Thursday 31 January 2013

Day 31 - Beautiful white horses but I have failed.

Thursday 31st January
Let me get my confession out of the way first. I have failed my very first new year challenge as I have not mastered the skill of spinning. Worse than that, I have not even managed a lesson yet. This pitiful position is of my own doing as I have got rather distracted by my new studio. I am a bit prone to distraction I am afraid. Once I get an idea I am a bit of a dog with a bone and so I can't really help myself. Thus, spinning is pushed into February. It is a winter activity for me so I am running out of time. It is a another example of 'she must try harder' that we all dreaded getting on our school reports. Actually, my school resports were ok on the effort front but the least said about ability the better.

Quite a dramatic night last night which seeped into the morning. Very high winds meant the ferry stayed in the safety of Brodick and we all sat it out together. I have been in the tunnel all morning with the boys and we did feel we could lift off at any moment. I had visions of a ragged mother and her two urchins clinging onto a tunnel frame while being swept out into the bay. No doubt the boys would have enjoyed that little expedition but I am less keen. Thankfully the tunnel stayed in tact and we were able to go about our business in relative peace. Late January is when we start planting seeds on a weekly basis. For many of our plants we don't want them all ready at the same time so succession planting is the answer. We rely on George's computer brain to tell us what to do next. I can usually keep up for the first couple of weeks then it goes fuzzy round the edges.

This morning saw us planting tomato, dill, and basil from the herb and vegetable list and Oxeye daisy, Stocks and more Sweet Peas from the flower list. I am in danger of over doing it on the Sweet Pea front but I adore them so much I don't always know when to stop. The Oxeye daisies are a new addition to the list as I want to manage the wildflower meadow a bit more closely to stop invasive species taking over. Stocks are just the most stunning cut flower of them all. If you want to grow cut flowers you should buy what I consider to be the bible of cut flower growing - 'The Cutting Garden' by Sarah Raven. It is the most fantastic book and all you will ever need in order to grow your own cut flowers. I do wish more of us would grow our own flowers for cutting rather than buying from florists or worse, supermarkets. As a nation we buy in the majority of our cut flowers which are flown in from places like Africa and South America. The green credentials are almost completely lacking whereas if we grew our own our green credentials would be sky high. It really isn't that difficult and I will be blogging about what I do as I do it. I appreciate I have more space that some of you but I will try and recommend plants that will keep on giving and do not require a huge amount of space.

I will say right from the start that Scabiosa is my absolute favourite cut flower as it has a lovely sized bloom, comes in lots of colours and has excellent vase life. You should aim to buy a couple of different colours from a garden centre or horticultural web site in early spring and plant them where they have plenty of room to grow outwards and they will come back year after year. That said, they can take over but that is easily resolved by digging them up and dividing them.

I am early sowing my dill seeds and I have sown some into pots as these will be the ones I will be selling as an annual herb. Dill is best sown direct once the soil starts to warm up in the spring. If you can spare a small patch for dill you will be rewarded with a fabulous herb which is majestic with fish and greenery for your cut flowers that makes a real statement. We are not early with our timatoes though and if you want to grow some this year you need to sow them before the end of february into seed trays or small pots and cover with a plastic lid. They like it warm and should push through very quickly. Today we sowed Ailsa Craig variety which is a very reliable crop for growing in our tunnel. If you are new to tomatoe growing try a tumbling variety and when the plants are strong enough and the weather warmer plant them into hanging baskets. They do well with basil and strawberries to keep them company.

George and Max then helped me with the potting on tasks which will take some weeks to complete. I am not confident that my rosemary stock has over-wintered at all well but my thyme looks very healthy. I have managed to source some wooden herb boxes at wholesale price so that will be the main plan this year. We will still sell the individual herbs but we are 'gifting it up' a bit this year as well. We sell to local shops and also at the market that runs once a week all throughout the summer. So, it was a good morning in the tunnel and we can safely say that progress was made. I am about to order a book recommended by Katy my smallholding pal who lives in Switzerland. The book is called 'Grow Something to Eat Every Day' by Jo Whittingham and is available for under £10 on Amazon. I am sure we are not all in a position to grow something every day but I like the spirit of the book and it has excellent reviews.

I managed to fit in some study with Harry where we were looking at different training zones and once again I reminded myself I need to get in that swimming pool. It is Max's birthday on Monday so the date is set for a lovely long swim followed by lunch at the spa. Max is currently teaching me to do handstands under water so I apologise, in advance, to anyone who is planning to be in the pool the same time as us. It is not a pretty site but clearly a skill I must master!

The sea has turned a deep blue colour but the white horses are galloping along in good spirits. I am studying bird song at the moment using a cd by Kate Humble that was free in the newspaper. I can, indeed, hear lots of bird song but I don't have much idea about which birds are making the sound. I am putting food out faithfully on the bird table but all the birds appear to prefer the seaweed on my raised beds and I am at a loss to know why.

I note that it is the end of January and that is the first month of blogging completed. I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would. For those of you reading this blog for the first time I would summarize the first month by saying it has covered a variety of topics. These have included tales of a bonkers woman who feared for her fingers and toes, a hen house that is no more, a falling out with David Cameron and a deep desire to take my clothes off. That about covers it... speak in February, that will be tomorrow.
Picture is of a charming yellow scabiosa that I used in a wedding a couple of years ago. The bride and groom were very big on green credentials and we grew every flower for their wedding. Lovely!


And to celebrate the completion of a whole month of blogging the second picture is of lavender, one my favourite herbs.




Wednesday 30 January 2013

Day 30 - taking a bit of a punt.

Wednesday 30th January

Wet and windy would describe our start to the day on Arran but now the rain has stopped and the sun has come out. I have spent a blissful couple of hours in the tunnel continuing my quest to be ready for spring. All my work spaces have to operate smoothly as once the season gets underway I am a very busy little bee. We have an issue with wood on Hazelbank. It just keeps appearing and this morning my entrance into the tunnel was greeted with another piece of wood blocking access to my pots. I understand it is the new floor for the studio and it was rescued from a skip. All good, but why does it need to be blocking off my pots? What kind of grower am I without pots? Wood moved and rest of the family occupied elsewhere I set to the task to get that space working. Pleased that at least one end of the tunnel works well now I gave it a little test drive and potted on some of last years lavenders. I am taking a bit of a punt by potting them on this early but I am thinking 'Mother's Day gift'. Lavenders do not like being disturbed but I did compensate with some food and grit in their new compost. They may now sulk or they may, if I am lucky, push on with new growth and look fabulous in time for mothers on Arran so receive a lovely lavender plant wrapped with pretty paper and ribbons.

Lavender is the most used crop on our smallholding and I need to bring some new ones on for my own purposes this year. I am quite sure you all know that they grow best in an area facing south and that they do not like wet feet. Keep them as dry as you dare and if planting them on or even out into beds mix some grit or gravel in with the compost or soil to help with drainage. There are many different varieties of lavender but aim for hardy ones if you can because they will make it through the winter. They will flower in June and continue throughout the summer. Harvest the flowers on their stems on a regular basis, tie in bunches and hang upside down out of direct sunlight to dry. The scent off dried lavender is much stronger than the fresh flowers so it is worth giving it a try.

Before winter sets in give your plants a quick trim to tidy them up and get rid of any poor growth. I find I have to do that again in the early spring because my plants winter in the tunnel and are prone to a bit of growth when the winter sun shines. In the spring you can also start taking cuttings to make new plants. Lavender plants tend to get very woody once they start to get too large so it is always a good idea to have some new plants to replace them. The woody stems will burn wonderfully well on your fire and help to cleanse your house.

I am quite sure I shouldn't give away all my secrets when it comes to lavender as the herb is a bit of a signature plant for our business. But now we are firm friends I will share a few little gems. For those of you who struggle to sleep well you could make a small pillow and fill it with a mix of dried lavender and hops. Men falling asleep easily after too much beer is mainly due to the hops used in the brewing process! Cut out the beer and go for a sleep pillow instead. If you place it under your pillow the fragrance will be released everytime you move your head.

Hang bunches of dried lavender by your doors to keep insects out in the summer months. You should put some under your door mat as well. Placing dried lavender under the seats of your car and in the boot deters insects but also keeps your car smelling lovely.

Lavender tea is very refreshing and excellent for cleansing your digestion system.

Recipe
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers (English lavender)
1 tablespoon English Breakfast tea
a teaspoon of fresh lemon
sugar or honey

Put boiling water over the dried lavender and tea and allow to sit for a few minutes then add the lemon and strain. Add sugar or honey as required.

Take your tea into the bath with you. Tie a muslin circle up containing dried lavender and oats to make a lovely bath infusion. Place it over the hot tap when running the bath and lie back and relax. Lavender is excellent for combating stress as it aids relaxation.

So let us hope that we all have a go at growing some lavender this year. You don't need much space as it grows well in a pot. It is very tricky to grow lavender from seed so I suggest you buy a small plant around March from a local garden centre. It will grow on very quickly once the weather warms up.

The boys have just arrived back from badminton and one of our collies is squeaking for his tea so my quiet and calm time is over. I did manage a little trip to the DIY shop to get some seeds to sow and that is what the boys and I are doing tomorrow in my smooth running tunnel. I get my tomatoes in early and I am hopeful for a better crop this year. What can be raised off the ground is being so in the hope that the slugs haven't perfected the skill of jumping yet. My studio may be far from ready but it does have a lovely selection of bulbs growing in pots outside it along with some pretty primroses that I couldn't resist. It is so lovely to have a bit of colour.

I have rescued an old garden table and will re-varnish it and put it outside the studio. I hope to run more courses this year and this will make a great space when the sun shines with a view to the sea. My first flower school in March is almost full so I am off to a good start. I also rescued an old wooden step ladder that I am going to paint and put in the studio as it will be a great place to hang my silk when it is drying. I could get into reclaiming and revamping and just think of the money I have saved. The tax bill was paid this morning so that was a bit painful but I am continuing with my mission to spend as little money as possible. It does, of course, mean a bit of time and effort but my dad always told me that 'hard work didn't kill anyone.' I am currently contemplating how to use the two metal ends of a lovely garden bench that fell apart because of rotten wood. Any ideas gratefully received.

I have just noticed two things - the first being that it is 4.20pm and it is still light (excellent) and the second being that it is suddenly very windy. Here we go again...
Speak tomorrow. xx
Picture is of me (left) with my soul sister Donna. The stars were added by her son!






Tuesday 29 January 2013

Day 29 - I don't want to take my clothes off.....

Tuesday 29th January

Almost at the end of my first full month of blogging and now pushed through 1,500 page views so I am really pleased. I have a growing following in the Far East which makes me smile as it is a million miles away from our little island. When I started this blog I had no idea what it would lead to but it is slowly taking over my life. Opportunities are opening up on almost a daily basis and I have quite decided that I love blogging. I have already converted my brain to a blogging brain and it will stay like that for the duration of the project. I heard today that my little blog has been nominated for a 'good blogging' award. I don't expect to win anything but the fact that I have been nominated is good enough for me. I will, of course, keep you updated on that.

I should have gone to the wonderful Auchrannie Spa Resort today and had a swim in their fabulous pool. I decided to paint the inside of my new studio instead with the help of George and Max. It is a wet and windy day on the island and there is a distinct lack of light. I am not sure I like these grey days and a swim would have done me some good. The hurdle is one of taking my clothes off. In the winter I find it more difficult to motivate myself to enter the changing rooms and put on my swimming costume. It is a pathetic excuse as the changing rooms are always warm and after the swim the reward is a lovely coffee in the bar. My mother manages to do it and it is time I got with the programme again. It will also give me the opportunity to tell you more about the spa so I need to stop stacking up excuses and just get on with it.

However, I have painted the inside of my studio but also discovered water getting in from the new roof. I broke that news to Pete earlier and he was, as you would expect, delighted! We have problems with roofs on Hazelbank and are about to tackle a major repair of a flat section on the main house. The covering for that is made of a rubber like material and should do the job well. Me thinks I will need to order a section for my little studio as well. The one thing you can guarantee on Arran is that you will get rain and lots of it. Keeping rain out of buildings is a constant battle and not our favourite topic on Hazelbank. Just when you have repaired one section you spring a leak somewhere else.

I heard about an fatal accident on the M3 this morning. A motorcyclist was killed as he collided with a lorry. Not really a fair contest. It brought back memories of a commute that I used to do up the M3 to my job at the university at Winchester. I hated every single journey and it didn't seem to matter when I took that journey because it was always busy. One morning I was going quite well in the middle lane when I heard a massive crunch and looked round to discover a lorry at driven right into the side of me. Within split seconds my car was knocked into the outside lane. Someone was looking down on me that day because the guy in the outside lane saw what was about to happen and slowed right up creating a space for me in his lane. I am not totally sure how I stayed on the road such was the impact. I got control of the car and drove it slowly shifting lanes until I could get on the hard shoulder only to watch the lorry sail past me. The guy in the outside lane was having none of the run away lorry and sped after him, pulling in front of him to force him onto the hard shoulder ahead of me.

A foreign driver emerged from the lorry cab full of apologies and I was grateful for the help of my little saviour as he searched through all the paperwork from the driver and noted down what I need for the insurance claim. I just stood there, fixed to the ground and tried to make sense of what had just happened. I kept looking at the size of the lorry and then the size of my car. That wasn't a fair contest either and, by rights, I probably shouldn't be here to tell the story.

Eventually I got back into my car which I could still drive despite a rather squashed side and drove to work. I was due at an early morning meeting but I phoned Pete to tell him I had been hit by a lorry before going to the meeting. I nursed my car home later and Pete just stared at it in not knowing how I had not been hurt.

I continued to drive up and down the M3 for some years after the accident and continued to hate every minute of it. How my life has changed now. There is one 'main' road around the island and a couple of much smaller ones across it. There are no motorways! There aren't even any roundabouts or traffic lights and absolutely no queues. My heart goes out to the familiy of the motorcylist at this incredibly sad time.

I will stick to my Arran roads. I don't drive on the mainland now as I have lost my confidence and I didn't much like it anyway. I take the train now and I am going to persuade the Scottish government to extend the new high speed railway network to Ardrossan. Then when I get off the ferry and onto the train I can be with my lovely friends down south in a heartbeat. Not a lorry in sight. George is making cake. Excellent xx
Picture is of fragments I found on the beach. Perfect!


Monday 28 January 2013

Day 28 - I need to stop having ideas!

Monday 28th January

What a way to start the week. Quite a storm passing through and around our little island. Winds in excess of 50 miles an hour with gusts nearer 70 and now we have very heavy rain as the daylight disappears. Not much fun if I am honest and I don't see the week improving much.

No matter, I have had a lovely afternoon with two fellow craftworkers; Angie and Ruth. You will hear about them for time to time as I think our creative paths may well begin to work more closely. Angie makes the most wonderful cushions I have ever seen and a range of other fabric based products. Ruth makes a range of things including raggy circles which are just so sweet. We met over the mandatory tea and cake for a catch up and to see how we might support each other. Networking on a small island is so important and I think Angie and Ruth are both better than me so I need to get with the programme a bit. It was useful to share experiences and we have hatched a plan for Mother's Day and more on that in due course.

I have decided to set up a separate facebook page for Scottish Island Mum to divorce it from my personal page. The aim of the facebook page is to be able to offer up little gems of information about the island. This daily blog remains the same but the facebook page will allow me to offer things up as I think of them. I will be putting a direct link in the sidebar. For those of you on facebook just press like and you will get the status updates on your page as they come through. I had an interesting moment last night when I went on the Visit Arran facebook page and found a link to my island blogging page. Strange how the internal virtual networks weave their little pieces of magic. Reminds me of the elf and the shoemaker story when things happen while the shokemaker is sleeping.

Apart from doing some weather watching we did manage home school and Max and George are now converting their raw data on the EU into tables and graphs. At the rate they are going they will have worked out the best country to live in in the EU and we won't see them for dust. If it wasn't so dark in the winter I could be tempted by the Scandanavian countries. Their lifestyle indices are stacking up very well against the rest of us....I did manage to make the point to the boys that if Scotland votes for independence in 2014 we would have to start the whole EU application process again. It is all very topical in home school and I do love that we can make those sorts of responses as we are not constrained by a set curriculum. As a little unit we are obsessed with the TV show on saturday night to find Britain's brightest. I lull myself into a false positive by starting off quite well and then the old brain gives up far too soon. I listen as my boys sail pass me and I really believe that George has a computer for a brain. We like that it is testing different types of intelligence and we laughed when it basically stated that there is no such thing as multi-tasking. This does, however, blow a big hole in the female argument that we are better than men at it!

Despite me not finding enough time in the day to work with Harry he still managed to put in some hours on his diploma in health and fitness. He then emerges to calculate his body mass index and his percentage of body fat. I helped him with the measurements and prayed he didn't ask me to join in this particular task. His results were excellent with only 13% body fat with 15% considered as excellent. I thought he would be pleased and he was for a moment until he read the bit that said that top athletes aim for between 5-10% fat. That then became his next challenge. Harry takes fitness very seriously and combines theory and practice really well. I think this approach to learning will serve him very well throughout his life.

This week I really have to move from design into making as Mother's Day is on the horizon and I am by no means ready. We are painting the inside walls of the studio tomorrow and Pete will then lay the new floor. The plan is to make pieces of art specifically for this space so I am not expecting the studio to be finished until March. I am then hoping for some sunshine so I can run an open afternoon with tea and cake. I have commissioned a number of pieces from local artists and craftworkers and I am just hoping it will all come together. It might not be the grandest studio that ever did exist but it is mine and it is a place I will treasure. I have a leading contender for the name 'Hen Hut.' I like the simplicity of it but I won't be making a final decision until nearer opening time so keep the suggestions coming. A little bag of goodies is available for the person who suggests the final name.


Just gone 5pm and almost dark and time to charge around doing housework things. I have persuaded a very good friend of mine to come up to help me photograph some of the island in the spring. We shall set a side a whole week and will have such fun. The best pictures will be selected to appear on a spring photographic blog so we can all enjoy the island in the spring. I must just tell you that I am thinking beyond my Eigg work in the summer. I am wondering whether I could, over time, visit all the scottish islands. Not that would make a good blog....I need to stop having ideas and get the hoover out. Half an hour to hoover and an hour to find the kitten afterwards. Until tomorrow. xx
Picture is of the path at the dyemill in the summer. Love the green.


Sunday 27 January 2013

Day 27 - About to get battered.

Sunday 27th January

Today the island feels like it is getting ready for the storm that we all know is coming. The winds are already quite high and the sky has turned that grey colour that usually tells us trouble is on the horizon. We will get completely battered tomorrow and we know it! High winds are a significant feature of island living and I am guessing this would put some people off living here. For me, it is just part of island life but it is important to show mother nature some serious respect at such times. If we don’t want our bunnies to be blown away we are going to have to move them to the back of the house, out of the winds. Anything that can get blown about needs moving or anchoring down and then we just wait. The ferry will wait as well and people will scuttle into their homes to sit it out. My plan is to blog my way through it so look out tomorrow to see how we all get on.

George and Max are with Grannie and Hamish seeing Skyfall at the Screen Machine. This is a touring cinema which is essentially a lorry! It is a fabulous invention as it allows islanders and other remote communities to see films that they would otherwise not be able to view until the DVDs are released. Harry is out with his mates and Pete is at work. I have just finished my RSPB Garden Bird Watch for this year. It was easy as our garden birds appear to be fascinated by the seaweed covering our vegetable beds. I just sat and looked at the seaweed and sure enough they all came to say hello. A good variety came but I can’t help smiling when Mr Robin arrives because the rest of the birds all leave and fast. He is such a bully boy. The high winds have disturbed the birds and my count is down on last year but I am pleased with the variety of species. All I need to do now is enter the data online. I do hope some of you guys are managing to do your own bird watch as I know how much the RSPB relies on this data. If you want to see what birds visit our little island go to Arran Birding. Their photo gallery is a joy!

It is lovely to be back on Arran after our trip away but I did just want to say a little more about Scotland Street Museum which was home to the Beatrix Potter exhibition. Scotland Street School was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh between 1902-1906. It remained a school until 1979 but now, as a museum, it charts the development of education in Scotland. It just took us back to a different time in education. Both Pete and I were born in the 1960s and our schooling was represented in the museum. We recognized ways of teaching and learning. We were both fascinated by the black and white films of education post war. The faces of the children told a story of a different time in education. A time before computers and mobile phones and a time when teachers were considered as Gods! You could see the respect in the eyes of the children but, importantly, you could see the enthusiasm. Learning actively engaged them and I don’t think it occurred to them to see it any differently. That attitude is still evident in part today but a lot of it has been erased by elements like peer pressure, lack of respect for teachers and modern technology drawing their attention away. Young people of today are bombarded with stimuli and I really believe they don’t know how to concentrate on just one thing; the lesson being taught at the time. There was, of course, a lot to criticize about education in the 1950s and 1960s but I do feel we have lost something in the modern era. The museum building itself is a wonderful example of a school built in the early 20th century and by the great Charles Mackintosh. As you would expect the shape of the building is a work of art as are the windows. I am not sure why the building still smelt like a school though? If you get the chance to go it is worth a visit and the subway to Shields Road takes you right there. As you exit the station the museum is almost immediately opposite. The photograph shows the entrance and really took us back before we even stepped in the place.


Entry is free, although a donation of £3.00 is most welcome. There is a shop and a small café and it is a well set up for families. As I said in yesterdays post I am writing a review of the Peter Rabbit exhibition so more on that another day.

I am deep into my research of the Isle of Eigg as this is where Molly will spend July this year. As a conservation volunteer she will learn all about the island. It is a fascinating place and I am hoping to go there in her final week to see the place for myself. Bought by the community in the late 1990s these islanders are really showing us the way to go. Self sufficiency isn’t something that refers to their food it also, crucially, refers to their various green energy projects. I will, of course, be featuring the achievements of the islanders in this blog and yes, they do have broadband!

In time I want to visit as many Scottish islands as I can and I am particularly drawn to ones that are smaller than Arran. I would love to visit the Orkney Isles as I understand their flora and fauna is spectacular. During the summer on Arran I am going to take you guys on a ‘walk on the wildside’ by taking you to see some of the spots where our wildlife can be seen. I actually began this last summer so I am already ahead and I will include these experiences in my postings as they become relevant.

I just must tell you that my sweet pea seeds are all through and this week will see the planting of tomato seeds and so we head towards another growing season. I am currently collecting tin cans to paint. I am going to paint these and plant them up with strawberry plants and hang them on my porch of my studio. Creative plans for the studio are continuing but, as yet, no name. I fear I am being too fussy on this. If you would like to get a sense of where my thinking is on the studio visit my Pinterest Board. I am off to do some much needed housework. Yes, even mums living on a Scottish island have to do housework. Xx
Picture is of a doorway into the formal gardens at Brodick Castle. It always makes me think of the Secret Garden. Maybe I will create one on Hazelbank....


Saturday 26 January 2013

Day 26 - the designer needs a rethink.

Saturday 26th January
Arrived safely back on my beloved Arran after a lovely couple of days in Glasgow. I fall more in love with that city every time I go and I think it should be on everyone's 'to do' list if you haven't been there already. We left on the early ferry yesterday to be sure of getting off and it was already on amber alert meaning that it is subject to delay or cancellation. After a fairly rocky crossing we were pleased to be on the train to Glasgow. In under two hours we are in the centre of Glasgow and in a completely different world. After the very necessary coffee we took the subway train to the Peter Rabbit exhibition. It is set in an old school designed by Charles Mackintosh and that, in itself, was a joy to behold. More on that in the post tomorrow. The Beatrix Potter was dedicated to the new 'Further Tales of Peter Rabbit' which was written by Emma Thompson. I have been commissioned to do a review on it so when I have finished that I will do a potted version here. Suffice to say, it was wonderful and I became beautifully lost for an hour in the world of bunnies and hedgehogs.

The main purpose behind the trip was to see 'Midsummer's Night Dream' the opera at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s collaboration with Scottish Opera offered up a revival of Olivia Fuchs’s 2005 production with musical score by Benjamin Britten. Gin and tonic in hand we settled down for the three act opera hoping to be inspired. In my previous life as a performing arts lecturer I saw so many productions and, in the case of this play, have put it on on various occasions and know it well. I should say I am very picky when it comes to the theatre.

There were some real moments of highlight, particularly in the second act, and some of the cast were very good indeed. It was a modern interpretation with a very post modern staging strategy. This was, I believe, its biggest problem. Britten focused on the fairy kingdom aspect of the story but the staging was simple rectangular boxes placed on top of each other. The character of Puck was played using rope gymnastics and that dominated the centre of the stage. The work on the rope was exceptional but Puck was played by a non singing actor and I felt it took most of the production for him to 'feel' the character. By the end he was very good and Puck finally came to life. The four lovers were, on the whole, disappointing. Their voices were OK but their story telling was predictable and unsuited to a modern interpretation. The king and Queen of the fairies were much stronger and held the narrative together. The almost complete omission of the wedding scene was a gamble and one that didn't pay off and further relegated the lovers towards the bottom of the pile. The tradesmen players were all very good and stole the show, as they so often do in the context of this play.

Overall, I liked the production as it had some engaging moments and I do so love this play. I do like a production that challenges and it certainly achieved that. The use of children as chorus didn't work at any level but I am guessing there were lots of proud parents in the audience. It came across as more of a community based production rather than a professional offering so I need to view it in those terms. Thus, there is a lot to be proud of but the designer needs to do a major re-think and perhaps try to be a bit less clever. The choreography was also incredibly predictable but movement around the stage was excellent.

We enjoyed our trip to the theatre and we enjoyed our little venture onto the mainland. The winds are picking up as I write and you should see the forecast for Monday! We have some serious weather heading our way and, as usual, we will be out repairing various things on the smallholding once the wind has done its worst. The boys appear to have managed well without us but the kitten has disgraced herself; enough said on that!

I do have some wonderful news to share with you all. Molly has been selected as one of the volunteers on the Isle of Eigg conservation programme and will join the team for the month of July. In the conservation world this is a very big deal indeed and we are all thrilled. More than that, we are incredibly proud. Congratulations Molly. Forgive me because I am tired and have run out of steam. Much more tomorrow. xx

Picture is of Corrie shore last summer.



Thursday 24 January 2013

Day 25 - A day with Miss Potter.

Friday 25th January

I am hopefully off on the first ferry and not back until later tomorrow so posting early today. Glasgow beckons once more for a dose of culture and a wee bit of shopping. The culture comes in two forms; exhibition and opera. Pure Joy! Having said that the winds are up so I may not even get off the island.

My gorgeous daughter bought me tickets to see Midsummer nights dream at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. I have directed the play once and choreographed it three times so it is always a joy to see what others can do with it. It is, by far, my favourite Shakespeare play. For me it is what Shakespeare ought to be about. Magica, deception and love. I will be soaking up every minute of it. In my time in the US I worked on the rock musical version which, I know, sounds awful but wasn’t thanks to an incredibly talented director. The music score was true genius and the whole production shone very brightly indeed. I love a production that takes risks and I kind of need that because my previous job as a performing arts lecturer means I have seen a lot of theatre. I don’t read reviews before I go to the theatre as I am not interested in anyone else’s view. For me, theatre is a personal experience and that is all that matters in the end.

My second cultural experience fills me with equal joy. I am a life-time fan of Beatrix Potter and there is an exhibition of previously unseen drawings at the Scotland Street School Museum in Glasgow. Included in this exhibition is the work of Emma Thompson who was commissioned to write a new story about Peter Rabbit. Her book The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit is unbelievably good as the story draws on the techniques used by Potter herself. It is a clever tale and well worth a read. I am less impressed by the graphics though so I will be interested to see how those decisions were made. I am thrilled to have asked to write a review of this exhibition so I will say no more at this time.

The boys have an extra day off school so it is a win win situation. Glasgow is so accessible and I have come to love the city in recent years. It is a city with a creative soul and I am very drawn to it. I am a member of the Mitchell library and the Glasgow Women’s library and both places are my kind of heaven. Arran punches way above its weight culturally with a full year of wonderful events but for me Glasgow has the real cultural pull. I adore the Gallery of Modern Art and could lose myself for an entire day in there.

The ferry takes 55 minutes and the train 50 minutes and then you are right in the centre of Glasgow. It is not always quite as simple as that because if we have high winds the boat may be delayed or even cancelled. Yes, it is quite possible to get stranded on the mainland. In theory a trip for a day is perfectly possible but a browse through late rooms enables an over night stay. Perfect. I will, of course, be letting you all know what I made of my cultural experiences in this blog over the next few days. Have a fabulous Friday. Picture is of our gorgeous Molly, thanks so much for the tickets. xx


Day 24 - What is the capital city of Bulgaria?

Thursday 24th January

Absolutely typical! Whenever I need to get off the island the wind picks up and I am left wondering whether I will get off, or indeed, back on. I am hopeful that if I leave on the early ferry tomorrow and don't leave it too late to get back on Saturday I will be OK. It is one of the main challenges of island life but we do get used to it and work round it. My lovely daughter bought me tickets for Midsummer's Night Dream at the Theatre Royal Glasgow. It promises to be a wonderful opera and I am very excited. I will, of course, be telling you all about it. More on that in the next few days.

Today is grey and overcast on the island but dry. Snow is forecast once again for tomorrow and it will just be my luck if it falls when I am not here. I have several sledges all ready to be tested. One of my lovely facebook friends suggested that if the winds are picking up I might want to think about getting my kite out and then we came up with the idea of kite sledging. We clearly think we are on to something and remember that you heard it here first!

The winds are due to increase over the weekend and next week looks shocking. On Tuesday we are due to get battered by 70 mile an hour gales. I have been blown off my feet more than once on this island so I will be staying indoors. The ferry will not run and the Co-op will start to run short of supplies and it will be a challenging week. High winds is part of island life but 70 mile an hour winds might well lead to structural damage. I will be watching my new studio and hoping for the best.

Today has seen us plunge back into the EU and more broadly Europe itself. I smiled watching the news last night after David Cameron's speech on Europe. It was perfect timing for home school, perhaps not so good for the country. The newspapers were full of it so we took the Independent and starting trying to separate fact from opinion, always a good exercise in school. As the boys pointed out much of it is prediction and there lies the problem. I am against anything that further harms our fledging economy and I suspect this decision to announce a referendum so far in advance may cause just this problem. I loved the reaction from France and the boys and I discussed the potential for a brain drain as a result of the uncertainty that will surround the next few years. This project has already got the boys thinking differently about their nationality and the potential that other countries in Europe might offer. That was really the whole point of the project so I am already pleased with the outcome. If David Cameron could just keep up with the EU mentions in the next few weeks we could have a memorable project.

We finished by doing some online quizzes. As is often the case the boys put me to shame as their memories are so much better. They were quite good fun and I do think some of you might like a go. They are on the European union web site and the highlighted words will give you a good link. Bear in mind these particular quizzes are for 9-15 years!! We were pretty good at the countries and capitals and strangely spot on on the countries with royal families. We were good at rivers and mountains but shocking at flags. Give them a go and see how you get on.

We were late starting school today mainly due to two tiring days rather catching up on us. I was sitting at the table drinking my second cup of tea waiting for the boys to feed the various animals when I had a life affirming moment. Max went over to one of our trees and began to climb it and after a few minutes I could see why. The neighour's cat was up there so he went up to have a chat. So there he was sitting high up in a tree talking to the cat while I was drinking tea waiting for school to start. A perfect home school moment. Max then decided to hang upside down to chat to the dogs who were below and this was less of a perfect moment as I resisted the temptations to scream 'get down'. Dogs chatted to, he then got down from the tree, came inside and we got on with the EU. Excellent. I love the flexibility that home school brings. I know of some home schooling families who stick to a strict timetable of lessons. I am afraid I could never see the point of that as the children might as well be in school. Interestingly, as a trained and experienced teacher I had to untrain myself a little when I began home school. I had to see education differently and place the learning at the centre rather than the teaching. I listened with horror last night as the education secretary came on the news to announce the shift backwards to the traditional two year A level with the single exam at the end. This effectively does away with any felxibility that has been built into the system and seriously disadvantages young people from less supported backgrounds. It also puts us out of step with other European countries. Still Cameron will be pleased with that! The rationale from the education secretary appeared to be that this would encourage deep learning which is more appropriate for university education. Rather missed the point though that young people won't be able to afford to go to university for much longer. I think the real effect will be young people voting with their feet and moving into alternative 16-18 learning and we will be left with too few young people entering university and fall behind the rest of Europe. That will probably be OK though as the EU ship will have already sailed away and we will have missed the boat. A distinct lack of joined up thinking illustrated perfectly on the news last night. This might be a rather simplistic view of happenings but I do so feel for the young people. There has been so much change in the education system since the 1980s that an entire generation has now suffered and we simply don't seem to have learned from our mistakes. It has been a series of missed opportunites to learn from countries like Sweden and Norway who both have excellent education systems. Meanwhile England and Wales have suffered from continual interfering from different governments and Scotland has not performed much better. They have just began a new curriculum without knowing how it is going to be tested. Unbelievable! So, this is the long answer when people ask me why we decided to home educate. Too much knowledge made us realise the many pitfalls our children would face and despite the removal of AS testing our children will still be the most tested in Europe. In this country we are completed obsessed with testing. I believe this approach damages the quality of the learning experience. When my boys are learning about the EU they are not bound up in the knowledge that they will be tested on it. They are far more excited about the prospect of, once again, beating their mother. Engaging and effective learning remains at the heart of what we do. I do like a good rant as it is good for the soul.

In 2014 my writing assignment will be to finally collate all the activies that we have been engaged in in home school and put them into a book. There are a number of books out there on home school, particularly from American authors where home school is more popular. It is, however, only occasionally that I come across one full of learning activities and that is what I believe people need. We use the Internet a huge amount for home school but we balance that with the use of our environment and Arran has offered up many quality learning opportunities. I have very fond memories of fossil hunting, creating beach art and endless nature tables. We have certainly moved beyond the school curriculm when we have made rosehip syrup, started fire using natural materials and the sun and built hen houses. The memories were have built up over the years are priceless and I do think a book that helps to capture some of this will be a welcome addition to the current home school book list.

However passionate I have become about home school I would certainly not recommend it for every child. The fact that we had four children gave us a good size group to work with. Educating a single child at home is a completely different experience. People often ask me if there is a need for one or both of the parents to be qualified teachers. My answer has always remained the same on this question. No! I know many home educated children who had a fabulous education and neither of their parents were teachers. That said, if you are not a qualified teacher it is important to network with other home schooling families so that you can learn from each other. There are many virtual networks now and all of them offer you something. I am always happy to advise where I can and if any readers are thinking about giving home school a go leave a comment and I will respond.

So, really a home school blog today but that is what has occupied most of the day beyond Max's tree antics. I will be posting very early tomorrow before I get on that windy ferry and will include information about Glasgow and what we will be up to over the next couple of days. Next week will see our very first guest blog and I am very excited about that. I never meant this to just be about my family as our lives are touched by so many interesting people and I do so want to share that. We are starting with four craftworkers who also live on the island and run their own businesses. I do hope you will enjoy their blogs. As a general rule I will feature one guest blogger per week.

But tomorrow is all about the wind and getting across that water. Fingers crossed. Speak very very early in the morning. xx
Picture is of our lovely George having a quiet moment by a burn on the island.




Wednesday 23 January 2013

Day 23 - clearly bonkers

Wednesday 23rd January
It is offical, I am bonkers. Despite freezing temperatures and the inability to feel hands and feet we moved on with the studio. My two youngest boys came out in the morning to help me paint the outside while Pete repaired the roof. Pete dashed to a shift at the village shop and the boys went in for lunch and there was I still painting. I gave myself the horrid bits round windows etc and I was just giving up the will to live and my eldest son, Harry, rescued me. He took over while I went to see if any bits of me had fallen off in the cold. Many of you will be wondering quite why we are out painting in this freezing weather. Two reasons really. Firstly we are having a run of dry days and on Arran it is important to use those days well. Secondly, I know that once the growing season gets going there will be no time for such things and I will go another year without a studio.

The cold is no matter as I have a studio that is painted on the outside and dry and I am very pleased.



I have already planted some bulbs for my little porch!

Now we get to tackle the inside. That will have to be next week as the EU beckons in home school tomorrow and then Pete and I are away for a couple of days to Glasgow. This will, of course, give me time to plan it. Lovely!

I see that Helen and Alex are still on the case and have suggested some names for the studio. I am drawn to Prana but not sure we are there yet. I am letting it float around inside my head for a few days; always a risky strategy because it might disappear forever. Huge thanks to Helen and Alex. I am not sure what I would do without you! I did email you for your address so I can send your gift to you. Let me know if you didn't get it and I will re-try.

The problem with Hazelbank is there is always something to do and never enough time to fit it all in. In the end you can only do what you can do but setting priorities is a major part of our lives. 170 willow cuttings will be here any day so we need to finish clearing the space for them and my seeds are starting to arrive. The tunnel needs a repair job and all the herbs need potting on. The priority is the willow as this is for the boys. They have run successful micro-businesses before but this project will bring them together. With mum and dad in support we hope to be producing willow in a variety of colours to use in wreath making. We have made wreaths for years but have always bought the bases in. This project will allow us to make the entire product here. It is very difficult to buy willow wreath bases so we hope to offer those as well. I am well underway with the design aspect of the business so we better have some willow to coppice by the end of the year. The boys are all excellent growers but Harry is perhaps the most successful. He has grown his own vegetables and herbs in the past and always manages to make them look and taste more impressive than mine.

Arran is so quiet at this time of year. I am often the only person on the beach which is very welcome. My visits to the beach now are spent collecting sea glass and pottery fragments for my new studio. I need to go to Lamlash beach to get the driftwood I must have. Some very dedicated individuals campaigned to get this part of the island made into an exclusion zone in order to protect the sea bed. Trawling the sea bed for scallops had seriously damaged this eco-system and something had to be done. A group of people formed COAST (community of arran sea bed trust) and after tireless work secured an exclusion zone for Lamlash Bay. Click on the link to read about what they have already achieved and what their current plans are. Arran is full of people who are prepared to stand up and be counted and there are always campaigns running with considerable success.

Another group of dedicated individuals belong to Roots of Arran. This group are establishing a community woodland and bringing this inspiring project to the school children on the island. One of the reasons we moved to Arran was to give the children a childhood where they could explore the outdoors in a safe environment. Our children are a bit older now but I have lots of found memories of the children messing about on the land, re-directing the stream that runs through the property and climbing trees. Roots of Arran teaches the youngsters of Arran how important native woodland is and their work is incredibly important, espcially in such a small community.

As I come across these sorts of community based projects I will include them in this blog with web links in the hope that readers get a clear sense of the strength of community on the island. The community on Arran has much to shout about.

Picture today is a view of Lamlash bay looking towards the Holy Isle. It was obviously taken in the summer but it is a wonderful place to stop and stare. Until tomorrow. xx


Tuesday 22 January 2013

Day 22 - A little bit of help....please.

Tuesday 22nd January
Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! Hope you have all had a good day. We have all had a very busy day working on a very exciting project that I feel slightly guilty about. Our beloved Katy (chicken) used to have a summer house on the land as her night time home. The plan was to fence that off and bring a new flock on for spring. I am sorry to declare that the new chickens have been moved out before they even arrived. They will now be housed in the old duck pen but will be compensated by having a new bespoke house built for them. I am quite sure my regular readers will have already guessed what we are going to use Katy's old home for....my new studio. I would take credit for this piece of inspired thinking but I know my mother reads this blog and it was, in fact, her idea!

So today has seen the family begin the conversion. Now I need you to use your imagination a bit here because it didn't look much like a studio when we began the project this morning.


After our lovely Katy died Pete got in there quick and dumped a whole load of 'man stuff' in it. So all that had to come out and put somewhere else. Once cleared we still had a shameful amount of sawdust to clean out and some of the biggest cobwebs in the world to destroy (having carefully relocated the biggest spiders in the world). By this time I could start to see it changing for a chicken house to a studio. At one point the front of it had been laid with garden fabric and covered with gravel but for various reasons that had all disappeared, or had it? The boys scraped away at the weeds and found the gravel lurking below while Pete began clearing the brambles. You might be wondering what I was doing? I was not standing watching with a cup of tea I was, in fact, down on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush removing dried on chicken poo. This project was shaping up to be a labour of love. Some hours later we all stood back to admire our work and half shut our eyes to help us imagine a studio. That worked quite well because we all agreed progress had been made.


Having measured the roof for new felt we went down to the DIY shop in the village and purchased the required felt and the paint for the outside. We are now ready to repair the roof and paint the outside tomorrow assuming it remains dry. I, of course, now don't want it to snow! There is no pleasing some folk. I can't wait until the inside is white washed so I can start making it look like a studio. In time I shall get a small wood burner in there but a little gas fire might have to do to start with. While I am making it look like a studio the boys will be clearing my view.


'What view I hear you cry?' 'Exactly' I answer. The current view is of a rather large area of brambles but the question is 'what lies behind those brambles?' The answer is a veiw of the sea! A much more desirable view will be revealed by my lovely boys. Come the spring I will be sat on my dainty little porch drinking that cup of tea looking out to sea in search of creative inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration this is where you guys come in. I have promised to reward the son who comes up with the best name for my new studio. I don't want to appear lacking in confidence in their abilities but I have heard some of the suggestions and it could be a long wait for the right name. So I am throwing it open to you guys. If one of you can come up with a better suggestion than any of the boys I will return the favour with a little gift 'with love from Arran.' Just write it in the comments with your name. Don't worry if you can't see the comment on the screen as I moderate all comments before publishing. But, I promise to publish all suggestions!

So, you might have gathered that our studies in home school on the EU have been put on a hold for a couple of days as we take advantage of the dry weather. The children have always got involved in all the work on the smallholding and we are lucky we had four! Molly is also lucky to be away at university at this time! It will be lovely for the boys to see it completed and Max took full advantage by asking if his dad could build him a treehouse. Might be a fair trade off in the end.

It might have been dry but it was very cold and we were all driven in before dark. I was down on the beach as the sun was beginning to set and took this photo on my phone for you all to see. I dedicate this lovely image to my very special Donna who has a birthday today. Happy Birthday Donna.

Don't forget I need a name for my studio. Eternally grateful Fiona xx


Monday 21 January 2013

Day 21- A postcard from Arran

Monday 21st January

Dear Auntie Bessie,
Writing this postcard looking at Lochranza castle.
Having a fabulous time on Arran. Weather changeable but fine.
Children have spent lots of time on the beach and we
have all enjoyed the walks. Lots of places to have a nice
cup of tea. Really good spa resort with lovely swimming
pool. Some good shops. David likes the whisky shop and I
like Arran Aromatics. Great place for a relaxing holiday.
Wish you were here!
Lots of love
Tracey


I can imagine just that sort of postcard setting off across the water to the mainland. I have mentioned that Arran is a holiday island and I thought it might be helpful to flesh that out a little. Let us take an imaginary 'Parker' family but let us use some of my facebook friends names! Daddy David, Mummy Tracey and children Janet (9) and Kevin (14).

The Parker family are booked for a week at the Auchrannie Spa Resort

They arrive on the 3.15pm ferry that gets in just before 4.15 and they drive off the ferry to the resort which is only a short distance away. They check in and dump bags before going to the Cruize bar armed with lots of holiday flyers. They plan their week in an attempt to please everyone. Kevin is the first to state his holiday demands. He has come to Arran to climb, gorge scramble and mountain bike. Arran Adventure can more than sort Kevin out and the others might tag along as well. Janet is certainly up for a bit of sea kayaking but she is also keen to do a little bit of shopping.

Brodick is the main settlement and has a range of good quality shops and somewhere to have a coffee. But other vilages have their attractions as well. Janet choses to visit Bunty's in Brodick before walking the length of the seafront to explore the other shops. Mummy Tracey will join Janet on her shopping spree but insists they also visit Inspirations to get a good postcard to send to Auntie Bessie.

The whole family agree a trip to the museum would be interesting and that the reviews of their tearoom make it worth a visit.

But what about Daddy David? What would he like to do. He is into his history so a visit to Brodick Castle run by the National Trust seems a good place to start. As they finish their drinks they all agree that they should try and fit in a walk once a day and look forward to walks up Glen Sannox, Glen Ashdale and (weather permitting) Goat Fell the highest mountain on the island. They also think that eating out in the evening would be a real treat and plan to visit Coast in Whiting Bay and the Kildonan Hotel right on the beach in Kildonan.

As they head back to their room to get ready for dinner Daddy David says we really must remember to send a postcard to Auntie Bessie. You know what she can be like?

I do hope the Parker family had a lovely family holiday.

This little exercise on my blog post is the first 'Postcard from Arran'. I will be running a number of these throughout the year to give potential visitors a taste of what the island offers. I hope to cover as many of the local businesses as possible. There is great variety on the island and I truly believe it is an excellent family destination. That said it is equally good for couples, solo travellers and even (yes) stag and hen weekends. I have started with destinations that I know but this is a good exercise for me because I shall have to be out and about visiting places I have not been before. It is a tough life but someone has to do it.....

Today has seen us watch white stuff turn to wet stuff and back again so I guess we have had some snow. It is not good enough though and must try harder if us islanders are to be impressed. I remember one Christmas morning a few years back when we all awoke to the island covered in a carpet of virgin snow. It was truly magical. So, we know the snow can do it without the need for my wheelbarrow!

Home school sees us deep in a comparison of EU nations in terms of population size, GDP per capita and the like. Really interesting to see the comparisons and to see who is doing better in GDP than we are. Not that difficult, sadly.

I have some news that requires me to jump up and down again but I will save that until tomorrow. Speak very soon. xx
Picture is of another view of Lochranza at the north end of the island.

Sunday 20 January 2013

Day 20 - Thanks to Kev and David......

Sunday 20th January

I am, of course, a very happy bunny rabbit today as we have now moved beyond the 1000 page views mark. I waited up last night as we were sitting at 999 but my eyes were closing. I went to bed confident that my lovely American readers would help me out. They did and it was a lovely treat to wake up to. I read somewhere that good bloggers don't watch their analytics so I am clearly not a good blogger! But then, I am not a typical blogger either. I am not doing this to earn money. For me is a writing assignment that interests me and I can see the discipline that comes with it already working its magic. My mind is now a blogging mind as I see things through the day and think 'that will be good for my blog'. So I am happy to be my own type of blogger and I am quite sure you are equally happy to be your own type of reader. A huge thank you goes out to each and every one of you. This is a really enjoyable journey and I am glad to be sharing it with you.

As I look out of my window I can almost touch the snow clouds but I fear hope is fading on Arran. It is however, biting cold so I have declared today an inside day. I have been busy promoting my blog by networking with some interesting projects. I have a number of options pending so keep an eye on the links in the sidebar. I am quite picky about this as I don't want to join a network for the sake of it so I hope you will find the links interesting. Because of this project I now read more blogs and I always come away learning something new. I call it my R&R and I recommend it.

Thank you to all of you so far who have agreed to do a guest blog. My plan is to adopt a theme per month starting in February. Roughly once a week I will feature a guest blog and those four blogs a month will have something in common. The guest blogs in February are dedicated to the little people out there. Four wonderful craftworkers based on Arran are going to tell their story. As you might imagine craft is a thriving market on a small island and lots of us are at it. I may be biased but I believe we punch way above our weight in terms of the quality of the products produced. I am so looking forward to sharing these inspirational stories with you. I hope that if there are any readers who have thought of turning a hobby into a micro-business this might persuade you to give it a go.

I have other themes for my guest blogging in the pipeline. As previously mentioned I want to feature some of the local shops. Running a sucessful retail outlet on a seasonal island such as Arran is by no means easy and I do so want to pay tribute to the great people behind these ventures. I hope that, over time, you will get to know these people as it is always the human dimension that makes a good story and we are not short of good stories on Arran. Following the inspirational theme someone emailed me last week with lovely feeback on my blog. She said I was her 'inspiration'. That was very kind of her but I do not see myself that way at all. I am just an ordinary person who blogs about her life and hopes that some of it is interesting. But it got me thinking; always dangerous. I now have 3 out of 4 of my inspirational women signed up to do a guest blog. Throughout life different people inspire us in different ways. I have chosen four women who have inspired me along the way and asked that they might share their stories. You will have worked out that one lady has not yet been approached but I know she reads this blog.....I wonder who that will be. Time will reveal all.

I have a theme emerging for every month and I do hope the once weekly guest blog will touch as many people as possible and that our little virtual community continues to thrive.

This blog has already served an important purpose and that is making sure I stick to my monthly challenges. A rushed phone call to my long suffering mother this morning was to book myself in for another spinning lesson as January is nearly over and I did say I would learn this skill this month! I have some doubts going in as I liken it to reversing a car. I have done that once successfully when I passed my driving test but the remainder of the efforts should not even feature in this discussion. Of late I just don't do it because it is easier. My poor children have witnessed the endless trip around the supermarket car park while I attempt to loate a space I can get into. Just an island note - there is no car park charges on Arran (another little bonus).

I thinking spinning has been put in the same category as reversing a car. It requires several things to happen at the same time. Not sure my brain works like that but I will keep you updated on any progress.

I am, however, a huge fan of self-teaching. With a few exceptions all the crafts I have engaged with have been self taught. It might take me a bit longer but I do so love the learning process. In the past few years we developed a craft based company called Nature's Larder. From the off it was a success and one that I am very proud of. The entire family pitched in and we were soon taking our products to trade show to sell to retailers. We went on very well for a while until the recession started to bite and our retailers started to cut back on orders with a terrifying number going out of business. My dad taught me to be flexible in my thinking so we responded as fast as possible and cut the business back, believing that a smaller business would have a chance of survival even in the gift trade industry.

As our time on Arran has been consolidated we have changed the name of the business to 'With love from Arran' and that has allowed us to broaden our product base. This is now a small business selling mainly on Arran and through places such as etsy. It is a far cry from the peak of Nature's Larder where our products were in over 100 retail outlets nationwide. I am, not in the least, sorry about that as it was the right thing to do given the economic climate. We are spreading the risk by supporting the boys in their new venture Whimsical Wreaths and that will feature heavily in this blog later in the year as they prepare to launch.

The reason all this came into my mind today was that I was having a tidy of my studio as I have some bits and pieces to give away to a couple of fellow island crafters. In doing that task I realised that the size of my studio has not changed much throughout this journey. We used to laugh when buyers would phone up to place an order and ask to speak to someone in sales! That same person was probably working in packing and marketing as well. Our competitors may have had their factories and teams of people but we had a family unit to be incredibly proud of. I just must tell you.....we went to several trade shows in Harrogate which attracted literally thousands of trade stands from all over the world. In our very first show with a stand of 3x1 metres (compared with the average of about 8x6m) we won best in show, beating the pants off all the big boys! Just had to share because it was a family effort of which I am very proud.

Picture shows the scale of my studio which is made up of old wooden fruit boxes stacked high to make useful shelving. I have a small desk in front of these boxes that faces the sea and a larger table at the other end as a cutting surface. So now you see what can be done from a small, but perfectly formed, factory!


Over the year I hope to share some of our creative projects with you but I thought you might like to see some photographs. I do hope this isn't self indulgent and I rely on you all to tell me if it is. The next few photographs should give you some idea of the range we offer and I have just set up a facebook page for With love from Arran in case you are interested.

A little section of one of our wreaths.
A range of lavender scented products awaiting labels.

Soy candle melts with beach fragments - one of our biggest sellers.

And finally, from our vintage range, a lavender scented pinushion in a vintage tea cup. We once had an order for over £1000 worth of vintage pieces. Just as well one of my best friends ran a charity shop!


Perhaps a little long this post but maybe fitting given our milestone achievement. I am off to get my wheelbarrow cos my dear school friends Kev and David said I could have some of their snow. Look out for mad woman with snow filled wheelbarrow on the M6. Speak tomorrow. xx








Saturday 19 January 2013

Day 19 - a jolly radical haircut

Saturday 19th January
Another glorious winter day on Arran but without any sign of snow. I am trying to get over this and focus on all the things I can get done because it hasn't snowed.

Busy day with lots to tell you. Pete tracked down the owner of the chalet and caravan that were free and off we went to take a look. I really want a studio away from the house where I can concentrate better. Home school means that there is always someone wanting mum for something! Sadly, neither option was any good for what we need but always worth a look. I am trying to persuade Pete that he could build me one but I am not sure he is convinced of that.

We did, however, get a very good second hand cooker that was also advertised in the island newspaper yesterday. In the advert it was £70.00 but as it turned out to be a good friend of Pete selling it he only wanted £40.00. Excellent. What I really want is an aga or a range and I am quite sure the islanders will deliver that up in due course. Meanwhile (new) cooker is installed and old cooker ready for uplift. In my quest to spend as little money as possible this year we are off to a cracking start. I inherited a 1950s kitchen unit from my Grandparents and 'operation' kitchen will be designed around it. My dad put the present kitchen in more than 20 years ago so it is due for an upgrade. But I want to go backwards to go forwards. I want a vintage kitchen with a strong link to the 1940/1950s. The kitchen cupboards are in good condition so I am planning to replace the doors and am busy searching for doors that I can paint to match in with the 1950s cabinet. I am stripping some of the wall cabinets away to give a better feeling of space and replacing with shelving which will then be able to display all the vintage bits and pieces I have collected over the years. Floor is quite new so that can stay but I need to redo the tiling and put in new sink and worktops. My plan is to do this job in stages and revamp where possible. I do like a project so this will do me nicely.

The title of todays blog might suggest that I have been back to the lovely Shirley and had a radical hair cut but nothing quite so brave. I have, in fact, been in the tunnel giving my hundreds of herbs a very sever haircut. They look all neat now but that is not really the point of exercise. I don't want the herbs to be supporting poor quality growth so all that has to go. The next job is to re-pot all of them and give them a feed. I use seaweed pellets to feed them as they appear to like them the most. I also spotted quite a few resident snails so they were taken over to the field and deposited, they will no doubt find their way back. I keep the ground in the tunnel damp at this time of year as that encourages toads to move in and what do toads eat? SLUGS.

I have mentioned before how we make more money by value adding her herbs. This year I am going to try and sell as many as possible as window boxes; a kind of starter for 10 for people to give herb growing a go. I am also going to revive our edible hanging basket which we fill with tumbling tomatoes, basil and strawberries. I didn't get round to doing them last year and then, of course, we got requests. We are starting this season much better than the past two as the tunnel is all organised and I am, at the moment, ahead of schedule. George and Max are lined up to earn some money potting on the herbs and Harry is busy with his Dad preparing the ground for the new willow cuttings and building a new fence for the chickens.

I want to dedicate as much tunnel space as I can to cut flowers as the rain on the island causes petal damage. My first flower school of the year is in March and I will have to buy those flowers in but as the year progresses I hope to supply them myself. I mentioned chives in a previous blog and those of you who read that will be interested to know that they are the first herbs showing signs of new growth. Anyone can grow chives so I do hope people give them a go this season.

I am a massive supporter of british wildflowers and we have fields of the blooms but some species are taking over so I need to do a bit of management. I will buy some more in as plugs and plant them into the fields once they are big enough to survive. I would love it if everyone reading this would grow some wildflowers. Since the second world war 90% of all wildflower meadows have been lost and this has a knock on effect to the bees and we really need the bees. Without bee pollination we would quickly feel the effect and ultimately if the bees died out as a species so would we. If we all have a patch of wildflowers we would be doing our bit. I am trying to persuade Pete to get into bee keeping as there is a club on the island. I fancy harvesting my own honey. A little tip for all of you who suffer hayfever in the summer. If you can locate a local supplier of honey they are worth their weight in gold, or hayfever tablets at least. Taking a small amount of honey every day during the season helps to protect you from hayfever. It works, I promise!

While we are on the wild side can I also make a plea for nettles. I know they are horrid things and we generally dig them up. Could you possibly leave a few in a corner of your garden? The butterflies would be hugely grateful as that is a perfect place for their eggs. I adore butterflies but it is another species we see less and less of. In home school once we did a butterfly breeding programme. We really did! You can buy the kits off the internet and once you are all set up you buy the eggs. We released 24 butterflies that summer and it felt very good indeed. The children could also handle them before they flew away. It was a memorable project and one that any family could do. As you will have gathered we are wildlife fanatics in this family and this involves ensuring our land has regular 'bug hotels'. The children and I build up rotting wood, sticks and rocks into a rough pile and them watch as the bugs move in. Great fun and so important. A bit of straw poked into old pots is good in the hotel and, if you are lucky, a solitary bee will move in for the winter. At our last property we buried pots stuffed with straw upside down in the orchard floor. The first sunny spring day we went out and sat nearby and, sure enough, a couple of solitary bees backed their way out of their winter homes and flew away. Magical.

Next weekend is the RSPB garden bird watch and there is still time to order an information pack off their website. We do the survey every year and the children are now far better than me at recognising the different birds. We currently have a thrush digging around in the seaweed on our raised beds. I am not at all sure what he is doing. Anyone know? Someone told me recently that if you have a Robin staring into your house it is a departed loved one. We have a resident Robin who does just that on a regular basis. That will be my dad then checking up on me!

After a day in the tunnel my back hurts so I am off for a bath. I did want to share a great relaxing bath recipe. Place the following herbs in a muslin circle and tie with string:
Approximately 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile flowers
2 teaspoons of fresh or dried lavender
2 teaspoons of dried hops

Tie the muslin pouch round the hot tap and run your bath as normal. The herbs will infuse into your bath. This is incredibly relaxing and just what I need. As I write this we are sitting at about 975 page views since this blog began on the 1st of January. I am hoping that by the end of the weekend we will have gone over 1000. I am, of course, completely thrilled and very humbled. Have a lovely evening and we shall speak tomorrow. xx
Picture is of a favourite spot to sit on a lovely walk at the Dyemill in Lamlash.


Friday 18 January 2013

Day 18 - Anyone for 'Outside boot camp?'

Friday 18th January

I know you will all be hoping for pictures of me sledging but I am sorry to disappoint you. We had about 6 flakes this morning and I wasn't truly convinced that was enough to sledge. Our collie, Rex, seemed to capture those in his coat anyway. I am trying my best not to sulk as I watch more and more pictures of snow fun appearing on facebook. Our share is currently sitting up in the clouds and I am contemplating how we might achieve cloud burst.....

Those of you who follow the blog will be pleased to hear that news of our lovely island is spreading so the blog is working. I am now writing for a wider blog Island Blogging and I am one of only two voices to come out of Arran. My blog is under Arran and called Scottishisland. It is a fascinating site where you can find out about life on the other islands. I expect some of them have snow! My writing for this new blog will be far less frequent and this one will continue to give daily bursts. I have just breached the 900 page views mark so not bad for a little lady on a small island. I know a lot of you are sharing the blog on your social media sites so thank you so much. Too many sos.

Today has seen home school do what it often does; go a little off course. The trouble with encouraging questions is that sometimes they come thick and fast and force us off course. No worries as this is all part of the fun. We are just looking at a bit of post war history of some of the cities in Europe to give the EU a context and we focused on Berlin. Max then becomes fascinated about the context of the Berlin wall and wants more information on the Cold War. I am going to run with that for a while before pulling us back on track. I think we have to be prepared to do that to ensure their interests are met. If they stay interested that is half the battle. Max is the only child who has never been to school. I can remember picking the other three up and asking them if they had had a good day and what they had been up to. The response was always the same 'it was ok and I can't remember what we did'. There, in a nutshell, was my rationale for homeschool. I wanted the children to learn to love learning and to get passionate about stuff! I always wanted them to be able to work towards those interests and at their own pace. I think we have achieved that along the way and even today Max was telling Hamish and my mother about the Berlin wall. Loved it.

Friday, on the island, is newspaper day as the local paper is published. There is a link in the sidebar if you are interested. So what is hot news this week? Sadly, the lead article is full of doom and gloom as it relays the results of an island wide survey of how island businesses have done in 2012. It does not make good reading and blames the fall in visitor numbers on things like cost of ferry travel, cost of fuel on the island (which is just silly prices) and the poor quality of the roads. All of which is true but I do believe the poor weather in the summer will not have helped. Arran is not such an attractive prospect in the pouring rain that goes on for days at a time.

Regardless, we are a holiday island and will remain so, I am sure. I know of some real success stories on the island and some of them are quite new businesses which is really encouraging. I take my blogging very seriously and if this place can help local business shine brightly then that is what it will do. I am putting together a list of guest blogs written by some of these people and I know you will enjoy hearing about all they do. Where they have web links they will also be included and I do hope you might find time to visit the links to see what they are all about. I am not, however, denying that it is a very difficult time to be in business and I do wish all Arran businesses the very best for 2013.

What else is featured in the Banner? There is a large caravan and a wooden chalet free to uplifters so I have put Pete onto those.....we shall see! I think I was a bit too slow getting to the Banner today. I always enjoy looking at the What's On section because it gives a real flavour of Arran life. Can I tempt you with Aqua Fizz or Zumba? No? What about Outside bootcamp at 6am in the morning? Still no? Well then it will have to be trout fishing sprinkled with a 'breathe walk class'. Now we have your leisure and fitness sorted you can attend the Burns supper and lunch club. Good.

At this time of the year islanders begin to study the jobs page and it is a little on the lean side at the moment and, of course, there lies one of the issues about living on Arran. Work can be quite seasonal and if you are not to starve in the winter months you need to keep many fingers in many pies. That can be a positive though if you are like me and need a bit of variety in your life.

This week on Hazelbank we have seen the old raspberry canes out and the ground prepared for the willow cuttings, seaweed lifted from the beach and put on our vegetable beds (liquid gold as it rots down) and a very satifying bonfire to get rid of old wood that can't be burnt on the sitting room fire. Of course, we have the first of the seeds sown as well and many more ordered. It is a quiet time of the year but there are always repairs to the house and two cottages to keep us busy. January is when I plan and those of you who know me know that I am a bit of a planner. I confess to being a little obsessed with the moon cycle when it comes to planning what to do when. With a full moon due around the 27th January I am deep into my project planning in all aspects of my life. I was born on a full moon so that is when I am at my best. I got into moon planning through a friend and I admit to being a little sceptical at first. But then it hit me that if the moon can control the tides what else can it do? I grow using the lunar cycle and have more success this way except for last summer when the slugs won. There are lots of web sites where you can check which moon you were born on and what that says about you. Quite a good read if you are currently snowed in.

I am watching our new kitten trashing my desk in the studio so must stop and attend. It is Friday and that is a special day of the week for me. It is also the weekend tomorrow but there will be no let up on the blogging front. Every day for a year means just that. Do drop me a comment if you like and I will always do my best to reply unless it is about how lovely your snow is because I will just sulk quietly about that. Until tomorrow....xx
Picture is of the steps that lead up to Glen Ashdale. They may not look that steep but I can guarantee a raise in heart beat.


Worth is though when you get to the top - see second picture. x