Monday, 12 April 2010

Our lambing starts today, and hardly a lamb to be seen - yet.

I guess it will take them a few days to realise but our ewes are due to lamb any time after today.  So the increased exercise begins as Dog and Farmer go out to the hill to see if there is anything happening.  The new log and recycling shed will release a shed to turn back into lambing pens, in the farm steading at Treshnish, which will be handy for bottle fed lambs, assuming we have a few - as usual.

The wind turbine has produced 6760 units to date.  And is still producing ahead of consumption on the site local to the turbine - so far anyway.  The wind has dropped totally so the turbine is still today and the air warm and truly spring like.

Alice, the star of last year's home reared lambs, is now eating out of Farmer and Daughter hands on a regular basis, and is planning to attend the Salen Show ring.  It is a long way off and a lot can happen, but watch this space I will keep you posted.  She and the other Cheviot hoggs have been through the fank today, had a blue stripe of anti tick colour painted on their backs and are now off down into a new field.  Their blackface peers are back on the hill having had the same treatment.



First swallow seen at Treshnish yesterday too, by Prasad.  So that is it.  Lambing has started and so has summer.

And when the chief working sheep dog is not working, he has discovered the joy of Dog frisbee.



Tadpoles are on the wiggle, on the little lochan near Duill garden.  The huge static black blob of frogspawn has dispersed and the shallow waters are now writhing with tiny hypnotic swaying tadpoles close to the surface.


This magnolia is showing the most wonderful colour - the best we have ever seen it.  


Out beyond Port Haunn yesterday, Farmer did see a golden eagle carrying food towards a well known eerie.  It is too early for feeding chicks so may have been feeding the egg-sitter eagle.  Exciting though and quite a sight.  And unfortunately no photographs.