Portree, Highlanders, Staffin, Quiraing and ICM 29th Feb

We started the day with our normal chores (although yesterday was a big chore day - sheets, towels, clothes washing etc) and headed out to Portree to get our food shopping as the cupboards at Willie McLeod’s now rival Old Mother Hubard’s - bare!

We stopped in at the Granary for our usual drinks and bacon and egg roll. Then I popped into the Portree Opticians, as I wanted to check out their rimless frames - the ones I have keep breaking forcing me to wear my “granny glasses” which I hate. But the cost here in pounds is about the same I’d pay in dollars back home, so I’d be paying double here - and I’m due a pair on my HBF (private health) back home so I will just have to make do!

Vince stopped to get fuel and I popped over to the Portree Butcher in the Portakabin, and Ryan was very helpful in selecting a roast lamb for tomorrow, some meatballs and a ham hock to make some soup this coming week.

Then it was off to the Co op - were we now speed in and out in a flash, since we know what we like and which isles to find things - much faster these days.

The weather has improved as the sun was out today but it was still windy and bitterly cold I told Vince I think we will get snow tonight. On the way home past the Storr it was packed with tourists - don’t they know it’s the winter off season?

As we passed the field where Huey, Dewey and Louie live, they were at the front gate. So we stopped and took a few shots, and had a go at feeding them, but they were very shy. They are just starting to get horn buds showing, so I’m not sure how old they are, but they are young - just babies!

When we got home to Willie McLeod’s Alan (the crofter) was there with his dogs, and I grabbed a quick snap of Cala and Cini (Granny Dog). I asked what was the name I couldn't remember from yesterday - it was Corey. Alan said he will write them all down for me one day.

We invited him in for lunch, I just made some tomato soup and bread and of course the usual “blether” and a “wee dram”. He brought a bottle of his favoured “Ledaig”. He told us another of the highlanders might calve today. He said he has 5 already (I thought it was four) so this will be the 6th.

After Alan left we headed off to Staffin Beach to check out the dinosaur prints and see if we could find any more since it was low tide. We were surprised, but pleased, to see they have now put up a notice about the area being protected - no doubt in response to our report a couple of weeks back about people going down with pick axes. I chatted with a young couple from Edinburgh and they showed me one they had found. We found some more on our own, and as we were leaving another couple, around our age arrived and asked if we knew where they were, so we showed them. They were from Glen Coe, they run a cafe there and have taken a two week holiday, one with their family including 7 grandchildren, and one on their own here in Skye. We laughed about how we were all trying to find the dinosaur prints for our grandchildren!!!

Next, we headed up to the Quiraing, where there were quite a few tourists, we met a couple from Edinburgh with a British bulldog who was very friendly and there was a guy in a kilt, who I discovered was part of the Visit Scotland Tours, as well as a Timberbush Bus. I was very cold and it started to snow, so I went back to the car and wondered why it wouldn’t unlock, only to find I was at the wrong car, identical, but not ours! Vince was frozen by the time he returned from taking photos.

We headed home, wanting to get the fire going and heat up and I wondered about Alan’s highlander whenI saw his car and tractor were both still on the croft. I got my binoculars out and Vince and I had a look up behind the house towards the hillside where they cows are, and we could see the Highlander on top of the ridge, but no sign of Alan. To our surprise he came up behind us, and told us she had already calved about an hour ago - missed it again! BUGGER! So that is now 2 Heifers and 4 Bulls he has - so he is well pleased.

Vince and I just had frozen pizzas for tea, and a nice relaxing evening by the fire.