More Chatting - with Dreams of the Perfect Climate

Hi Patrice! I wasn't able to join you last week, but it appears you weren't around yourself either! Sadly, I missed the visit with Wendell .... How could I?!


Today's questions have been set by a variety of Patrice's readers, so here we go...


1. Kimberly asks: How long have you blogged?


I had to go back and check my posts for this one. I began in March 2010, which means I've been blogging for almost 2 years. I could hardly believe it! Off the top of my head I'd have said about a year.... time flies when you're having fun, it would appear. Like you, Patrice, I vaguely remember planning something for my One Year Anniversary, but it didn't happen. In fact, let me go back and see what I did blog about a year on from my beginning....


Found them! I had the post of the Boys on the Beach - some photos I took of DR and his 'Mini-me', and on the day before that, I had a Jigsaw we'd made. I hadn't told our readers at that stage, but we already knew we were going to get a certain Mr Jackson.

2. Lana asks:What is the most difficult part of taking care of chickens?


I wouldn't know the answer to this one having never had chickens. I do keep telling myself that's gonna change, and we do plan to have some in the future. For now though? I'll allow the chicken-keepers to answer this question.


3. Susannah asks: Would you prefer to live where it's hot or cold?


Oh, that's easy! 


Or is it? My first thought is to shout out, 'Somewhere warm of course'. But my idea of warm is lovely temperatures in the 80s or 90s, with a delightful, but gentle, sea breeze to keep the air fresh. Then my summer would roll into Autumn and the leaves would turn brown, yellow and red, and the evenings and the morning would turn cooler, but we would still be enjoying some 70 degree temperatures through the day. And then, one late-November morning, I would waken up to frost on the ground, and know that winter had arrived. Oh, the skies would still be blue through the day, and starry at night. In December and January, beautiful white snow (er, is there any other colour??) would fall, blanketing the ground in bright beauty and the children would have a wonderful time sledging, building igloos and snowmen and having snowball fights. 


(Of course, in this wonderful world, nobody will even get hurt by a snowball hitting them on the cheek. Oh no! They wont feel the burning cold sensation on their toes, when the pain only subsides when numbness sets in. And the numbness subsides only to be replaced by chilblain agony. Dearie me.... No! Who spoiled my dreamland?!)


Well, I guess you can see by my ramblings that a place with the four seasons would suit me best. But, then again, who wouldn't choose that? Warm, but not unbearably hot, summers, and winters with snow and frost. 


Wikipedia says about our weather here: 


 In the Outer Hebrides the average temperature for the year is 6°C (44°F) in January and 14°C (57°F) in summer.

I know it's not the worst kind of climate, but seriously... wouldn't you opt for warmer summers and colder winters?


I do, however, love the changes in daylight we have. I love having long, almost endless, days in summer, and very short days in winter. Some other places in the world that are at our latitude, and so have similar day/night patterns as we have are:


Naknek, Alaska; 
Togiak, Alaska;  
Stikine Region, BC;  
High Level, Alberta;  
Churchill, Hudson Bay, Manitoba;  
Tobolsk, Siberia


Any of you from anywhere around there? Any of you ever been to any of these places, or places close by? I'd love to hear if you are, or have been.


4. Farm Girl asks: What sort of things are you looking forward to in 2012?


Oh.... erm... well... Can I say, 'More of the same'? I love seeing our kids growing and developing. Of course, with teenagers, that 'growing and developing' comes with its own challenges, but on the whole, I love it. We have no holiday plans for this year (though DR does!), but we do have other plans in the pipeline ... if they come to fruition, you will hear of them! 


5. Dreaming asks: What's for dinner?


Mince and tatties. How Scottish is that! Our mince came from cattle bred by people we know, just a few miles from here. Our carrots, turnip and potatoes all came from the plot. So it really felt like a home-grown and home-made meal.