25 Comments

Haha! You’ve hit the nail on the head as the well-worn phrase says. Grey skies, tick. Rain lashing the windows, tick. Baskets of washing, tick. Add to that the quagmire of our back drive through which it’s necessary to traverse in order to get to the -very unaesthetic, built of pallets- wood store when the fire runs low. We don’t have your draughts, thank goodness, but we do share the cold, wet wildness of a Scottish island. Books, sewing projects, seed catalogues and recipe books - that’s how I get through it. And a fire at all times for cheer, even if it’s not really necessary for warmth

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Lots of grey skies, although sometimes it does seem to come out well in a photo doesn't it?! The quagmire, we're lucky we don't have one of those, we keep our wood in the outbuilding that's attached to the house, so it's a hop step & a jump across pavers to get to. One day it'll be less quaggy...maybe! You did do time in a caravan though - did you find it warm enough?

I like the sound of your winter plans, seed catalogues ... planning what to grow next year!

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The caravan was uninsulated, and freezing cold. We had two highland winters in there and that was enough. We had a gas fire but it took ages to warm the place through, so we slept in layers with an electric blanket and our teeth chattered through our first coffee whose primary purpose was to thaw us out..

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… needed

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I'm doing lots of very unglamourous dog walks in the pitch dark at the moment (at the other side of the island!) on the beach by torch light. Hat, big coat, reflective vest, welly boots and gloves. And I'm practically living in my Oodie in the evenings :D

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VERY sensible! Boots & hi-vis are a must - I bought some new wellies from Birsay Farmers today! I'm lucky that I can mostly choose the time I take the dog out so I've started taking her for a long walk at lunchtime which limits walking in the dark.

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I try to do that, but some days are busier than others and the sun disappears far too quickly at the moment 😅

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This is a gorgeous post Han! 👍🥰 Love it! 🧡 I'm totally with you on the dripping wet hair and HRT gel drying scenario 🤣 I try to keep moving (by making the bed or something like that) to help the drying process along a bit 🥶😆 Love the article trashing the book too.. so funny.. my partner's parents are Scottish, so he'll get a kick out of reading that. 👍

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Thanks so ku ch Eve. Coorie definitely feels like a more real version of winter - the book review is brilliant! I hope your partner enjoys it!! Yes to doing some chores while the gel dries!! 😆

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Really enjoyed reading this Han and coorie would be right up my street. Nothing beats wrapping up, in what I call my sleeping bag coat, and going for a good walk with the dogs, whatever the weather! Followed by costing up on the sofa with a bottle of red wine before preparing a hearty roast dinner.

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Perfect Sonya - today has been red wine, tomorrow is roast. Now tell me about this sleeping bag coat of yours …

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It’s similar to the Dry Robes that many have, although I bought a Men’s Small and it’s massive, yet very cosy

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Cosy is what we need!

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There was a nursing home on the Isle of Arran called Cooriedoon. My aunt told me it meant Snuggle down or cuddle in. Either way it meant to make yourself cosy. The need to Coorie doon definitely describes Scottish winters especially on the Isles when the boats don’t sail!

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What a great name for a nursing home 🥰

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Have a wee dram for me. Cheers!

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I will!

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It’s so interesting to read about you hunkering down for winter as we have started to feel like we are stepping into winter.

While you are digging out all your warm cozy clothes, in dusting off my swimsuit and picnic blanket - that I plan to leave in my car for unexpected swims or writing under the pohutukawa tree.

Thank you for introducing me to this new Scottish word! I’ve got Scottish blood (my maiden name is “Muir”- a Scots word that means "moorland“) so I feel the connection back to my roots through your writing. ☺️

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Muir is a very Scottish name - we have plenty of moorland here!

Yes you have the opposite, so it's warming up and spring is turning into summer with you, which is lovely. I do love having seasons and the transitions. I had to look up the pohutukawa tree, but I recognise it now I've seen a photo - they are beauts

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Hurray for coorie! I'm definitely with you and I just have to deal with the weather from the English channel! I love peering out at the world from the comfort of my huge hood. For draughty windows though I highly recommend secondary glazing film, so easy and yet so beneficial. It's raised the temperature of my kitchen at least a few degrees so the washing up liquid doesn't freeze. And I chose hrt patches over gel for precisely the reason I couldn't do with hanging around waiting for it to dry in the colder months! My GP laughed at my reasoning!

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It's very sound reasoning...maybe I should speak to my GP! OK you win on cold kitchens, I don't think out washing up liquid has ever frozen! We did try stick on glazing but I bought such a cheap version it didn't stick, we might have to try again, every degree counts!

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I used the storm guard brand and it's still holding after 2 winters.

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That's good to know, thank you!

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I’m not a fan of winter. Dark nights, cold and damp weather, wet dog walks, the faff of having to put on extra layers, can’t dry the laundry, did I mention the dark?! But I do like the idea of coorieing in by a warm fire with a mug of tea and reading - or my new favourite - listening to an audiobook while crocheting my blanket which is now getting large enough to also keep me warm. I never have the house too hot - the thermostat is usually around 18/19 - because heating is expensive, but I usually have an extra cosy cardigan to throw on and thick socks - extra blankets on the bed too - though I periodically have to throw them back to cool off my night sweats ;)

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Here in Western New York we get a bad winter about every three years. In our household we could never stand the cold, drafty conditions that you guys are getting. We just got new furnaces for upstairs and downstairs, and they run on natural gas. We have to keep the temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s 21 Celsius. My wife is disabled and her lack of mobility means reduced circulation. I have fibromyalgia and I can’t stand the pressure of heavy blankets and Afghans on my limbs. So we do lots of reading, puzzles and adult coloring. Our cats love it when we turn on the electric blankets. You guys are real troopers out there, exposed like that.

I’m curious if you can see any shipwrecks from your island. (It’s Hoy, am I right?). I know from reading that after World War One the German High Seas Fleet was interned in Scapa Flow and the German sailors scuttled their ships there. A lot of the wrecks were salvaged but a few were not, and I wonder if you can see any of them at low tide?

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