Grazing tools

The weather is a little unsettled.  Bursts of warm sunshine followed by weather fronts, and little rain.  We do need rain. The burns have been running dry and I was worried about the tadpoles in the lochan beside Duill Cottage.

This is the burn beside the farmhouse.  We use this as an informal rain gauge.  When it gets lower than this, I start worrying about the water!  We have never run out, and now we have a HUGE additional water storage tank too, but it is always good to have a little rain every now and then.  The fields need it too.

We have 2 chicks, hatched earlier this week.  The mother is extremely defensive so I think it will be some time before I get photographs of them other than through the lid of their coop.  She calls them under her wing, as soon as you take the lid off. You can just see one if you squint to the right of the rock, bottom left corner of the photograph.

This lot are loving the shade from the rosa rugosa.

Flag iris coming out now, lovely to see.  Along with flowering Hemlock Water Dropwort.

Watching the flowers in the field beyond Haunn.  The cows have been in this field for about 2 weeks now.  They dont really impact on the flowers still flourishing on the knolls. Wild thyme is flowering now, lots of lousewort, and birds foot trefoil.

There is still plenty of grass in this field, but as soon as the cows hear the buggy approaching, they expect to be moved into another field.   Here they are heading for the gate, just in case Farmer decides to move them.

Here is young Cupid as Daughter calls him, with his heart tattoo.

The cows are not interested in the lousewort or the orchids.

Counting them, just to make sure no one is missing.

This cow gave birth to twins, but seems to be suckling triplets today!

This dun cow will probably leave the farm in the autumn when we sell the calves.

It is important to spend some time just watching the herd.  Once they realised Farmer was not going to open that gate for them, they quietened down. We leave the dogs behind.

Within the old byre walls, next to West and Middle.

Along the track, in the Black Park, Burnet Rose is flowering abundantly.

The architect has sent through drawings for the eco-cabin on the edge of the wood.  They look really good. Just what we were hoping for.  It is going to be more like Toechtamhor inside than the other cottages, except that it is going to have a great glazed verandah looking out over the sea at the front.

These flowers are growing clinging to the side of a quarry that was dug out for road repairs.  We haven't used it for years, and it has been colonised by trefoil, milkwort and thyme.

A very tired green veined white.

In the Haunn gardens...

In the burn beside East Cottage.

Along the track.

Wood Bittervetch flourishing.

Toechtamhor grass being cut to avoid the orchids!