Apri 2017

Another month has whizzed past
and in between the blizzards there has been some lovely sunshine.

One of our geese has been laying some beautiful white eggs ....

and has made a lovely cosy nest
although she hasn't quite got the hang of the idea that she needs to sit on them !

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Nothing much seems to have got done this month but when I look back
at this month's photographs I begin to see why ....

Getting to know Zara and just chilling out with her has been wonderful
and lots of very kind friends have given Zara all sorts of presents,
from rugs and saddles to hay bins and lead ropes,
thank you to all of you.

Like all the animals on our croft Zara takes the art of sleeping very seriously,
pretty relaxed in her new home I'd say

When the camera comes out Wilma is never far away
especially as she thinks Zara is getting way too much attention !

and anything Zara can do ...

Wilma thinks she can do better !

and Wilma is ever hopeful that there may just be something left in the bowl,
fat chance of that happening !

Wilma  is desperate to become friends though even if there is no food left

Perhaps the double egg yolk that cracked into Wilma's bowl
is a sentiment of her love of food.

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On a day trip to Nairn, 6 miles from Inverness
we stopped for a cuppa at a lovely park tearoom next to the beach there
and what made it both really pleasurable at the time and memorable
was that tartan blankets were on the chairs outside
and for no charge you could have a fleece-covered hot water bottle to keep you warm
whilst you drank you tea or ate your ice cream !

Now that's a novel way to keep your customers happy and coming back.

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Happiness is a pony by the sea and a great friend to help me.

Will I ever get any work done on the croft ?


Wishing you all happy May bank holidays

June and Malcolm
xxxx

March 2017

Lots of lovely things have been happening this month.

A new addition joined us on the croft, my first ever, very own pony !

Here is Zara,
arriving calm and relaxed after her four hour journey from Caithness,
having been transported by Eric Gillie transportation;
a fabulous company, who I highly recommend, excellent in every way,
from the office staff to final delivery.

Thank you to all at Eric Gillie

As you can see Zara has settled in well and enjoying the Highland sunshine,
she is a real sweetie.

Malcolm's Mum getting to know Zara.

Already Zara has her own little fan club,
with Maisey and Liza willing candidates for grooming and loving.

Wilma has recently decided that she too enjoys a nice tasty carrot
and that they're not just for horses.

One piece of advice that my lovely Dad gave me was
"never to buy anything that eats while you sleep", ie a horse.

This was one piece of advice that I obviously didn't take any notice of
and yes that is my Dad in the above photo with my brother taken in about 1953.

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Aultbea continues to have it's weekly pop-up café in the village hall,
with a different group running it every week
but without exception every week the cakes and soup are always very yummy !!

Well done to all the local bakers !

Malcolm's Mum ready and waiting for her coffee and cake.

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On a trip to Caithness, driving through Lairg
we came across a wee model cottage on a wee little island ....

and on the way home
the wee cottage was all beautifully lit up, most unexpected !

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A happy morning was spent at the GALE (Gairloch And Loch Ewe) Centre

with Leah giving a hands-on demonstration of felting techniques.

Malcolm's Mum joined in with the wet felting,
proving that at 92 it's never too old to learn a new skill
or make new friends !

Learning and lively banter.

All eyes and ears on Leah.

Some of the brightly coloured samples as part of the learning techniques,

thank you Leah for a great morning !

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This next poster speaks for itself

and this particular crowdfunding idea is catching on all over the place;

it's a bit like the "Dragon's Den"

and each of the 4 projects were given 10 minutes to pitch their case

and a further 5 minutes to answer peoples' questions.

We went just out of interest but it was great fun and did some good at the same time.

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In the Highlands there are relatively few people

and so as not to be left out many services and facilities are mobile and come to us.

This month a mobile planetarium came to town !

Intrigued we just had to go and have a look and we were not disappointed.

With about 40 people inside, most laying down on the mats,

it was very cosy and lasted for about an hour

and all for a fiver !

One of the views in the planetarium

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Aultbea has been making plans to build a desperately needed new village hall

for some years now; unfortunately Aultbea has not been granted

the lottery funds it needs to proceed with this project.

So we need to put on our thinking caps again....

Alistair has already put on his thinking cap and is still smiling

and together we will all "make Aultbea great again!"

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A reminder to drivers travelling in the Highlands at dusk and at night......

BEWARE THE DEER

there are hundreds of them, they're big, they're fast and they spring out of nowhere.

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Just liked these table reflections .....

and some old floats hanging in a crofter's barn

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Until next month we wish you sunshine

and a very happy Easter

from June and Malcolm

xxxxxx

February 2017

In between the wind and rain of February there have been some sunny days

and the geese made the most of the sunshine.

The geese still haven't got the idea that the water in the tin bath
is for drinking and not bathing
or perhaps it's me that's got it wrong !

Delicate, pink  blossom on the peach tree growing in the greenhouse

Malcolm  has been very busy pointing the inside of the barn,
a slow job but he is now on the home straight
and very soon I will have my own "Junie studio" to play in !! 

For all the Wilma fans out there.....

still looking cute and scruffy !
and I love her to bits !








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Verse of the Month

Now that spring is just around the corner our thoughts turn
to crops and growing and so this little verse seemed very timely;
written by a gentleman that Malcolm met in January on his visit to Devon.



To A Slug


Oh you slow and slimey slider,
I wonder, do you wish you were a spider,
Climbing, swinging, free as air,
Instead of being stuck down there?
And what's it like, what can you do,
When no-one says "I love you true"?
Is there another soul alive
That's not permitted to survive,
But poisoned, drowned, ground under foot,
Because your presence doesn't suit?
I wish you well and beg your pardon,
But go.... please go ....
to someone else's garden !


by Murray McGrath




thank you Murray,
every time I come across a slug I'll think of you .







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Book of the Month



"The One-Straw Revolution"

by Masanobu Fukuoka

ISBN :  978-1-59017-313-8

This book may well have been book of the month on the blog
once before, but it is great !



His four basic principles are:
1. no cultivation, that is, no ploughing or turning of the soil
2. no chemical fertiliser or prepared compost
3.  no weeding by tillage or herbicides
and
4.  no dependence on chemicals


sounds good to me.







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February is the month of my birthday
and on my birthday I always think especially of my lovely Mum and Dad and also
of all those people who brought about my being here,
without whom I would never have existed.


I am very fortunate that I have some beautiful photographs
of some of my ancestors
and would like to share them with you.





My Mum and Dad in their courting days
strolling along Piccadilly, London

My Mum's Mum holding me in her arms
in her garden with the Anderson shelter, Dagenham, Essex

My Mum's grandmother

My Mum's father, relaxing with a cigarette

Mum's father seen here on the right, with his mother

The next photo is my favourite photograph of all time !!!!

and I have a poster-size copy of it hanging in our kitchen
and it makes me smile every day.

It is a photograph of my dear Dad in 1919, aged 2.

Yes, I know he's wearing a dress !

My father's father looking handsome in his uniform

The child on the right of this next photo is my father's mother
in 1888 with two of her many brothers and sisters

My Dad's grandparents in Devon

My Dad's great grandmother,
name and details unknown

The next photographs are just to make you laugh.....

me

and my curly-haired bruvver, whose birthday is also in February,
they don't dress them like this any more !!

Is it any wonder that I never learnt to ride a bike !!!

I did have a head start on my driving skills though

Our Mum always did like wrapping us up in crepe paper
at the holiday camps;
seen here as Sooty and Sweep I'm not sure that we liked it very much

This next photograph is my 2nd most favourite of all time.....

my big bother is four years older than me,
it seems that I used to eat most of his dinners as well as mine !

Quite frequently I can still be seen standing in this same position !

On that nostalgic note, we wish you a beautiful spring time,

here's to making happy memories,

remember to take lots of photographs

June and Malcolm

xxxxxxxxx