May and June 2017

A combined blog for May and June this time,

due to lack of time because of all the lovely visitors we've had,

forcing us to eat, drink and be merry

instead of working on the croft ..

Penny from Suffolk

Jan from Dumfries and Galloway and friend Julie from America

Millie, Dave and Neil from Portsmouth

Malcolm's sister, Barb, from Madeira

Eddie, Christine and Johnnie from Dorset

Penny and Chris from Dumfries and Galloway

So now it's catch up time; no planting, no eating !

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One of the many jobs to be done on the croft is to pull up bracken, 

which is poisonous to horses:

it's one of those jobs that as fast as you do it

more bracken is growing behind you just as quickly !

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As usual I have to include photos of our great little jack russel terrier

who makes us laugh every day.

Wilma : "I don't care if you think I look scruffy .......

...I can look clean and tidy when the need arises "

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Zara has been making herself at home on the croft ...

she likes to look in through the windows to see what's going on

and join us for coffee

and chill out with the gang now and again

and her friend Katie comes for a sleep over

Zara checking out the progress of the hay store / field shelter

and hopefully Zara will use the middle post for scratching her large, round bottom
instead of using the back of the car !!

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It has been a wonderful time for watching all the young birds appearing.

In a derelict croft house just across the road from us a pair of stunning barn owls

are bringing up their new young,

they have the whole house all to themselves

perching quietly on the open sash window

This grainy close up just reminds me of an impressionist painting

You can just about make out these fluffy robin chicks

the parents chose to make a nest 

at the bottom of a long basket hanging in the untidy store.

Birds have been nesting everywhere, 

these sparrows were nesting in the air vent from the bathroom

It has been so entertaining watching the parents feeding  their very hungry young

Fortunately Lulu is content just watching the birds from the kitchen window sill

A frequent visiting seagull has worked out how to get the fat balls on to the ground

and enjoys a quiet feast all to himself !

and then the geese come round to see if there is anything left for them

and finally at dusk, the mice come out to finish off ,
nothing goes to waste.

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Round and about the croft ..

rainbows over Loch Ewe

bluebells, buttercups and daisies

evening sky over Loch Ewe

gate to the shore from the croft

pied wagtail taking a drink

Loch Tollie

bumper strawberries from the croft

It is amazing that we grow anything at all,
with waddling geese, scratching hens, mice, a digging terrier, a free-range horse
and now great big hairy caterpillars !!!

This is a photograph of bank holiday traffic in our part of the Highlands.

Love it !!!

A bit of fun 

and a beautiful white cat in a friend's garden

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Malcolm has been giving some master classes in silver jewellery making in the barn,
bringing out his old skills

Gill took the health and safety issues very seriously !

All smiles, we've made our first silver ring!
along the way we learnt many skills: sawing, bending, annealing, soldering, filing,
and polishing

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A group of us crofters and local residents recently walked the hills 
with aspirations of reforesting the local hills and common grazings

just a small project covering about 100 acres !


Watch this space

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Book of the month


This is a delightful little book, with great photographs
and loads of ideas, a book for sharing.

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Quote of the month




"A society grows great when old men plant trees
whose shade they know they know they shall never sit in"



Greek proverb

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If anyone is in the Aultbea area on 8th July
you may be interested in this poster

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Wishing you all a glorious, warm July,

from June and Malcolm

xxxxx