Hebridean Retail Therapy

A morning of rain and wind, just as well we always had a fallback of a day of.... Shopping! A trip down to Harris to take in the eponymous tweed ('baker boy' cap which I love and has me playing Robert Redford in the Sting; a little something for my mum for her birthday; and a new purse for Mel), and a couple of art places we really like.

The Mission House on on the Golden Road is home to potter Nikolai Glob and his wife, supremely talented photographer Beka. Two years ago we bought a Beka print that lives in our living room - this year Mel vetoed a Nikolai 'bowl' until we declutter the house, so instead I left with a 'teabowl' (basically a traditional wonky cup without a handle, the narrow high-sided versions for winter which keeps tea warm for longer, a wide low-sided version for summer in which the tea cools more quickly - living in Scotland I naturally went for the high-sided). We had long chats with both Nikolai and Beka (Nikolai is son of a famous Danish potter and has a stunning 'nature' style; Beka has returned to the islands of her birth and produces superb contrasty black and white images that, while shot in digital, have the depth of film).

Hebrides Art is a more 'primary colours' affair. A café serving incredibly good soup, the walls decorate mainly with prints of the owners Lesley and Alisdair Wiseman. We've already got two of Alisdair's prints, and came away with a third after Mel took a liking to the rendering of the colours of the west side of these isles in one of them.

All quite successful despite the downright damp conditions.

The good mood of the day added to after popping into some mobile reception and finding out on checking my emails that I've got a 'See Us' entry in the exhibition and book being launched by Blip on Friday. Bit of a shame that our holiday ends the day after, so I can't be at the opening event, but only a 'bit' of a shame given I'm on holiday. It's a good reason to miss things...

Tufted Duck
Curlew
Bird count: 46