Time for another quick update, particularly as my mum now says the only way she finds out what I’m up to is to read my blog!!!!!.
It’s been another busy month, I was in Musselburgh mid May for a community archaeology conference which was very interesting. We are looking to develop a project on the estate so it was great to hear about other people’s experiences and lend some support to my friend Anne who was giving a presentation about her involvement in the Dun Eistean project.
On Monday I was out with my first coach party of the year, we have a number of cruise liners that come to Stornoway every year and tours are put on all over the island for the day. This particular group were with the National Trust for Scotland and they were visiting North Lewis in the morning and afternoon and I was asked to accompany them. We had a great time and fantastic weather for both trips and managed to get in a bit of wildlife watching to with eider duck, dunlin and a harbour porpoise at the lighthouse. We stopped at the Comunn Eachdraidh for some tea and everyone thoroughly enjoyed visiting the new exhibition spaces created over the winter.
On Wednesday I spent the morning with the children at Airidhantuim school working on more Eco-school activities, this time we were planting wildflowers and vegetables in their new raised beds. Hopefully once the children return from their summer holidays they should have bumper crops of onions, potatoes, peas and carrots (now you can see what the title was about!). We had the added pressure of being filmed as part of the Gaelic aspect of their recent HMI inspection, it’s very distracting trying to plant potatoes with someone pointing a camera at you!!!. Both Barvas and Airidhantuim schools received very good HMI reports and both were recently awarded their silver Eco schools awards – it’s great to see all their hard work being recognised.
On the wildlife front there are a few bits and pieces to report: the mute swans on Loch Stiapabhat have a cygnet, there have also been sightings of green winged teal, ruff and little stint and an Atlantic swift was seen heading north from Brue. There have been lots of butterflies reported and many of the wildflowers are starting to emerge. I think it’s going to be a good summer this year!
