April 2019

Welcome to our April blog, a month of stunning sunsets,
hope you enjoy this month's photographs

A peaceful evening spent collecting various seaweeds 
to experiment with drying and storing and using in new recipes

sunshine shining through kelp

and Malcolm thought I wanted a new clothes line
 to dry the washing !

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Some delicate flowers along the shore line ....

and the gorse bushes with bright yellow flowers perfume the air all around with the delicious scent of coconut

which reminds me to tell you about our friend Rupert's new venture in Kinlochewe,
excellent freshly prepared food, lovely atmosphere and delightful waitresses,
perfect !

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A reminder to eat your greens;
 as well as being a wonderful companion plant to help your veggies grow the leaves and the flowers of nasturtiums are both edible and make for a really colourful salad.

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Our animals on the croft have been enjoying the sunshine

and strutting about

hens have been broody 

Wilma taking it easy

Tilly has learnt to put herself to bed and
managed to cover herself up

and when she gets out of the basket....
Wilma gets in for her turn

Zara had her two friends come to stay for a week,
during which time I was totally superfluous to requirements

Zara it seems prefers to be ridden with no bridle, no bit, no reins and no saddle 
and no sense on my part; 
but she is not exactly the Ferrari of the horse world 
and it is lovely to really feel the horse,
so we do it most days now.

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 Our walking buddies, Peter and Janet introduced us and Moira to a fantastic walk on the Coulin Estate 

truly spectacular !

and met some of the locals

thank you Peter and Janet





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At a local loch in Mellon Charles
 there has been a rare visitor from America
 that has caused a lot of interest this month,
 a male blue-winged teal.

Although he shouldn't be here at all he seems to have made himself at home.

(photo courtesy of audubon.org)






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Visitors to the croft




It was so lovely to see Jackie, Margo and Lorna again,
three special ladies who always make us smile
( thank you for our delicious supper )

Fiona having fun with some of our goose eggs !

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Pause for thought

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Junie's Idea of the Month

Plant Your Future



Instead of buying that bottle of bubbly
 to mark an occasion or to say thank you
 why not give or plant a fruit tree/bush,
the gift that will keep on giving pleasure and abundance year after year ?

Think what a difference this would make to the planet and our well-being if we all did this for births, birthdays, marriages, anniversaries, departures and 
 family celebrations !
Wow!
Good for the planet, good for us and
 no recycling required at the bottle bank.

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Quote of the Month

"All the flowers of all our tomorrows
are in the seeds of today"

Anon

(carved above a doorway in Sibton Church, Suffolk)







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So, from us and our gang we wish you a happy May

and remember ....

( courtesy of Tao and Zen )





Malcolm and June

💚 💛 💜 💙
💛  💚  💙
💜 💚
💙

March 2019

March has brought sunshine and daffodils...

and plenty of stormy weather

Our window sills are filling up fast with seed trays

I get very excited when the seedlings first push their way through the soil; I find it amazing to think that in just a few weeks each seedling will grow taller than me and produce a mass of mange tout, tomatoes, cucumbers....

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We have come across a brilliant seed company :

Real Seeds
PO Box 18, Newport, Pembrokeshire SA65 0AA
www.realseeds.co.uk
orders@realseeds.co.uk 
Facebook page :  Real Seeds

Everything this company does they do well and
 they actively encourage people to save their own seeds for future years;


if you are a beginner to vegetable growing they recommend:

"Grow Your Own vegetables" 
by Joy Larkcom    ISBN  071121963X

and 

for seed saving information there is a wealth of information on their website and they recommend :

"Back Garden Seed Saving"
by Stickland        ISBN   978-1-899233-15-1







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On and around the croft




The peach tree in the greenhouse, now in it's 4th year,
is producing abundant blossom,
 so it's looking good for another bumper crop; 
it produced over 100 peaches last year.

~~




Our asparagus plants that I started from seed in 2017 have now started to produce spears, my patience has paid off !
They should continue to produce spears for at least 15 years, progressively producing more spears each year 
and some plants can last up to 40 years, I like that idea.

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This is my first attempt at growing mushrooms,
this is where Zara pony earns her keep with plenty of well rotted manure !

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I planted 94 pussy willow whips to grow into a wind break and boy do we need wind breaks !!

Apart from 6 or 7 that Zara thought were in the wrong place, I'm pleased to say that all the others seem to have taken nicely.

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I love it when the pussy willow starts to show it's furry blossom, always looks lovely.

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Zara pony has been with me for 2 years now and to celebrate the occasion she had her two pals come on down for a sleep-over

Wilma looks like she found a tasty morsel out on our walk

Spot the dog !
In our house always check the chairs before sitting down !

especially now that Tilly 
seems to have taken over the dog's bed

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Our geese just hanging around in the sunshine

This is now the time of year for the geese to lay their handsome eggs.

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In between the hail stones and the winds I know why I love it here so much

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The Gorse Bush Cafe at Kinlochewe, Wester Ross




Rupert Shakespeare, owner and chef of the Gorse Bush, looking pleased after serving a group of us an excellent lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Rupert with lovely fiancee Jenny




Go check out the Gorse Bush

email :  info@thegorsebush.com
01445 - 760423
mob : 07709 - 685940







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Book of the Month

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Website of the Month 1

www. ciwf.org.uk

compassion in world farming

For nearly 35 years now I have been a vegetarian and in recent years have become ever more concerned with how my food is produced and where it comes from;
 hence our current lifestyle and growing a large proportion of our own food.

As a vegetarian I like to eat cheese, butter and yoghurt and like milk in my tea,
but with more information of the dairy industry I am now being drawn to a vegan diet.




Below is a quote from the CIWF website:

"Naturally calves suckle from their mothers for up to a year and maintain a strong bond with her for several years.  However, in commercial dairy farming, nearly all calves are taken away from their mother within hours of birth.  This causes distress to both the cow and the calf and has long term effects on the calf's physical and social development.  Most female calves will be reared to join the milking herd but as male calves cannot produce milk, they are considered surplus to the dairy industry .  Male calves will either be shot after birth or sold to be reared for veal or beef" 


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Suddenly,
that cheese sandwich doesn't seem quite so appealing now.




The price on that plastic bottle of milk may seem cheap at the checkout but it comes with a high price 
for animal welfare and probably for the mental wellbeing
 of those working in the dairy industry.




BUT

we have found a homemade, dairy free alternative 
that is delicious !

It looks good, tastes fab, is easy to make
and
no plastic bottles or tetra-paks to manufacture and recycle

Recipe for making oat milk

from Melanie McDonald
https://avirtualvegan.com/oat-milk



Ingredients

90g oats ( preferably organic)
960mls water

Method

•   soak the oats for about 15 minutes
• pour through a sieve and discard the liquid
• rinse the oats well under running water
• add 720mls of water
• blend until smooth
• check the thickness and add extra water as you want
• strain 2 or 3 times through a sieve 
• put into a lidded container and store in the fridge 
•  will last for 3 to 4 days 
•  shake before using
• drink and enjoy

Give it a go, you may like it;
we're now looking into making dairy free butter and cheese,
we'll let you know how we get on.



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If you are interested in finding out more about the dairy industry here is another fine link :

https://www.lowimpact.org/taking-calves-away-mothers-cruel-want-practice-stopped-prepared-pay-milk/





 If you want to see how milk production can be done ethically and
 possibly how most of us would like to think it is being done
have a look at:

Fiona Provan at 
Home Farm, Somerleyton, Suffolk, NR32 5PR

www.the-calf-at-foot-dairy.co.uk




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Never forget that
 consumers drive markets and 
consumer choices will create changes
 in the way things are done




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Website of the Month 2

www. rebellion.earth


 see also their Facebook page :

 extinction rebellion highlands and islands

The number one mission of this movement is to get the Government to tell the truth on climate change
(or climate breakdown as it is often referred to these days)
and act NOW before it's too late




Malcolm has already started to do his bit

Malcolm says that this is his first ever public protest march !

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2 Quotes for the Month




"Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile.  Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the
 only moment."



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"Letting go gives us freedom and
 freedom is the only condition for happiness. 
 If, in our heart we still cling to anything,  
anger, anxiety or possessions - 
we cannot be free."




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both from Thich Nhat Hanh
Vietnamese Buddhist monk, born 11th October 1926
author of more than 100 books

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Just a thought

courtesy of  Ecological Consciousness Facebook page





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Update on Malcolm's Mum
 

Mum was looking well and happy on Mother's Day
and enjoying her bouquet of flowers,
ordered from Farm and Garden in Gairloch,
thank you Gary and Wendy.
 

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 Visitors to the croft


We ended the month with a visit from some slightly crazy friends from Norfolk, 
I don't think we stopped talking and laughing for two days.


Thank you Kelvin, Suzanne, Mark and Tracey for making the trip to the Highlands 


 Thank you Janis and Steve at the Love Croft B+B in Laide
for looking after our friends, 
10 out of 10 for everything !

and

even though we are not what you'd call a spectator sport,
there were more spectators than swimmers last Sunday. 

 We hope that you have enjoyed this month's mix
 of photos and fun; wishing you a happy, carefree April wherever you happen to be,

from Malcolm and June and the Gang
xxxxxxxxxxx
☯