December 2010 (14)

Friday, December 31 2010

Last walk of 2010 and Happy New Year!

A lot of work has been done in Assynt to build up a network of walking paths.  Some are classified as "All Abilities" making them suitable for wheelchair users or simply for folk who are a little unsteady on their feet and don't like walking on uneven ground.  Other bits of the network are  […]

Continue reading

Wednesday, December 29 2010

The Ripple Effect

[caption id="attachment_3669" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="The Ripple Effect"][/caption]The end of 2010 is fast approaching, and like many I'm beginning to think about the new year ahead.The name "Ripples Crafts" came about for a variety  […]

Continue reading

Sunday, December 26 2010

Christmas Day Walk

Overnight on Christmas Eve the thaw began to set in.  We woke up to green grass springing up through patches of snow, so the hens were a lot happier when we let them out of their hutch on Christmas morning.We set off for a walk, but it is still fairly treacherous with sheet ice on top of solid  […]

Continue reading

Friday, December 24 2010

Happy Christmas!

[caption id="attachment_3657" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="24th December 2010 - Stoer Bay"][/caption]Wishing all my readers a very happy Christmas.Stevan and I will be spending Christmas Day walking, eating, and enjoying time in front of the fire.  […]

Continue reading

Wednesday, December 22 2010

Candid Camera

This morning at 9.00am the moon was still high in the sky above the village of Stoer:I usually make sure I'm behind the camera rather than in front of it, but Stevan couldn't resist this photograph showing Peggy sitting behind me in the freezing cold.In my rush to get out to photograph the moon I  […]

Continue reading

Monday, December 20 2010

Winter Solstice

[caption id="attachment_3643" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Winter Solstice"][/caption]The 21st December marks the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere, so the days will soon be getting longer again.   The above photo was taken at 9.45pm in  […]

Continue reading

Saturday, December 18 2010

Snowy Nights

The weather has closed in again in the north of Scotland, but it has its very own beauty.  Tonight it was nearly full moon which lit up the house and the surrounding hills beautifully:Stoer village also took on magical qualities.  Stoer has street lights - it is the only village in Assynt (other  […]

Continue reading

Wednesday, December 15 2010

Real Life History

As part of his degree, Stevan has recently been talking to those in the community who have lived here for a very long time.   He's been looking at how people coped with acquiring every day necessities.  This is before the time of internet shopping, large supermarkets, and before the time when  […]

Continue reading

Monday, December 13 2010

The difference between Ripples Crafts and large supermarkets

Unlike some of our larger supermarkets (and in order to name and shame those refusing to accept new Scottish orders I am referring to Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda), Ripples Crafts will continue to accept shopping orders from not only Scottish customers, but customers from all over the world.   I don't  […]

Continue reading

Saturday, December 11 2010

Christmas Spirit

What a lovely couple of days!  All the stallholders at the Assynt Christmas Food and Craft Fayre put on a stunning show, helped along by the wonderful smells emanating from Stella's mince pies and mulled wine / mulled fruit juice coming from the kitchen.  Here is a small taster of the wonderful  […]

Continue reading

Wednesday, December 8 2010

Fingers Crossed

At the moment it looks like this outside:However tomorrow I'm hoping that all the snow and ice will disappear and everyone will be able to move about freely, as Friday sees the start of the Assynt Christmas Food and Craft Fayre.  We have a wonderful array of stands this year, including the well  […]

Continue reading

Sunday, December 5 2010

Update

No, not an update on the weather (but if you want one, it is still cold!), but rather an update in the shop.    I have added Ripples Crafts Bulky yarn so you can make up some hats or scarves for festive gifts.  Or even just for yourself.  I've been using a new overdyeing technique recently, and it  […]

Continue reading

Thursday, December 2 2010

Escape!

Yesterday we had to go to Inverness.   We decided to be brave and venture out into the snow covered landscape.   And we were glad we did.  It was absolutely stunning.[caption id="attachment_3590" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Snow alongside Loch  […]

Continue reading

Wednesday, December 1 2010

Pretty!

While I appreciate that, for many, snow and ice is not much fun and in some cases is very dangerous, but still - it is so pretty.Icicles have been forming on the rocks pretty quickly in the freezing weather we've been having, and I managed to catch them on film yesterday just as the sun was setting  […]

Continue reading