tiumpanhead

Well, time to draw breath.  The schools have gone back, university’s gone back.  Shopping trips over, and this is the quietest we have been since the end of June.  Just 15 dogs and 5 cats.  Feels very quiet!!  Until next Thursday, and the October holiday, and we are back up to about 35 - 40 of each.  Won’t be quiet then.

Husband is away collecting the last bits of “stuff” that we are building the new kennels and cat houses out of.  It has been a long haul to get here, deciding what will be best, how to lay out the block to gain most benefit, etc.  Now we feel we have got there, and just need to get it all built!  Easier said than done, as obviously we can only build during quiet periods, and as you will have gathered there aren’t many of those.

Watching the brats the other day taking up residence next to their latest mouse hole.  Persistance and patience doesn’t describe it.  Looked like grey cat was camped in for the day and night, sending her brat sister off for supplies so she didn’t have to leave her post.  Thing is, the brats catch the mice, bring them home to show off, and then release them (still living) in the house.  I don’t  mind mice, but I don’t want to live with them.  The cats have lost interest, and it is left to our collie dog to finish them off.  She is so proud of being a mouser, one quick snap and they are gone.  It is a curious mixture of revulsion and relief when it happens.  This is Snitz, the hunter and favourite protege of top cat, who is in the process of retiring as soon as she has taught the brats all she knows.

What else is going on?  Not much really.  Had our grandaughter to stay for 2 weeks, she is 20 months old.  Dressed up in mini boiler suit and wellies we set her to work in the cattery, sweeping up, splashing through the water, and of course patting and kissing all the cats!  Really missed her when she went home, but it is nice to be in the position of working from home so she can stay any time.  I flew to Glasgow with her to meet her mum, and had a quick shop while I was there.  Went to Silverburn centre, first time I had been there.  It was ok, and the best bit, during the day, it was really quiet, felt like it had opened just for us!

We are not quite so hectic this week, getting towards the end of the summer holidays.  We have 31 dogs and 21 cats in, so a big reduction in numbers and means we get lunch roughly at lunch time, instead of afternoon tea time!  All our kittens left last week, but we have one more in, a beautiful fluffy grey, who is very cheeky and desperate for cuddles!

Visit this week from my brother and sister in law, so help this morning with dog walking.  Payment tomorrow for them in the form of a meal out!

Next week our youngest daughter comes up for 3 weeks, so more unpaid help (not really!!) for a while, which is nice.  When she goes back our grandaughter will be visiting (without Mum) for a fortnight.  She is 20 months, so a BIG help in the cattery, in her dinky little red boiler suit…

Still lovely and warm here at the moment.  Despite the showers, which are quite heavy, and a strong breeze it is still warm, and we feel like we have had another good summer.  It makes such a difference when we work outdoors so much, and means dogs don’t go home wet from their morning walk.

We didn’t experience the tornado effects last week.  Our electricity flickered on and off a few times, but it often does up here, so didn’t really think anything of it, but apparently it did quite a bit of damage.

Glad to see we now have the choice of Sunday ferry sailings.  It will make a difference to us having to go to England on a fairly frequent basis, and a lot of customers have commented how pleased they are with the extended choice. 

Hoping to get a chance tomorrow to visit the continental market.  Went last year, or the year before and it was really interesting.  Bought lots of things that we just never see here, so should be good.

Haven’t left the site, have just been really busy with the school holidays.  Kennels and cat houses are both full, and there aren’t many spare hours in the day.  Those we have are spent sleeping!

Had a look at our bookings last week and was amazed at the range of dogs we had in, from St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Spaniel, Collie, Llasa Apso, Patterdale Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier, Water Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Labrador.  It goes on!!  I’m sure people think we only have collies here (nothing against that, we have our own and I love collies), but over the last couple of years we have seen a big increase in different breeds.  

Not so many varieties in cats, we do get some “posh” cats in, all sorts of wonderful names, but usually it is just colour and personality that differentiate them.   Looking after 3 SSPCA kittens at the moment.  Very cute.  It was 4, but one was rehomed.  They are going on the plane on Friday, to Inverness.  They go to the SSPCA rehoming centre, and Highland Airways fly them free of charge! The 3 that are left are called Number 1, number 2, and number 4!!  Number 3 was the one that went to a new home.  Can’t give them names or they may not leave and we already have 4 cats and 1 dog!!

The Minke was still hanging around yesterday and my husband managed to get some photos.  They are a bit distant but I’ll put one on, if you squint you can see it just beyond the headland.

I realise that living here makes your perspective on life change, but this was brought home to me this morning as I was walking the dogs.  We go along the lane from the house and on the way pass a picnic bench.  Opposite this is a wheelie bin for public use.  I use the word “use” loosely, as people do find it a struggle to walk the few feet to put their rubbish in it, but it is provided by the council.  A couple of years ago the lid blew off in one of our frequent howling gales, and I noticed this morning that a new lid has been fixed on.  Not world shattering news, I know, but it kind of made me think that it is the little things that make a difference to us here!!

Also heard this week that a local business man is planning to open a “Woolies” type store in town, to be called the Wee W.  This is good news for the town, we really miss Woolies for all the things that you knew they would have!  Batteries, baking trays, CD’s, cards etc.  The list goes on.  Let’s hope the store works out.

I meant to write this the other day, but we have been really busy.  On Friday afternoon and evening there was our first sighting this year of a Minke Whale, feeding and basking in the bay at the bottom of our garden.  It always makes me stop and gaze when I see them, and we have missed them this year.  Unfortunately, it was camera shy and every time my husband tried to capture it, it disappeared under the waves.  Nice to see it though.

Hi everyone

Les has persuaded me to not give up on island blogging and I appreciate his encouragement.  So, just a quick post to say that I have kept up with everyone’s news and views and still enjoying reading your blogs. 

We are really appreciating the beautiful weather we are having here on Lewis.  Not just us, but our canine guests love to get their sunny walks, although I suspect the spaniels among them would prefer it wet and muddy!!

Will blog back soon

For those who like pictures, this was taken from Tiumpanhead on 13th June about 10.30pm!!

What a beautiful day it is on the Isle of Lewis today.  The sun was peeping through at 7.30 this morning, when I walked my first dog, and now at 6.30pm it is still fantastic.  How much easier everything is when the weather is nice.  The dogs don’t get wet, my waterproofs stay in the hall, and I don’t bend double and struggle my way against the wind.  It is beautiful. 

Kennels and cattery are now full, so busy days ahead.  Despite the nice weather, when I looked in on the cats about an hour ago they were all snuggled up on their heat pads.  As are my house cats, hogging radiators as if they were in the Arctic!

We have a new dog groomer on the island, called Caroline, and we have had a few of her customers come to stay recently.  She is doing a great job on them, they all look like they have had proper haircuts!  Now we have seen the result of her grooming skills I’m happy to be able to recommend her business at Hebridean Hounds.  I once cut our own dog’s hair.  She is a long haired Border Collie and I thought she looked a bit hot so gave her a trim.  Trouble is that once I started I kept going, and she was too embarrassed to go out for a month!!!!  Good thing it is only boarding we offer or customers would never come back.

Off to play with said collie in the garden now, to be joined by 3 out of 5 cats.

Old Kennel in process of being demolished

Have just come in for a cup of tea and thought I would try again with pictures, so here goes.  Hopefully the first one is the debris of one of our old kennels. We are replacing them all so we can raise the floor to put in drainage, and also make the individual kennels warmer and more hygienic for the dog guests.  Then a part finished new kennel,

Single kennel,partly built

The bed is from Kuranda, and is supposed to be chew proof, and is guaranteed for life.  We have tried all sorts of beds, including other chew proofs that only lasted 24 hours, but this one looks ok so far.

Not to leave out the felines, here is view of the main cattery

Main Cattery

And just a reminder of the location!

View of our house in the foreground and kennel block in the back.

We have a hectic couple of weeks ahead, fully booked for the school holidays so not much time to spare. Had dogs protesting last week at walking in the horrendous rain and wind that stayed for a few days, some of the dogs put the brakes on at the kennel door and look at me as if I must be out of my mind to want to go out in that weather!!  Lucky cats, and so haughty, sitting on their heated beds, paws tucked in. Always so smug, just waiting to demand from me their requirements. 

After Easter it will be back to the building, we really need to get this finished this year so we can start on the cattery for next year.

Then maybe the house.  We had to put in a new bathroom when we moved in (just over 5 years ago) as I can’t get in and out of a bath so replaced it with a walk in shower, but apart from one coat of paint all over the insides the rest is pretty much as we found it.  Looking forward to the day when the kitchen is demolished and started again.  My poor husband, as if he hasn’t enough to do with all the exteriors to keep up with too.

We have our own animals too, 1 dog and 4 cats, plus a “foster cat” (daughters, which is still here), so they are good guinea pigs (so to speak) for testing out purchases for the business.  Our boss cat chose the beds in the cattery, made by Whiskas in the shape of a cat’s head, but actually work like a pod and keep in all the heat. 

And to finish off, a beautiful picture of the sunrise that my husband took on 28th January, looking from the lighthouse over to the West coast, mainland Scotland. 

I hope this all works, and I haven’t used too much space.  Please, Les, tell me if I am not doing this right!

Having spent all our time recently building new kennels inside we finally got three finished and one up, but not finished.  We have had to raise the floor level to put in new drains so it has been hard work.  The schools break up tomorrow and Friday here so we are fully booked for the next three weeks and so no more building at the moment.  That means, after our morning work we now have a free afternoon, so I think that counts as a day off?  Until the next round of dogs, that is.  It is also not windy and quite sunny, so pleasant outside.  Dog walks this morning were pleasant, for me and the dogs.  Still no dolphins though.

Having spent all of today inside the kennels I came out to a true downpour.  It’s so warm and quiet in there (bar the odd bark) you have no idea what is going on outside.  Now I know why the dogs all settle down for an afternoon nap.  The amount of building we are doing at the moment, I need one myself.

Thank you all for your kind comments.  Once I get a bit of time and work out how to put on pictures without hogging all the space they will be uploaded.  The days are just flying by at the moment and we are almost at the Easter break which means full house for dogs and cats and long days for us.  Not a complaint, of course, that is what we are here for, but it does stop all other activities.

I read the other island blogging posts in my tea break, and hoping soon we will be able to have our breaks watching the dolphins.  Can’t be much longer before they arrive at the bottom of our garden!