November/An t-Samhainn

The breeding ewes were kept inbye from the months of November until May, although the gates were left open to permit them access to the common grazing. The sheep would head out to the common grazing at night and come in to the croft in the morning. Wedders, hoggs and ewes without lambs were also brought inbye in November, but these animals were returned to the hill six weeks earlier than the breeding ewes.

During November, people were busy putting aside items that would not be needed until well into the following year - the scythe, perhaps a graip except one for cleaning your byre; the spade, the rakes, forks and all the harvesting implements - carefully cleaned and oiled. Less cart work would be done and the cart would be housed and oiled. Considerable work took place at the fank when people undertook the jobs of dosing and dipping at this time. For the townships of Stenscholl, the dosing and dipping took place at Suarbaidh. It was a very convenient site for the job being adjacent to a stream and sufficient drystone pens. From the 20th of the month to the end of November, the rams were put with the sheep. The township bull was supplied by the Department of Agriculture. In the 1930s, the bull was always a Highland variety, but then he became the Short horn, and later the Aberdeen Angus - each variety was black. The bull served the community, so to speak, being responsible for more than one township - perhaps up to three. He was wintered at home? And somebody would be appointed the duty of looking after him. As elsewhere, the weather in Staffin has changed considerably from fifty years ago. By the time November ebbed to an end in those days, Staffin would have had its taste of winter - sometimes with a fall of snow which lasted for a week to ten days. The harsh winter weather would not penetrate through to the bones until well after the New Year.