And then there was Snow

January arrived with a flurry of snow and a drop in temperature. Whilst the thermometer showed a chilly -2℃ the northerly wind made sure any exposed skin was feeling more like -11℃.

This snow quickly cleared and we enjoyed some beautiful and still (but cold) days before the wind and rain returned, So far winter on the island has been as I expected. It is generally milder than the mainland (for the same latitude), and significantly less snowfall. Living in rural County Durham and venturing out over Teesdale and Weardale over many winters I faced much harsher and more difficult conditions than I have so far here in Uig, Isle of Lewis. There has been disruption of course, but mostly due to the very severe conditions on the mainland and the cancellation of some of the ferries due to the northerly winds. Neither of which have bothered me.

After working or dog walking in the bitterly cold wind I am glad of the coal fire and the 2ft thick stone walls of the croft house! Never to waste being indoors I have also continued with painting the kitchen (which feels like it may never end), some electrical work, and lots of paperwork which seems to all come at once.

An Island Community

Christmas was a quiet time, with a wonderful dinner at my friends at Croft Seventeen, Lemreway that included venison (lots and lots of venison!) amongst the usual trimmings. Izzy made a delicious homemade crumble and the night was finished with a few glasses of whisky (of course!).

New Year was seen in at the croft and New Year’s Day breakfast at the Uig Community Centre. This was a very well attended event and it was great to sit with some of of Neil’s family (the previous tenant of Croft 5) who were happy to talk about the history of the house and share memories of when Neil lived here. They also advised where he used to grow his potatoes and where the water main was located. I still haven’t found it but at least can narrow the search!

Speaking of community, I found myself in the book “Uig 2025: Portrait of an Island Community”. This book is produced by the community of Uig and shares memories, histories and images of Uig and the people that reside here. There may still be a copy available in the Uig Community Shop, and if not there is a copy here at Croft 5, Enaclete should you wish to have a read.

One of the duties of a tenant crofter is to reside on (or within 25 miles of) the croft. I am often asked if I stay (live) full-time in Enaclete. It seems an odd question to be asked until you look through the above book and realise the number of homes that are second, or holiday homes, and therefore not occupied for much of the year. This isn’t unique to Uig, it is a similar story across much of Lewis and I suspect even more so in Harris.

And then the Sea Weed

Another of the duties of a crofter is to cultivate the land and so January has also been the start of planting. I don’t have a planting plan as such and so I am starting small with what I enjoy eating and buy regularly, in a step towards becoming self-sufficient. If things go to plan then the surplus shall be made available to the local community, or fermented/pickled/frozen to see me through the gap months.

There was a small fenced plot behind the house that used to be a vegetable patch and so it made sense to start with this area for growing. The fencing was re-tensioned and posts straightened or “made good” by cutting out any rot and extending them with other pieces of wood that surrounded the patch.

This fence doesn’t need to be stock proof but it does need to function to keep out the rabbits, provide some stability for berries and other fruits to grow against, and give some shelter from the wind. So it was made-good before attaching some wind netting to provide additional shelter from the elements.

A membrane has been placed over the area to suppress any grass and a gate fabricated from a perfectly sized (and free) pallet, and that was the first job of the year completed.

The position of the plot is sheltered by the house from the prevailing winds, yet watching the path of the sun it does appear to get a good amount of light. I was gifted some thornless blackberries (very exciting as I love blackberry picking with thorns, so I can’t imagine how much more fun it will be without them!) and purchased some raspberry canes. Three different varieties to give summer, mid-season and autumn harvests. These were planted along the back fence to give support and also to prevent them shading the rest of the vegetables as they grow taller. The hen house shall be going the other side of this fence and so they’ll receive a little tasty treat should any fall to that side.

I was also able to cut some whips of willow from established trees over at Croft Seventeen and have planted these in the area that shall be home to the hens. It’s a steep, rocky section alongside one of the main ditches so should suit the willow and give the hens an area of interest and protection once established. It’s an area that isn’t much suited to grazing or other planting. Long-term I hope that willow will complement peat cutting in providing a source of self-sufficient heating, but I’ll need a much bigger area for that.

January’s planting consisted of sowing onion, kale and coriander seeds indoors. I don’t have a greenhouse or potting shed yet, so these are sat on the window ledge of the south facing bedroom. My hope is that they’ll get a good start and be ready to transplant outdoors early in the spring. I have purchased the seeds from Seeds of Scotland who specialise in open pollinated seeds that do well in the Scottish climate.

I have a lot to learn on this journey, and will admit that my first selection of seeds was based purely on what I buy and eat regularly. There’s an overwhelming amount of information on the internet these days, and if you were to watch the hundreds of youtube channels dedicated to growing a self-sufficient-no-dig-or-tilling-permaculture-food-forest you’d never get started, or be forever thinking you should be doing it a different way!

Saying that, I have visited 44 Ranish Croft and witnessed the success that they have had with their horticultural journey over the last 8 years. It’s an amazing transformation and very useful to see another version of how Croft 5 could look in the future. Knowledge sharing, interaction and support are some of the keystones of a community and so I have signed up to the one day workshop on produce planning running at the end of January. I hope that this second visit will help with a more structured plan going forwards.

I also ventured further down the croft with the quad, which was quite a mini-adventure. I’ll be building a few bridges and marking out a sensible route (once I’ve found one). It was a different story with the trailer on and I have since learned why they call it a tipping trailer…but I returned with a load of seaweed from the loch edge, ready for composting and digging in to the vegetable patch.

Seaweed has long been used by crofters and island communities as a rich, free and sustainable source of fertiliser. It can be composted or applied directly to the soil as a mulch, along with the shed full of sheep wool that was left. Both should prove useful in protecting the early season crop from any unexpected frosts.

It’s a stunning part of the croft, even if it is somewhat difficult to access. Sitting on the stone jetty with the stream in full flow deserves a flask and a bench. It also reinforced my idea of putting this area to use as a woodland, and think the natural watercourse and the scenic location would be enjoyed by myself, visitors and wildlife alike.

Vert de Terre

January couldn’t pass without a mention of painting. To say that painting the kitchen has been one of those ongoing tasks that I can dip in and out of would be an understatement. Each morning and evening is spent putting a coat of something onto a wall, door, skirting or cabinet. Each door and cabinet has required two coats of primer and undercoat, and two coats of acrylic (Farrow & Ball “Vert de Terre No.234” if you were wondering) with drying time and sanding between each you can add up the number of days left…

…and then there’s the newly plastered walls that have had one coat of contract matt followed by two coats of durable matt (in what F&B call “Pointing No.2003”). Of course I haven’t paid F&B prices and was shocked to find that the price per litre didn’t include them putting it on the wall! Instead I visited the family owned Decor8 in Stornoway, who have done a great job of mixing my colours in a more affordable choice of paint. It really does pay to shop local!

As January moves towards February the yearly planner is already full. It’s amazing how much can be done in a day, and I believe having the opportunity to work around the season, or the days weather, is really helping with fighting those winter blues.

Living and working on the croft has the advantage that you don’t have to finish a job in one go, or before starting another. Being able to dip in and out of tasks as my mood, or the weather, or the daylight suits has seen a dramatic change in the usual depressed state that this time of year brings. There’s no daily commute either. Which is nice. Obviously there are tasks that need doing each day, or perhaps on set days, but for the first time ever (despite a working life of mostly being self-employed or the actual boss) I now feel like I’m my own boss at last!

Of course, the views help and I never get tired of looking out along the loch whatever the weather. It was one of the appeals of Croft 5 and one that I doubt I’ll ever get tired of. Can you spot the stags amongst the sheep?

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