History

A little dog named Dobhran*

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Our dog Bramble has a Blog, lots of dogs do, and there are many thousands of  #dogsofinstagram  These are not new things though. Pets have been communicating their thoughts for years, predating the internet by decades. Last week we found some letters which a little dachshund called Dobhran* sent to his absent owner.

He's not too good at spelling, but then he's a dog!

He’s not too good at spelling, but then he’s a dog!

Dobhran lived in Jura in the 80s and early 90s. He seems to have been a prolific letter writer and liked to keep his owner in touch with events on Jura while she was away visiting friends and family. He wasn’t the first dachsie to live with the family. Here is one of his predecessors.

Dobhran

We don’t know this dog’s name

Why the interest in these dogs? Well were in Jura last week to remove personal items from a holiday house which is to become a permanent home. And Dobhran’s letters were among those things.  George’s family have strong links with Jura,his gran was born there, so packing up was a little sad. It’s the end of an era.  But we  took away momentos to remind ourselves of all the people who  enjoyed the house over the years.And so I have a new addition to my desk. In memory of Dobhran and his pals.

letter opener

dachshund letter opener

*Dobhran – means otter in Gaelic. See his own comments about spelling!

History

What’s in the box?

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In the attic of his Aunt’s house, George found a box. It was bit battered about but sound. A good example of a 19th century pine kist.

kist

These chests were very common in Scotland and had a multitude of uses. They could be simply storage vessels or they might be used to transport a family’s worldly goods as they moved from place to place, hired seasonally to work the land or perhaps to seek a new life overseas, whether voluntary or forced.

It was covered in thick layers of varnish and dark paint but obviously had good potential, so George set about stripping it down. But first it had to be opened and emptied. And so we found. This.

inside the kist

What we found..

Pages from a commemorative edition of the Glasgow Weekly Mail of 1871 marking the engagement of HRH Princess Louise with the Marquess of Lorne, later the Duke of Argyll.

princess Louise

HRH Princess Louise

Why had this been pasted inside the kist? We can only make wild guesses. It must have been decorative it can’t have served any function, it’s not lining there’s too little of it. We don’t even know who put it there.  But suddenly the serious sometimes forbidding looking people in old photos become more familiar. Could those newspaper pages pasted inside a chest be the 19th century versions of the posters of Donny Osmond on my childhood walls or Kim and Justin on Instagram?

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Bessie (Hill) Paterson on left and her husband Robert on right, with their children. The little boy in the sailor suit is George’s grandfather (also George). Bessie and Robert married in 1879. Bessie was 16 in 1871.

It’s fun to imagine and make up stories but it would be even better if the real story or even parts of it had been passed down the years. But it’s too far back, even in a family with long memories. So the  mystery stays in the box.

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So what is a Sheiling?

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It’s a summer dwelling for the herdsperson while the stock, in Scotland usually cattle, feed on the higher pastures.  Ruins of these dwellings can be seen in many parts of upland Scotland; they remained in use until the  early19th century when land enclosure ended the practice. It can also refer to the pasture land.  The hill farms of Northumberland used the same system, and if you travel around the hills of Wales you might notice many buildings called Hafod. These were the summer dwellings of the shepherds, distinct from the farmhouses Hendre found down on the gentler valley floors.

But this house doesn’t fit that description,  it’s not on high pasture, the sea washes  the bottom of the garden. Because even though parts of the house have been here for over 150 years it hasn’t always been called Sheiling. Many years ago it may have been Clachan cottage, perhaps part of Clachan farm just over the bridge? An early postcard view shows hay stacked in the “garden” which suggests livestock. The settlement around the bridge was once bigger, there are remains of at least two other cottages nearby and another one clearly marked on the old maps has disappeared without trace.  Even before the bridge it seems to have been a crossing point to and from the mainland.

We’ll be keeping the name though, because we’re offering a temporary home. Though please, don’t bring your cows!

old photo

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A peek into the past

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Do you keep a diary? Alice MacLachlan did. She was the teacher and wife of the Minister of St Kilda in 1906-9. The National Trust for Scotland are posting weekly episodes of her diaries on their website,  St Kilda Diaries, The Diary of Alice MacLachlan . They are are fascinating, beginning with the MacLachlan’s life near Garve,  then documenting Alice’s initial dismay at her husband’s posting to St Kilda and subsequently their life there.

As the diaries are being released weekly it’s possible to follow life as the seasons turn. At the moment hay is being gathered and there’s great excitement as a whaling ship visits. The steamer service has already finished and soon the islanders will be facing the winter….

Alice probably never imagined her diaries would be read let alone mind published. Her carefully recorded domestic details take us to the past in a way that photographs and artefacts can’t. We share her excitement, moments of boredom, sadness and joy. Today many of us share our lives through blogs, Facebook and Twitter but these tend to be edited to show us at our best. There is still a place for the diary recording those things we may not want to share.  Yet.

Food

Branching out

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I’ve had a move away from family recipes to explore gluten free baking. My initial attempts substituting gluten free flour in regular recipes had varying success, shortbread ok, bara brith (a Welsh tea bread) less so. I decided to look for recipes which were designed  flour free. A quick search took me to Nigella Lawson’s website nigella.com which has lots of delicious flour free choices.

So far I’ve tried her chocolate olive oil cake (also dairy free), flour free brownies and clementine cake. All turned out well, I’m blaming my ancient oven for the burnt top of the clementine cake!

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I cut off the “overcooked”bits and added lime buttercream

All three of these use ground almonds as their main “filler” so beware if you have a nut allergy. They are pretty rich and calorific too, enjoy in moderation….

Nigella advises that they are best enjoyed fresh and perhaps even warm but  you’d need quite a large party to polish them off. The  brownies at least freeze well.

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chocolate brownie – I had to “test” after freezing

I have cooked a version of the clementine cake using polenta rather than almonds but can’t find that recipe at the moment, if I remember correctly it produces a denser cake.

After all that “testing”  thank goodness for sunshine and some lovely walks.

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Food

Keeping it in the family

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I’ve been busy baking today, another batch of Welsh cakes (though they aren’t strictly baking) and then a new departure: Islay fruit loaf, recipe provided by my clever sister in law. She also does a lovely line in ginger biscuits too but I didn’t have all the right ingredients for those, so that one’s been saved for another day.

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After that that I was on a roll and decided to see what else I could do. This pretty book, a present from my lovely sister has masses of tempting treats inside, but I thought it best to keep things simple and tried my hand at soda bread.

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It turned out not too badly, so then I needed some quality assurance.

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Time for tea!

History

We’re not from here……….

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But we’re learning about its past.  We’ve both got an interest in history – though  in contrast to  George my formal study stopped before O’ levels (the GCSEs of olden days). Now we’re searching out old pictures of the house and stories about island life in the days when the slate was being mined.  There’s an excellent little museum on the island slate isands heritage trust to help us.

old postcard image of the bridge showing Sheiling

I’ve always had an interest in family history too and have managed to trace my roots back several generations, although  for this I’m indebted to some very good local history groups particularly this one Thornbury roots. I wrote a little story about us, you can read it here. And I’ve recently started following Twile, which is reaching out to  a new younger audience, encouraging them to record their family stories.

Perhaps you have roots on Seil, Argyll or anywhere in Scotland? You can make the research for your family history part of your holiday. In his other life George headed  National Records of Scotland so he has the expertise to help you on your way.

Stories, of people, of places, we all love them; come and find yours here with us.

Food

Keeping the story alive

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George and I had a busy time in the kitchen today. He was making strawberry jam while I prepared another batch of Welsh cakes. So why the title of this post? Because as well as making scrumptious  tea time treats we were keeping family traditions alive. Both our mums were great cooks with their own specialities,  Flora, George’s mum was renowned  for her scones and preserves whilst my mum Nancy could whip up  batches of Welsh cakes at short notice to feed hungry children and grandchildren. They died within  months of each other a few years ago and left a big gap in our lives. And now we use their recipes and utensils and try to become as skilled.

George uses Flora’s “jeely pan” to brew up marmalade and jams.

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The “jeely pan” and Welsh cakes

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The finished product

And I have Mum’s Welsh cake recipe and  gran’s griddle pan to cook them on.

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Recipe

The recipe can give me a jolt as it’s handwritten and I forget for an instant and think of phoning her for tips. I can’t do that of course, but what I can do is parcel up a batch to send to my son, a reminder of the boxes he used to get from his Nana to take back to Scotland with him.

And maybe one day he’ll make his own

Tourism

All work and no play……….

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Welcome to Sheiling B&B. I hope we’ll be welcoming you in person soon. We’re practising our frying skills, making the final adjustments to the house and hope to be ready for guests mid July 2015.

On our days off we’ve been taking time out to enjoy some of the things you might like to do on your holiday.

Whether you like excitement on the sea or visiting beautiful gardens you’ll find something to entertain you not far from Sheiling.  Check out the links.