A friend from London recently asked me how I fill my days on this island: a place where she cannot imagine what there is to do. Once I had stopped laughing I gave her a run down of our average week.

I wake to the sound of Dale going downstairs for a pee and to let the dogs out. Then he comes in to my bed for a cuddle and to mention that he is hungry. Miles clambers from his loft bed like a sloth from a tree.

While the boys are eating breakfast (fruit, flapjacks, last night’s rice pudding – we rarely run to normal breakfast cereals) I am out feeding the horse, cats and hens and mucking out the stable. At regular intervals I head back to the kitchen to check progress and offer helpful advice (“eat your banana!” “tie your laces!” “hurry up!!” and so on). With much prompting Miles achieves clothes, food, brushed teeth, school bag and jacket. He heads off down the track in time for the 8.30am bus. 

Dale dresses quickly and concentrates on eating everything in sight. He is the hungriest person I know (except, perhaps, me) and I am already wondering how I will cater for him through his teenage years. The vegetable plot grows ever larger in my mind’s eye. Fenning is a sleepy head and more often than not I have to dress him while he lies in bed, carry him out to the Landrover and put a flapjack in his hand. The second bus run picks Dale up at 9.20am after which I drive Fenning to nursery.

While the boys are at school I whiz around enamelling baths, painting walls, hanging washing or whatever. My latest project is to varnish the pile of floorboards out in the byre, before they are laid in the kitchen. Chuck and I ride to the beach for an hour or so with the dogs, and often the cats, running along behind. I also try to find time to clear out my workshop and set it up as a pottery. Working with clay is what I actually aim to do when I find some time. I’ll let you know…

The school bus deposits my boys home at 3.10pm. That’s assuming no after school activities. These are plentiful and tax my memory to its limit. On Monday Miles has cookery and must be collected at 4.15pm. On Tuesday Dale swims 2.45pm until 3.45pm. Wednesday is Football Club between 6pm and 7.30pm. Fiddle Club is on Thursday immediately after school. Miles and Dale also have fiddle lessons during school time and at some point each week I have a lesson too (it’s one of those “things to do before you are 40”, don’t you think?). 

Friday is a double whammy – swimming for Fenning and First Aid for Miles. On Saturday afternoon we all go swimming. Youth Club is on Saturday evening so we go to the pub for a chip supper and a game of pool first. Sunday is beach day – I need a blast of salt air on my face. 

There are even more activities that the boys could take part in, but their taxi driver is exhausted. I am by no means the busiest person here, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, but my days are full enough, thank you.