Publication
Why the snowdrops tell me I’m finally at home on Rum
THERE are snowdrops in the garden. Just a few, mind you. They’re sitting next to my gas bottle, bundled together beneath the kitchen windowsill, sheltering from the rain. I’m sure the sight of snowdrops isn’t very fascinating to everybody. They bloom...
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Even car batteries and mothers need time to recharge
THEY say Rum is where cars go to die. It’s not said unkindly. It’s simply a fact of island life, and my own island is no exception. The Isle of Rum is beautiful, but it is also exposed. Salt-laden winds barrel in from the sea. Rain arrives sideways....
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A ferry’s bell becomes a call to community
ON Saturday morning, I can hear a faint bell in the distance. It’s 11.15am, and though the ferry isn’t due in for another 25 minutes, its presence is unmistakable – and I’m late. The village sits so quietly, so peacefully in the morning that the...
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A sleepy walk brings a moment of magic
AT three in the morning, under a moon bright enough to cast shadows, it can feel as though you are the only person awake in the world. The February Snow Moon hung low and shone bright, bleaching the blackened sky with an almost icy blue glow. I...
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The three trees and the view that anchors a life on Rum
THERE are three trees that I can see from my living room window. I couldn’t tell you what kind they are, but they each carry a distinctive shape. The first is the tallest, its branches sprawled on each side like shoulder blades. I saw a buzzard...
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I stepped back into work with a baby in my arms
THERE is something oddly calming about swaying softly while talking through a business cashflow. I’m aware that’s a strange thing to write, but my first KIT day or ‘keeping in touch’ day - from maternity leave arrived this week, with a baby tucked into...
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Sick days on a remote island: illness with a newborn
GETTING sick used to feel like an excuse to slow down. It was a free pass to park yourself on the couch, drag the duvet in, and settle down for what would be a long day of sniffling and feeling sorry for yourself. It came with permission to just...
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