Looking back, and looking forwards.

On the 1st of October the Farmer and I celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary!  Where better to do that than the Cattle Sale at Oban market. 

It was a good sale and we watched some Mull farmers benefit from good prices.

Once the chores were done, we headed out of Oban to stay in the hotel we had spent our wedding night in.  First we explored Cuil Bay, looking for a particular building I had seen photographs of before.  We had a great walk, and met a noisy herd of cows who were behaving as if their calves might have been in the sale ring today. We found the shed but I need to go back another time when it isn't so over cast.

The next day we spent most of the day on the Isle of Lismore, which was wonderful.

Scarecrows, lonesome cows, tractors peeping out of farm buildings and a delicious lunch at the community cafe.

On Thursday morning we came back to reality and went to look at some heifers we were thinking of buying.  We don't like buying through a market as it is impossible to guarantee that the animals you are buying haven't come into contact with disease that you don't have on your farm.  So we headed off into deep Argyll.  The night before it had rained heavily, so lots of roads were mildly flooded.  The heifers were friendly and calm - Luings, which are a lovely red colour, and these have lived out in Argyll-shire hills and should be pleasantly surprised by our milder climes.. we hope anyway.   A good deal was done, and they will be delivered in early November.

Back home and this morning a faint rose tinge to the clouds as I drove Daughter to the bus. A damp low misty cloud played hide and seek with Coll and the ferry.

After a few chores in the cottages this morning, change over day, and a sighting of the Greenland Wheatear Prasad had told us about, we headed over the hill to look at some shearlings.

These are Cheviot shearlings and tups.  Shearlings are males which had only had the 'one shear' meaning they are under 2 years old.  Tups are rams of over one shear in age.

We had about 10 to choose from, out of the Blackies.

Farmer chose the ones which he marked with red marker.

All being well we won't need a new Cheviot tup until next year.

The three weeks of fine dry weather have broken, giving us back puddles large enough to fit a tree in.