~ Skomer Island ~

The old farm on Skomer Island

Yesterday, I finally made it to Skomer Island. It is only about ten miles from where we live to Martin's Haven, where the boat the "Dale Princess" launches to take visitors across to the Island. Over the years we have tried a few times to get there...usually it is weather that has been the problem; last year it was a school which bought all the tickets for their trip that day. You cannot book in advance, and you cannot phone to find out if they are sailing, or if they are sold out. It is first come, first served, and pot luck!


The day was perfect, with the air having a crystal clear, sharp~focus quality that does not happen here very often. I loved everything about it....the boat journey....

...this gull kept perfect pace with us, until finally, ever so gently and skilfully alighting on the bow.

...what we had mainly come to see......

PUFFINS

I fell head over heels for these comical, busy, totally fearless little sea~birds.

It was preening.....

.....and sleeping time when we were there.

This little one was so close to the path that I only had to reach out and I would have touched it.

Visitors are not allowed to step off the pathways, as the damage to nests and burrows would be disastrous.

This burrow was on the path edge, and I was so happy when I saw that it was occupied. I asked forgiveness from the Puffin for such rude intrusion. It was only when I looked at the photos later that I noticed the entrance was somewhat heart shaped

The rabbits sunbathe!! I did not take my zoom lens with me so this is a poor shot, but I wanted to share it anyway....
In the Middle Ages, in the 13^th Century, rabbits were introduced to the Island. Rabbits were brought to the British Isles by the Normans and were a valuable source of food and fur, their skins being as important as their meat. Many islands were used as Warrens (places where Rabbits were kept) at that time, as the Rabbits could not escape and equally they could easily be protected from poachers. (Copied)

The cliffs across the water here is so like an abstract painting....in a way I suppose it is, painted by bird poo, and green algae (I think).

We had not been able to see Razorbills or Guillemots clearly on our walk around the Island, but as we were waiting on the steps to catch the return boat, there they were below us on the rocks. We thought that was a perfect finish to a most beautiful day, but, there was one more gift for us when, after we had all boarded, two seals appeared just feet away and frolicked playfully. I didn't even try to take a photo of them, I just wanted to be, and to watch them, with a full heart and smiling face.


I have just found The Skomer Island Blog

Rainbow cobwebs, puckering moons and raspberry smoothies

Raspberries galore in our garden :~))))))

with Kefir for breakfast

Blended with Kefir into a smoothy

It has taken a little perseverance for me to get to like Kefir.....but it's been worth it; and, since our raspberries are now abundant, it is sooooo delicious poured over them and even more sooooo delicious when they're blended together....tart, and smooth and sweet and! and! and! oh!

I've come to a stop with my little Blue Moon cloth since quilting the moons. There is a big tension issue. I had stitched the back piece onto the front all around the edge before I started quilting. After I finished the moons, I took out the stitching around the edges, which improved things, but still leaves some fairly serious puckering as you can see.

I love the effect of the quilting on the back....makes me think of Jupiter's bands. I was fairly careful with each stitch...not doing the usual two to three stitches at one time...so it was slow going.....even for me! Once I'd noticed the puckering, as I quilted the first moon, I tried to take note of how tight I was pulling each stitch. I was surprised to find that I gave a little tug at the end of each one. Things improved when I stopped that 'tug', but not enough. Now I need to find out is there a magic way around this....or is it a drastic measure....take all the quilting out and start again? Slowly learning here....enjoying that.

I was so happy to see these two little friends. I hadn't seen them for a while and I missed them.They sit there like little Buddhas  with their cute feet turned inwards and their throats working  in a language I can't understand. Talking of Buddha ~ behind the little dark frog on the right......

The pond is in the shade of the Elder tree and in front of the arbour and needs cleaning...badly...but when I went to do it late last autumn, when I thought it would be empty of frogs, I had to stop, as there were still two out of the four in there and three newts, which I had not known about :~) It never ceases to amaze and delight me that we put this small pond in, waited for rain to fill it, (that is never a long wait here!), then let nature do the rest....and there is so much life in there.....even though the water is green and the bottom is probably filled with a lot of slimy, decomposing leaves. I will try again this year.....

I had a surprise visitor when I was sitting, stitching, in the sunshine in the doorway of my shed last week

She came to say hello to me briefly and I was allowed to stroke her, before she wandered off, over the fence and gave the magpies, who have a nest in the hawthorn tree over there, something of a scare. They rattattattattatt~ed at her like a machine gun. It is not often we get cat visitors here, because of Tilly~dog, so this was a most welcome and special treat.

~ Happy Summer Solstice ~

My Man was busy taking solar images and a video this morning after the clouds finally cleared away, and kindly let me use them here.

Those filmy clouds racing over the sun make it look to me as though it is spinning.

Happy Summer Solstice 

~ Around the Garden Thursday ~

I'm joining up with Farmama's 'Around the Farm', (or garden), again this week. Some things are growing wildly, others are quite slow....

Our lovely apple tree outside the doors of my shed has 

four apples this year...last year it had only one 

the borage is going mad ~

Courgettes slowed down when May and June turned cold

Raspberries are ripening ~ tra~la~la

Lady's Mantle is going mad too ~

Runner beans blossoming.....

...and climbing

Peas are blossoming....

....and climbing ~ ~ ~

Parsley has just been planted outside

In the greenhouse we have ~

a cherry tomato plant

and a beef tomato plant ~

these and the cucumbers are really slow this year

I couldn't take out that fern...it's so pretty

this lettuce is so delicious

Basil is finally growing....only two plants made it this year 

~ this is the bigger one. We had some in our salad tonight

....oh my it's good.

This Elder is eleven years old now. She seeded herself in a pot of mint I had

before we came to live here. I brought her here with us and planted her by the 

hedge. I did not know then that Ash trees (you can see them behind her) 

 are very hungry and take lots of nutrients from the ground around. I think 

maybe that is why she does not produce so many blossoms. I love having her

in our garden. It does not matter that she can't supply me with the flowers

 and berries I need through the year....

I had tried three times to grow lavender here, but it just did not like the

soil. Our friend who we house~sit for has wonderfully large and healthy

plants, so she gave me some of her - very sandy - soil to try once more.

This plant is thriving in its pot of sand and I love that we have lavender

in our garden ~

Thyme has tiny blossoms

and I'm so happy that Sage is flowering on and on

~ Elderflower ~

Our Boy is happy. It's the time of the Elderflower again and for the past four days our house has had the bewitching, dreamy, lazy~summer~evenings smell of this creamy exquisite flower curling around its rooms.

Every year I make twelve litres of cordial, which he almost single~handedly consumes over the next few months...it has yet to last him a year! 

I love the whole process of it.....wildcrafting from trees abundant with the blooms.....

saying a silent thank you to the Mother Elder

 ~ asking permission from each tree before beginning ~ 

Picking the flowers that shine out from the rest, as they let me know they are the ones I can take, then saying thank you and leaving an offering....I cut little pieces of my hair as that is what feels right for me.

I have been making this for the last nineteen summers and I love how the annual ritual has brought an efficiency to the process. Although I am mindful as I work, I do not need to think about what I am doing...my body has the memory of the practice deep in its bones...the same as when I give a massage.

Today was bottling day and it is ultimately satisfying to have fifteen green, ceramic~topped beauties ~ and one little clear one ~  filled with sweet, tangy deliciousness lined up in the cupboard.

The Elder is one of my favourite herbs and, as Our Boy seems to get one bout of very high fever every winter (except when we home~schooled him for four years!), I always use the dried flowers in an infusion...along with yarrow and boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)....to help control the high temperature.
Early autumn brings the pleasure of making a tincture out of the Elderberries....

I love to make our herbal medicines and Sambucus is one I always keep in supply. It has the desirable action of disabling the flu virus. Apparently it makes the needle-like protrusions that the virus uses to pierce our cells, soft and jelly-like, thus rendering them useless. It has the added bonus of being warming and comforting when we are feeling ill.

On~going in the kitchen is Kombucha and, more recently, Kefir~making. The Kombucha is like a fine pear cider at the moment, and the three of us need a regular turn~over of eight litres. I seem to be bottling every other day.

It took me a little time to get used to the smell and taste of Kefir, but now I am enjoying it....especially for breakfast, poured over blueberries.....and in a few days it will be our very own raspberries....there were nine ripe today....yay.

What do you like to make in your kitchen?

~ Making a Start ~ Blue Moon ~

I've 'invisible' basted the moons on to this velvet piece. They are coming 

out of an eclipse...hope I am too.

I've called it Blue Moon as stitching has been that rare recently.

The two scraps are pieces from the clothes I've been de-constructing.

I think of the darker one as a dark cloud with a silver lining.

I've pinned this onto the back...liking the idea of having a sun flare 

behind the moons. Not entirely sure about it yet though...need to live

with it for a few days.

Our Boy and Tilly joined me in my shed yesterday. Tilly was

sleeping!

a

n

d

sleeping!

She trusts completely :~)

A few loved pieces in a corner of the worktop.