Images of January

Just a selection of my favourite images taken this month.

Loch Tollie between Poolewe and Gairloch

the coast road from Poolewe to Cove

Sunset over Loch Ewe from the croft

View of the snow capped mountains across Loch Ewe

Our gate from the croft to the beach

Some rusting metal on the beach

Plenty of seaweed, useful for mulching on the plot

Wilma on guard

Just posing in the sunshine

Clear water

Waiting for supper

Near Poolewe

Wool workshop in Ullapool

Reeds in a local loch

Just outside Poolewe

Winter morning sunshine

Woke up this morning to this glorious red and pink sky pouring through the window,

amazingly beautiful.

The sea even looks red

A bit colder but no winds to blow me over !

Planting raspberries

This post is really just for me as a reminder of what and how we planted raspberries but it may be of interest to anyone who wants to do the same and not quite sure how to start.

We chose 3 varieties of raspberries to extend the length of time that we would have them available to eat, Malling Jewel, Glen Ample and Autumn Bliss,

supplied by www.tamarorganics.co.uk

Maling Jewel

* a standard variety for over 50 years

* tolerant to virus infection

* consistent, although moderate cropper in early summer

* compact

Glen Ample

* a new, exceptionally heavy yielding mid-summer variety

* good levels of disease resistance

Autum Bliss

* heavy cropping, autumn variety

* resistant to raspberry dieback disease

 

General information on raspberries

* like heavy,moist soil and thrive in cold northern regions

* muck heavily, they are greedy feeders of muck

* may be expected to crop for 10-12 years

* keep free from weeds

* will grow almost anywhere on well-drained soil

* rows of raspberries should be about 6' apart

( as John Seymour would say "plants can't measure" )

* plant raspberry canes about 2' apart

* the uppermost roots of the canes should be 2" or less below the level of the soil,

firm the soil over the roots

* cut canes to 6" - 9" tall immediately after planting, 

this will encourage new growth beneath the soil

* the existing cane will usually produce fresh growth in the spring

and new growth below the soil will appear in early summer

* when the new growth appears the existing cane should be cut down to ground level

to encourage strong new canes

* maintain 9 canes per yard in each row,

excess canes should be cut out or pulled out in early May and again in mid-June

when they are 18" tall

* a wire support will enable the canes to climb and will contain them

The three bundles of raspberry canes as they arrived

 

 

 

 

 

12 Malling Jewel,  12 Glen Ample and 12 Autumn Bliss

The raspberry canes planted into pots, in heavily mucked soil, labelled and cut to 6"- 9"

 

 

The canes will eventually be planted in the polytunnel later in the year when we've decided on one, at the moment we are trying to source a secondhand commercial tunnel.

In the meantime the garlic, planted in late November, is growing well in the small polytunnel

Going to the shops

Although we have a lovely mini-supermarket in Aultbea, just a mile away, where you can get all sorts of goodies sometimes you do need a few things that they do not stock.

The next village, Gairloch, is 13 miles away and boasts such things as a bank, a dentist, builders' merchant and the like. It may seen a long way to go but the drive is spectacular and makes it all worthwhile and hardly any traffic either.

These photos were taken coming back home from Gairloch to Aultbea this week.

Loch Tollie on an overcast, rainy day, with a glimpse of sunshine in the distance

My favourite tiny island

Looking a bit bleak this day

Going to collect chicken feed from a small hamlet eight miles from Poolewe is another trip that also gives me pleasure as the road follows the coastline for most of the way and even on a rainy day it is still beautiful with lots of opportunities to take photographs.

This boat hasn't seen the water for a long time.

It would have been such a lovely boat in it's early days.

The grey and blue mirror the local colours.

Happy new year

Happy new year to you all !

It has been a wonderful first Christmas and New Year on the croft and over the festivities we have met lots more of the locals, many of whom love to dress up in fancy dress, 

we shall know for next year !

New year's day was much calmer and brighter weather wise than the last few weeks and so it seemed only natural to have a swim in the sea to see in the new year,

so off we went to Melvaig to join 30 to 40 other lunatics for what is known as the

Melvaig Loony Dook.

 

Malcolm after the looney dook swim, followed by Junie looking at her feet ?

"Joycie" valiantly kept her kilt and tinsel on over the festive period despite the strong winds !

"Joycie" wishing passers by a happy new year

Wilma enjoying the festivities

Lulu was more laid back over the holidays