Christmas on Skye

Me trying to be artsy with my GE cam--well, I love it
anyway, for always being true blue.

Christmas Eve, I sat in my little white croft house on Loch Snizort Beag, listening to 'Carols from Kings', my wee fire adding ambiance if not much warmth to my sitting room; candles twinkled from mantel and windows, amid boughs collected as a prize in the storm beneath an unfortunate diminutive tree which no longer had its top half. I had thanked and assured the forlorn pine that it would embellish my home for the holidays and through gusts of stinging rain, I carried the branches clutched to my breast, in protective glee, home to my cozy cottage.

Boot Sale Madness!

December has been a month of exhilarating walks over boggy, trickling moors--distance obtained by jumping to and from patches of heather, all tinted golden with a brave winter sun battling pewter clouds and blown by southwest gales.

Last week found the towering Somerled Square Christmas tree on its side, where it still lies like a spirit dashed but not broken. Portree calendars were filled with fun. The Skye Reading Room held a book launch at Skeabost Country Hotel, for Liz Macrae Shaw's debut novel, 'Love and Music Will Endure'. This is the story of Mairi Mhor nan Oran, Skeabost songwriter and activist. Caroling voices filled Somerled Square and St. Columba's Church, and a very appealing Boot Sale at the Community Center satisfied last-minute shopping quests.

Urgh...uh...

Friday night jitters weren't alleviated by the MacBrayne ferry mishap, two hours of free-floating between Raasay and Sconser. No rocks were hit, no dashing upon the coast, just umpteen frantic mobile phone calls to home and hearth. After seven hours of nerve-jangling delay, travelers were on their way. 'The staff were amazing--they went out of their way to help,' said one passenger.

Pretty Dawn at coffee after
caroling, while I devour
mincemeat tarts.

Later, the owner of the Fat Panda laughed and said, 'Oh--the fish man phoned to say he was "on the boat" and couldn't pick up his food. He has an alibi--he wasn't lying!'

According to another passenger, Mac made it a 'storm thing'...was that the same storm that blew in and toppled the Christmas tree, hours later? Hmmm. People were not happy with that but were relieved to be safely home.

Pauline lets the fish man off the hook--no Ron is not the
fish man, just a passenger home again.

I have had a wonderful Christmas day with my fuzzy companions and now that the gourmet chocolates have digested, I am ready to prepare dinner. My Christmas day walk was dry and slightly windy, which made me feel blessed that we on Skye have escaped the outrageous storms that have blasted England and Scotland. We even had some pretty cloud and sun-setting action--I never saw the sun but saw its effects on the horizon--actually realized that the sun is still setting in the west--I thought it had been setting in the south for the past month! Happy day!

Christmas Gift For Readers: A loverly remembrance of my Idaho winters by my ole'
pal and finer photog than me by far, David Bagnard.