S.F.T. BOOK OF GOLDEN MEMORIES
we will select the written memories of our members and feature them here in words and pictures.ANY MEMBER CAN CONTRIBUTE EITHER BY POSTING ON THE FORUM OR BY SENDING ME THEIR MEMORIES BY EMAIL
OUR FIRST CONTRIBUTION IS BY MEMBER ''WOODYS''
My first 9 years were spent on a croft in Glendale, Isle of Skye. My mother worked in Dunvegan Castle as a Laundry/Kitchen Maid - the alternative being National Assistance and no way was anyone in my grandfather's family going on that! My grandparents were instrumental in my upbringing - one tremble of lips from me resulted in a warm cuddle from my gran .and my grandfather thought I was the bee's knees!
We had a mile and a half to walk to the nearest shop (the Co-op) which sold EVERYTHING!! Across from that was the Post-Office and the only Telephone in the village. Next Door to the Co-op was the Free Church; quarter of a mile back was the Free Presbyterian Church and inbetween was the graveyard! School was Borrodale Primary School and catered for all ages - Primaries 1 to 7 - and was a 2 mile walk. The River Hamera flowed at the bottom of the croft and it provided a regular supply of salmon - poached probably, my uncle could catch a fish without using hooks! The sea was also close by and, whilst for a lot of people lobster is a delicacy - for me it was "oh no, not again"! We always had mackerel and herring and a bucket of herring was salted as well.
Anyway, we were for the most part self-sufficient. We had hens, cows, calves, sheep and lambs. We grew all our own veg, and the potatoes were planted by hand, weeded by hand and lifted by hand - I know, my wee hands were there too!! The potatoes were stored in a cool shed in layers in earth and provided our diet for the winter. Before my time there were horses for the plough but I only remember the tractor coming - in turn to each croft - with the harrow to turn the ground. Sometimes the hay and corn were also cut mechanically but my grandfather preferred to cut using a hand held scythe - if the corn was ripe and the tractor wasn't due. The corn was stacked in bundles as was the hay and then stored in a barn for animal feed through the winter. The hens were fed meal and corn and provided us with eggs most of the year - and of course fresh chicken, but that's country living.
The calves were encouraged to drink milk from a bucket early on as then the cow's milk was also used for the household - and fresh butter and crowdie was also made. No fridges then, but there was a marble shelf and I don't remember keeping food fresh being a problem. The lambs - the males were sold, thereby providing cash; the females were kept for restocking. There was also always a supply of local meat, curtesy of the local butcher - and all the crofters. The sheep were sheared - by hand - and the wool was sent to Pringles Woolen Mill in Portree. Part of the deal was a supply of wool which came in hanks and was wound into a ball (one of my jobs!) and my gran and mum knitted socks and jumpers. We also got new blankets every year and they were stored in a cist with mothballs - yuk! We cut our own peats and they were turned regularly until dry and finally carried home on our backs and stacked neatly beside the house. That and a ton of coal provided the year's fuel - not a lot of trees on Skye!
