In the lands of the North where the black rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long, the people of Sconser sit by their great log fires and they tell a tale. They tell of the days before the coming of broadband when the people of Sconser would sit by their computers for long hours, waiting for web pages to download ( Read more... )

The gas engineer is fitting new pipes to our cookers - apparently for the last year I have been at risk of blowing myself, the hotel and possibly a small section of the Isle of Skye to kingdom come. It is too midgy to sit outside or garden, it is one of those still, sticky grey days, and to quote Mr Vinegar aged 3, I am as hot as a boil. So Live ( Read more... )

We have a group of the most cackly Scandinavian women in the bar - possibly Serafina Pekkala and chums - they are playing Pictionary in a scandinavian language laced with english and shrieking with laughter. It sounds hilarious; all I can hear is "smerdy berdy smerdy berdy smerdy berdy ....potatoes" followed by mass hilarity. And a HIK was called ( Read more... )

I am currently reading Margaret Bennett's Scottish Customs From the Cradle to the Grave which I am finding absolutely riveting, not least because I am too busy to cope with extended works of fiction at the moment. Because it's an anthology of old writing on folk traditions, combined with interviews with the elderly, it's perfect for dipping into. ( Read more... )

Tonight I am feeling moderately virtuous because I am supping a glass of Grozet. It is a traditional Highland ale made with gooseberries, and so I am easily able to think it is healthy and good for me. I won't quite be including it in my daily 5 portions, but I am sure I could. The same company make a heather ale called Fraoch (which I am proud to ( Read more... )

I have just remembered another funny from Alfie last week. We all went for lunch to a pub up the road which has a children's playground and while swinging and sliding Alfie met another small boy who was equally outspoken and boastful in that adorable four year old fashion. As his trump card the other boy (and I want you to imagine a Skye accent ( Read more... )

Have had this much wine and shouldn't be posting. Am missing the earwig and the valley girl ( Read more... )

I posted the other week about ( Slow Food )

Today, and yesterday, and very likely tomorrow as well, we are Deep Cleaning the kitchen. Although cleaning cookers etc is not normally something I enjoy there is something rather satisfying about the end result when everything is sparkly and shiny and not sticky. And Murdo MacLeod, who is our wonderful barman and we all love him to bits, was a ( Read more... )

It is quite extraordinary - there is a photo of a child on the front of the Observer Food magazine who is the image of my SIL's son Alfie, and he has the same name and is the same age, but it isn't him. So he must have a double. We told Alfie about it on the phone and he said "Oh I don't think I want three Alfies. Just two." Sometimes I really ( Read more... )