New Years Greetings!

Happy New Year to All

International Year of Natural Fibres 2009

We start 2009 with a beautiful sunrise. The photo shows the sun shining on the mountains of Harris - the view from our kitchen window at about 9.30 this morning. The little fluffy cloud in the centre is sitting on top of the highest peak in the Western Isles - called the Clisham. We get a very good view of it from the croft when its not obscured by rain or cloud.

Then a lovely new year surprise - in the hen house were TWO beautiful eggs. Yes, another hen has started laying. You can't see it in the picture below very clearly but its a greeny-bluey colour which means its from one of our Araucanas - three of them hatched last year. It's very small so that is probably the first egg the hen has ever laid. Maybe they'll all get the idea now!

Daisy the lamb we got from Leda yesterday (see www.bytheloch.blogspot.com for full tear-jerking details), was ready for her breakfast this morning. She has made a little friend - out of shot just now, half of a set of Hebridean twins and they are hanging out together on the hillside in a relaxed and laid back way. Daisy is quite vocal, as you'd expect from a pet lamb, but seems settled and is eating well.

These are a few of the others who come in for a quick snack morning and evening.

The main part of the morning was taken up with hanking and washing my Carloway mix yarn which I will put in the Etsy shop as soon as its dry and aired. It's so tweedy and soft and bouncy. Would really like to keep it all for myself, but with all these mouths and beaks to feed, we must keep an eye on the bottom line.......

This afternoon we're off to walk along the path from Urgha towards Rheinigidale - the path has had some extensive upgrading during the summer so we will be enjoying the sunshine and views and hoping its not going to be too crowded today. Probably won't be able to get photos as my camera batteries went dead earlier and they are on the charger.

Then paperwork this evening - end of the calendar year assessment of animal numbers, performance and whether the croft is still solvent (at any rate it's pretty wet in places!).