A Recap and an Update

David and Molly Dog arrived yesterday.  We had a fortnight of brilliant weather made even more brilliant by an almost complete lack of midges.  Then we had five days of wind and very heavy showers and no midges.  Yesterday the weather improved but the midges had been bussed in again to torment the unwary (and the wary for that matter).  They are even worse this morning.  I'm not sure what the day will bring but it won't see me in the garden very much that's for sure unless either the winds gets up to keep the midges down or I resort to wearing my midge suit.  This is a tad unfortunate because the wet weather has caused a proliferation of the weeds in the garden including one massive thistle of some sort which grew the size of a dinner plate in just a few days.  C'est la vie.

Anyway I thought I'd show you a few more photos from the weekend visit:

Helen posting a postcard to her Dad in one of his favourite postboxes

The view of Stornoway from Gallows Hill in the Lews Castle Grounds

The wilds of Uig - western Lewis

....and a few minutes later than the previous photograph facing up the coast instead of inland

The Lews Castle from Gallows Hill

Helen and Ian on the machair overlooking Cnip beach and bay in Uig

Four Fast Days

I can't believe that I'm sitting here tonight after four days with my niece Helen and her husband Ian and that they have already left this evening for their home in the South-West of England. We have been to the southernmost and the most northerly points of Lewis and Harris.  We have been to the East and to the West.  We have driven and we have walked.  We have eaten vegetarian food (although not in the café at the Garenin Blackhouses where there was nothing a vegetarian could have for lunch so we went on to Callanish Stones café where there was plenty) and we have talked from morning until night.  It has been an enjoyable and an enlightening few evenings.

For nearly two weeks before they arrived the weather was idyllic.  For the four days they were here it rained and for the first three it blew a gale.  We were exceptionally lucky though in that we never actually got soaked: we always managed to get out of the car for a walk without getting too wet.  I have neither the courage nor the heart to tell them that when I went into town after they had gone into the airport departure lounge this evening that the sun shone and the sky was blue as the clouds dissapated.

South: Helen saw her first seals in the wild in South Harris.

North: I didn't think to take a photo of the lighthouse at the Butt of Lewis because I was too busy
trying to photograph one of the Swifts flying around.  I can't recall seeing a Swift on Lewis before.

West:  At Mealista - the end of the road in Uig - Ian looked out over the Atlantic to the Flannan Isles and North America
(we got a glimpse of the former but the latter was obscured by distance). 

East: At Garry Sands where our children used to play so often and whereI now go all too rarely.
 Helen being a typical Edwards is taking a photo of an Edwards taking a photo.

Says It All Really

Well 12 consecutive days of glorious weather in July on Lewis is worthy of some celebration.

Thankful Thursday

Last night I read Jaz's Thankful Thursday post.  Written in New Zealand it appeared before I went to bed on Wednesday.  I thought that Jaz's words were perfect and I am - absolutely unashamedly - not just going to re-direct you to her post here (where you will see her the photo she used as well) but I am going to repeat her words which I could not hope to better:

Today I am thankful for all expressions of love and care.

Family that pull together and friends that become family.

Being thankful is about taking stock.

I look around me and feel a whole lot of kindness.

As I have said to my children for ever it's what you do and say that REALLY counts. If it aint kind, then don't!

Thankful Thursday everyone!

Jaz x