March 2018

Easter Greetings 
to you all

March started off very cold, snowy and icy,
all down to the "Beast from the East"
 that affected most of the UK

but did it stop us swimming ?
of course it didn't !!!!!

Thank you Stan Miller for this photo and the next one

This is our new cover photo for Ewe Wild Swimmers 
showing the WW2 pier that we swim around
(and sometimes jump off of if the tide is right)

Thank you Jim for this beautiful photo






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Gairloch has been in the news lately 
due to proposed changes in sewage treatment;
changes that local residents are not happy about !

So the local people took to the beaches!!

Thank you Stan Miller for this photo

Thank you BBC Alba for this photo

Thank you Janette Latta for this photo

Thank you Julia McBeath Alexander for this photo
(this photo was also included in the BBC photos page for Scotland 9-16 March)

Thank you Maria Morgan for this photo

Thank you Paula Gordon for this photo




Watch this space !





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Our Aultbea  Hall,
that was built as a temporary cinema during WW2
is in major need of refurbishment,rebuilding or replacement

With an energetic new chairman, Stan Miller,
efforts are forging ahead to raise money to keep our community hall

A lot of cake has been eaten
 and a lot of tea has been drunk
at the weekly pop-up cafes

and bingo has proved popular
raising over £500 in one night !



Well done Andy and Kimberley 
of Oran Na Mara Cafe, Aultbea
(well worth a visit when you are in Aultbea !)
for organising this event.

You did so well Andy, you can do it again !

and the Lottery has granted us funding this month
 to buy cinema equipment !
Great news !
Well done Stan for organising this, an enormous thank you !






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Malcolm is involved with a new project locally,
"Pocket Orchards",
this involves planting fruit trees in easily accessible places
for people to pick free fruit in years to come

Children from the local primary school
came out for planting apple trees at a site in Aultbea

and even though it was chucking it down with rain
and there was a ferocious wind
they happily got stuck in 
with the digging and thumping in the posts.


The children were also happy
 to dance around the trees,
singing a blessing :

"O little apple tree
We have come to wassail thee,
Will you bear some fruit for me
When the season changes ? "


Well done to all you young fruit tree growers !

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It is now a year since I bought Zara
and she came to join us on the croft
and I have had a wonderful year with her !

Zara has taught me a lot 
and has trained me very well !

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Round and about the croft

Snowy footprints

Snowy rabbits

Snow covered lobster pots

Malcolm is currently building us a new polytunnel...

and as you can see, not using the conventional framework

Instead, Malcolm  is using alkathene, water pipe
sunk into scaffold poles and with a wooden frame,

with a bit more work to go 
and the cover will be ready to go on,
just need a wind free day !

The chickens and geese are forever
digging up, eating and gererally wrecking 
anything that we plant,
that's the price of free range !
Fencing is expensive and we do like to see them roaming about,
so we are trying out our own fencing using willow;
 not an instant remedy but should do the trick given time and patience.

Plentiful blossom is appearing on our peach tree,
in the first year we had 30 peaches,
last year we had 65 peaches,
this year may be more.






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Update on Malcolm's Mum


Mum has been busy involved in various activities
and generally enjoying herself

and wishes you all a very happy Easter

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Our Tilly made it into the pages of our local paper (top left)
looking particularly cute !

We are of course very biased.
 

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Quote of the month



Everything you need is already inside you,
don't wait for others to light your fire.
You have your own matches.


Unknown ~ found on Pinterest





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With more cold weather supposedly on it's way
it was good to make the most of the sunshine,

 

so, wishing you all a happy Easter

wherever you might be 

from June and Malcolm 

down on the croft until next time

xxxxxxxxx