Late flowering Rosa Rugosa near the Studio.
Today the Contractors have gone to Oban to sell 13 Cheviot gimmers and 27 cast ewes for us at Oban Market. It is a Breeding Sheep sale so hopefully someone will pay a fair price for our animals! We have no guarantee of what price we will get.
It was a good day for drying yesterday. And some colour still in the heather.
Mother and daughter. The calves are going to be sold next week. So sometime this week Farmer will call them along the track from the Haunn field into the Park, so that they are close at hand for weaning.
Before we had our own cattle, our neighbour grazed his cows here during the summer. He would take them back across the road when the calves were weaned and sent to market. Frequently the cows would come careering back over to Treshnish, bellowing and calling to their 'lost' calves. It would take a few days for them to calm down. We have the benefit of the cow shed, which means we can separate the cows from their offspring, and pen them opposite each other so there is the comfort on both sides - knowing where the other is, but safely weaned.
Calves, with Haunn Cottages in background.
Bittersweet affection between cow and calf.
Dying colours of Knapweed.
This lovely dun coloured heifer has been with the bull for the first time. So she will have her first calf in February. Her colour comes from her mother being a red coloured Highland/Beef Shorthorn and her black Aberdeen Angus father.
Seedheads near West Cottage, looking over to Tiree.
Mercurial light over to Tiree.
This is a Fox Moth caterpillar. We found two of them in the grass near the Haunn Cottages. They were HUGE - over 2 inches long. Fox Moth wingspan is 40 - 65 mm. Big.
Boundaries. This dyke dates back to when Haunn was a crofting township - there are 2 ruins next to West Cottage, as well as the remaining stone walls of a small animal enclosure in the Haunn gardens.
Mushroom ID is not my strong point.
The working dogs wait while we check the cows! Interesting interaction with the inquisitive calves. They sniffed the buggy. Not knowing the dogs were inside. Frights on both sides.
I am loving the sunlight on Montbretia. Clinging on to the colour and light of dying summer - it is definitely autumn now. And soon the wind will have blasted the last blooms from the garden, and leaves from the trees. Last weekend we had large deliveries of locally sawn and bagged logs so whatever the weather we and our guests can be warm!
