1 May 2015

April 2015

Hi everyone, happy bank holiday weekend,
hope you've all had a lovely April.

 Just what Sundays are made for.

 Lambs are appearing all over the Highlands,
a lovely time of the year.

 Our neighbour's cockerel found our hens just
too much to resist 
and has come to stay for a while.

 
Our geese said "ok, like the new pond
but where's the water ?" 

 April has brought us a variety of weather,
from snow...... 

to rainbows...

 to sunshine on daffodils

 

During the month NATO warships have been in Loch Ewe 
on military exercises.



Malcolm has been practising his hazel fencing skills 
with Alistair 


 Since our polytunnel was blown away
 in the January gales it's time to rethink
alternative ways to grow food on a windy croft.




 A little fun project,
planted a circle of willows to grow into
a sort of living domed tent.


 
A daily visitor to the croft,
a Northern Wheatear. 

 Wilma ready and relaxed for grooming.


 Good to see Andrew, Sarah and James
for the first time in the Highlands,
good luck with your move to Skye!


The ground works for Malcolm's Mum's house 
have begun.


 Janette and I still enjoying 
our Sunday morning swims in Loch Ewe,
it's amazing !

See you all next month !

31 March 2015

March 2015

The end of another month !
Here are a few snapshots 
of what has been happening on and around the croft.
 
 What can I say ? except this is one happy dog !

 The geese are doing just what we want them to, keep the grass down.

 We had so, so much rain in March
 that the geese were able to swim around the croft !

 Our goose has just started to lay some rather wonderful eggs,
each one weighs in at 8oz,
and one had to be tried...

 ... and after a 25 minute boil...

 Malcolm was ready to tuck in .


The wild goats at Dundonnell now have their next batch of young
 
 and have begun to show them how to cross the road

to the camouflage safety of the rocks.

 The first digger arrived on the plot,
across the road from us,
to start the foundations for Malcolm's Mum's new house !
The house should be ready around the beginning of September.
Watch this space !

 Great to see you Jon and Sandie !

 Glad you saw the Highlands in good weather most days.

 Sandie not quite sure how to tackle the 
"California Blue" coffee at
Hillbillies coffee shop and bookshop
in Gairloch,
always a great place to enjoy coffee.

A newly found cave at Cove

Windswept sands at Firemore Beach

 Amazingly I won a huge bunch of daffodils
 for winning the Beetle Drive organised by 
Bualnaluib School.
A fantastic, very noisy, enjoyable evening,
age group from 2 years to 82 years.
Platefuls of scrumptious cakes were devoured
and the best array of select-yourself raffle prizes.

 Meet "Breeze", Janette's whippet,
who comes along with her for our Sunday morning swims
in the loch.
Breeze does not think very much of the idea
and often prefers to snuggle up in the back of the car.

 A sunny day on the shores of Loch Ewe.

 A very grainy, out of focus photo 
of geese on the loch
but I just like it as it looks like a water colour painting.

 On a trip into Inverness 
we went in search of Leakey's Bookshop,
in Church Street,
that we had been told about.
Wow !!!!!
If you love secondhand books, you'll love this place.

Starfish, now renamed as Sea Stars,
are often left behind by the tide.
Not only are they beautiful creatures 
they are also amazing !
Apart from many other attributes, I've learnt
that they can regenerate their limbs and 
sometimes their whole bodies,
most have the ability to comsume  prey 
outside of their bodies,
they can live up to 35 years,
they have no brains and no blood,
their "blood" is actually filtered sea water,
they have an eye at the end of each arm and
if it has 40 arms (which some of them do)
they have 40 eyes !
Just some useful info,
I thought it was fascinating anyway .

Happy Easter to you all,
enjoy the chocolate,
June & Malcolm

6 March 2015

February 2015

How did February go so quickly ?
We spent most of the month hibernating,
 sawing logs, bringing logs in, burning logs, sawing logs ....... 

 There has been a smattering of snow on the hills
but no snow has settled in Aultbea
although there have been some fierce hail storms.
 
 A wintery Loch Tollie.

 Just to prove that we do get sunshine
and clear blue skies here,
even at this time of year,
in February we had a total of 38.7 hours of sunshine.
We also had 114.3mm of rain 
over a total 26 rainy days !
 
Fortunately the weather has not stopped
the Sunday morning swimming in Loch Ewe, 
have still managed every Sunday.
 
 The hundreds of deer on the route back from Inverness
are never bothered by the weather.
 
 A beautiful morning at low tide in Gairloch.

 An exceptionally low tide in Aultbea.

 There is always something that catches my eye
on the beach...  alien looking seaweed,

 sparkling waves....

 rocks.....

and barnacles.


Putting the geese to bed.


 A very tired crofting dog out for the count.


This photo of Lulu is especially for Elaine.

The wind and rain at the moment is ferocious
and relentless,
I feel a bit more hibernation is needed
but spring is around the corner !
Bye for now.