A Last Hurrah
I’ve been absent from Instagram and the blog lately - we’re in the middle of half term (it’s two weeks long here in Scotland), so between working and entertaining Joe, I haven’t had a huge amount of time to post words and pictures…
He’s accompanied me to work this past week and played outside with the little girl whose parents own the business. They’re the same age and attend the village school so it works pretty well. Latest obsession: making ‘potions’ (although they also found a dead bird and spent a lot of time making it a tomb, ancient Egypt style).
On non-working days we’ve played outdoors with friends, and met up with others for woodland walks and picnics. There are still conkers about too and that always keeps them busy, poking about in the leaves in the quest for that elusive whopper.
Jay’s off this week so that means I get a chance to do a few more things. Yesterday we took a trip down to Sleat as it was the final day of Armadale Castle being open this season, and also the last day of decent weather for a while (according to the forecast). So we explored the gardens and followed one of the nature trails up through the trees to take in the views across to Mallaig and the mainland.
Of course there was lots of autumnal colour and hazy light, but there was a nip in the air too. Some trees are already bare. Winter isn’t that far away!
I do have a thing for Armadale, as they hold lots of well thought out activities for families, and hold events like Christmas and local food markets. They also don’t charge silly amounts for entry, and locals get a generous discount. There’s a perception that living on Skye is inexpensive because we’re so far away from ‘the shops’. In reality though, we have limited choices when it comes to shopping and facilities. ‘Tourist prices’ are a thing. An afternoon out usually involves a lot of driving and spending (there’s actually a place which charges £8 and more for a slice of cake), so we make a packed lunch and - if we do decide to ‘visit’ somewhere for a change rather than go for a walk - it’s great to not have to pay a small fortune to get in.
The plan was to drive home via the three beaches at Achnacloich, Tokavaig and Ord. It’s generally much quieter on Sleat (pronounced ‘Slate’ for those who are interested) than the north end, and you rarely see many people about at the beach. The roads are very narrow, steep and winding too so not suitable for the big motorhomes people tour Skye in. I know that applies to a lot of the single track roads on the island and people do use them anyway, but these are particularly challenging.
Also, most of the ‘bucket list’ destinations are further north: Storr, Kilt Rock, the Fairy Pools and Fairy Glen, Neist Point lighthouse, the Quiraing etc. We do still seem to be quite busy despite Covid and will probably have more visitors coming during the English half term, but things usually start to tail off and quieten down towards the end of October.
So the beaches were pretty empty. And cold (note to self: it’s that time of year when I need to start keeping a pair of gloves in the car). We could look across to Elgol, and saw the Cuillins from a different perspective. Joe enjoyed finding little hermit crabs in the rockpools and clambering about on the rocks.
I was wishing there was somewhere I could get a coffee but the cafe at Armadale had closed earlier in the year, and we were pretty out of the way, so it didn’t happen. As well as remembering gloves I should probably invest in a decent flask (not the ‘commuter cup’ I sip from when I’m waiting for Joe in the school car park - it doesn’t keep things hot for very long but is part of my little ritual of turning up early and writing in my journal).
It felt good to breathe in so much cold, clean air and to have a change of scene. We all needed it, I think. We’re currently in limbo regarding the house sale; our English buyer should be exchanging contracts this week so we can do the same and finally have a) something legally binding in place and b) some idea of dates so we can arrange the move. Their solicitor has had us jumping through hoops, with seemingly endless requests for additional valuation reports, various surveys and inspections - timber, damp, roof - and now copies of old receipts and guarantees. Every time I think things are going to proceed, they’re demanding something else. It’s very stressful as we can’t make any firm arrangements, and that’s without taking Covid into account.
But this is how it goes with house sales. You just have to hang on in there and keep your fingers crossed and hope it doesn’t all collapse at the last minute. We’re tentatively packing a few boxes, and clearing out old toys and clothes.
Joe’s old yellow pine bunkbed - inherited with the house - has been dismantled and disposed of, and he now has the new bed we bought during the summer, one of those metal framed Victorian style ones. (He’s always had a new mattress, by the way, and not the torturously uncomfortable 1970s one that came with said bunk). We gave his room a good tidy up and wrapped a very long string of fairy lights around the top end of his bed, and I tucked my precious red Welsh blanket across the bottom, so he now has somewhere cosy to read his Harry Potter books at night.
Meanwhile I was very happy to receive a parcel this morning: two jumpers and a cardigan for me and a fleece for Joe. I ordered them a week and a bit ago and have been waiting impatiently for their arrival. I don’t get many exciting things through the post, just my twice yearly copy of 91 Magazine and a monthly copy of The Simple Things (courtesy of my lovely friend Karen). Joe gets books and little surprise packages from his grandparents and great uncle in London, and Jay receives boxes of craft beers every few weeks.
You have to treat yourself to a new jumper or two in autumn. And possibly one of those pumpkin spice lattes, or similar (racks brains to think of where I can procure one without traipsing to Inverness)…
Anyway - Halloween’s next on the calendar. We’ve already got a pumpkin and might get another. No trick or treating or fancy dress this year, sadly, so I’m thinking of a little ‘at home’ event instead: something nice to eat, a treasure hunt for sweeties, a walk in the dark (weather permitting), a spooky film. It’ll still be a nice evening. We have resident spiders and baby toads to add to the atmosphere…
Finally, thank you for reading and commenting. I hope you enjoy the photos from Sleat.
