July's Trip to Lewis

You know, sometimes when we go through a time of trial, our trial becomes so all-consuming that all our blessings are seen through the light - or darkness, rather - of that trial. And so, instead of counting our many blessings, which are greater than we can articulate and more numerous than we can count, we mope and weigh down our heart with our woes and our afflictions.

I was reading Psalm 105 yesterday, and these words sprung off the page and into (I hope) my heart:

1.O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people.

2 Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works.

3 Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

4 Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore.

5 Remember His marvellous works that He hath done; His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth;

6 O ye seed of Abraham His servant, ye children of Jacob His chosen.

7 He is the Lord our God: His judgments are in all the earth.

8 He hath remembered His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations.

With this in mind, I am going to write a couple of blog posts about our recent trip home. 

Home is the Isle of Lewis. Obviously.

The posts will be weighed in favour of photos rather than of words, and when you see the photos, you'll understand why:

Catherine, Caleb, and I took a trip to Harris along with my sister, Marina, and my niece, Iona.

To say we were almost bowled over by the beauty of God's creation around us is an understatement. Here, Catherine and Caleb and looking out on Loch Seaforth, enjoying the peace and tranquility it affords.

Erm, hang on. Did I say peace and tranquility? And did you actually believe me, considering I'd already told you my sister was with us.

Really, shame on your naivety.

I call it 'youngest child syndrome', and many of you not-youngest-siblings will agree that the condition is widespread and is utterly non-treatable.

This wee fella. What can I say? Other than that I love him so very, very much.

Honestly, almost around every corner, we ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the beauty before us. The weather was gorgeous - about 25C (77F), with a gentle breeze to keep away midges and, as you see, stunningly blue skies. In other words: perfection.

There is no doubt that our wonderful Creator, who showered such delights on us, is a God of design and beauty and kindness. What therapy for mind and soul these views are!

We stopped off at Horgabost, had our picnic lunch on the machair, and then enjoyed a couple of hours on the sands.

As you see, even on the most perfect of days, our island beaches have plenty space for all visitors. Crowded beaches are not something we know anything of in Lewis or Harris!

Caleb was flying high, enjoying the attention, undoubtedly, more than the scenery. 

And surrounded by all of us, attention was most certainly not in short supply.

How could it be, when he is such an adorable bundle of utter joy?!

Did I mention joy? Yes, I have so many blessings to bring joy to my heart, and of temporal blessings, this wee guy is most certainly a big part of that.

"And no matter what kind of face you put on, young man, Granny is still going to smother you in love and hugs and kisses."

Aye, probably even when you're a teenager. Now, wont that be fun!

Boxing Day Walk in Harris

Boxing Day is traditionally the day the Builder and his brothers, aka Big Brother and Baby Brother, go trekking in some part of the island. This year, one of his sisters and some of our combined offspring joined them on a walk in Harris - actually only two of the offspring went - Katie and Daniel. Aye, ye're a hardy pair!

Those of you who've seen some of my older posts, will know that the terrain in Harris is very different from the landscape in Lewis. 

The day was very misty, but the Builder and Katie said that had the day been sunny, the views would have been incredible.

With Harris, that's easy to believe.

They didn't have a lot of rain during their walk, but the previous week had seen a fair amount of precipitation. There were some amazing waterfalls, but our photographer took very few photos, it being such a hassle taking the camera out of inner pockets.

(I feel the same way when I go on my many, strenuous walks. That's why y'all seldom see photos from the aforementioned strenuous walks.)

Yeah. Whatever.

The first part of the walk had a path, making the journey a whole lot easier. Here, the troops have rallied to have a cuppa - see them sheltering in front of that rockface.

Even with heavy mist, I think Harris is stunning. 

More awesome than bonny. Stunning rather than pretty.

Does anyone else agree with me?

Here's Baby Brother helping Katie across the river. This was the point at which they pretty much gave up on keeping their feet dry.

(Laurie, do you recognize Katie's footwear?!)

Yep, great fun was had by all.

On Patrice's Porch, and on Luskentyre Beach

Well, I was in the process of writing a post on some of my favourite Scripture texts of 2012, when Patrice got her crowd together for her Porch Chat. I couldn't resist joining them, even though we're most certainly sitting inside, rather than out on the porch.

Here are Patrice's questions for today's chat:

1. Do you make New Year resolutions?

I'm not sure if you'd call them 'resolutions', but I do sit myself down and have an 'appraisal' of the previous year. Looking back at how my previous year has gone normally gives me the incentive to make 'resolutions' or at least to set new goals or think about new ways of doing things. 

Because I'm homeschooling, there are always areas to assess, to re-evaluate, and to change. This year is no different.


2. What do you hope to accomplish this year?

Oh, that's difficult to answer - maybe especially because going public on my aims makes me very accountable .... I'm not sure I could cope with that kind of pressure! 

I really do want to find some way of inspiring certain members of our family, so that they can make the most of the gifts and talents God has given them.... whilst at the same time, keeping myself inspired.

Phew! I'm exhausted just thinking about that!


3. Tell me about your favourite place to think, create or just relax.

I normally go and sit in our lounge when the kids are having their break after lunch. It is a very peaceful room, it is always tidy (shocking for our house!), and the kids know that they must not disturb me unless they are bleeding to death or the house is on fire....

I have my Quiet Time during this hour, and what I've learned over the past few months (when I missed this time often) is that I need this hour, not only for my soul, but for my mind too. 


4. Are you a fan of old movies? (Like the ones that were originally black and white)

I can't say I am, Patrice. You wont judge me, will you ;)


5. Tell me something that made you happy since our last porch visit. 

Oh, lots of things! Over Christmas, we had some American visitors staying. These were friends our own kids had made over the summer, when they visited Michigan. It was such a pleasure meeting these friends, and seeing the joy of our kids renewing friendships. Our two older children then went to London for a trip with these American kids (well, someone had to look after them ... ahem). They had an absolute ball! Their enjoyment made me so happy, but I have to be honest ... their return on New Year's Eve made me most happy! Oh the joy of having our whole family under one roof again. 

The day before Christmas, the troops took a drive down to Harris. These are some of the photos the took on Luskentyre Beach.

A Trip to Harris

Our congregation in Scalpay have their communions, so we went down for a service today.

Harris isn't strictly an island (and neither is Lewis, I suppose): they are joined in one island, so I guess the proper way of saying it is, The Isle of Lewis & Harris. However, we do think of each other as two separate islands, and the accents are quite distinctive - both in Gaelic and in English.

 The welcoming committees were out in force. In Harris, the sheep are as laid back as can be, and if they're enjoying their spot on the road, then it's up to us drivers to drive around them!

 I've shown Harris photos before, but the scenery is so different to our scenery here in Lewis - particularly in the Northern part of Lewis - so I reckon another lot of photos will harm noone.

This is the bridge crossing to Scalpay. Until a few years ago, Scalpay was reached by a small ferry which ran back and fore every day (except Sunday). The island now has a bridge and so there are no mad dashes any more for young guys rushing to catch the last ferry at night.

 Er, the Wee Guy had the camera in the back of the car, and this kind of 'scenery' had more appeal!

 Fish farms in the nearer part of this sea loch

 Rugged. But beautiful.

 The sea on the west side of the island, just north of Tarbert. The colours in the foreground don't come through in the photo, but they were a stunning mixture of blues and greens and all shade in between.

 Remind me later to tell you about the road seen here on the other side of the loch. Too much to tell here...

 No matter how inaccessible a place appears, everyone in Lewis and in Harris is simply a click online and a delivery van away from any shop in the UK (or further afield). Yes, it may take a day longer to reach us, and it may cost extra in carriage, but it sure makes living on the island a whole lot easiers.

 As I said, the Wee Guy had the camera. On the way down to Harris, he loved the journey, and had comments and questions every so often along the way.

On the way back though, he's 'seen it all before', and the books he'd taken with him were better company.

And so ends this post of gorgeous scenery with the Wee Guy's favourite topics.

"Oh, and did y'all know that Ghengis Khan was absolutely amaaaazing? Wait til I tell you...."