West Word - November 2025

I love November! The island starts to sparkle; frost has started to appear late at night, stars are reflected in mirror seas, tumbling sea shells in tiny waves create brief melodies in the silence of the coming winter slumber. 

The days are noticeably shorter now and the rhythm of the island has changed with it. I’ve started picking up my head torch at lunchtime so I can cycle home later on, chopping logs is now a satisfying part of the daily routine, jobs around the house which were put off are now getting done and evenings are spent fireside or round the kitchen table. 

The farm has been busy sorting out the sheep - gathering, dipping and tupping. Last week the farm team gathered the west end of the island and I went along with them for the first time. It was a great experience and I had to channel my inner sheep on some of the paths around the cliffs. Some sections are not for the faint hearted and it’s best not to think about it too much and put trust in your feet. 

The west end of the island is dramatic with views to the Outer Hebrides. The cliffs are spectacular, and there are many places to see seal pups. We counted 5 that we saw and they all looked fat, healthy and were basking in the November sunshine. 

We had our annual community bonfire which went a long way to tidying up all the excess palettes and broken bits from the island after a busy summer. Playing with sparklers, toasting marshmallows and chatting with each other always feels like a marker for the start of winter properly. 

We enjoyed a Halloween Party at New House. Fancy dress was optional but everyone made a superb effort; we had Bill & Ben the flower pot men, a christmas present, people dressed in banana costumes, the jewellery heist from the Louvre and cowgirls and cowboys. There was apple bobbing, donut scoffing and a great deal of mirth. 

We bid a fond farewell for now to Gareth, Indi, Hector and Sorely who have left our shores and are moving to the Isle of Coll. We gathered on the pier to wave them off on the next chapter of their lives. One of the biggest things I’ve noticed since they left is that there is no longer a beeping of truck horns; you could always tell where Hector was because either he was beeping the horn or we were beeping ours when we passed him. We wish them all the very best for their new adventure and hope they come back and visit us soon! 

Our various projects are now gathering pace which is exciting. On the horizon are 3 new community houses, the Coroghan Barn redevelopment and a feasibility study for the Rhu Church. We held a whole community meeting where we spent time brainstorming ideas for the future. Nothing was off the table and the meeting generated a wealth of possibilities. We will now spend some time gathering these ideas together and figuring out which ideas are doable; we don’t like to rest on our laurels too much here in Canna and there is always plenty to do.