Island Life - November 2007

Have changed from 'moans of the day' to 'island life'. Not sure why think I just felt like a change. This happens quite often. Except usually its just the furniture that gets changed around or something. Thats also good for seeing the look of absolute confusion on hubbys face. Especially if its the kitchen thats been changed about a bit. Then it takes him longer to make his much needed caffenine fix as I (cruely) have a wee giggle to myself watching his frustration!!

Wish it was that easy to change my name in real life. I just really hope our kids like the names we have given them. We did put quite a lot of thought into them and the wee mans has a double meaning. They are not well out there names or anything like that we don't have any Apples or Inspektors or anything like that, although I did quite fancy Atticus for a boy but no-one seemed to agree with me! Maybe just as well really.

Well just wanted to let any of you that might be intersted of the change! Hope you are all well and happy :)

As you know I think this island is beautiful etc etc but why are we so punished for living on an island???? By this I mean the cost of living here. Whats brought this on you might ask? I went to get my fringe trimmed yesterday at the hairdresser - how much did it cost I hear you ask? Well I'll tell you.....

.............FIVE BLEEDING QUID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Am I being really stingy thinking this is ridiculous? Hubby can get his whole head of hair cut for that! Think maybe I must have travelled to vidall sasoon or someone without realising it!

Then on top of that the fuel is about £1.10 a litre now. Food prices have gone up. Everything seems to have gone up bar the wages. Hubby goes out and slogs his guts out and we only just keep our heads above water. I stay at home full time with the kids cos anything I could make would more or less all go on childcare costs so that doesn't make much sense. Both of us out working to earn less - just doesn't make sense does it? While the kids would be literally brought up by someone else. It all just beggars belief! Could end up going right off tangent here and start on about immigration etc and the lack of jobs etc but I think its a bit early in the day for that!!

Had to try and get my dog out of hiding last night. He had more or less got stuck under the bed cos some annoying little so and so was letting fireworks off left, right and centre. Where we stayed before we never heard them so I think he got quite a fright to say the least. The old moggy wasn't put up nor down though she sat watching them from the door step!!! She really is not a normal cat.

Going to hit the big city tonight to do some shopping - way hey!! I really aint that keen on shopping especially with two kids that really don't want to be shopping either, but needs must and we have to eat.

Believe it or not its a lot cheaper travelling the 40 odd mile to Stornoway and the 40 odd mile back to Tarbert, and doing a big shop in Sy than doing a big shop in Tarbert. The prices here are ridiculous. For an example my wee girl loves Buttons (the chocolate one's before anyone thinks I'm really cruel and feed her plastic buttons!) up in SY they cost 28-30p depending where you get them. In a certain shop in Tarbert they cost 40p. Now imagine that sort of mark up on all the prices and you can understand why its so bleeding expensive staying here.

It's just madness I tell you............

Thought I'd make some extra pennies in the run up to Christmas, so started selling a few odds and sods about the place that arent needed/used anymore. Seemed like a good idea. Until the last buyer struck! He's having an argument with me over postal charges. By the time I got the paper to wrap it up (which cost £4.95!!!!!!!!!!!! for brown paper) then the postage which was just under £4, then the sellotape to make sure the package was nice and safe, the total came to just over £10. So I charged £10 actually making a slight loss to myself. No one is more gobsmacked than me at the price the 2 sheets of brown paper cost. In hindsight I should maybe go back to make sure the price was right on the paper. Might do that later though. Anway I have explained all this to him but he's still being quite arrogant. Like I told him I cannot control the prices over here. Even as a goodwill gesture I knocked the packaging costs down to £8 which is a loss to me, and he's still not happy.

I have lost count of the amount of times that I have paid well over the odds to get stuff delivered here. Either that or you pay for postage twice, because the company won't deliver to the islands. So you pay for stuff to get delivered to a mainland address and then you pay for the delivery to get it from there to over here! And most of the time it costs a lot more than £10!

Even on a few occasions the postage has cost more than the worth of the ordered goods themselves! But what can you do? I have tried to be reasonable. So far I have managed to remain polite. It will make me think twice in the future though. Yet again though its all about the cost of living on this beautiful island........

Went to get petrol the day before yesterday. Just as well we were sitting down though. And good that we have strong hearts (well we did anyway). The price in one retailer in Harris is £1.19.9p a litre!! Oh my goodness gracious me. That will be more or less all of hubbys wage now going on petrol no doubt. And then there will be the knock on effects - food prices go up and so does everything else. I remember when it cost 74.9p a litre and I'm only in my twenties!!! Still quite gobsmacked about the price of it so I'm still a bit lost for words!

Went to take the kids to the playpark a couple of weeks ago when we actually had some good weather. But for some reason we forgot where we were/forgot what day it was, and of course the park was closed cos heaven forbid your kids should play on a Sunday in Scalpay! Where else in the world would you see a big sign outside a park saying CLOSED ON SUNDAYS. NOT TO BE USED AFTER 9PM. Its crazy. I should have known better I have lived on these islands all my life but in this day and age? It must have been a moment of temporary madness to even think about going to the park. Somewhere safe to let the kids run about and have some fun. Its quite sad really. I wonder what would have happened if we had just jumped the gate and gone for a quick swing?! You really do have to wonder about some peoples mentality at times. They will ignore drink drivers or make excuses for them. Nothing gets done about the groups of kids hiding behind buildings smoking. Or the underagers that get drink at the weekends and drink themselves to oblivion. But they will close a park on a Sunday???????? It just doesn't make sense.