Going through the winter

 We've had lovely sunny days, cold days, wet days and snowy days. We're enjoying the sun which is now higher in the sky and stays longer in the house. There has been a daughter to stay and walks and talks and drinking tea. We've finally finished laying wood flooring upstairs....it's taken 9 years but you can't rush these things!And I have become addicted to my Wacom tablet. A bit like an I-pad. It means I can draw straight onto the computer and play around in Photoshop. Adding layers, deleting layers. Changing colours. It's all much too clever for  me but it keeps me occupied for ages. The worst thing about a graphics tablet is that I don't actually have to finish anything. I can constantly change the idea adding and taking away what I don't like. I've already changed this picture and will do so again...probably deleting it  and starting again. I'm meant to be making boxes of cards. I keep telling myself this is just a warm up exercise!

Just a glimpse of Harris and Lewis but mainly of Harris

 We went in November with some friends for a week to Harris in the Outer Hebrides. It was wonderful. The incredible light. Low lying sun. Deep contrasts of light and shade. Weather in the extreme. Biting wind, rainbows and a landscape that changed continually. Surrounded by sea it was beautiful. Harris is beyond lovely.

And they distil rather a nice gin too!

testing picture size

I've wanted to change my blog for sometime, without having to start a new one. Just experimenting with a bit of code to adjust the picture size. Original size is much too big while  the  x-large size option isn't big enough. I want a simpler looking blog with fewer columns and pictures that fill the whole post area. I've debated with myself for ages about whether I should stop blogging all together. But I begin to miss it after a time and while I don't have an enormous following, if any, at least three  people have said they miss it too! So here we go again.....but no promises for how long! This picture is from my mobile phone so not brilliant quality. I shows one of the bedrooms upstairs.

Smouldering

One of the loveliest mountains in the north west Highlands is on fire. A wild fire started last week and a large area between Lochinver and Suilven went up in flames. I'm not sure how it started but it has been very dry here. The fire is under control now but one side of Suilven is still burning. I took a trip out yesterday afternoon. I did a full circle around Suilven on mainly single track roads. It is such a beautiful part of the world, and so quiet. The smell of smoke combined with the coconut scent of gorse hung in the air. They made a film last year Edie. It hasn't been released yet. It stars Shelia Hancock who plays a grumpy old lady who fulfils an ambition to climb a mountain in the north of Scotland. It isn't the highest of mountains but it's a steep climb to the top and it's sad it's on fire. It will burn its self out and no doubt recover.

I have been busy!

Spring has arrived....just

but some days it doesn't feel like it!

This tiny little shop 'The Old Ferry Craft Co-Op' in Kylesku has agreed to stock my cards.

so, I've been busy making boxes. The theme of this set is 'Passing Places' More people are coming up to this beautiful little corner to drive the North Coast 500 and there are many single track roads to negotiate on the way

I've decided to knit face cloths. They are very similar to dish cloths! But I wanted a change. I need to design a wrapper for them....I think you could use them as dishcloths too!

Robin came for Easter. It was lovely and sometimes the sun shone!

We sat outside the pub in Ullapool, almost warm in the sun, and watched the last ferry of the day slip its moorings and sail over to Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides