Welcome to the first instalment of the Cabin Diaries!

This will be my (Ross) contribution to the Dreamcatcher blog that Mum has been writing so well over the past couple of years.

Enjoy!

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Cabin Diaries #1 – Life in Lockdown

In an unexpected turn of events, the Patterson’s are all back in Bridgend. Less than a month ago, I was sitting in the “City of The Eternal Spring” (Medellin, Colombia), sipping on an ice cold cerveza, while Jamie was sunning himself on the Copacabana. However, due to a certain virus, we’ve come home and battened down the hatches for a while.

Since we’ve obviously had to close the business, Jamie and I have a cabin each. It’s taken time to acclimatise to the Scottish temperatures, but we’ve settled in nicely to our respective woodland hideaways. We also have Dave next door in Fox’s Lair, a lifelong friend of the family. None of us are allowed in the house to minimise the risk of the oldies contracting the virus.

Life has taken a much slower pace since everything’s locked-down. Having no beds to change, gas bottles to replace or wood to stack, we have time to make improvements to the business we otherwise wouldn’t. Over the past week, Dad’s been planting native shrubs and trees*, Mum’s been writing her blog, Jamie’s been re-assessing our marketing strategies, and I’ve been path building. However, we’re all still finding plenty of time for “corona coffees” when the weather permits (observing the guidelines on distancing of course).

In the wider area, the response to the virus has been extremely positive. The community is pulling together in multiple ways to make sure no one is left to face the crisis on their own. It’s been heartening to see how willing and eager the community are to help each other during these challenging times. “When the snows fall and the white wind blows, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives” – Ned Stark. When we all come out of isolation, the pack will be stronger than ever.

So, in the meantime, while we wait for this all to blow over, I’ll continue to update everyone on what it’s like to live full-time in one of the cabins. ‘The Cabin Diaries’ will include updates on the new cabin’s progress, gardening tips from Dad, book reviews (lots of reading being done), podcast recommendations, easily cooked cabin meals, whisky recommendations from Dave (his line of work), Game of Thrones quotes, and anything else I think might bring value/fun/light to our readers during these unusual times.

Thank you so much for reading, and please get in touch if you have any ideas, questions or queries.

Ross

*Alder, Hawthorn, Sorbus, Viburnum Opulus, Scots Pine, Elderflower, Guelder Rose, Euonymus and Holly trees.