People said I would come to hate the wind, but I love it -- even when a gale makes the hut shudder and rattle. When it's windy, or raining hard (as it does more and more now that winter is coming), the hut feels even more snug than usual. Here is the wind outside, blowing the poppies I planted -- a mild breeze, really, not wind.
I'll video the next gale, from inside and out. "Gale" means winds of over 50mph, and we've had two so far this year.
Before the first, someone said, laughing,
"Libby's the only one on the island who's looking forward to it."
Most people don't: they can go on for days (or even weeks), and during really bad ones the boat from the mainland doesn't come in and the shop has no fresh food.
But most of this autumn has been mild and sunny -- so mild that I can keep my door open. Here -- just for fun -- is how the hut l ooks when I do that. I will make another video when the school holidays are over and Cairistiona can open the door -- and give you HER guided tour, with commentary.
That's what I see when I look out the window most of the time -- the loch, though there are views of the ocean from two other windows.
Other than the wind, most of the time there is no sound at all -- in some places on the island, you can stand and feel the stillness. But when the wind blows, it shakes the hut -- walking is hard (you are either pushing against it or being blown along by it); rain and clouds scud by -- sometimes the sun flashes out for a few minutes, making everything sparkle, and then rain pelts into the windows again.
It's good weather for writing!