Homeland-Scotland

Browsing Archive: September, 2009

Wry Observations on ‘Rust’ - 17th Sept 2009

Posted by John McKenna on Thursday, September 17, 2009, In : Crofting 

Jonathan Meades is a former restaurant critic for the The Times in  London.
Considered the best, once. Now he has either moved onto (or back to) general
social commentary. His latest television series is focused on Scotland, a place
he doesn't seem to care for; in the same dismissive manner that English historians
often approach the country (which they occasionally don't accept as a country). 
Anyway, Meades' latest TV venture is called Off Kilter (gittit?) and last night's
programme, which ...

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Sketches of Barra - 30th Aug 2009

Posted by John McKenna on Wednesday, September 2, 2009, In : Crofting 

Went down mid-week. The last inhabited island at the southern end of the Outer Hebrides (just in case you're wonderin').

Kisimul


Northbay


Bruernish


Ledaig


Morghan




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Earshader Update (Peats) - 10th Aug 2009

Posted by John McKenna on Wednesday, September 2, 2009, In : Crofting 
In July, Elizabeth and I began bringing in the peats from our croft's designated bank (about three miles away, on the 'Bernera road' back towards Stornoway, from the croft in Earshader). Cutting started back in May, stripping a half foot depth of turf off and replanting it below the face of the peat bank (so that the heather and grass should continue to grow) before we sliced through the deep brown peat with a traditional peat iron.


the peat bank


Cutting the peat away from the bank is labour ...

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Getting Started - 1st Feb 2009

Posted by John McKenna on Wednesday, September 2, 2009, In : Crofting 
In Earshader, there is no BT-based broadband (the Bernera exchange, 2 miles away, hasn't been upgraded) and the wireless transmitter is blocked by large hills. So, I have gone back to a very slow dial-up account established at the rented house. To get in touch, use either bshelby@bshelby.demon.co.uk or barryshelby@mac.com. (No big attachments, though please. ) Wireless b-band will take a while. The company said another two or three months in January, but the last time I checked it's website, ...
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 Colin Macleod - Local Lad + Landscapes:

Again in the music-videologue-of-Lewis-vein: this one features the rather frightfully handsome lad, Colin Macleod. Pal of Dotjr, apparently. New CD (on Geffen) due out soon.

 

 

About Me


Barry Shelby Barry Shelby, American-gone-native-Scotsperson, Journalist , Photographer, Author and....Crofter located now at Earshader on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Barry, based for years in Glasgow, is now with his wife Elizabeth on the Islands off the North-West Coast of Scotland.

Images 

 

Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas,  also Isle of Lewis) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides (an archipelago) of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is 683 square miles (1,770 km2).

Lewis is, in general, the lower lying part of Lewis and Harris, with the other part, Harris, being more mountainous. The flatter, more fertile land means Lewis contains the only town, Stornoway and three-quarters of the population of the Western Isles. Beyond human habitation, the island's diverse habitats are home to an assortment of flora and fauna, such as the golden eagle, red deer and seals and are recognised in a number of conservation areas.

Lewis is of Presbyterian tradition with a rich history, having once been part of the Norse Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. Today, life is very different to elsewhere in Scotland with Sabbath observance, the Gaelic language and peat cutting retaining more importance than elsewhere. Lewis has a rich cultural heritage as can be seen from its myths and legends as well as the local literary and musical traditions.

 

(source Wikipedia)

So where is Earshader?

 

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