Post

Weather today:
Mizzle and drizzle
Winds about 24mph, with gusts probably in the high 40's
Temperature: around 9'C

Altogether, not too bad a day so long as I don't want to go out.

So, post, or mail, or snail mail. On Tiree we get it two ways:

The main postal system is by plane. Anything under a certain size/weight limit is put on the plane and that flies over in the morning, usually before 11am. The winds don't tend to cause plane cancellations, for the plane it's visibility. The week before last we had a lot of sea mist on the island, no problem for the ferry, but the planes land by sight, and when you can't see the runway, you ain't going to land. The mist persisted for about three days, and there was a distinct absence of normal post.

Larger/heavier items come over on the ferry. Our orders from Ethical Superstore or the new duvet came over by ferry and things that come this way are then delivered by Maclennan motors and hauliers. The drivers are lovely and will happily carry the larger heavy boxes all the way into your house if you let them. Very useful when your husband orders 12kg of oats and the store stick them all in the same box along with about another 3kg of raisins.

People on Tiree don't have letter slots on their doors. With the way the winds go around here, the last thing you need is either a metal plate going clackclackclackclackclack all day and night or to let in so much cold air. Combined with not locking the doors, this arrangement is fine. The posties are quite used to opening the front door, dropping the mail inside and closing it again. To visitors and new residents it's a tad...weird. When the Pickfords guys were here unpacking the lorry they, understandably, stopped for some lunch, they then found it very weird for the postie to cycle up, open the door, drop mail, shut door and cycle off.

Sitting in the living room though, I usually see the various vans swing round and can meet them at the door. The posties are even nice enough, if you have some pre-paid or pre-stamped mail to hand, they will take it back to the PO for you.

Yep, I'm enjoying life up here.