A bit of an introduction

I suppose I really should write a proper introduction to my blog. I know it would be traditional to do this for the first post but I got a bit side tracked so here goes…

I was born and raised in South Uist before moving to Glasgow for uni. I spent seven years away, living in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and the USA, and always swore I would never move home. Having been a bit miserable before leaving, moving day could not come soon enough. I loved being a student most of the time, especially after my first year when I switched to a course that I actually liked and moved out of the poky flat in student halls. Although not entirely sure what I wanted to do after graduation, I knew that it would not involve moving back to Uist. 

But, then… 

After travelling a bit, studying abroad, returning to Glasgow and falling in love, having a baby, graduating, and kicking off my career in finance, I came home for two whole weeks for my sister’s wedding. It was the longest I had spent in the islands since leaving home and it was my only time being home in the summer. We had two glorious weeks of sunshine and spent the time gathering peat, playing on the beach, and sunbathing in the garden. It was marvellous. We realised that we were doing things wrong – we didn’t belong in a flat in Glasgow and we were not happy with our jobs. So we packed up our life on the mainland and moved home. 

It is almost one year since we moved home and we are so glad that we did. We have traded a two bedroom flat for a three-bedroom house with a private garden, our son is at nursery and loves it, and we are thinking about things that would never have been possible in Glasgow, like buying a place of our own or having a family holiday. We love this place and our years away have made us appreciate it more than we would have otherwise. This brings me to the blog…

I have always liked writing but have never made much time for it - “start a blog” has been on my to-do list for the last year (or maybe more). It is something that has crossed my mind so many times but I have been unable to pinpoint something that interested me enough to write about it often. However, since returning home and realising how much I love this place and care about what happens here, I have figured out what I want to write about. This blog will look at issues that affect the islands and will consider how things could be done differently. 

I have decided to attempt the 30 day blog challenge – a post a day for 30 days. I wasn’t entirely confident about making it as far as day three (I have a three year old to take care of, am learning to drive, learning to knit, and am a master procrastinator). Anyway, I will give it my best shot and hopefully by the end will be in the habit of writing regular posts. In the next 30 days I hope to cover executive pay at the council, the local job market, the Lochboisdale to Mallaig ferry, crofting, the Our Islands, Our Future campaign, and lots more about local developments, opportunities for young people, and what the future might hold for the islands.