Twixt and tween

There is quite a relaxed sense of 'down time' in the Treshnish farmhouse this week. Farmer is still busy with the daily chores of feeding the cows and bedding them up now they are indoors, and being in between Christmas and New Year there are no builders at work and not much office activity!  The hoggs have been moved from the park beside the cattle shed to below the house, so that the 4 gates between Treshnish and Haunn can be left open for our New Year guests.

With the 3 stirks (bullocks), the 2 Luing heifers in addition to the cows and the bull, they are munching more than one bale of silage a day at the moment, so a bit of barley straw makes a good afternoon snack, before the next bale is brought in from the stack yard.

This two are mother and daughter.  Aberdeen Angus crossed with Highland Shorthorn.  A beautiful dun colour.

Troughs turned up after the hoggs have been fed.  Hopefully the wind won't blow them too far over night.

Farmer had to remove brambles from Brownie's coat this afternoon and so Daughter took this photograph for the blog.

The major winter work is about to start after New Year.  Duill and Shian are both getting a bit of a makeover: improved insulation to keep them cosy and a small, simple, unheated 'sit-ootery' - somewhere to sit and enjoy the views, whatever the weather!  Duill's sunroom will be an amazing place from which to watch whatever wildlife is enjoying the little lochan.

We went to the top of the Ensay Burn waterfall yesterday to see how it looked after the rains.  Good for hydro-electricity today?!

Quick catch up in pictures.

I am in a real rush today, so will post these photographs now and either add more text later on, or will write a full update very soon.

The dam repairs are getting exciting.  The mess made by the machinery is upsetting, as we usually tread so lightly on the hill and so I hate to see the temporary devastation, but it will heal.

Bog myrtle. The scent has returned.

The first venture out earlier in the week.

The pet lamb numbers are increasing. This is a symptom of the difficult spring we have been having.  There are 6 now.

The clumps of primrose just get bigger and bigger.

Toechtamhor in the late evening.

Spot the Coco.

I went to Oban to meet up with Rosy who is designing the long awaited (18 months so far) interpretation sign to go on the wall of the farm steading.  It has taken so long, because I was not clear at the start about what we wanted, or what we didn't want.  But I think we are a lot closer now. We met at the Bridge Cafe, which is near the bridge over the canal. We go there alot now, as it serves good coffee and does great lunches! And you can park in the Coop car park!

Seeing the Lord of the Isles made me fast forward to the end of term and the family voyage to Barra.  Won't be long now.

I have been meaning to take photographs of Haunn in the early morning at this time of year for 3 springs. Finally got down there on Friday morning, what a blissful day it was.  The fields have no stock in them now so I took Coco with me off the lead.  Heart slightly in my mouth, but I did get her back!  Perhaps the recall button is beginning to work.

The new hens are getting out a bit more now.  These are not pure Marans though, that is for sure.

A bench for sitting in the sun, or leaving offerings from a walk along the shore at Port Haunn.