Ravencroft Skye

This is my third year of growing here and I still struggle with timing of when to start my seeds. I have a tendency to start them too soon, getting impatient and not making an allowance for how far north we are.

Except for chillies and tomatoes, which last year I frustratingly started too late.

The reason that getting the timing right is so critical is that we have such a short growing season at this latitude.

Plants that need heat and light to ripen, such as peppers and tomatoes, struggle with the short summer that we have unless they’re started under heat early.

But if I start sowing too soon, seedlings become leggy and weak rather than developing vigorously.

I’ve started the chillies and some spring onions. Next week I’m going to start some lettuce, spinach and tomatoes. Then a few more herbs, like red basil. I’ve bought my seed potatoes and onion sets ready to go from March onwards, so let the growing season begin!

I am not going near the cucumber seeds any time soon after last year’s Great Cucumber Disaster. I have the packets marked in bold red writing DO NOT TOUCH BEFORE APRIL!

I am not to be trusted.

I don’t know about you guys, but our weekly food bills have been going up and up over this last year. We do eat well, but it’s getting a bit crazy and so I’ve decided to try and do something about it.

Firstly, I’ve decided to move to fortnightly shopping. This should reduce the overall amount of food that we buy, as well as the “incidental” stuff that I tend to add to each shop.

Secondly, a stock-take.

We have two freezers which are pretty full – one holds meat and fish, and the other prepared foods and vegetables.

We also have an almost full pantry, (affectionately known here as The Panty) with stocks of olive oil, flour, tinned goods, potatoes, sauces and dried food like rice and pasta. Looking through what we’ve got stored makes me realise that I need to get much better at using what we already have.

Starting from this week I’m going to meal plan based on what we’ve got stored, and try and use that. It may mean dinners that are a little different to what we’d normally have (that means trying that tuna, pea and lemon pasta bake, Hugh!) but a bit of imagination goes a long way.

It should mean that any supplemental shops are small, for things like fresh milk, yoghurt and fruit, and all of that can be picked up easily from our local community store. I bake bread each week already: I’ll probably just need to do so a bit more frequently. I don’t think that either of us will have a problem with that.

Our last shop was on Friday and I’ve not planned another for the next two weeks, so wish me luck!

Bring on the lentil bakes!

It gives me an ironic pleasure to use the phrase “growth plans” now that I’m no longer part of the corporate world. Because I’m not talking about budget projections, sales targets or strategic goals, I’m talking about plants and real growth.

Much more real and meaningful.

This is the year that we plan to extend the outdoor raised bed area by a further four or five new beds so that we can extend what we grow on the croft.

This will take a reasonably major effort as we’ll need to hire a digger to level the very uneven ground in that area, as well as dig paths between the beds and build some cold frames.

All of this will free up space in the polycrub for more plants requiring protection, allowing us to extend the quantity and range of what we grow.

I’ve kept records of what we planted where last year and notes on the relative success or failure of each crop so that we can make good choices this year.

I started this week by sorting out my seed box, where it all begins. It’s been seriously in need of a trawl-through for some time and I’ve ordered some proper dividers so that I can sort things by sowing month order.

I’ve established what I have and ordered what I still need, sorted out duplicate and out-of-date packets and worked out what to sow in the coming few weeks.

I’ve worked out how to start my seeds in the house before transfer to the polycrub with a dedicated shelving unit in front of a head-height window in my study to get the best light, whilst at the same time keeping them out of the way of the cats.

I’m not sure quite how or why I’ve ended up with several different varieties of chillies, or at least twelve varieties of tomato seed, but there you go! Plenty for seed swaps and to give to friends as well as more than enough for the coming spring.

Growing is a challenging thing up here at 57° North, but all the more satisfying when you manage to succeed with something you had expected to struggle with.

My big successes last year were celery, carrots, salad leaves and the unexpected joy of a few tubs of night-scented stock. My big failures last year were aubergines, cucumber and cauliflower. With every year I learn more, adapt, and hopefully become a better grower.

Here’s to a good growing season for us all.

The year has definitely started with a shout. And much moaning, whistling and roarage.

Storm Isha hit us two days after the snow had cleared, bringing high winds and torrential rain.

The worst of it came after we went to bed last night with the strong westerly gales whipping around the house and over the roof. The noise at times was incredible.

The winds got to around 70mph in violent gusts. The local weather station clocked winds of 103mph at Elgol, a few miles away on the west coast of the island, and the news has reported 160mph in the Cairngorms on mainland Scotland. There have been deaths. This is serious stuff.

The noise of the storm even scared the cats – it was probably their first ever big storm, thinking about it. Freya wriggled her way up to the top of the bed and crouched on Hugh for a while, then slipped down into the gap between us, where she felt safe, purring until sleep caught up with her.

We lost a slate from the roof in the wind but thankfully nothing more serious. It doesn’t matter that you know that your windows are rated to be safe over 120mph winds or that SIP houses are designed to be strong : the storm is a visceral thing and lying in bed listening to the creaks and bangs of debris or panels being beaten in the wind, I still got the fears.

We have more to come. Tuesday and Wednesday are looking bad too so we shall just batten down the hatches, keep the fire lit and stay safe.

Wishing everyone who has been affected by this storm a more peaceful night tonight, and my hopes that we will all make it through safely.

After four days of being snowed-in, with nothing able to get up or down our township road, the big thaw started.

The rain had begun earlier that day, relentless, grey needles of wet, and the puddles had started to form. This grey, slushy stage of a snow landscape is by the far the least attractive part, but much as we loved the white silence of the snowscape we were ready for the thaw.

Friends with a Land Rover managed to struggle through the remaining snow to the top of the hill for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. It was actually so nice to see people after an enforced week indoors and without any human contact.

We sat in front of the fire, drank tea, played with the cats and marvelled at the snow that we’d just experienced.

As the day started to darken we realised that they’d been with us for three hours so it was time to say farewell and dispatch them back into the cold evening to make their way back to their home on their own hillside a few miles away.

This morning marks a return to something closer to normality. A food shop should be possible later today to replenish fresh goods. The pantry has worked well but we need a few replacement supplies, and we’re running low on fruit and cheese.

I’ve baked bread and scones to keep us going, and cold weather food in the form of stews, soups and cheesy savouriness. It’s been lovely to hunker down by the fire and be cosy knowing that there’s nowhere else you have to be, or indeed could be.

All expectations for the day beyond staying warm and eating, shelved.

I’m sure that this won’t be the last snow of the winter but for now the worst of this is over.

We now just have the slush and the gales to enjoy.

It’s useful to look back and see what we ate for inspiration for next year’s cold months. Here’s a small selection from January.

It snowed properly last night at last, and the forecast is for more in this coming week.

Hugh was up early to drive to Broadford and reported that the main road was passable with care. The township road is sheet ice and is less easy to navigate, being steep and narrow. I think we’ll just stay in for a while!

There’s about an inch of snow lying, but it’s still snowing. The cats have never seen snow before as it’s their first winter, and they’re loving it.

I’ve just started the dough for a loaf of onion bread and I’ll be making soup shortly. It’s definitely the sort of day for watching the weather from the comfort of the sofa, and soup, blankets, books and a good fire.

The highest peak of Ladhar Bheinn is permanently dusted with snow now. It stands white and proud from the rest of the mountains in the Knoydart range, unusually clear today rather than swathed in wisps of cloud.

We haven’t had any snow here on the croft yet, which, based on our experience of the last three years, is unusual. It will come, but it’s been a surprisingly mild winter so far – a few crispy frosts, lots of achingly clear nights, but no snow.

The cats are spending lots of time out on the croft, still catching voles on a pretty regular basis.

Their paws are cold and their fur is stiff with frost when they come in from their wandering. They fight for the comfiest seats before settling down on the sofa cushions and curling up to sleep. Cats sleep like the most blissful things, small, boneless furry piles of vibrating happiness.

We’ve had the most amazing sunrises and sunsets over these last few weeks.

Whilst the outdoor temperatures are hovering around freezing, we find indoor jobs, read, bake, watch old films, go out for walks to the local beaches for blasts of cold air, pick up interesting rocks, and of course eat.

It’s mainly stews, soups, dumplings, gratins and cheese – simple, warming winter food for this weather.

I know that folk struggle with winter. But with the bright winter sunshine on occasional days and the clear, cold air, I love this season.

Of course it’s easier when you’re not in a caravan..

And so here we are again entering a new year. That strange calendar construct that signals the turning of the world and the passage of our lives.

I don’t subscribe to the idea that everything will change miraculously on 1st January and that only at this point in the year do our intentions to be better galvanise us into action.

But it’s as good a point as any to reflect on the year just past and to look forward to what the year ahead holds in store for us all.

As I sit here contemplating the state of our fridge and freezer, my mind turns to food. We ended up doing a lot of entertaining over the festive period, and I’m frankly exhausted from cooking.

We have a fridge full of leftovers. We’ve just completed our last commitments with neighbours on New Years Day, and I’m now looking forward to a week of subsisting on easy meals.

We have enough cheese to sink a battleship, which is a nice problem to have. As much as I’d love to just eat cheese in its various guises for the next week I feel that we have to inject some vegetables, so I shall be frenziedly chopping up anything green or still crunchy from the fridge for mixed salads.

I know most cheeses freeze well. But I’d rather eat it fresh, grilled, gratinated or chutneyed. I’m thinking cheesy leeks, grilled cheese sandwiches, Brie risotto.. there I go again. Before I know it I’m planning meals that involve cooking and I’m trying to avoid that for a few days at least.

I’m wishing you all a wonderful new year. Think positively, embrace all possibilities and make the most of what you have. Love your friends and family. If you are lucky enough to have someone special in your life, be grateful and enjoy them.

Try and live lightly on this fragile planet, wasting as little as you can, simplifying wherever you can. Make time to enjoy the wind, the rain and the mountains as well as the sun.

Read good books.

Grow food and flowers and try and contribute to the biodiversity of your environment in any way that you can.

Be a bit wild occasionally and don’t fear to take chances. We have one life and we all deserve to be happy. Happiness is often found in the most unlikely of places, so open doors, be curious, take opportunities.

Love your life.