On the topic of movements - things are happening. In the last few days we've engaged a fencer, a builder and a joiner to get things ready for the goats. Yesterday we went to see a goats cheese lady over east, and although she was quite cagey and protective about many things, we learnt quite a lot.
Yesterday was also our first visit to Wick. Wick is quite nice, in a Scottish- town- that's- seen -better- days sort of way. It proudly boasts of being the birthplace of someone who's name I've forgotten who did someone remarkably insignificant which I've also forgotten. The nearby village of Watten, however, was the birthplace of Alexander Bain, the inventor of the electric clock.
Thurso - Wicks bitter rival (people from Thurso refer to people from Wick as 'dirty wickers'), was the birthplace of William Smith - the Founder of the Boys Brigade.
"Someone should" write an A-Z of all British - ach hell let's get ambitious - of all place names in the world with two sentence biographies of the famous people each place has spawned. It would be entitled "The concise pocket book of famous people", be marketed as an essential travel companion, and come in at around 15 volumes, foolscap.
Apparently foolscap is a 17th century term and refers to a type of paper that was watermarked with a jesters cap.
Next time I must take my camera.
Sunday, 15 June 2008
Sharing 2
One consequence of shutting the cats outside to stop them using our home as a toilet is that word has got round every mouse, vole and shrew for miles that this cottage is a cat-free haven. Being a fairly messy household they are fulfilling a useful role in cutting our electricity consumption - we don't need to vacuum so much - they eat anything that falls to the floor.
No doubt they have toiletry needs too - but we've not noticed it yet. I think the cats will be allowed in again soon.
No doubt they have toiletry needs too - but we've not noticed it yet. I think the cats will be allowed in again soon.
Saturday, 14 June 2008
sunrise 04:08. sunset 22:26
The light around midnight is quite special. I'm not sure that my skills with the camera will do it justice - but I will try.
Midsummer is next week. I'm looking forward to cracking the beer. And we'll have visitors too, which I'm really looking forward to. Even the vegan.
Midsummer is next week. I'm looking forward to cracking the beer. And we'll have visitors too, which I'm really looking forward to. Even the vegan.
Friday night 7
Unexpected consequences
Spanish lorry drivers. They've been striking this week over the price of fuel. The small-time fishermen up here are also being hammered by diesel prices and last night one was claiming that he can't catch enough lobsters to cover the fuel costs of getting them. But a bigger concern for him was the Spanish lorry driver strike - because he sells his lobsters etc onto Spanish lorries and they've not turned up this week. That's a weeks income lost with no drop in out-goings.
It seems to me that the real problem here is a cultural one. We seem to be the oven ready chip generation. There is no local market for the stunning produce these guys are bringing ashore. I imagine that oven ready chippers would scream the place down if confronted by proper food like a live lobster (well I know I would!). If our fishermen could sell from the quayside, or from local shops the price of diesel and revolting foreigners wouldn't be such an issue.
There were some oven ready chippers in the pub last night. A swollen throng of teenage girls were flumping around getting mars bars and diet cokes (I mean diet coke for heavens sake). Unusual for females to be in that bar - and there were two lots last night - shock horror.
And we have new bar staff. A Polish lad. Totally out of place. Apart from his lack of English, and you have to admire his bravery coming all this way to serve behind a bar when his total grasp of English amounts to a grin which stretches from one ear to the other and back again and apologetically fluttering eye-lashes, apart from that - he's a mirror moth. You know that type of young man fatally attracted to admiring himself at every opportunity - sharply dressed and agonised-over hair. I suspect he was part of the reason for the abundance of oven ready chippers last night.
I wish him luck. My god he's gonna need it.
Spanish lorry drivers. They've been striking this week over the price of fuel. The small-time fishermen up here are also being hammered by diesel prices and last night one was claiming that he can't catch enough lobsters to cover the fuel costs of getting them. But a bigger concern for him was the Spanish lorry driver strike - because he sells his lobsters etc onto Spanish lorries and they've not turned up this week. That's a weeks income lost with no drop in out-goings.
It seems to me that the real problem here is a cultural one. We seem to be the oven ready chip generation. There is no local market for the stunning produce these guys are bringing ashore. I imagine that oven ready chippers would scream the place down if confronted by proper food like a live lobster (well I know I would!). If our fishermen could sell from the quayside, or from local shops the price of diesel and revolting foreigners wouldn't be such an issue.
There were some oven ready chippers in the pub last night. A swollen throng of teenage girls were flumping around getting mars bars and diet cokes (I mean diet coke for heavens sake). Unusual for females to be in that bar - and there were two lots last night - shock horror.
And we have new bar staff. A Polish lad. Totally out of place. Apart from his lack of English, and you have to admire his bravery coming all this way to serve behind a bar when his total grasp of English amounts to a grin which stretches from one ear to the other and back again and apologetically fluttering eye-lashes, apart from that - he's a mirror moth. You know that type of young man fatally attracted to admiring himself at every opportunity - sharply dressed and agonised-over hair. I suspect he was part of the reason for the abundance of oven ready chippers last night.
I wish him luck. My god he's gonna need it.
Burning issues
The problem with the Irish referendum, and the whole issue around the European constitution and stuff - is that no one understands it No-one really seems to be selling the benefits and this makes the no vote inevitable - and the no campaigners can dredge up all kinds of issues with Europe, in the main not related to the constitution, making the no vote even more certain. This is a lack of leadership and poor leadership is rife across the democratic world (as far as I can see, and I confess that isn't really very far - but why should such detail stop me from making sweeping statements?).
And for all that it smacks of being vainglorious (whichever definition of that you choose (a reference to this - but I can't make it easy for you)), I admire David Davis for his stance over the 42 day detention and I believe he is right to try to generate a proper debate about freedom.
And then there's this madness.
Above all of this is the question of how many tanks you need to destroy on Wii Play to get a gold medal. I managed 79 during the week and still no gold medal. I'll battle on, selflessly, of course. And I shall prevail. But it is getting a tad time-consuming.
And for all that it smacks of being vainglorious (whichever definition of that you choose (a reference to this - but I can't make it easy for you)), I admire David Davis for his stance over the 42 day detention and I believe he is right to try to generate a proper debate about freedom.
And then there's this madness.
Above all of this is the question of how many tanks you need to destroy on Wii Play to get a gold medal. I managed 79 during the week and still no gold medal. I'll battle on, selflessly, of course. And I shall prevail. But it is getting a tad time-consuming.
Lost
There is a railway station in Lairg (about an hours drive from here and the best place to pick up the train if you want to public transport to Inverness). Lairg is noted as a stopping point for the trains between Inverness and Wick on all the timetables. Lairg isn't very big. But I can't work out where the trains stop - I mean - where is the train station in Lairg? I've looked, driven through it, round it and across it, but there is no evidence of railway lines or station.
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Can blue men sing the whites?
You have to hand it to Jussi really. She is flat out at the moment trying to organise everything for our goats - due in July. She's up against a ridiculous timeline but is just knuckling down and getting on with it. I'm helping where I can of course.
What Jussi is demonstrating is the power of vision. Knowing what you want to achieve. It is more than half the battle.
Meanwhile I'm hiding in little projects - like the garden, the house, the beer - and not really progressing a vision of my own, because, ermm, well, I don't have one. I'm beating myself up over this at the moment - I do need to paint myself a picture of what I'm going to do and go for it (and 'it' is singular). Just now I'm flirting rather half arsedly with too many maybes.
It'll come good, but it's depressing me just now. So I take refuge in the deliciously silly.
What Jussi is demonstrating is the power of vision. Knowing what you want to achieve. It is more than half the battle.
Meanwhile I'm hiding in little projects - like the garden, the house, the beer - and not really progressing a vision of my own, because, ermm, well, I don't have one. I'm beating myself up over this at the moment - I do need to paint myself a picture of what I'm going to do and go for it (and 'it' is singular). Just now I'm flirting rather half arsedly with too many maybes.
It'll come good, but it's depressing me just now. So I take refuge in the deliciously silly.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Windy water weather
So at last our home is showing it's true colours. Wind and rain. Much more, just now, of the former than the latter. It's OK - I'm not complaining.
I seem to have come across a lot of references to weather recently.
When neighbour was round talking of fences we were picking his brains for what might grow where on our little croft. He professed to having no idea - 'It's all changed - can't predict the weather anymore, things happen at the wrong time of year - we used to get snowed in during lambing, but the last few years it's been shirt sleeves weather, and the wind - it used to be north-westerly just about all the time - now you never know where it's going to come from. I can't suggest things you could grow - Things keep happening at the wrong time of year. I don't know anymore' This guy has been crofting all his life - his family came here with the Clearances.
Then there's little snippets - like this.
And there's drought in New Zealand causing an energy crisis cos the hydro is drying up. And in Ethiopia and in India - just a few more million people queueing up for hand-outs after another crop failure (In Northern India the rains have failed for the last five years).
This is climate change. It's real, it's killing people and it is caused by you. And if you stop buying crap you don't need you might just help others to do the same, and this might just stop climate change getting really silly and killing billions. (Look for Working Group 2 report "Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability" and choose the Summary for Policy Makers in your preferred language. It looks heavy - page 13 contains the fun stuff. And remember - these reports are cautious).
But don't despair. If you start doing something now we can avoid the worst. Now.
I seem to have come across a lot of references to weather recently.
When neighbour was round talking of fences we were picking his brains for what might grow where on our little croft. He professed to having no idea - 'It's all changed - can't predict the weather anymore, things happen at the wrong time of year - we used to get snowed in during lambing, but the last few years it's been shirt sleeves weather, and the wind - it used to be north-westerly just about all the time - now you never know where it's going to come from. I can't suggest things you could grow - Things keep happening at the wrong time of year. I don't know anymore' This guy has been crofting all his life - his family came here with the Clearances.
Then there's little snippets - like this.
And there's drought in New Zealand causing an energy crisis cos the hydro is drying up. And in Ethiopia and in India - just a few more million people queueing up for hand-outs after another crop failure (In Northern India the rains have failed for the last five years).
This is climate change. It's real, it's killing people and it is caused by you. And if you stop buying crap you don't need you might just help others to do the same, and this might just stop climate change getting really silly and killing billions. (Look for Working Group 2 report "Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability" and choose the Summary for Policy Makers in your preferred language. It looks heavy - page 13 contains the fun stuff. And remember - these reports are cautious).
But don't despair. If you start doing something now we can avoid the worst. Now.
Monday, 9 June 2008
Strimming
You know there's something manly about pulling that starter cord and the splut and roar as the strimmer coughs into action. And then there's the thrill of cutting down all that dense growth. Ah ha!
This lasts about ten seconds. Then it's just a chore. I spent more than two hours strimming yesterday - and came up with the following top ten strimming songs:
"No strimmin' no cryin'" - Bob Marley
"Black magic strimmer" - Santana
"You only strim when you're winning" - sports fans everywhere
"Got to strim there" - Jackson 5
"Strimming up that Hill" - Kate Bush
"Strim your own hole" - Chemical Brothers
"Cry me a strimmer" - Julie London
"Ten strimmer love song" - Stone Roses
"Your strimmer is big enough for me" - Catfish Keith
"Strimming Doctor What What" - Red Snapper
Now you might think that I could have made this list much funnier. But I had a constraint, all the songs I chose had to remind me of girlfriends. Well it wiled away the time.
It's now Monday - and it's raining (a bit) - first time for weeks.
This lasts about ten seconds. Then it's just a chore. I spent more than two hours strimming yesterday - and came up with the following top ten strimming songs:
"No strimmin' no cryin'" - Bob Marley
"Black magic strimmer" - Santana
"You only strim when you're winning" - sports fans everywhere
"Got to strim there" - Jackson 5
"Strimming up that Hill" - Kate Bush
"Strim your own hole" - Chemical Brothers
"Cry me a strimmer" - Julie London
"Ten strimmer love song" - Stone Roses
"Your strimmer is big enough for me" - Catfish Keith
"Strimming Doctor What What" - Red Snapper
Now you might think that I could have made this list much funnier. But I had a constraint, all the songs I chose had to remind me of girlfriends. Well it wiled away the time.
It's now Monday - and it's raining (a bit) - first time for weeks.
Saturday, 7 June 2008
Friday night 6
Nothing noteworthy - just one of the drunken locals lecturing us on the relative merits of Ashanti gold weights.
Really.
Really.
Mod, moths, mozzarella, and Mach
Mod
The first concert I ever went to was The Who. I was about 9 or 10, and can still remember Pete Townsend's windmill and Roger Daltry swinging the microphone. Unfortunately Keith Moon made no impression on me at all. Which is a shame, I'd love to go back and see it again and watch Keith Moon's antics.
Toaday Ailsa sang at the Mod, as part of her school choir, competing against one other school (with the same music teacher - how quaint). I'd love to be able to tell you that the performances of the song celebrating the joys of a May morning were moving. Alas.
It's remarkable how SERIOUSLY it was all taken. 2 performances, 2 judges, each judge stood up and pronounced on the strengths and weaknesses of each performance, musical interpretation, accuracy of the gaelic etc for five minutes. Anyway Ailsa's lot lost - not having not pinned down the gaelic well enough.
Moths
Then we sped off to Borgie Forest for national moth day, and were treated to the excitement of opening a moth trap that had been set last night. This part of the event was fabulous and we saw all kinds of moths including stunningly spectacular hawk moths, beautiful carpet moths, prominants, pugs and many many more (like that's enough showing off about how much I know about moths - but it's important to record it now - I'll have forgotten it all tomorrow).
After a slide show we traipsed off into the wilds looking for moths. But the fresh water mussels, toads and dragon flies stole the show. I think Mr Moth was a bit peeved - I mean he certainly knew his subject, considering there are thousands of moths and many of them look very similar and he's only been studying them for a couple of years - and us all getting excited over a few toads.
We came home and I did a bit of gardening. Look at the piccies - I have lettuce and spinach and much more - and Lulu has given me some kale and lupin and it's all good. I cleared nettles away from the gooseberry and currant and found another toad. And there was a lizard in the cats water this morning - (this sounds like it should be some portent - I wonder what?).
Aye when there's lizards in the cats watter
It'll end with a splatter
So I'm hitting the red wine - you can't be too careful.
Mozzarella
And look at Jussi's door. She made this weeks ago - her first bit of carpentry, using reclaimed wood. It opens and it shuts and it even fits. A grand achievement.
Then it was time for pizza using Mozzarella made by Jussi on her cheese course. Another fabulous achievement.
Mach
There are things that we decide not to do, omit to do, forget to do, don't get round to doing, delay doing, can't be bothered doing and can't face doing.
Shaving for example. I hadn't shaved for a couple of weeks, and frankly the itchy mass was driving me nuts, so Today was the Day. And boy it hurt. So it was a slow process trying to spare myself the ripping pain of shredding my face off.
Unsurprisingly it gave me time to contemplate consumerism. I have a two blade razor - had it for years, in fact when I got it I seem to recall the innovation of having two blades was quite cutting edge (ouch). The blades for it have been discontinued now - cant buy them anywhere. Fortunately Jussi came across a shop selling them off cheap a couple of years ago and bought a stock of them. But when that stock exhausts what will I do? God forbid that I'm faced with the possibility of a five blade gillette mach wank. It's a perfect metaphor for the obscenity of consumerism - the stupidity of the notion that anyone needs a jet powered five blade razor. Mach my arse.
Hair is another things altogether. Ailsa wont let me cut mine. It is getting rather long. I mean we'll soon be talking pony tail here guys. Aaargh.
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Finding me
I'm desperately trying not to become obsessed with how many people visit this blog. But it is important to me to know that a small (and growing) and loyal readership is out there. Some people chance across me by accident through a google search. Here are few examples of the things people have googled and ended up here. I hope they weren't disappointed:
"egg mayo"
"What should my priorities be" ( this person spent a goodly bit of time on the site - I wonder if it helped them?)
"building a lizard cage"
"cabbage recipes from Scottland" [sic]
Sadly, I mean very very sadly, I tried googling egg mayo to find out where this blog appeared. Jussi was calling me a sad git all the while, so I may have missed it, but I gave up at 956.....
"egg mayo"
"What should my priorities be" ( this person spent a goodly bit of time on the site - I wonder if it helped them?)
"building a lizard cage"
"cabbage recipes from Scottland" [sic]
Sadly, I mean very very sadly, I tried googling egg mayo to find out where this blog appeared. Jussi was calling me a sad git all the while, so I may have missed it, but I gave up at 956.....
Names
There's a neurosis I developed when I was a chief executive - it was a neurotic fear of upsetting people. This phobia developed because I found it incredibly easy to upset people - by saying something remarkably innocent - but then having a tormented member of staff, or usually their manager, at my door expressing disbelief at my crass insensitivity.
That is why this blog tends not to name people. Where people are named it's because the name itself adds something to the story, or because I've got careless. When I understand the local relationships better I'll perhaps become more confident.
We've just had a meeting with our neighbour discussing fencing. We got on to general chat and we were asking about who could help to renovate our outbuildings. The advice included speaking to: "Turkey", "Heep" or "Loppy". With so many people sharing only 2 surnames, and a general conservatism over the choice of first names, nicknames are essential. But it does somewhat baffle the incomer. Neighbour said "Loppy" - we gave him that look to say "Loppy" isn't a useful piece of intelligence for us, and he said, "Ah sorry, Angus, Angus Crow", Jussi wrote it down "You'll find him in the phone book under Mackay."
Nicknames are one thing, but multi-layered nicknames add another dimension altogether.
That is why this blog tends not to name people. Where people are named it's because the name itself adds something to the story, or because I've got careless. When I understand the local relationships better I'll perhaps become more confident.
We've just had a meeting with our neighbour discussing fencing. We got on to general chat and we were asking about who could help to renovate our outbuildings. The advice included speaking to: "Turkey", "Heep" or "Loppy". With so many people sharing only 2 surnames, and a general conservatism over the choice of first names, nicknames are essential. But it does somewhat baffle the incomer. Neighbour said "Loppy" - we gave him that look to say "Loppy" isn't a useful piece of intelligence for us, and he said, "Ah sorry, Angus, Angus Crow", Jussi wrote it down "You'll find him in the phone book under Mackay."
Nicknames are one thing, but multi-layered nicknames add another dimension altogether.
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
New pets
Jussi is back with a boxful of cheeses she made on her course. And who goes to a cheese making course in Plockton? Jussi, a lady from Stirling, a gent from Nigeria, and an Australian mother and daughter. Cor that's international innit.
But we now have some new pets - big lumps of stuff that need to be kept warm and turned every two days and then put away somewhere cool for a few weeks. They should be ready for eating in October. Meanwhile we have a fridge full of young cheeses and yoghurts tht need eating now. Yum yum.
Cask is doing fine. We tested him last night and the sugar I added has made a very big difference. It's much sweeter now - and it definitely needs to be left to finish that secondary fermentation. It's a shame cos the weather is absolutely perfect for sitting outside with pint. But it's probably for the best.
I didn't sleep very well last night. I have to go to Thurso for the grocery shopping today - I think the excitement kept me awake.
But we now have some new pets - big lumps of stuff that need to be kept warm and turned every two days and then put away somewhere cool for a few weeks. They should be ready for eating in October. Meanwhile we have a fridge full of young cheeses and yoghurts tht need eating now. Yum yum.
Cask is doing fine. We tested him last night and the sugar I added has made a very big difference. It's much sweeter now - and it definitely needs to be left to finish that secondary fermentation. It's a shame cos the weather is absolutely perfect for sitting outside with pint. But it's probably for the best.
I didn't sleep very well last night. I have to go to Thurso for the grocery shopping today - I think the excitement kept me awake.
Monday, 2 June 2008
I've been hit
I've got an analytics program that runs in the background of this blog. It means I can see how many visitors I'm getting, where they're coming from and stuff - well it keeps me amused.
Yesterday my visitor numbers doubled. This is why: http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/10-crofting-blogs/
A useful resource for anyone interested in modern crofting.
Yesterday my visitor numbers doubled. This is why: http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/10-crofting-blogs/
A useful resource for anyone interested in modern crofting.
Self Control 2
It's really very very nice beer. So I dived into the web and spent £100+ on more beer kits and accessories (it is really important to accessorise - Trinny and Suzanna said so). I'm so excited. But please don't tell Jussi.
We are less than 6 weeks away from the arrival of goats. Mama Mia!
We are less than 6 weeks away from the arrival of goats. Mama Mia!
June 1st
Was glorious - just a hint of breeze to keep the midges at bay - I spent most of the day sitting on the greass reading the Sunday Papers. A perfect day. And I didn't touch the beer!
Self Control
Of course Daniel is right - it is all about self control. But fuckit I haven't come all this way to exercise self control have I? The beer is fabulous. Very crisp, hoppy and refreshing. Ailsa and I went for a run in the van (we have to run the van about once a week to keep the battery charged - well it's an excuse anyway). We went to Strathy Point, Melvich and Portnaskerray.
The highlight of the trip was Ailsa taking her shoes off at the top of the cliff - one shoe inevitably rolled down the grassy cliff and stopped, tantalisingly, at the edge of a 40 ft drop - I had to use my best commandful dad voice to stop her running after it. I think I stayed remarkably calm under the circumstances - she was out of reach and she'd started to run after it when from my inner recesses arose commandful dad voice and halted her. When I caught up with her she insisted she could retrieve said shoe - in socks on wet grass. No chuck. I sent her to safety and stared down the precipice wondering if it was worth orphaning Ailsa for the sake of a shoe.
It's all about risk assessment innit? Likelihood of risk, consequences and things to do to mitigate against the risk. Well, the fact that it was her school shoe conquered all and I brought it safely back. It's nice when people are pleased to see you - like when my head resurfaced over the lip of the cliff - Ailsa's face was a picture of delight.
So I deserved the beer when we got back. I think it is as well that I did - cos it made me go back and check the calculation I'd done for working out the amount of priming sugar to add. I'd got it hopelessly wrong so I added more.
I wont touch it again until tonight maybe. But I'll definitely offer it tomorrow when key neighbour comes round to discuss fencing. (Boundary fencing divvy! really!)
The highlight of the trip was Ailsa taking her shoes off at the top of the cliff - one shoe inevitably rolled down the grassy cliff and stopped, tantalisingly, at the edge of a 40 ft drop - I had to use my best commandful dad voice to stop her running after it. I think I stayed remarkably calm under the circumstances - she was out of reach and she'd started to run after it when from my inner recesses arose commandful dad voice and halted her. When I caught up with her she insisted she could retrieve said shoe - in socks on wet grass. No chuck. I sent her to safety and stared down the precipice wondering if it was worth orphaning Ailsa for the sake of a shoe.
It's all about risk assessment innit? Likelihood of risk, consequences and things to do to mitigate against the risk. Well, the fact that it was her school shoe conquered all and I brought it safely back. It's nice when people are pleased to see you - like when my head resurfaced over the lip of the cliff - Ailsa's face was a picture of delight.
So I deserved the beer when we got back. I think it is as well that I did - cos it made me go back and check the calculation I'd done for working out the amount of priming sugar to add. I'd got it hopelessly wrong so I added more.
I wont touch it again until tonight maybe. But I'll definitely offer it tomorrow when key neighbour comes round to discuss fencing. (Boundary fencing divvy! really!)
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