I live in the Outer Hebrides AMA

[WeeFreeWhiskyGalore]

We chain up the play park swings on a Sunday

No Waitrose/Asda/Amazon Prime/deliveroo

On a clear day you can see Canada (if you squint...)

A four bedroom house sells for £130k

No one locks their doors

There's definitely no heatwave here

do you suffer from SAD?

Is Brexit a topic of concern in the community - Scottish Islands benefit from funding (European island cohesion policy or something, sorry cant remember the details anymore)?

And related to Brexit, how is Scottish independence viewed there? A lot of loud Yes people in my part of the world but iirc the islands were much more No?

Oh, how I love Innse Gall! It's my ambition to live on Barra or North Uist. (I would love Fraoch-Eillean, really) And it might give me a chance to revamp my Gaelic, I've had no one to talk to in 25 years, so rusty doesn't even begin to descibe it

If not Innse Gall, Shetland would be my next choice, but I can't persuade anyone in my family that it's a good idea

That should obviously say fraoch-Eilean, stupid fat fingers and my useless typing.

Considering the Celtic connection with Gaelic what do the people there think of the Welsh?

I don't think people are any more small minded than anywhere else. It's hard for anyone moving to a new place and I can see that it might be difficult to penetrate a community that have all gone to school together or are related or have a shared history. Genealogy and family history is something most people here are very interested in. People generally know who their second/third/fourth cousins are. Putting people in context is very important. I can see it's hard to feel part of that if you're not from here. That said there are lots of incomers too and (the church aside) there's a strong spirit of non conformity. A lot of islanders have traveled widely because of being away at sea (merchant navy) and having to leave for education so I think their horizons are wider than some people in small cities or large towns who have never really needed to leave where they're from.

Brexit is a big worry. Transport, roads, language, job creation. The fishermen voted out of course but I think most people are horrified. I don't see that Westminster or Holyrood give a fig for small communities such as this.

The winter is very dark and can feel long. On the flip side the summer is fantastic. May, June and July are great. You can be working out in the garden til 11 or later. Love it!

The environmental impact of burning any fossil fuel is bad. Peat cut by hand less than a mile from your house is probably one of the less concerning.

The weather forecast seems to show non-stop rain for the Outer Hebrides. Is it really that bad? Do you get to go outside much, or are you stuck indoors for half the year?

This is fascinating.

Do you need to store things in case deliveries to shops are delayed by bad weather?

What do you miss most from the mainland?

I’ve always wanted to move to an island and my husband and I have in demand professions. I wonder if having Irish (language) would be advantageous to our children in learning Scots-Gaelic.

What is the one thing you most often wish was sold on the island?

It is quite wet here. Until recently I lived in a fairly dry part of the UK and I had forgotten how wet it gets. Fortunately humans don't dissolve in water and we just put raincoats on. The beach is fun in the rain too.

I wish there was a shoe shop here. Online shopping is good but shoes are still easier to buy in person.

The ferry not sailing is a pita. This happens several times in the winter but usually not for longer than a few days. I have a freezer full of food so I'm not bothered. Power cuts are much more of a pest. When I was a kid the power was forever going off. I remember one Christmas it was off from the 22nd, it came on for 6 hours on Christmas Day and then was off again til the 27th.

Irish is similar to Scottish Gaelic. I was able to understand a fair bit when I lived there.

What's the weather like at the moment? Have you had a warmer and drier than usual summer like the rest of us?

The start of the summer was lovely. Much warmer than usual and hardly any rain. We were swimming and camping and all sorts. The last three or four weeks have been a bit rubbish though. The heatwave has not affected us at all really. It's good in some ways because the machair is full of flowers and the crops and animals are all doing well. I have friends and relatives in London and they are very uncomfortable. I've seen pictures of the fields in England and it is a bit of a worry.

Would say no to a few more degrees warmer though!

*wouldn't

Irish is similar to Gaelic in that if you speak Irish you'd probably get the gist of a written sentence in Gaelic. Some words are the same or almost, some are totally different. Both languages sound very, very different when spoken in my experience. The spelling is also very different for the most part - Gaelic uses lots of 'g's where Irish would have a dh in some instances.

How competent is your MP/MSP/Council?

Are services run well?

Can teens get part time jobs?

Are there many council houses?

Is there much obesity?

What do you do for days out with the dcs?

Do they miss cinema/ bowling/ trampolining/soft play?

No idea about obesity levels compared with the mainland. Sorry.

There's a cinema and bowling and soft play here. A bit more limited than the mainland versions but loads cheaper.

Probably a greater emphasis on communities seeing to themselves as far as leisure facilities. We go to the beach or walking with the dc. Some excellent play parks (not available on Sunday obvs!) I don't bother with days out as such. The swimming pools are great and really cheap though so I suppose that's like a day out.

MP and MSP are fools but that's to be expected. I'd say people are generally pretty political. Lots of charity work and people raising money for others in the community or for charities abroad. I think the religious sensibility means people are very keen on helping their neighbours.

Plenty council houses.

Teens can get jobs. Maybe have to be a bit more proactive. When I was a kid I sold home baking to cafés and so on.

Do you truly understand how jealous I am?!

(Thinking of Eilidh's family often, the problems of the world reaching a child from a small spec in the ocean is just too cruel).

It's a wonderful place saw it through rose tinted glasses when I spent 2 weeks up there in May/June, (it didn't rain and it was one stunning beach after another)
I'm sure it's different in other seasons!
We visited a distillery whilst there and they weren't making whiskey at the time as the river had almost run dry and no hint of rain! So they were twiddling their thumbs somewhat
If I could get a job there I would move but mine is quite niche so they probably only come up once in a blue moon 🌒

What's the internet connectivity like these days? And are people as glued to their phones as they are on the mainland?

If you want a last minute flight off the island how much does it cost?

Are children/women welcome in pubs?

What do the non religious do on Sundays?

Do couples have bigger families eg 3/4/5 dcs?

Are there a lot of mental health problems eg depression or do most people seem contented?

Is there a good community spirit?