May 2020

Summer time and the living is easy 

Zara likes to take things easy and likes to take advantage of the warm weather for a little sunbathing when she can ...

then it's time for a look around and contemplate whether it's worth getting up or not ...

have a bit of a yawn ...

and stretch a leg before the next strenuous exercise of eating !

🐴 🐴 🐴 🐴 🐴



Meanwhile Tilly is finding more ways to self-isolate

Mr Cockerel always likes to make himself heard

and believes that Zara is willing to share her feed 

with the flock

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When everything is dominated with lockdown and coronavirus I am aware that I am very blessed to be able to step outside and immerse myself in the coconut-scent of gorse

sit amongst bluebells

go into the polytunnel to count the growing blueberries

watch the asparagus grow

think of strawberry teas

smell pots of golden marjoram

pick nasturtium leaves and flowers for a colourful salad

and go into the greenhouse house to count the peaches 

on the spreading peach tree

mmm, not so long to go

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Book of the month

Appropriate somehow ....

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Poem of the month

Not I Alone

Do I have the key to set the animals free ?
Will my tears help the crops to grow ?
Will my smile bring peace and softness to the world ?
Will my hands heal the unwell ?
Will my arms comfort all the children ?
Will my heart fill the earth with love ?
Will my eyes see only beauty ?
Will my ears hear only the sound of creation ?
Will I breathe out when nature is breathing in ?
Will my feet lead the journey of just being ?
No, not I alone.
But with you, we can, we will.
Let's do.



June

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Pause for thought

" Nature never hurries, yet everything is accomplished"

Lao Tsu

( courtesy of Tao & Zen Facebook page )



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Quote of the month


It's very important that we re-learn the art of resting and relaxation.  Not only does it help prevent the onset of many illnesses that develop through chronic tension and worrying; it allows us to clear our minds, focus and find creative solutions to problems".

Thich Nhat Hanh

(courtesy of Ecological Consciousness Facebook page)


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Wishing you all a new, brighter future.

(courtesy of Tao & Zen Facebook page)


Sending you long distance hugs from
Malcolm and June


💛💚💜💚💛

April 2020

New life is springing into action in Wester Ross and the days are filled with baa-ing, beautiful.

🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑




Our animals have been finding inventive ways of
 self-isolating, especially Tilly ! 
we just need to be careful where we walk.

just wanting to wash her paws in line with guidelines

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Wilma keeping out of the way

and pretending to be asleep, just don't go near that pig's ear, she'll soon wake up.

🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

our geese keeping a 2-goose width apart

and if you get too near he'll come charging at you to 

back off

Zara contemplating a solitary swim

🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴


It's been a great time to just sit and watch and listen 
to the birds, love the gold finches high up in the trees

It is said that if a white feather floats down in front of you that an angel is passing by taking care of you ...

This is the first time that we have planted oca;  plant,

 treat and eat in the same way as potatoes but they are supposed to be blight free. 

A little daily job for spring time is relocating hungry, hairy caterpillars from the polytunnel to the nettle patch.

Relocating about 20 a day, not sure if they are the same 20 caterpillars returning when I'm not looking !

Another crop that we are experimenting with for the first time is oats, just for a bit of fun and we do eat a lot of porridge.

Ginger is supposed to be easy to grow just by planting in a shallow pot, to grow into a lovely aromatic plant and to grow more ginger for cooking, teas and medicinal.
 We'll see what happens.

Fortunate enough to have spare time on our hands it is even more wonderful to watch new life emerging from the soil, better than watching paint dry.

and to smell the sea-salt-scent of sheets blowing in the sunshine

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For any of you in lockdown who feels that by now you should have cleaned and decorated the whole house, redesigned the garden, learnt to play the piano and written that book, just remember ....

(courtesy of Ecological Consciousness Facebook page)


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Poem of the month


Earth teach me quiet ~
as the grasses are still with new light.

Earth teach me suffering ~
as old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me humility ~
as blossoms are humble with beginning.

Earth teach me caring ~
as mothers nurture their young.

Earth teach me courage ~
as the tree that stands alone.

Earth teach me limitation ~
as the ant that crawls on the ground.

Earth teach me freedom ~
as the eagle that soars in the sky.

Earth teach me acceptance ~
as the leaves that die each fall.

Earth teach me renewal ~
as the seed that rises in the spring.

Earth teach me to forget myself ~
as melted snow forgets its life.

Earth teach me to remember kindness ~
as dry fields weep with rain.



A Ute Prayer



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Farewell tribute

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸


This month my lovely Aunt Chris died at the age of 88, she always loved family gatherings and always up for a laugh !

Thanks for being a lovely auntie xxxx

🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

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Considering not much has happened this past month I'm surprised that I have any photos for the blog !

Wishing you all a peaceful, safe month of May,

from Malcolm and June

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

March 2020

The Torridons looking majestic across Loch Ewe

Beautiful Zara

 has been part of our gang on the croft for three years now, 

she has enhanced our lives and enriched our soil 
by over 1000 barrow loads of muck !

Tilly has learnt the art self-isolating

and for Wilma life goes on as usual

and whilst self-isolating we have been planting out our seeds now that there are a few warmer days

filling up the window sills with pots 
waiting for seeds to germinate

counting the number of blossoms for this year's
 peach harvest in the greenhouse, looking good !

appreciating the beauty around us

looking more closely at
 the magnificence of daffodils

and emerging willow buds

and new colours arriving 

learning to tie knots

learning to spin using a "pirn". or in my case not having a pirn, using a porridge stirrer

learning to make willow wreaths ready for autumn,
 needs a bit of refining

setting up a backgammon champion's league,
 we're pretty even, 143 games to 145 to date

baking proper crusty bread

  watching frog spawn grow

and watching flickering candlelight against rain-splattered windows 

well, that's what you do when you don't have a tv !!

and swim of course 

out in the water we are safe and all is well with the world  
 (for the time being though our group swimming has come to an end)

Life on the croft hasn't actually changed much, we just haven't been talking or dancing as much.




This month I might even try and get to grips with the sewing machine that has only ever found it's way out of the box once !

Frustration or fun ? mmm, we shall see.

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Useful tip of the month

When or if toilet paper runs out have a look around outside. Mullein leaves are known as "nature's toilet paper", soft, woolly, large and water absorbent and grows in Europe between July and September. 

It's also known as Aaron's Rod, Jacob's Staff and 
Jupiter's Staff.



This is the plant in it's early stages and will give Andrex a run for it's money.

Nature will provide !




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Poem of the month

(poem posted on the Ecological Consciousness Facebook page)

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Pause for thought

From Tao and Zen post on Facebook


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💚💛💜💙💜💛💚


Wishing you beauty, serenity and simplicity 
wherever you are,
sending you love and big hugs from a safe distance,
take care and keep safe.

June & Malcolm

💙💚💛💜💛💚💙