Ever since we arrived in Lewis some 18 months ago and started to try and buy stuff off-island I have had in mind publishing a website, or blog entry, detailing who to buy from online and who not to. Another way to put it is which companies rip you off and which don’t. We have been so busy these last eighteen months that I have blogged hardly at all but the Citizen’s Advice Scotland survey reported on the BBC today has spurred me into action.

Here then are my Heroes and Villains for delivery to The Western Isles. I suspect that they will be similar to other islands but please feel free to comment on your own experiences.

The Heroes

• Amazon - Free delivery on almost everything (but watch Market Place sellers)
• Screwfix - DIY stuff. Same charges as mainland - free over certain order amount
• Ironmongery Direct - DIY stuff. Same charges as mainland - free over certain order amount
• Appliances Online - Kitchen appliances. Probably qualify as Super Heroes. Free delivery on everything. Even delivered us an American style fridge-freezer for free
• John Lewis - All sorts of stuff. Normal mainland delivery charges, free over £35 order
• Laithwaites Wine - Same charge as mainland
• Toolstation - DIY stuff. Normal charges, free over certain amount)
• Lakeland - Normal delivery charges, free over certain amount (normally £50, sometimes £25)
• The Book People - Normal delivery charges, free over certain amount
• Dulce Gusto - Normal delivery charges, free over certain amount
• Photobox - Normal delivery charges
• Very - Catalogue shop (Littlewoods) Normal delivery charges

The Villains

• Argos - Won’t deliver outside the mainland (Now opening a branch in Stornoway which solves our problem but not others)
• Tesco Direct - Wanted an extra £15 on top of their usual £5 delivery charge (although they now do collect in store in Stornoway - not much use on other islands though)
• Cream Supplies - Website shows normal delivery charges until you enter your postcode. Example £7.49 delivery to Inverness or £26.50 to Lewis on the same order
• Infusions4Chefs - Normal delivery £5.95 but £18.95 to Highlands & Islands
• Russums Catering Supplies- Mainland delivery charge £4.74 - Scottish Islands £36.00!! In fact they will deliver to Sweden or Italy or Greece for less!
• The Sofa Company - Won’t deliver at all to The Western Isles although, bizarrely, they will deliver to Orkney and Shetland - at a cost. Charged £75 to deliver a settee and two chairs to Inverness (Woody’s then brought it over). Free delivery to England and Wales!
• Recliners Direct - Free delivery to England, £15 to Inverness, £75 to Lewis!
• Pixmania - Quote “Pixmania.com does not deliver … outside of the UK (e.g. The Isle of Man, The Scilly Isles, The Hebrides, The Shetland Islands or the Orkney Islands) “. What??
• Orange - Their delivery policy states “Some of the delivery options might not be available if you live somewhere in the UK that’s far from a delivery centre. However nowhere is completely out of reach, although we do only deliver to the UK.” The Isle of Lewis is presumably not in the UK then as they won’t deliver here. Period.

One way round exorbitant charges for those in Lewis who find that they have to use a certain supplier for obscure items is to have the goods shipped to Woody’s Express Parcels in Inverness who will then bring them over for around a fiver for a small parcel and just under £9 for a larger or heavier package. Doing that with the Cream Supplies order above saved me about half the cost of having it delivered direct.

This is, obviously, not an exhaustive list and some of the places are pretty obscure as they reflect my own interests but they give a good idea how many companies treat the islands. Maybe folks could add their own experiences and I can pass it all on to Citizen’s Advice Scotland. If you want to complete their survey it’s here.

The foodie companies mentioned are a classic example of how badly some companies treat the Scottish Islands. I have actually ordered catering stuff from France and ingredients from the USA because the shipping was cheaper!

Many other companies that I’ve found on the web are not mentioned here because I have given up at the checkout stage when the ridiculous charges or refusal to deliver comes up. What particularly annoys me is companies that insist on using carriers for small items which could easily be sent by Royal Mail and the one company that I found (forget who) who use Royal Mail for everything then put on a surcharge because I was outside the mainland!

Finally if you want someone who really doesn’t want to send stuff at all try Anderson Bradshaw in Hampshire. They do reproduction furniture and have a fantastic Chippendale Bureau for £290 but they charge £55 to deliver to their own postcode, £100 to deliver to London and £245 to Inverness! They say give them a call for Scottish Islands delivery!!

The 29th Westside Show was held at Barvas Machair last Friday (20th July) and we spent a pleasant couple of hours there in the rain. It wasn’t a good day at all weather-wise but as the guy opening the show said ‘It wouldn’t be the Westside Show if it wasn’t raining’!

It wasn’t a huge show but it is always fascinating watching the livestock and the people and here are a few photos taken in between the rain (click on each thumbnail to see full photo)

Off to The Carloway Show shortly and the weather looks much better (at the moment!).

Our rented house sits quite high on the hillside above Newmarket with great views over The Minch so we don’t bother to close the curtains when we go to bed - just in case there is a sunrise worth seeing. It’s been almost a month now with little to get excited about but yesterday morning I woke about 5.15 am and glanced out out see this.

From the living room window at five fifteen in the morning

The mainland of Scotland some sixty miles away. As far as I am aware the mountains are Arkle and Foinaven.

Meanwhile round the back of the house I searched in vain for a pot of gold

About twenty minutes later the bedroom was flooded with golden orange light as the full orb of the sun became visible sitting on the horizon. It was truly spectacular. The first two photos were taken from the living room whilst the rainbow at the back of the house saw me standing outside in the rain in my underpants!

Went back to bed and got up again at 7.30 am by which time it was completely grey and raining. Stayed like that for the rest of the day.

After a rather tumultuous nine months (which have been mentioned elsewhere) we arrived on the Isle of Lewis on Thursday 1st July about 5 weeks ahead of our ‘deadline’. We did well! Of course, this being island life, the broadband connection was completed only today. Actually that’s not quite true as it was connected on Tuesday but in doing so BT managed to cut off the phone completely or, more accurately, they routed the whole line to someone else’s house! What fun it was trying to get hold of BT on their stupid automated lines using a mobile phone that doesn’t work inside the house! Standing on the front porch trying to work out when to press 1 instead of 2 while the wind was whipping across drowning out the sound was not much fun. Anyway, the BT lady finally came round and said ‘That’s funny, the exchange can see this socket and this socket goes all the way back to the exchange but there’s no line’. That’s what I phoned you for in the first place! It only took three days.

So we’ve been here now for 15 days and we have never come across so much culture. Went to An Lanntair (the Arts centre) last week to see Spiers and Boden and Saltfishforty and had a splendid evening in a great venue. Found out after I had bought the tickets that The Boy Who Trapped The Sun was launching his new album with a concert on the very same night at the Woodlands Centre in Lews Castle grounds and I would have loved to have gone to that as well. I can’t recall anywhere in England outside of London where you would have two great gigs on the same night within half a mile of each other. So much for ‘the back of beyond’.

On Wednesday this week we went to a piping concert to celebrate An Lanntair’s 25th and the HebCelt Festivals 15th anniversaries. A great local band with two highland pipers playing music exclusively from Lewis (plus a couple of tunes from Harris with appropriate apologies) and with Julie Fowlis as their special guest. Another great evening. To top it all off we’re off to see Runrig tomorrow. Culturally, life couldn’t get much better! We’ve never been out so much!

The run up to the move was rather strange due to all the things that have happened and our change in circumstances which have led to some big compromises. There was little emotion until the removal lorry drew up outside the house on the dot of nine o’clock as promised and then I have to confess to a few tears. Four and a half years to the day in the planning and when a bloody great lorry pulls up outside with ‘Hebridean Removals, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis’ plastered all over the side it kinda hits home! We didn’t tell the neighbours where we were going, I guess there was no need!

Hebridean Removals John driving and little John guiding him back outside the old house in Stafford, now forgotten. There were a few tears when this arrived and a lot of sweat once it had been loaded. Didn't tell the neighbours where we were going, why the hell would you want a van that just said Pickfords!

We have rented a bungalow at Newmarket just outside Stornoway for six months pending the purchase of a property at Swordale in Point which we can split in half to shut the mother-in-law away so we can get our lives back. Oh, joy! That purchase is steaming ahead with completion due on 16th August or, possibly, earlier if the sellers want the money. All the ‘missives’ and other enquiries are completed, the money is with the solicitors and all that remains is for the seller to get their furniture out and let us in. Then we can have some fun ripping down walls and building the MIL proof apartment. Finish her side first and leave our side in a total mess. She can’t abide mess, so no chance of just popping in!

The plan was to use a transit to ferry stuff up the drive but Big John was not a man to be easily defeated! If ever anybody wants a great removal team you know who to contact.

There’s going to be some busy times ahead, especially with all the getting out and about. We went to the Point show last weekend and spent a grand afternoon watching the sheep judging and listening to the ceilidh band and it’s ’show time’ all over the island for the next few weeks so we’ll want to get about. I have always loved agricultural shows and it doesn’t matter how large or small they are, the fascinating things are the animals, the vegetables and the flowers. Much more enjoyable to see someone ‘ordinary’ win a First prize for a vegetable or a beast than go round all the stalls selling ‘Miracle window cleaner’ or ‘One handed miracle potato peelers’ (which they don’t have at the shows here by the way). It remains to be seen whether these things are as enjoyable in the rain! Whilst at the Point Show in glorious sunshine the announcer informed everybody that it was pouring with rain at the Ness Gala Day not too many miles to the north!

This is the view from the living room (and also two of the bedrooms) in the rented house at Newmarket. That is Tong down there and I would like The Croft to point out just whose house is whose!

It’s great to be here - beyond words. I went to a Gaelic taster session this morning and came away with a most useful phrase - Tha i fliuch an-diugh. All the locals have said it’s not been a good summer so far. Right at this moment I really don’t care. We’ve been here two weeks and this time we don’t have to go back home. We are home.

I don’t know you but thank you so much for Night Falls On Ardnamurchan and for your kind words and support.

The dream may soon become a reality!

Well, it’s been a long time and much has happened in the past six months that was never in the game plan. Some of you will know how our lives have changed.

Out of adversity comes hope and so we are pressing on with the opportunity to move to Lewis (or Harris) ahead of the planned date. At 11.30 this morning our house went on the market. It’s not yet on the internet and we don’t have a For Sale board up yet but already we have someone coming round to view this evening and two couples coming tomorrow morning. Hopefully we have chosen the right estate agent - looks like it so far.

Three viewings in the first 24 hours is a promising start but we are not getting carried away, it could well drag out for months. There really is no way of telling in these things, once you have done all you can to make the house look its best, it is then in the hands of fate. Next week, next month, the summer? Who knows. I have my passport ready though so that as soon as something concrete occurs I can be on the plane to Stornoway to sort out our accomodation for the next year so we can settle in and look for the final resting place!

Now that the summer is here Island Blogging seems to have quietened down a bit but that’s not unusual as almost all the blogs I follow have gone a little quiet. It’s probably more fun to be out and about in the sunshine rather than sitting at the computer.

However … Island Blogging seems to be as popular as ever with visitors as the average number of unique visitors per day is slowly increasing month by month. The first week of June was quiet but last week (ending 12th June) we had more visitors than ever before. So, if you think that it’s not worth posting stuff during the summer, think again!

If you don’t feel inclined to write much how about just posting a regular photo of your island? I’m sure folks around the world would love to see how each of the Scottish Islands differs from the others. Make them envious of the beautiful places you all live in!

Seeing as we don’t have any bloggers from Skye, I’ll start it off with a photo of the Red Cuillins on Skye complete with matching cow!

The Red Cuillins of Skye

What are The Western Isles really like for those who live there as opposed to being just a tourist location? Island Blogging occasionally gives an insight into life on those islands but is slanted towards Lewis and if you want a glimpse of life on the whole of The Western Isles as it is today I’d recommend a great film called Island Voices.

This professionally produced film was funded by various arts enterprises and government agencies and was made by Fablevision ‘a charity dedicated to engagement and empowerment within communities’. Artists from Fablevision embarked on a journey from Vatersay to Lewis to consult local residents, family groups, workers, working artists and local people to discover existing cultural resources, strengths and weaknesses and cultural entitlements for the future. It is a film that tells of the strengths and the weaknesses of the islands as they are today.

All sorts of folk are interviewed including crofters, settlers, church folk, musicians and artists and, perhaps most importantly of all, young people who will shape the future of the islands. One of the most touching moments for me is a couple of young lads on Benbecula who wouldn’t look out of place on a Glasgow street corner with a few cans of lager with one of them saying ‘I love the island, I don’t ever want to leave’.

I thought it a great piece but I’d love to hear from others, especially native islanders or native born exiles, as to whether they see it as a true reflection of their islands.

ISLAND VOICES

Note that this is not your typical one minute Youtube fodder but a professionally made film that lasts for 35 minutes. You’ll need to sit yourself down for a proper viewing. If you have a dodgy internet connection I’d suggest that you hit the pause button as soon as it starts and then let most of it download (watch the progress bar). Allow about 20 minutes and then hit play and you should be able to view it uninterrupted.

There are so many more things I want to add to Island Blogging that recent distractions have forced to one side. One of those is Youtube integration which is now available for those who can figure it out. I haven’t (yet) written a tutorial but what you need to do is go to your Dashboard>Manage>Plugins and then activate SmartYoutube 3.2. Then go to Settings>Smart Youtube and follow the instructions there and play around with the settings.

I’m fairly sure that this will work but I haven’t tested it as much as I would normally do, so I might pull it at any time if it causes problems - hopefully not.

To show you just what can be done I give you the following incomers guide to The Isle of Lewis

The spirit of Andy Stewart and Kenneth MacKeller lives on. Exiled Lewis men will cringe. I feel pretty embarrassed myself!

In a comment on another thread HarryD, having gained the impression from Island Blogging that all us ‘foreigners’ were slowly taking over the Islands, asked “Is the Gaelic a lost language?”

There is no doubt that Gaelic has declined considerably over the past century but it is by no means a lost language, especially in The Western Isles which is the stronghold of Gaelic speaking. I would expect that Gaelic is still in decline today but a greater awareness and understanding of the importance the language in recent years may mean that the decline is slowing. We will have an answer around 2012 when the results of the 2011 Scottish Census will be published. That census will ask whether respondents can either speak, read, write or understand Gaelic.

For now we have the 2001 census to provide some answers and it does contain very detailed information about the use of Gaelic as well as population statistics. As is generally understood Gaelic is most widely spoken in the Highlands and Islands but the majority of speakers are in the Western Isles (referred to as Eilean Siar in the reports). Some 72% of the Eilean Siar population had some Gaelic language ability compared with a figure of 1.3% of Scotland as a whole. The percentage of people who could speak, read and write Gaelic in Eilean Siar was 49%, the highest in any Gaelic speaking area.

For those who want to preserve the Gaelic language the figures might be considered fairly acceptable as a base but consideration needs to to be given to how stable these percentages may be. The news there is not good with a fall in Gaelic speakers of over one fifth in the ten years previous to the census and a dramatic drop of 53% in the number of Gaelic speakers in the 15 to 24 year old range. You can blame that almost entirely on TV! It will be interesting to see how this figure will have changed by 2011 since the problem has been recognised and there have been initiatives in schools to give greater emphasis to Gaelic teaching. The future of Gaelic now lies, in many ways, with the education system since with the decline of oral teaching and tradition there are fewer people to pass on the language. With only 49% of those under 24 having any understanding of Gaelic who else will teach their children? Interestingly, although the number of Gaelic speakers declined in the ten years since 1991 the number of those who could read and write Gaelic actually increased by a small amount. Such is the power of formal education.

Throughout the Western Isles the highest percentage of Gaelic speakers was in the parish of Barvas in Lewis where the figure was 74.7%. Other areas of Lewis had a similar percentage to the other islands (around 68%) but Lochs was lower at 62% and Stornoway came in at just 51%. I guess all those incomers don’t like to stray too far from ‘civilisation’ . Interestingly though (and probably against expectations) the census figures show that those who choose to settle in Scotland do care with 1.1% of those who were born in England have some understanding of Gaelic. Doesn’t sound a lot until you realise that only 1.3% of the entire population of Scotland, and only 1.8% of those born in Scotland, have any understanding of Gaelic.

So today HarryD has learned something from Island Blogging and I hope that this has been of interest to others. If you want to delve more deeply (never to surface?) into the statistics check out the 2001 Census Gaelic report where there are lots of pdf’s to download. For an overall view, and an easier read take a look at New Thinking For a Fresh Start?

Some fascinating knowledge can be gained from the Census and the GRO of Scotland. Not only do I know that Lewis is where Gaelic is most widely spoken I also now know that Lewis is the most popular boys name in Scotland!