It was uncharacteristically sunny, not warm, but not really cold either. Unseasonably mild for the latter half of November. The perfect weather really to get a bit of fresh air in the house. As I often do I opened the kitchen door wide, allowing the air to waft in as I sat at the breakfast bar on my laptop, pretending to work, or at least pretending to intend to think about starting work. As I flick through the news online, needing no help to find a distraction, I decide my procrastination shou...

It had been dark for hours and definitely felt like bed time, even if it was still not ten - I was walking down the hill and, as usual, it was raining. Thankfully at least it wasn't particularly heavy, just a light spatter, the clouds letting me know they were thinking of me. I could hear the water flowing in the nearby burn, slightly louder than normal, fed from the heavy rain just an hour ago. The light from my torch glints off of the water running down the tarmacked road as I make my way h...

In a small village it feels like you have to make an effort to socialise - but in a very odd kind of way. Back where I used to live you would pop out for a random coffee, or go to the cinema, restaurants or a myriad of other things you could just, well, do. There were organised events of course, but you could take them or leave them, there were plenty of other things to do, and of course if you didn't feel like attending an event, you could be sure that something else would come along sooner or...

Yes you're adorable. Undeniably cute. Hopping around, red for the whole world to see. When I'm outside you can follow me around as much as you like, in fact it's encouraged. We can be friends, we can chat, you can keep me company. This though, this is the kitchen. It's inside. I'm pretty sure you're not meant to be in here. Go on, shoo. No matter how many times I explain it to Louise (I'm pretty sure the robin is called Louise, though my ability to speak robin is a little rusty), she keeps c...

There is one thing you can always be sure about at this time of year - it gets dark early. The UK is not always known as the sunniest of climes, nor the warmest, or the friendliest. But the dark, the cold and the rain? Those we have in plenty. That and sarcasm. Right now though, especially after the clocks have changed, it starts getting dark incredibly early, and with very few street lights around if you happen to be out in early evening you very much need a torch. Everyone has one, be it on ...

I only found out about it a few days ago, but really I shouldn't have been surprised. There is a village committee, and once a month they have a village meeting - open to one and all (of course so long as you're local - though I have no idea what would happen if a stranger wandered in...). You had a mix of people, some young(ish) and some old. More old than young. It was everything you would expect, meanderings, misunderstanding and a few old people who couldn't really hear what was going on. I...

As regular readers will know, winter is coming - the weather is setting in and things are closing for off season. And this means one thing, and one thing alone... I have to enjoy all the food while I can. Normally I'd never eat out more than once a week, I rarely get takeaway. There are options here, but not so many that you'd never get bored. But having said that, when you know you only have a week or two left until you have to wait until the spring? Well then even a small choice starts to f...

It's almost the end of October, and the weather has definitely turned the last couple of weeks. When I first got here it was stunning, the sun was shining every day, it was warm and sea was calm. Then the rain started. I'm not really sure it's stopped. Sometimes it's a light rain, barely noticeable as you walk down the road. Other times it's torrential, soaking you through before you even realised it's raining. The temperature has dropped, an extra layer, a nice thick jumper has been added ...

It was dark. I was not long out the front door, it was oddly early for me. I’m rarely awake before sunrise let alone up and out of the house. I start waking. A sole car passes me, their headlights almost destroying my night vision completely. I continue forward - waiting for the sun’s rays to pierce through the thick layer of clouds. I hear the chirp of birds, but something is off. I can’t place what it is, but there is something different, something not quite right - and not just the fact I’m...

One of the nice things about my new home is any time of the day I can go for a walk, I can go one direction and see people, or another and I can almost guarantee I won't see a single soul. Well a human soul anyway. Every walk I see something new, or at least notice it for the first time. A new type of bird, a field mouse (or at least I think, either way it was tiny and adorable), a red squirrel or a bird. But on today's walk I saw something I wasn't really expecting. A lightning blue flash s...

The night is dark. That shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. But for those of us who are used to living in large towns or cities, the dark, true darkness, is reserved for forest, for when you're in the middle of nowhere. Not for your walk home from the pub. Apparently I live in the middle of nowhere. I left the pub. All was good. I could see my hands in front of my face, I could even see the road - what an easy walk home. Every step though, the darkness encroached, as the lights of the pub w...

Down the road, a fifteen minute gentle amble along the shore line is the village pub. Mind you, in my former life I was not one to pop out for to the pub in the middle of the work day, but the local pub does a surprisingly good coffee. So with travel cup in hand I head down to grab a drink, a quick break from work, a nice walk in the sun, and the possibility of seeing another human being. It won't take long, 40 minutes at most - besides, I think, I have a meeting soon, so I shan't dally. The wa...

A message on my phone, from someone on the island no less! My social life is taking an unexpected flourish, the local "crew" is heading out. Not just to the local pub, but to town (still a village)! Of course you can't do the normal quick dash to the supermarket in a hurried attempt to get the next bus back, rather you have to get the one after that - a leisurely few hours to go for a drink. Or so I thought. The bus is packed, a mix of people being picked up and dropped off on the way to town (...

It's a tiny village, at least by my standards. There aren't even 200 people. It has to share a village hall. It's hardly a bustling metropolis of social activity - there are no cinemas, no shops and most certainly no fancy ballrooms. Yet today there was an event. A pop up cafe. But I missed it? How is it, that in a tiny village, where everyone knows everyone else's business, I didn't know about the social event of the month? A pop up cafe! That's the sort of thing they have in cities! As you ...

It's 2022, even the tiny village I'm in has broadband. I can watch films and TV on all of the streaming services. I can do my work, have video calls. Amazingly, even with the video turned on. That is until the rain starts. At first you hear the gentle patter of rain drops falling against the skylights, rhythmic, calming almost. You wonder if the person at the other end of your video call can hear it. You think about asking, maybe even apologising for the noise. There are a couple of stutters o...

I'm pretty independent. I have friends but don't often feel the need to see them. I message more than talk and always avoid meetings at work, when I do need them, my camera is always off. Sociable at times, a loner at others, generally happier alone. Never lonely. A small community is different - the sudden change of not being constantly surrounded by people the moment you step out of the door has made me enjoy walking and nature a lot more than I did previously. But with that came a surprisi...

All of us want to see the aurora, right? Whether you think it's magical or simply the result of solar activity interacting with our magnetic field - they're meant to be a beautiful sight to behold. It was extremely unlikely I'd ever see them when I lived in England, but having relocated to Scotland I had an inkling of hope that maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to see them now and again, adding it to the list of stunning natural phenomena that already greets me here every day. Not asking for much...

Where I used to live had weather - of course it did. Everywhere has weather. It might change a lot, it might change a little, in some places I've lived it barely changed at all. You could have snow in the winter (I rarely did), or droughts in the summer (sadly more and more common, but that's a different discussion). So yes where I used to live had weather, but my new home just seems to have a little bit more. There seems to be a common saying and joke in many places of the world - if you don't...

For the last few years I've lived by the sea - in a likely futile attempt to stay anonymous I won't name the areas, though I'm sure if you follow these entries you'll likely be able to piece them together. Escaping to Scotland has been on my to do list for what seems like most of my life, even if it's only been the last seven years or so. But anything beyond five seems nothing more than a distant memory. Finally though, after numerous failed attempts, house sales falling through, and then of ...