First Full week

We have now lived on Lewis for 9 full days, and they really have been FULL days!

We left on Weds 07Jan for our adventure. Following our good friend I in a big van full of "stuff" we drove up the A9 to Inverness, which is a new route for me. When visiting the Island in the past we always travel via Skye, so it added an extra "it's different this time" element to the journey

Our crossing from Ullapool to Stornoway was eventful for both N and I - it was apparently quite calm and yet we were both dreadfully seasick for an hour in the middle of the Minch. Luckily N went to sleep, during which time my breakfast and I parted company, so we arrived feeling wobbly and embarrassed! With lots of help from cousins C and J we moved everything in and settled in for a windy weekend. It was quite consistently blowy, so that when I woke up on Monday morning, it took me a few minutes, lying in bed to work out what was different. It was that the wind had stopped!

N started at School on Monday - I drove him in the his first day, in his new uniform. He was a little nervous, but went off with the secretary to his classroom without a backward glance. Coming home on the school bus was a first for him - he got off the little bus, and ran down the drive with a big grin on his face. The first thing he told me is that the children all brush their teeth at lunchtime, and that there's homework most nights! He now races through his morning routine and breakfast, so he can be outside early for the bus - great for his independence

He has already done some things he has not had the opportunity to before. As the school caters for children up to 14, they have a home economics room, with cookers etc. So I have been informed he will be making flapjacks next week. In PE they learned some basketball skills. Travelling on the bus every day is a great social opportunity to get to know the other children in the village. He had previously met 2 families of children, but he has made another friend on the bus who we hope will come up for a play today. The boy is thriving!

I was a bit twitchy last night as there was a severe weather warning, anticipating the worst winds since 2004. We were in town at lunchtime and it was getting blustery. In Tesco's our checkout operator was asked if he got the bus home. If he did he would have to leave early as the buses would not be running out to the country after 1800. N and I settled down to watch TV, candles on, torches in hands.......the water went off sometime in the evening, and we were advised the power would almost certainly go off. One of my fab neighbours (more on them later!) rang with advice about the best place to park my car to make sure it was still here in the morning. And the wind blew harder and harder outside. We decided to sleep in the downstairs bedroom, as out rooms are in the roof, and I haven't bought my red "Dorothy Shoes" with me.
Off we went to bed shortly after 2100 as the anticipation was killing me - read for a while, switched off the still-working light and slept very well. I am not sure if the power went off at all, don't think it did, but interestingly our water is still off

Photos will follow when I can find my card reader - I know it's here somewhere! Hoping to complete the unpacking today, so I am sure it will turn up