Are we there yet...?

1st stop - in the quiet glen

When we first moved to Lewis, it was January. We were in a holiday house and were told that we were fine to stay long term, but a couple always booked the house out for the first 2 weeks of April.  This was fine, we found a wonderful house down at the loch's edge and stayed there for 18 more months. What we didnt realise at the time was how reliable the holidaying couple's barometer was. 

2nd stop - down by the loch

The winters feel long on Lewis - the days are short, roughly from 9.30am - 3.30pm at midwinter and by March everyone is desperate for the grass to start growing. Then come the first 2 weeks of April - Pop! Spring is here! The sheep know the time is right and the villages are suddenly filled with lambs. Old abandoned houses fill their gardens with daffodils planted by inhabitants long gone and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

Gravir is an 'open village' for grazing so the sheep have right of way

Don't get me wrong, I also like the winter... because I'm lazy. I love drawing the curtains and ramping the fire up. There are so many films to enjoy and the internet to explore. And I love to sleep!  That wonderful moment when you're just dropping off and you feel like you leave your body.  When I was younger I loved to interpret my dreams and wonder at what they meant. While I still dream vividly, in full colour, I place more emphasis on daydreams now, just using the night work for insight.

In some ways the summer is too much here, the days are from 3.30am - 12am at midsummer. When its 10.30 at night and the sun is streaming in through the windows, its quite exhausting. 'Come on come on!'  its saying 'look at the day! Get out and enjoy it!'.

This year I cant wait for spring, again. Its mid March and I've just put duckling eggs in the incubator. In 28 days time they should be hatching and we'll have had our first 2 weeks of April.  I guess after becoming a Mum and having 2 babies of my own, I can't resist the joy of new cute bundles - but without all the pain and sleep deprivation that comes with your own children.

The first time I made baby chicks, was such an interesting experiment. I made life, just with the right ingredients, heat and time! Morris especially loved to sit and watch them feeding, sleeping, twitching.  I would watch him watching them = 2 levels of cuteness in one sitting <sigh>

I've tried to hatch ducks before and had no luck, lets hope this spring - when it finally arrives - proves to be more successful. Just have to be patient in the meantime....