There’s been a distinct drop in temperature over the last few days. Enough for a sharp intake of breath whilst slipping legs between bedsheets at night. I think we may have to put the electric blanket back on. That alone saved us last winter, I’m sure of it.
The hedgerows are full of blackberries which we must find time to get out and plunder. Autumn isn’t worth having without homemade apple and blackberry pies.
The shed is now built and it’s so startlingly big that I did warn husband that if we weren’t in the house soon we’d be moving the bed into it. It’s better insulated than the caravan and you could seriously house entire families in there.
I know better than to get used to its exquisite emptiness, though. It’ll be full of boxes and building material in no time, and glimpses of the floor will soon become a rarity.
The house build continues after a few weeks hiatus with husbands back problems. We will clear the building materials out over the next week and hopefully continue the electrics, kitchens and bathrooms.
We’ve been testing Osmo oil wood treatments on slips of spare wood for the cladding in the bathrooms. The second coat is drying at the moment then we’ll head in and compare. Everything looks so different in situ. The light makes a huge difference.
We also made a second visit to Skye Sawmills yesterday to try and source oak planks for our sills.
The challenge is those enormous windows in the living area, which will need 4m long pieces, something that it’s proving almost impossible to find. If possible I didn’t want joins.
Brendan didn’t have oak that long, however he did have something interesting – old church pew planks from a dismantled church in Broadford. They’re at least 150 years old, burnished to a patina with the feverish righteousness of all those worshippers bottoms.
I love the idea of reusing old wood from a local church, and having a bit of history in our sparingly new home, so if the price is right we’d love to take them.
The holiest sills on the island!
Ravencroft Skye 
I have noticed the choll too but have picked loads of blackberries and am now onto the elderberries. I have shed envy looking at your barn. And I love the idea of old pews for windowsills!
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I’m jealous of your blackberries and elderberries! Next year, when we have more room. I’d love to make wine with them..☺️
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I have bottked blackberries and made apple and bramble & apple and apple & elderberry jellies, blackberry vinegar and now I am doing blackberry gin and sloe gin! But in a caravan kitchen any of those would be a nightmare so such things will have to wait for your new kitchen.
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I, too, have shed envy – makes my garage look like a tip!
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I’m sure that ours will be a tip in no time too 🙈
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It’s a sign from the Gods!!
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Ha ha! Perhaps it is ☺️
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The idea of church pews as sills is fantastic. If you can get them do, it’ll add an extra layer to your project and be a great talking point. You should research the church they come from if you do so you can always look at them and know the history they witnessed!
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Absolutely. Will need to chat more to Brendan to find out the background. I love a bit of local history 👍
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Holy bottoms! (giggle, giggle, snort). Sorry, my inner 12 year old escaped.
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We all have an inner twelve year old. Mine is called Mandy
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🤣🤣🤣 Well hello Mandy
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