September 2918

September, the month of colour and abundance and the croft has provided us with some beautiful nourishment.

The best crop so far from our four year old "Katie" apple tree, not bad considering the battering it gets from the wind

Some furry lupin pods releasing their seeds ready for planting out next spring

Our front garden is not exactly pretty, the mower will not go through the gate and Zara finds it a bit restricting,
so decided to grow potatoes in it instead, which have done very well indeed.

Our potatoes seem to be getting larger, this one weighed in at just over 3lb !

Rosehips are plentiful this season and so have been picking them to dry as a natural, health-giving delicacy for Zara who finds them very yummy.

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A peek into some rock pools along the coast showed up some fantastic sights and colours

and with the help of some intrepid explorers .....

we found a secret cave !

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Aultbea has now set up it's own Men's Shed

Who knows what they'll be getting up to,

watch this space.





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Now this is my sort of traffic jam !

On the road to Inverness,

I think they might be heading for the M25 !

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Wanting to replenish our stock of bamboo toothbrushes
I found that the supplier was out of stock,

so I tried this new supplier "Save Some Green",
love the label "Loved by Pandas, Great for Humans" !

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In an attempt to reduce the use of plastic, especially the dreaded cling film, an old practice is making a comeback,
 it is the use of waxed wraps, so I thought I'd give it a try.

If you want to make your own, take a piece of pretty
 cotton fabric and cut to the size you want  ....



and in a large pan melt some beeswax, about an ounce

lay the fabric in the melted wax until it is evenly soaked up, spread the wax with a metal tool if needed

take the fabric out of the pan using a peg as it will be hot
and hold it for a few seconds to cool down
 before putting aside

you can then use it to cover bowls, press down at the edges and the warmth from your hands will make it adhere to the bowl

or use it to wrap your lunch; 

they can be reused over and over again,
 washed in warm, soapy water 
and rewaxed as needed.

If you can't be bothered with all that, 
you can buy them already done online, worth a try,
 a nice eco gift for Christmas ?






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Quote of the Month



"Be kind whenever possible.
It is always possible.


The Dalai Lama





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Book of the Month

Thank you Janet for recommending this one.








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Another quote of the Month

"The body benefits from movement 

and the mind benefits from stillness"

Sakyong Mipham

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This next clip (found on Pinterest) is especially for
my sister-in-law Elaine

( hope the new hip is settling in well Elaine and hope Colin looked after the cats well in your absence)





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This next photo was forwarded to me via Facebook 
(Bobbie Caldwell)
this month and I thought it would be lovely to include it in this blog, hope it makes you smile.

Thank you Karen xxx

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 So from the sleeping beastie Wilma

and Tilly who is always looking for mischief

 and big-eyed Zara, smiling for the camera

Malcolm and I wish you all a happy October


💛💚💜💙




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