Another month has come to an end
and some photos to show that the sun does shine in the Highlands !
It's been a month mostly to do with animals
and they make such wonderful subjects for photos,
hope you enjoy them.
Fiona's two horses Aken and Katie
came for a sleep-over
just for the fun of it, for me that is,
it was great to have them around,
hopefully they'll come over again.
Like most animals on our croft
they soon get the idea of taking it easy !
A just born lamb sheltering from the wind
Our cable-drum-table ,
seen here being used as a scratching post
and here as a lamb shelter, very versatile
Woo hooo, fresh grass
Lambs just want to have fun
they soon get the hang of wrecking newly planted trees;
first lean on them, then kick them,
use them as a scratching post
and then finally eat them !
while their mothers take no notice,
turn their backs and carry on eating.
Afternoon mother and toddler group snooze.
Janis, our ace Zumba dance teacher...
and partner Steve have recently had piglets
from their kune-kune sow
and the result is a real mix of size and colours
but all of them are so delightful,
smooth and very cuddly !
What a cute nose !!!!
just like his mother's !!!
This is our new addition of the month,
a four week old gosling from one of our goose eggs
but very kindly incubated by Sarah
on Skye
Thank you Sarah xxx
Sarah also tried yet again
to teach me the art of spinning,
I'm sure I'll get the knack at some point.
Have a look,too, at Sarah's Facebook page:
Wood Ewe on Skye
she does some amazing things with wool
and runs courses too !
As the new gosling isn't waterproof yet
and not ready for the big wide world
she sleeps in our study,
where else ?
and she just loves everyone
and loves cuddles and being made a fuss of
with Eliza, Paula and Maisy
Our geese still like to queue up at the tin bath
in preference to the pond,
if we had known this we wouldn't have dug a pond.
.
Although the inside of the house is still a work in progress
(yes, I know we've been here nearly 3 years)
while the sun is shining we thought we'd start to paint
the very grubby outside .
So I sent Malcolm up on to the roof ...
and noticed the really lovely heart-shaped chimney pot.
Malcolm's Mum had visitors this month,
her previous neighbours all the way from Buckinghamshire,
Gloria, Julian and their sons Stuart and Nick,
great to see you all in the Highlands,
enjoy the rest of your holiday in Plockton.
The colours of May around Loch Ewe...
Just love this seaweed !
Quote of the month
" Don't be pushed by your problems,
be led by your dreams "
Anon
" Don't be pushed by your problems,
be led by your dreams "
Anon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book of the Month
As we now use wood for
heating our hot water and radiators and fuelling our cooker
we have become somewhat obsessed with wood !
So it's no surprise that we should like the book
by Lars Mytting
"Norwegian Wood"
Chopping, stacking and drying wood the Scandinavian Way.
ISBN 978-0-85705-255-1
Beautifully illustrated it is a real treasure.
Taken from the book :
Stacking is an aesthetic and practical challenge,
so much so that in the late 19th century
young American women considering a potential husband
were advised first to consult a piece of folksy wisdom
that revealed the young man's character
based on the way he stacked his wood.
For those looking to marry,
the following list may be used as a rule of thumb.
Upright and solid pile: Upright an solid man
Low pile: Cautious man, could be shy or weak
Tall pile: Big ambitions, but watch out for sagging and collapse
Unusual shape: Freethinking, open spirit
Flamboyant pile, widely visible: Extroverted, but possibly a bluffer
A lot of wood: A man of foresight, loyal
Not much wood: A life lived from hand to mouth
Logs from big trees: Has a big appetite for life,
but can be rash and extravagant
Pedantic pile: Perfectionist, may be introverted
Collapsed pile: Weak will, poor judge of priorites
Unfinished pile: Unstable, lazy, prone to drunkenness
Large and small logs together: Frugal, kindling in among the logs
suggests a considerate man
Rough, gnarled logs, hard to chop: Persistent and strong willed,
or else bowed down by his burdens
No woodpile: No husband
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wilma quietly watching day-old chicks at Andrew and Sarah's
keeping warm in the brooder
in what looks like a yellow tardis.
Wishing you all happy days in the following month,
from Wilma,
Malcolm and June
xxx
