Seven Years on Enlli!

Today marks seven years since we moved to live and work on Enlli...years full of new experiences, challenges, steep learning curves, fulfillment, blessing and a whole lot more!
I've just come across some photos  taken in our first week here; just one example of some of the changes that have taken place in our lives...

Adventures on Mull

June seems a long time ago now, but as usual, the busy summer season here on Enlli has meant that blogging has been low on our priority list!  So here is a bit of a catch up of our holiday...with thanks to Gwyn (and Lauren, and Sian) for house, cafe and animal sitting for us.

 All set to go, waiting outside Coleg Meirion Dwyfor for Ben to finish his last A level exam!

We managed to liaise with some friends, Steve and Jen Hallett, for the first night's camp on our way up to Scotland, stopping just north of the border.

Taking up a very long space on the Corran ferry just south of Fort William.

This was our camp-site for 10 days - Fidden farm, just opposite Iona, a stunning location and beautiful spot.

The gentle sea breezes even managed to keep the midges away !

We spent the first day exploring the neighbouring isle of Eraid by kayak...beautiful pink granite crags and white sandy beaches.

We had a fleeting glimpse of a young white tailed eagle, seen here sat on a crag before flying off.

Warming up with some lunch after a very cold swim!

A short portage was necessary to complete the circuit of Eraid and get back to camp.

Steve and Ben set off at the crack of dawn one morning to catch the flooding tidal stream and head for Staffa.

It took nearly two hours to make the crossing to this dramatic island and so we had chosen a calm day.

This 'Bonxie' ( Arctic Scua ) was keen on sharing our mid-crossing snack !

Finally arriving at Staffa and it's dramatic basalt columnar architecture.

Fingal's cave was very impressive.

We were fortunate to have had such a quiet sea so that we were able to paddle right in to the back of the cave .

We landed in a sheltered cove and had an interesting couple of hours taking in the scenery before any of the regular tour boats had arrived.

Looking out from the back of Fingal's Cave .

On the way back, they met up with Jo and Rachel who had kayaked over to Iona for the day.

Coastal gymnastics.

The breathing rock....

Ben, Rachel and Jo headed up Ben Mor one day, while Steve drove the camper-van and kayaks around to our second camp-site, on the shore of Loch na keal.

Another lovely wild camping spot , though the horseflies were pretty vicious.

We came across this "forest" of moon jelly-fish on our way across Loch na keal to Ulva - just incredible!

Looking back to Ben Mor on our way to Ulva .

Steve and Ben then headed off on a circumnavigation of Ulva while Rachel and Jo explored on foot.

Beautifully calm conditions along the South coast of Ulva with the Treshnish Isles in the background.

The unusual shape of the 'Dutchman's Cap' in the distance.

After a refreshing ice-cream at the Ulva cafe we all headed back across Loch na Keal to the van.

Carpets of Colour

May must be one of the best months on Enlli for wildflowers - there are spectacular displays of colour at the moment, wherever you walk.  To really appreciate them  it's best to get down on hands and knees and look through the miniature forests at eye level!   Beautiful.

 Creeping buttercups and daisies in Nant pond fields

Spring squill on the South End

 Cuckoo flowers in the wetlands

Ragged robin in the limekiln fields

Thrift on Pen diban

Spring catch up

This lovely Turtledove has been around for the last couple of days, the first one of the year, and the earliest record:

These beautiful but now scarce birds always remind me of some verses in Song of Songs in the Bible:

"Behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone,
The flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in the land"

After such a wild winter, the warmth of the sun, the sound of bird song and the sight of the spring flowers is particularly welcome!

The spring season is well under way and has required a transition to a slightly different rhythm and pace of life.....we have been lambing for 5 weeks now and there are just 10 ewes left to lamb, while more than 400 lambs are spread over various pastures from the mountain to the west.
As the lambs grow and the days warm up, groups of lambs can be seen chasing each other along the cloddiau or lying contentedly asleep in the sun!

Calving began with a very slow start with only one calf in the first two weeks of April - followed by four in one day on wednesday!
A new  bull was transported on to the island yesterday; a very large and handsome Welsh Black called Gwynfor...

 He couldn't quite turn around in the horse box, but managed to reverse in the end!

He trotted up the track to the north end, in pursuit of his new ladies...

...who seemed quite pleased to meet him!

Meanwhile, we said goodbye to the old bull, Samson, who went off on the return boat:

The polytunnel has been planted with new potatoes. tomatoes, peas and salad crops...

Rachel has been busy sowing herbs and salad in her keyhole garden...

and some winter willow projects have begun to sprout!

Once again, we have planted plenty of spuds in Cae Gwennyn; hopefully they will be as successful as last year and provide both a source of new potatoes for visitors in the summer and a supply to store for next winter.

The craft shop is up and running, having been re-stocked with products made over-winter:
Baskets...

Rushwork...

Felting...

Weaving...

Rugs...

and photographs...

 Many of these can also be found on a new website I've put up, specifically to sell wool rugs, and willow work:
www.bardseywillowandwool.co.uk

The cafe has also been fairly busy over the last week.

I cant leave out the geese and the goats!!
Here is mother goose with 6 new goslings:

and Eira and Morwenna enjoying the sun!

Happy Easter to all! :)