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Well the rain is pouring doon, the wind is blowing up a hoolie, and I`m for the indoors today for sure!
One of oor geese is building a nest in her hutch, the others standing guard as she does it in atween snatching moothfulls o` grass and barley. Whilst it`s grand tae see such industry at work, I am a peedie bit worried aboot the forecast o` severe weather coming oor way next week, for if it`s as bad as they say it will be then being the softie that I am, I`ll need tae be takin` the geese in by tae keep them safe frae a` manner o` flying debris we can get here when the gales hit. Och, though, I`ll just wait and see, ye never ken what the weather will dae, and the cheery folks that forecast the weather rarely seem tae get it right.

Me auld spinning wheel gets dusted doon today and put intae use aside the stove in the warm. I`m tae be doing a demonstration o` weaving on the Viking warp weighted loom in August, so that means I need wool tae weave with. Oor auld sheep (called "Sheep") provides plenty o` that....we shear him once a year and get twa or three bags o` find lanolin rich wool frae him. And it`s a pot luck every year what colours will be in it, for he`s a black sheep technically, but that wool comes off his back in shades o` dove grey and caramels and rich chocolate browns and creams. I hae plenty o` bags o` wool left so will sit aside the stove and warm me auld bones and get tae spinning. I spin the wool raw, leaving the lanolin in it and wash it once spun and plied if I need it degreased. Truth be told, I like spinning it raw, it`s good for me hands and I like the texture o` the wool when it`s spun.
Me other half managed to figure oot how tae dismantle the loom, so that is doon and ready for transportation when needed, and it`s already strung up wi` the stone weights all in a guddle on the floor.
In the Viking times, both women and menfolks took their turn at weaving. Back then, ye see, ye couldnae readily gaun oot and nip tae the shops tae buy clothes. Ye`d tae rely on the traders coming tae your township or homestead, and that wasnae a regular thing, or on haeing the money tae send your man on a buying trip tae get ye the cloth so ye could mak up you`re ain clothes and bedding and a` the other things we tak for granted nooadays.
Folks forget how precious cloth was in times past.
So this loom was always set up in the longhoose, and somebody would ayeways be at it, weaving tae mak sailcloth for the longships or for bedding or for clothing.
It maks ye appreciate it a` the more, when ye hae tae dae it frae scratch and see the work that goes intae producing a warm and wearable cloth.
Having said that, the Vikings were fine and great traders and cam back frae their journeys wi` a` manner o` riches, including silks frae the East. They would trade their ain wool and furs and salted meats and more, for the foodstuffs, drinks and other goods they couldnae mak in their ain countries. And the Vikings were vain folks! Oh aye, they liked tae decorate themselves and their womenfolks wi` a` manner o` loot! The women were recorded as dripping wi` ornate jewellery (some o` which would hae been melted doon previously raided church-gotten booty) and the menfolks were considered so vain they would even use a form o` eyeliner tae decorate their een!
They must hae been fine bonny creatures tae look at though. A far cry frae the common image o` fierce barbarians needing a guid bath! Most folks dinnae ken that Viking age folks had bath hooses attached tae their communities.
Och, listen tae me rattling on! Sorry!
Anyways, that is why me wheel will be seeing the light o` day this afternoon. I need tae mak a guidly pile o` spun wool tae tak wi` me tae the demonstration, and given the size o` the loom, that`s a lot !
And in atween a` that spinning I`ll be working a couple o` sheepskins, which, thank the gods, is a job I can dae indoors. I hae a couple of fine thick and large hides which are coming oot richt supple and bonny, so I`m happy enough wi` them.
And doing me hoosewifely stuff tae...it`s no a popular thing tae say nooadays, but I actually like hoosework. Forget a` your "keep fit by walking/doingthe gym/pilates" rubbish...a days guid hoosework keeps ye fit enough! And there is something awfu satisfying aboot sitting doon at the end o` the day in a fairly tidy wee hoose and kenning that you made it that way.
So I`m making bread today, two batches, a normal white and an oatmeal loaf. And steeping pulses for making the soup tomorrow.
And even though it`s chucking it doon, I can still dae me washing and get it dry wi` using the wee pulley ower the stove. So I`m thankful for that, for I wouldnae like tae be relying on an expensive tumble drier in weather like this.

The kestrel came back yesterday. We cannae figure oot if he is hanging aroond, like the moorhens, for the grain we put oot for the geese, or if he is after the moorhens themselves, for they always keep awa` when he`s aboot, and are shy and feared o` him. It seems tae me, that he would have tae be an awfu strong kind o` bird tae tak doon a moorhen...they seem aroond the same size tae me...but I hae seen owls fight wi` big blackback gulls so who`s tae say? But it is a nice sight tae see him flitting aboot the garden or sitting on the telephone wire preening his feathers.
When we first moved tae Sanday, me son mentioned up at the school that there had been a barn owl roond oor garden. One o` the teachers there had said "Rubbish! There are no owls on Sanday!".
She was proved wrong time and time again as the owl was sighted by more than us. And noo there are more than one o` them, so they seem tae be successful here and thriving, which is nice tae see.
Whar I grew up, we`d a variety o` wildlife...I mind best the red deer and one night driving hame wi` me mam and dad in the car when a wildcat got caught in the headlights. Me mam said tae me dad, "Go on then, get oot and move it or we`ll be here a` night!" because the cat just stood there, wi` its back arched and hissing at us. But me dad just shook his heid and we waited for a guid few minutes til it went it`s ain way in it`s ain sweet time...for that cat was big!
And I mind seeing pine martens and a wheen o` birds wha`s names I didnae ken.
But here, on Sanday, it`s mainly a` the birds. Wild birds coming frae far and wide tae ower winter, or the throngs o` starlings and curlews and the noisy oystercatchers. I even hae a merlins wings. The bird itself had been decapitated by a wire fence in a gale years ago noo. So I took the wings and dried them oot and they are still fine bonny things, speckled and banded.
I miss the red deer though, and the pheasants.
But today, everything is hunkering doon in the lash o` the wind and the pelt o` the rain. I dinnae blame them and will be doing the same meself.