and lots of it over a period of several days. 

Here are a few photographs to illustrate on what scale 'the white stuff' descended!!

Can you believe that we saw this Clematis flower on a cold frosty walk around 

Strrathpeffer Station the day before?

The following day it came down in earnest whilst over in Inverness on 16th;  it snowed for 6 hours!

Below is Lesley initially enjoying the novelty!!

The next day I was out and about with my phone 'capturing' special moments!

The photo below was actually taken from the kitchen window at The Bakery;

Brrrr, it makes me feel cold just looking at it!

Unfortunately our plans to travel back to Skye the following day faded fast

as the snow continued to fall!   

We were marooned there until 20th which was both frustrating but quite enjoyable.

As the snow continued to fall my phone and I became great friends... :)

Above is the view from the back door of 'The Old Bakery.'

The snow was c. 10/11" deep but the effect was really quite stunning!

A walk further down away from the village gave me this wonderful vision

of snow encrusted natural and man made surfaces.

Above the Strathpeffer shops with snow encrusted vehicles outside!

Amazingly most of the shops were still open too.....

A little later .. (actually about 1030 one evening) I took off again with my phone!

The village streetlights enabled me to 'capture' these temporarily snow drenched views....

How beautiful were the trees and hedges sparkling in their snow coatings -

courtesy of the old Victorian streetlights.  Really quite magical and SO quiet!

...... I was the only nutter going for a walk at that time of night

but it was certainly worth it despite the sub zero temperatures and my soggy, leaking shoes!!

Below, any Cromartie House residents just happening to look out of their windows

would have had a fabulous view of the snowy surroundings in the lamplight.

But perhaps my favourite photograph is this one below.

It was taken the following day and the view is simply a snow covered garden

seen over the top of an ornamental wrought iron gate.  A breathtaking view.......

Oh, the joys of Mother Nature and global warming eh?   :)

Back soon .....

BACK AGAIN!

My apologies this blog post has been a long time coming!

I just cannot believe where the months have gone and appreciate 

in the meantime that past readers might well be wondering

if this would ever get off the ground again!

Well it has and it's going to continue :) 

I believe that Richard would have wanted it to be so

-  as life on Skye continues for the lovely Cupar and myself!

It's been both a very difficult and anxious time but there have been 

some relaxing interludes with special friends as well as my lovely sister Helen.

She and I spent several days together back in the summer 

over at The Old Bakery in Strathpeffer.... 

Most days saw us out for a walk even if it was an amble down 

the beautiful streets in the village....

Above Big Sis with Cupar by the Pavilion.

Below a view of the village shops with the The Highland Hotel looming in the background!

This dates back to 1896 and was used during the First World War 

for wounded Servicemen.

.... and how could we NOT resist the temptations of a 

cream tea down at the Railway Cafe!

The tea and scones with homemade strawberry jam were just amazing!

We also had a stroll down towards the grounds of Castle Leod shown above.

This magnificent building has been the seat of Clan Mackenzie for 

the last 500 years and is definitely worth a visit!

Finally, below is a photograph looking towards Knockfarrel - 

a picturesque Iron Age Hill Fort close to the town of Dingwall.

Richard and I climbed up it twice;  

once back in 2006 whilst staying down the road at Rose Cottage 

about two miles away from Strathpeffer and then again c.2020 

accommpanied by our energetic pooch, Cupar!

There are magnificent views from the top I can assure you.

It's well worth the climb!   :)  

 'REMEMBERING RICHARD'

My apologies for the long silence on this blog.

However, I am now returning and intend to do so for the future as I just know Richard 

would be delighted to know of it's continuation....

Life has been hectic for the past few weeks.

According to his wishes Richard was cremated earlier this month and 

instead of one of the more traditional Services I organised 

that family and close friends got together up at Summer Cottage last Tuesday 31st May.

Images of Richard throughout the years here on Skye and photographs 

from his very early years until more recently were dotted about the cottage 

whilst his favourite music - including his beloved 'Dire Straits' - were 

audible in the background throughout.

It was wonderful!  I related many of my own memories of our 26 years

together and gradually many others were also shared whilst we sat 

enjoying the warmth of the atmosphere plus the tea and home baking!

He would have loved it - and somehow I do feel that he did!

Afterwards his ashes were taken down to Roskhill Barn where 

some were sprinkled underneath the wee oak tree that he planted 

on our allotment ten years ago.  This was also his desired wish.............

whilst the remainder will be poured into the River Roskhill from where 

they will drift into the sea around this beautiful island that he loved so much.

Above Richard and dearest Basil relaxing in our lounge back in 2010

following a long afternoon walk in Dunvegan Woods!

The other two above were also taken that same year - the top one

in our garden and the other whilst on a walk over near Neist Point 

on a fabulous summer's day!! 

 FAREWELL MY LOVE 

It is with great sadness and regret 

that I have to announce the passing of my wonderful Richard,

- greatest friend, companion and husband 

for the past 26 years!

It was with him that I shared much laughter, happiness,

life in both Kent and then living the dream up here on the magical Isle of Skye

for the past 13 years where we operated both a successful B&B 

and our holiday cottage business.

We loved each other, the work and the times we shared together.

Thank you Richard SO much for all the dreams we were able to fulfill.

You will be greatly missed.....

Richard on his birthday in 2011 !!

The grin says it all :)

(18.3.1951 - 8.5.2022)

 

Still Here!

I am going through quite a journey. 

There are not many absolute certainties in life, though one of them is that life will one day end. It hits hard when one learns that the end is suddenly going to be rather sooner that one might have expected.

Since my last post here, around two weeks ago, I have undergone numerous tests and procedures, and I am roughly half way through a course of intensive radiotherapy.  The aim of the therapy is to shrink the tumour that is blocking my throat. Progress is slow, and I am still unable to swallow. I am receiving nutrition, fluids and most mediation via pumps through a tube directly into my stomach. None of this is pleasant, so I will dwell on it no further.

The hospital I am in is Raigmore, Inverness. It was largely built about 50 years ago, and with some 450 beds, the hospital is the largest in the Highlands. In spite of media stories about the dire state of the NHS, I can only say that the quality of care that I am receiving is of the highest standard. I have my own private room, with my own loo, shower and lights. There is even a nice view to distant forests and mountains out of the window. I certainly feel confident that if anything is going to give me a longer go at this life, then the staff and facilities at this hospital are going to do it with me.

It is something of an understatement to say that my presence here is a life changing experience. In such a short space of time, my world has been turned inside out and upside down, and I have to come to terms with nothing ever being the same again. My cancer is incurable. My eventual demise is inevitable, but what is happening now is hopefully buying me some extra weeks, maybe months. Plans that Sue and I were forming to slow-down the cottage bookings and eventually close down our holiday business, have been brought forward. Sadly for many of our visitors, we have had to cancel bookings, though hopefully most will be able to rebook elsewhere fairly readily.

I understand that in my absence from Roskhill, the Potting Shed greenhouse is now complete. I look forward to seeing that as soon as I can! While I am here, my wonderful wife, Sue, and Cupar of course, are staying at our little Strathpeffer cottage, which is just 20 miles from here - what a good thing we bought that when we did! Sue is being magnificently supported by her sister, Helen, who has selflessly put her life on hold and has pledged to stay in Scotland with Sue 'as long as she is needed' - which is a further reassurance for me.

So, for today, and every day henceforth, my number 1 aim will be to remain determined and positive for the future. I will report back again as and when there is something to report!

Thank you!

 It is so lovely to receive your kind and generous comments following on from my last post. They are all so unexpected and very much appreciated.

Illness

Reflecting on things now, it is apparent that I have enjoyed a charmed life when it comes to being ill. Growing up in the 1950s, I succumbed to most of the then normal childhood diseases like measles and whooping cough - little heard of today. 

But in adult hood, other than a scattering of the colds that teachers are especially prone to catching, serious illness has almost never come my way.

Things have begun to fall apart rather badly now though.

I am slowly typing this post on my unfamiliar mobile phone while sitting in a hospital ward  awaiting the start of radiotherapy to attempt to slow the spread of an incurable and aggressive cancer in my throat.

I had always imagined that I would outlive my lovely Dad, who made it to 82. It seems l am going to miss that target by quite a margin with my life expectancy measured in months rather than years. 

It's a very scary time. I'll be having some chats with Sue. I will attempt to post updates as we plan our new way forward.

The Latest 200 XMF

I have just changed my car again. My 5 year old BMW X3 has been replaced by a nearly-new Volvo V90 - the Cross Country edition, with slightly raised suspension and permanent 4-wheel drive. This car has Volvo's B5 mild-hybrid diesel engine, producing about 40bhp more than the X3, and the electric boost adds a little more oomph when accelerating. So it is quicker, smoother and also quieter than the car I have replaced. Cupar seems to like the huge boot.

In keeping with what has become a tradition, the Volvo is now wearing my 200 XMF number plate. I think it is the now the eighth vehicle to bear this registration. The plate was originally assigned to a 1959 Peerless GT which I owned from about 1994 to 2003. When I sold the Peerless, it was to someone who planned to permanently export the car, so I asked the prospective new owner if he would be happy for me to keep the plate. (As it happened, the Peerless stayed in the UK, but that is a different story). So, the plate has been on all of my 'everyday' vehicles since that time.

The latest 200 XMF

DorrellPots Creaks Into Life

It's a start - a slow one, but a start. Since our garden room 'Potting Shed' became a viable workshop, I have gradually gathered together a collection of pottery making tools plus other odds and ends. The kiln is installed, and has had its initial (empty) firing, recommended for new kilns. I am still short of a few items, but have at last squished a bit of clay, and can now introduce you to Pot-The-Pig - the first clay item I have made in some 25 years.

Pot-The-Pig still awaits final fettling and a glaze of some kind.

But for now, mostly. I am still getting 'ready'. I have made a few (rather poor) plaster-of-paris moulds, with which I would hope to easily produce some plates and bowls. I clearly need to work more on my mould-making technique. I also need to find a bulk supplier of powdered plaster - it is expensive to buy in small quantities. I haven't bought any glazes yet, either...!

Here's the production corner of the worktop as it looks today. You can see I have also made a small model of Puss the Jaguar. I might tackle a larger and more accurate one at some time.

Pots and moulds

Looking busier!

Potting Shed Latest - Kiln Installed!

 The Potting Shed is our garden room - to be used as a pottery studio, with lean-to greenhouse. The shed itself was built in the autumn, but due to assorted pandemic delays, the greenhouse was not delivered until about a fortnight ago,  and the kiln, essential for any pottery making, was also a long time coming.

However, I am delighted to report that although the greenhouse still awaits decent enough weather for its construction to be undertaken, I do now have a fully functioning kiln!

I had confirmed with the manufacturer that my kiln was ready, and as it happened, this coincided with my most recent trip south. I was driving the BMW X3 this time, so I had the space needed to actually collect the kiln myself. The heavy item was loaded into the car with the help of a fork lift truck and two strong young men. Getting it out again, and into place in the Potting Shed was a bit more of a challenge, but a very helpful neighbour and I spent an hour or so devising an arrangement of ramps and steps, and eventually, the deed was done.

Now all I need is to find the time to actually get out there and get potting...

Installed at last !

Mum's Box Of Photos

It's that dismal and damp time of year when I long to be outside making a start at getting the allotment fettled ready for spring, but the wind and drizzle keep me penned-up indoors, scratching-around trying to find things to keep me occupied. 

Although the Potting Shed is now pretty much ready to be used for artistic activity, I still await delivery of the kiln, and without that, there is a very limited appeal in actually making anything, as there is no way for the time being that any pottery items could become finished.

So, as my sister recently passed-on to me the custody of the Dorrell family archive of photographs and paperwork, I have started having a rummage. My goodness - there's some memories here, and some surprises too. I still have to formulate a plan for what to do with all the paperwork, which includes things like receipts for furniture bought by my parents in the 1930s when they were setting up their first home. (We still have a lovely octagonal walnut coffee table bought in 1938 for the princely sum of one pound, twelve shillings and sixpence - that's £1.62 in modern decimal money). 

Then I come across some household accounts, also from the late '30s, which showed my father - who worked for the Air Ministry as a weather forecaster - was bringing home just £13.00 per month, and yet the receipt for my Mum's solitaire diamond engagement ring reveals that he paid £10.00 for the ring. Project those figures to 2020 rates of pay and prices, and that ring would cost some £1,500.00 !

But so far, it is Mum's box of photos that I have worked through the most. There are hundreds of pictures, mostly tiny, and in black and white of course. I know my Mum would get the box out from time to time and have a nostalgic browse through the past, and gaze with love, and maybe a few tears, at the images of beaming children and long-departed family members.

I guess we all like to do that.

I am currently working on scanning a selection of the images, and am uploading them as a gallery on my Life Story website that I created several years ago. It is a work-in-progress, but anyone interested will find the gallery here: https://richarddorrell.weebly.com/mums-box-of-photos.html

Here's a teeny sample:

We are fairly certain Mum is the little girl on the far left with a bow in her hair. 
This would probably have been in Islington, London, about 1920.

A birthday party in about 1953

Brother-and-Sister love

Mum's brother, Sid, Died 1956, age 42.

Signed: 'Your devoted and loving husband, Tommy. Nov. 1940'

Happy Cairngorms White Christmas!

What are we doing in the Cairngorms on Christmas Eve...???!!!

Well,  the story begins last Sunday, when Sue pops over to The Old Bakery at Strathpeffer to finish off Christmas shopping in Inverness. Unfortunately, she hadn't done much shopping when the pavement suddenly came up towards her, making first contact with her left arm and then her chin. She was promptly whisked into Raigmore Hospital A&E, where the super-wonderful NHS acted promptly and professionally, soon diagnosing a broken wrist and displaced jaw.

So, the wrist was rapidly wrapped in plaster, but for the jaw, it was deemed desirable for Sue to make an urgent visit to Scotland's specialist facial injuries unit in Aberdeen (!!) The appointment was for Thursday 23rd. Now, Aberdeen is a looooong way from Skye, and quite a looong way from Strathpeffer. But, hey, we can cope. I sorted out our Skye cottages which were both booked for Christmas visitors, and then drove over to Strathpeffer on Wednesday, popping into Inverness on arrival to collect Sue's car, which was still in a car park in the city.

The consultant who Sue met in Aberdeen was typically thorough, and decreed that although the jaw bone is cracked, it will repair itself fairly speedily with no surgery being required. A much-relieved, but still slightly-in-pain Sue and I (and Cupar) then spent the night in an Aberdeen Travelodge, before making our way back to Strathpeffer today.

By way of celebration, and to make a more interesting journey, I chose to take the scenic route, passing through the northern part of the Cairngorms, and including the infamous Cock Bridge to Tomintoul section past The Lecht. It was a good decision. We enjoyed a lovely drive, and are now toasting our toes before the stove in The Old Bakery, before we make our way back to Roskhill on Christmas Day morning.

This was not quite the run up to Christmas I had been looking forward to, and Sue is devastated that she will not be able to carry out her care work duties for a few weeks, though we will be delivering the numerous Christmas presents she has for friends and clients in the coming day or two.

I close with best wishes to all the readers of this blog for Christmas 2021, and let us ALL hope for a safe and healthy 2022.

A939 towards Tomintoul

Corgarff Castle

Gairnshiel Bridge

Six Hours

The date is getting close to the winter solstice, and we are a long way north here.

At 8.00am this morning, when I took Cupar out for his morning walk, it was just about light enough for me to be able to make out the trees, undergrowth and fences that line the local roads. By the time we returned, half an hour later, the grey morning light was just giving way and painting the landscape in dark greens and browns. By 9.00am, it had become as light as it is going to get today, as an area of high pressure is building, giving us low dense cloud cover and occasional light drizzle. The sun only makes rare appearances at this time of year. At least it is pleasantly mild!

In just six hours time, our winter daytime light will be fading again. Indoors, with deeply inset and rather small windows, we live in a permanent gloom, brightened only by electricity. How on earth did people manage when all their lighting was by oil lamp and candle?

I often wonder at how the wildlife copes with such a short daylight time to forage for food. Even if the garden birds rise at the first glimmer of grey, and hang on until the world returns to uniformly black, they will still have to face some sixteen hours of night before venturing abroad again. It is no surprise that virtually all plant life slumbers through the winter.

It's that time of year when it is good to browse back through the summer posts of sparkling sunshine on the sea and flourishing wild flowers...!

Roskhill Barn garden, August 2018

The Potting Shed Latest

Regular readers of this blog may recall that we are in the process of building a new space in the garden at The Barn. A timber 'Garden Room' has been erected, and a lean-to greenhouse will be added onto it early in the New Year. 

The purpose of all this is two-fold. One, to provide an environment for growing some of our own bedding plants and starting off veg for the allotment, and, Two, to create a craft workshop which will be equipped as a hobby pottery, giving me an extra occupation for when I retire again and we give up the the holiday cottage business. Sue and I both intend to squish a bit of clay from time to time.

Being dual purpose, but both purposes being pot-based, naming the building the Potting Shed seemed pretty appropriate. We shorten this to the PS.

At present, we await delivery of the greenhouse - now promised for mid-January; and also of the pottery kiln, frustratingly delayed due to difficulty in obtaining some essential internal parts. But in the meantime, I have been busy fitting-out the interior of the PS. I bought some of the cheapest range of kitchen base units sold by DIY giant, B&Q, and have to say, I am most impressed by the quality. I have also been keen to use as many as possible of the 'off-cuts' of the timber from the build of the PS, and am delighted to now have a larch floorboard floor, made entirely from off-cuts from the external cladding. I laid the floor on a base of very effective floor insulation material. I have also made a work table and shelf unit, both of which are built largely from left-over construction timbers, with just a new sheet of MDF to provide the work surfaces.

We hope to be potting in the spring.

Viewed from the greenhouse end, the kiln will go in the far left corner.

This view, through the front doors, showing my massively built work-table.
There is room for a potter's wheel where the radiator is standing,
should I decide to invest in one at some time in the future.

The kitchen units and worktop.
The shelves are also made from a worktop, sawn down the middle.
The raw edges will be covered by an edging strip presently.

Looking out through the greenhouse end

Hunkered Down

It's that time of year again - deep, dark December. I don't dislike it. With the curtains closed and Cupar curled up in front of a glowing stove, it is cosy enough in here - and wonderfully quiet too! 

Sue is away at the moment, making a pre-Christmas visit to her Mum and friends in Kent. Sue is working over Christmas this year. I am occupying much of my daylight time in fitting-out our new Potting Shed with cupboards, work-surfaces and shelving. I made a trip to Inverness the other week in a hired van, and returned with kitchen base units, work tops, paving slabs and assorted other stuff. I am enjoying honing my joinery skills as I assemble what I have bought and am also aiming to create some useful items utilising some of the off-cuts from the build of the PS itself.

I have had great news today - that the lean-to greenhouse that will become an integral part of our Potting Shed Project is at last scheduled for delivery in mid-January. I am still awaiting news of the delivery of my kiln though... But it will be so good to see our plans come together when all is in place, and then let the potting commence...!!

Meanwhile - on the allotment, we are still enjoying freshly picked kale and brussels sprouts, and when the weather is kind enough, I will be turning-over the soil in the beds to try to keep in place some kind of weed control. 

Cosy Cupar

A Holiday On Harris

Sue and I have now established a tradition to have a short-break holiday to mark our birthdays. Sue's birthday is in November, and mine in March, so it fits us well, with being 'out-of-season', meaning we have no clashes with cottage bookings, and we benefit from quieter places to visit. We take a chance with the weather of course - but one does that at any time of year if holidaying in Scotland.

We are just back from this November's trip. Ever since we have lived on Skye, we have promised ourselves that we will make a visit to the Outer Isles, and at last we have done it. After a bit of research, we chose to stay near Tarbert on Harris. The ferry from Uig on Skye sails to Tarbert, so we only had to drive about 35 miles in total from Roskhill to the cottage we rented, with the ferry taking us the 30 miles or so across the Minch.

The landscape that greeted us when we drove off the ferry was a complete surprise. I had really expected that Harris would be much the same as Skye, but in fact, it could barely be more different, with vast areas of the island being bare rock rather than the heather moorland of most of Skye.

As ever, we packed our days with exploring as much of the island as we could. We knew Cupar would love the sandy beaches, so visited a couple of them, but we also managed to make short climbs to the top of a hill or two, visited Scalpay and its lighthouse, drove the famed 'Golden Road' and explored a restored ancient church built by the MacLeods of Dunvegan. As it is fairly unlikely that we will return to Harris, we also made the 40-or-so mile drive north across Lewis to see the world-famous Callanish Stones. Here, I had another surprise, as I found the stones to be far more spiritual than I expected - a feeling enhanced by us being almost the only people at the site when we visited.

We haven't yet decided where we will go for my birthday jaunt in March, though it won't be back to the Outer Isles. However, I think there is a strong possibility that we will be making a further trip across the Minch - probably to the Uists next time  - at some future date.

Sue is likely to get round to posting a picture-story of the holiday we have just had at some time in the not-too-distant future, and as she takes better photos than me, I'll just post a small sample of my pics below...

Eilean Glas lighthouse, Scalpay

Luskentyre Beach

Birthday-girl (and me...)!

Clach Mich Leoid

Callanish

Scarista Beach

Typical South Harris coastline

Quiet Again

Another holiday season is drawing to an end. The last few lingering camper vans are dawdling their way back over the Skye Bridge and heading home. Our cottage booking calendars are almost blank for the winter. The roads and villages are becoming quiet again.

It has been a different summer. Not just the weather - which seems to me to have been wetter than usual - but different visitors. Virus-related travel restrictions have meant we have hosted very few overseas guests, while many visitors from England and even from Scotland were exploring Skye for the first time. We have also seen a big increase in first-time self-caterers. 

Such feedback as we receive suggests that our visitors have been happy enough with what they have experienced, with positive comments about our cottages, and about the island. I wonder how many people will choose to holiday again in the UK and discover other parts of our wonderful country before they fly off for yet another same-every-time sunbathing vacation in a crowded beach resort somewhere hot. 

Tonight we put the clocks back an hour, so for those of us who live in this little piece of heaven-on-earth, the evenings will draw-in ever sooner, and we will start to look out the handicrafts, jigsaws, books and other entertainments that make light of the long dark winter nights. 

I'll be stoking-up the stove again soon, too. We may bathe in centrally-heated luxury, but there is still nothing quite like the flicker of a real flame when the rain is beating against the windows, or the wind rushing round the chimney.

The tourists make their way back home

An autumn sunset on Skye
(Photo by Sue)

Seasons on Skye

Having been born-and-bred in the softy south of England, I became very used to the year having four distinct seasons, each lasting around three months, with the summer being warm and dry, winter being colder and wetter, spring being bright and showery, and autumn being breezy and golden.

It's not like that here.

We pretty much only have one season on Skye, which is a continual confusion of all of the above. Winter starts around mid-August, and goes on for an awful long time. When my southern-trained body-clock is telling me that it should be spring, I find myself peering at tightly closed leaf buds on the trees and shrubs in the hope of spotting the first sign of a green shoot. When the calendar says it is July - true, the daylight hours are very long indeed, but the sun may still be a rare sight, and the wind can blast the drizzle into your face should you venture outside. 

Somehow though, our flora and fauna seem to cope with the season-less year. My recent wild-flower photo-posts illustrate the ability of the plant-life here to flourish when and where it gets the chance. I manage to successfully nurture vegetables in the allotment. From April for a few months, there seem to be plenty of fledgling birds about the place, and we occasionally glimpse a mouse, vole, weasel or stoat, so they survive here, too. But sadly - never a hedgehog.

And.... the sky can be blue sometimes..!! At any time of year, too. In can happen suddenly. The wind drops, the rain stops, and the steel-grey clouds magically vanish to reveal the freshly-washed glistening blue heavens, which instantly paint the sea an even more unlikely blue. At these times, we cherish every moment and sigh at the beauty of the vista before us.

I can live without seasons.

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

... and sometimes !