Storms and Power Cuts
Well, didn't think this post was going to happen tonight. The power went off in Lismore at about 3am, in the midst of major storms. Our newly constructed hen enclosure was the first casualty, closely followed by our electricity supply. It was suddenly all too clear why Colin signed up as the local SSE operative. Off he went in the middle of the night to source the problem...his absence in bed was obviously an open invitation for Alasdair and Ruairidh to take his place, so the rest of my night was spent with an extremely chatty 4 and 5 year old snuggled in beside me. The rest of Colin's night was spent tramping over hills in howling gales looking for the fault that had struck our wee island. He did eventually find it and managed to reconnect about half of the island, but the other half, including our own house, had to wait till just a few hours ago. Huge thanks to the efforts and hard work of all the SSE team - no matter how long it takes, we all appreciate the fact that they are putting their lives at risk to restore the luxury of power to our homes.
While Colin was having fun (!) out on the hills, Seahorse and I continued uninterrupted, as Port Castle still had full power (for most of the day).
They also had some spectacular stormy seas, although typically, the waves didn't choose to perform to their best for the camera. Fascinating to see how, even in the stormiest of seas, the ancient Viking fish trap still remains calm in the bay.
Florence definitely had the right idea, curled up in bed in front of the fire.
The power finally gave out in Port Castle mid afternoon, so I had a chance to snap some pics of some of our closest neighbours enjoying their afternoon tea in the midst of weather chaos. Then it was time to light all the candles, crank up the gas stove and congregate round the wood burner till Colin and his SSE buddies did their thing and got Lismore powered up again. Apart from my usual concerns about how my fish cope with power cuts, there was, as always, something magical about an island power cut, with us all living, for a few hours at least as our ancestors did, cooking on open fires and reading by candlelight. There's a lot to be said for the simple life...though no one was complaining when the lights came back on!
While Colin was having fun (!) out on the hills, Seahorse and I continued uninterrupted, as Port Castle still had full power (for most of the day). 
They also had some spectacular stormy seas, although typically, the waves didn't choose to perform to their best for the camera. Fascinating to see how, even in the stormiest of seas, the ancient Viking fish trap still remains calm in the bay. 
The power finally gave out in Port Castle mid afternoon, so I had a chance to snap some pics of some of our closest neighbours enjoying their afternoon tea in the midst of weather chaos. Then it was time to light all the candles, crank up the gas stove and congregate round the wood burner till Colin and his SSE buddies did their thing and got Lismore powered up again. Apart from my usual concerns about how my fish cope with power cuts, there was, as always, something magical about an island power cut, with us all living, for a few hours at least as our ancestors did, cooking on open fires and reading by candlelight. There's a lot to be said for the simple life...though no one was complaining when the lights came back on! 
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