Publication
Out here on Rum, a granny’s visit is special
ON this wild Hebridean isle, summer doesn’t begin with a heatwave or a stretch of good weather; its arrival is signalled with a timetable. A ferry timetable, to be exact. The end of March brings with it Calmac’s shift to its summer timetable, and for...
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‘You have to rely on the kindness of others here’
IT was 5pm when I realised we didn’t have heating or hot water. I was drawing Cailean’s bath, excited to try out a new bath seat that had arrived on the boat the day before. My four-month-old is a bit dramatic when it comes to bath time: the room...
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‘HE LIKED TO DO NORMAL DAD THINGS’
IT’S 25 YEARS SINCE THE DEATH OF BIG COUNTRY FRONTMAN STUART ADAMSON, HERE HIS DAUGHTER KIRSTEN RECALLS THE MAN SHE KNEW
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Life on Rum: a car service can take four days
THE waiting room I’m in has three leather sofas, a kettle, and the faintest smell of diesel. I’m in Fort William, and the sun has begun to set, and I hear the ‘honk’ of my car from the garage next door. At least I know it’s passed that part of its...
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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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