Posie's Blog. Tales of island life on a hebridean hill farm

Posie's Blog. Tales of island life on a hebridean hill farm

Tuesday 17 July 2012

It's a dog's life


I have become a human tornado, racing around the farmhouse at incredible speed. My new super-efficient self has a body that is adapting to the speed of light, my brain however seems a little slow to catch up. A point that keeps getting illustrated to me on a very regular basis, like yesterday when I was hovering over the very whingey cat’s bowl about to empty the contents of my muesli box into it, no wonder the cat was whining. I did stop short of feeding myself a very large bowl of cat food for breakfast.
Even the farm animals are noticing this transformation into super woman and are doing their best to join in. Mist, the sheepdog, was very inventive in acquiring a super new luxury pad for herself. I looked out of the French windows to see her huddled in my white plastic washing basket under the washing line. She did look remarkably cute, and I obligingly took photos of her new sleeping quarters, as I got closer I realised she had also pulled several items of washing off the line and nuzzled them into the basket to make an exceptionally cosy bed, and all with her exceptionally muddy paws. Having met the bed and breakfast guests, and having vacated her kennel to Charlie hen, I think she is demanding an upgrade on her own accommodation to five star residency.
Luckily I did not have much time to fret about dirty laundry scattered around the garden with the dog lying in the middle of it, the pottery and another successful kiln load of goodies was beckoning me, adding to the madness and mayhem of life on this particular farm.
Until next time….. 

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Pottering Around......


I have been AWOL for a good few weeks, not from the farm, but from the blog, life has suddenly upped a gear and got incredibly hectic, something I am sure most of you can relate to. The holiday cottages are full, and we have started to venture into the world of bed and breakfast, as the Happy Farmer's building work is all now completed, what a star he is! Although he is incredibly busy these days making sure all of our guests are given a true island welcome, which does involve lots of whisky and entertaining tales. 
I have been getting incredibly creative in the pottery and it has been paying off, with lots of lovely visitors calling by, lots of afternoon teas being served and lots of pottery flying off the shelves, the latter has been very reassuring as I have been dipping my toe in the water of creativity and experimenting with designs, waiting to see if people what people would like. They appear to like it all, so all my worries of shelves lying laden with pottery that visitors look at but don't buy has evaporated. 
Last Saturday we turned the pottery and tea room into a 'Blooming Great Tea Party' and donated all the proceeds from  afternoon teas to Marie Curie Cancer Care, raising £295.48 in a few hours.
The pottery cats have been endearing themselves to all of the visitors, waiting patiently for them in the car park and  lying out in the sun with them as they have alfresco lunches. The photo is of Doughball, posing on top of one of the smaller kilns...after a busy day in the pottery. 
Thankfully Charlie and Joey, the hens have remained in the garden, and not ventured over the road to the pottery, now that would be a disaster. They are still laying beautifully in the nesting boxes, and Mist, the sheepdog, is still giving up her sleeping quarters in the kennel to Charlie hen, even though she is no longer getting her dietary supplement of an egg a day, so all remains calm on the animal front. Sugar Lump, the pet lamb is growing bigger by the day and we have plenty of volunteers to give her a bottle now we have a lot of  younger visitors at the pottery.
Now all I need is to get the Happy Farmer and the rest of the crew to behave so well....
Until next time....