Heart of the Home.

The first month on Croft 5 is already at an end and as the days get shorter November also seems to have rushed on through.

Improvements to the croft are being made day by day, in between carrying out electrical work for new customers on the west side of Lewis. The previous tenant of Croft 5, Enaclete had maintained both the land and the house upon it to a good standard. Everything in the dwelling, whilst dated, worked and it has very quickly felt like home.

The kitchen was in need of attention, and whilst I’d rather have not done anything with it I was grateful that it was the only thing that needed to be done. My friend Jonny from Heart House Workshop had arrived on the island and was keen to build me a kitchen and so we set to work removing the defunct oil range. It hasn’t taken long and we’re almost ready for painting.

The kitchen is the heart of many homes, but more so on a working croft. It’s a place to come in for warm, keep visitors topped up with tea and cake and will be the “office” during the day, and somewhere wash and prepare next seasons produce.

There have been further improvements to the fencing, which is still not yet spaniel proof (will it ever be?) as reported by my neighbours at the end of the village when she turned up at thiers having legged it down the loch!

The track repairs, whilst an improvement, didn’t stand up to much use by larger vans and so a whacker plate was hired and several days of walking it up and down the track saw two more dumpy bags of road stone disappear. Happily the efforts were not wasted and the track is now accessible by most vehicles, or any that dare chance the cattle grid. I’ll be out with the welder in the spring. Not to make it any stronger (it’s strong enough in reality) but to make it look stronger.

Until then the quad bike is earning it’s keep ferrying materials and larger deliveries up and down the track. Moving two dumpy bags of stone for the track was far easier with the use of the quad and village trailer than the five bags that had gone before with a wheelbarrow. Speaking of which, “old red: also made an appearance on the pages of The Scottish Farmer as part of a feature for their camera club.

There have been further works to ditches around the house and I’m finding it oddly satisfying to be out in my wet gear, trenching hoe in hand, during the pouring rain; clearing or opening up ditches and watching the water suddenly find my preferred route is a simple achievement but an achievement none the less. 

Off-croft, off-work.

It hasn’t all been work. There is electrical work (now called off-croft work) and work on the croft (called, yup, on-croft work), but there is still time to appreciate the place I now call home. There have been plenty of beach walks, and another visit to the arts centre at the Baile na Cille church with my friends David Bartles-Smith who was exhibiting one of his pieces exhibited during Open Studios Hebrides.

There was also a wonderful sharing ceilidh held at the Island Darkroom, Achmore to welcome artist in resident Jules Dunn to the island and despite the wild weather (and some awesome lightning!) it was well attended and engaging evening.

I am also inspired to share an image of off-croft-none-work below, that was captured during one of my many dog walks. Titled “Where the Sea Meets the Sand” I think that this will grow into a larger series capturing the finer details of this amazing island landscape.

What about the bees?

The bees of Hebribees Honey have settled in to their hives for winter. They’re out every sunny spell that they get, having a cleansing flight and maintaining the cleanliness of the hive but they haven’t joined us here at Croft 5 yet. Plans to move them over to their new location are still under consideration. I’m not sure if to disturb their winter or wait to move them during the spring. I would like to have them join us on the croft as soon as practicable, and will provide a separate update regarding their move when it happens!

It has been a busy first month here at Croft 5 and I am sure the first of many more equally filled months. If you’d like to follow the story then please subscribe below.