All things Tartan

| January 8, 2021
It has been a time of the most beautiful strawberry lemony skies Capturing the final hours of daylight with the last rays of the setting sun painting the landscape with golden, pink hues. Underfoot the rugged peaty ground frozen solid. The wild grasses coated in frost. In the distance the pink and lilac snow-clad mountains [...]

When the Sea is Calling

| November 25, 2020
When the sea is calling I was brought up falling asleep to the sound of waves gently breaking on the shore. The guttural hum of bleating sheep. The sweet scent of grass and peat. Tired, cold feet hardened from days of running bare foot through the Machair and across the sands. City shoes long discarded. [...]

The Persabus Department Store

| November 5, 2020
Whoever thought it would take soooo long? These past few weeks when the Happy Farmer has enquired why I am running round like a headless chicken, in between spending hours googly eyed in front of a computer screen, my response has been ‘Well, I’m opening a department store!’ He simply smiles and hands me more [...]

The Haunted Kiln

| October 18, 2020
The blog has taken a bit of a back seat  We have been ‘cooking with gas’ in the pottery. Our Halloween ghosts and ghouls in the form of our ‘pottery takeaway’ painting boxes have literally been flying off the shelves. The first two days saw us sell out of stock completely. Thankfully we were able to [...]

The Rule Breakers

| September 30, 2020
Our regular guests turned up at Persabus this week They arrived as a large group. With the rules changing around keeping everyone safe and helping to prevent the spread of Covid-19, two households are no longer allowed to stay together or mix indoors in self-catering accommodation in Scotland. The Happy Farmer knew at once that [...]

The Expedition

| September 23, 2020
Going on an expedition for me is always a case of taking along the ‘kitchen sink’ and anything else I can fit in too!  So with the sunshine bursting through the windows of the farmhouse on Sunday morning, when eldest suggested we take a hike out to the north of Islay and make the most [...]

Old Lizzie

| September 16, 2020
We have a new star on the farm Well not quite ‘new’…quite old in fact. Quite old, unique, and more than a bit of a relic. New life has been breathed into the very soul of ‘Old Lizze’, fondly named by my late father in law. Old Lizzie arrived at Persabus way back in the [...]

Farm Diversification at its Best

| September 1, 2020
On the cusp of the changing seasons the island’s summer frock is gradually being cast aside as the landscape is emerging swathed in the golden hues of barley ripening, and the pinks and purples of wild heather clad hillsides in full bloom, as the colours of autumn take hold. It has been a weekend of [...]

Mermaid Living

| August 18, 2020
Summer has arrived   with a huge dynamic burst of heady heat.   Cerulean blue skies reaching far and wide, and the island has been bathed in the most soothing golden sunshine. With temperatures soaring it has been a time for outdoor living.  Finding a quiet corner to just be, to sit and write, has proved a [...]

Island Life

| August 4, 2020
To reach the top took my breath away The salty damp sea mist encompassing us from either side, and the energy of the sharp breeze hitting us as we clambered up to the exposed summit of Sgarbh Breac. Cooling our overheated bodies dramatically, after the exertion of a steep climb up those final craggy peaks. [...]