Catching the light

The winter this far north is pretty dark.

Here on our small Hebridean island at 57° north at this time of year dawn doesn’t break until about 8.30am, and the sun sets before 4.00pm. It’s a short day.

We need to catch as much light as we can.

Cue the enormous windows. They really come into their own in the winter, and being south-east facing they capture as much of the daylight as is possible.

It may be a low sun in the sky in the winter, but every scrap of sunlight helps. The solar gain we get from sunlight, even in the winter, is significant. And beyond that the positive psychological effect of the sunlight is definitely a factor in keeping seasonal depression at bay.

The snow fell hard last night. We watched the snow clouds sweeping in across the Sound yesterday afternoon, dramatic and brooding. And then it started.

By the time we awoke this morning the snow was a good four inches deep, and we judged the access track to the Croft impassable with the gradient of the slope. A friend driving a big 4WD vehicle tied to visit but had to leave it at the bottom of the hill and walk up.

It’s been a quiet, calm day with the cats in front of the fire drinking tea and reading books. My idea of bliss, to be honest.

Even on days like this, the sheer natural beauty of the highlands right outside our window is a constant reminder of why we’re here.