The pleasure of a morning walk

Farmer wanted me to photograph the colours in the Alder catkins.  It was sunny, and we walked with Coco.  Birds were singing. The sun felt warm. 

I am not going to say spring is just round the corner, but here and now, in no particular order, I am happy to say...... it is lovely to see the first Primrose (though very battered); the fresh green shoots on an Elder, the wandering shoots of the wild Honeysuckle, shapes and sizes of weird and wonderful fungi, the colours of the Alder catkins, the yellow of the Hazel catkins, the regeneration of Hazel coppice, a stem with last year's Hazel nut and this year's catkin, the very low tide on Calgary headland, silvery birch tree trunks in the sun and the statuesque beauty of a dead foxglove.

Just had to share the pleasure of my morning walk.

Extreme sheep feeding

Another week has nearly reached the weekend.   

We had an exciting start to the week with some fantastic gales, but no power cuts this time!  Forecast was for snow but we only had sharp and wild bursts of hail.  

The weather was dramatic and wild with lots of spinning for the turbines, and whilst we thought our waves were dramatic, they were nothing like some of the ones we have seen from Shetland and the Outer Isles.  We don't seem to have sustained any damage which is a big relief. I could have done without Farmer's comment when he came back from the feeding the first morning when the winds had died down, saying: "Rooves are still on down at Haunn"... (should I have been worrying about them?)

Farmer hurt his back again at the weekend, and had us quite worried for a while.  Luckily now, it seems to be better, but goes to show he will always need to be careful. 

  

I helped him with lifting bags of feed and the troughs for a couple of mornings (the wild and windy ones) until he recovered.  Jamie has been in to do the bedding up, which can be sore on  Farmer's back.   These 3 Zwarties frequently graze in behind this gate and forget how to get out again.

We had a meeting with the architect this week to talk more about the 'Bothy Eco-Camp' project.  It is all very exciting, as it feels like a very appropriate project for us, in terms of providing accommodation that will not cost the earth - financially or environmentally, and it will be sustainable in terms of energy use (wind and wood) and affordable (accommodation).   My only problem is that I hate the word 'glamping'!  It is going to be low impact but it is going to be alot more comfortable than camping. What to call it instead? Answers on a postcard please!   

Studio doesn't look very different from how it looked last week, but we are nearer being ready to clean up and furnish, which is exciting!  Duill bathroom is close to the finish, just a few more days and it will be ready.  The new windows for Toechtamhor are being delivered next week.

In the Cattle shed the logs are keeping dry. We still haven't resolved the issue of where to source the kindling and the logs from - as the log supplier has said he is stopping too.  Farmer went to look at the NWMCWC wood to see if he could access it with his tractor and loader, so that we could collect our own and process it ourselves.  We have a mountain of the green net bags as the last supplier we used didn't want to re-use them, despite our having collected hundreds for him! 

The 'heather eye' is clearing up slowly.  3 of the tups have recovered now, but one is still suffering.  They are still in isolation and will be until we are really sure that they have recovered.

The grey aracona chick born last autumn has suddenly started to crow!  Oops - not another layer after all.  His attempts to crow are hilarious, very croaky and strangled.   The hens are beginning to lay now and with the lovely sound of birdsong in the trees, the signs of spring coming are heartening. 

We have been seeing the Golden Eagles alot, over the house and Prasad got some lovely photographs on his blog.http://treshnishbirdlog.blogspot.co.uk 

One of the couriers followed an otter up the track the other day when he was delivering a thermal blind for Studio.   

I finally finished the website upgrade this week. There is a new Wildlife page and a News/Special Offers page.  Do have a look and if you notice any of the pages 'jumping' as you load them, please do email us and let me know!

I cannot remember if I mentioned that I have joined Blipfoto.  I am enjoying the discipline of taking the camera out every day and posting one photograph a day from that day.   It is now light when I do the school run to Calgary in the morning so dog walks with Coco will resume next week.  

Have a good weekend all!

No calves yet

Something on the formatting on Blogger tonight is acting up so I might end up doing all the writing here if I cant fix it.  It is jumping all over the place.  So apologies for the mess on this posting.  You will have to guess which photograph goes with which words.

Farmer is getting used to the new daily routine now that the cattle shed is full.  The cows seem happy to be indoors.  The other night when we had raging winds it was good to think that they were indoors, and had there been a calving problem Farmer wouldnt have had to go and look in the dark for them.  Mind you, we did have a power cut so he would have been in the dark - but dry at least.  He has started going up to check on them before he turns in, as we expect the first calf any day now.  An appointment for the bull to be examined again has been made so hopefully we will know more then.  

Farmer still managed to find some time to do some baking despite spending alot of time this week with his animals.  This time he made a fruit cake.  It was delicious and didnt last long! 

Work has been continuing well with the cottages. Studio is beginning to look really good.  It was really nice to show it to two of our regular guests who were staying at Haunn last weekend - they have booked 7 out of 8 of the cottages later in the summer for their wedding party and wanted to remind themselves of what it was like inside!  They will use Studio for the wedding feast should it is too wet for the 'marquee'.  

A minor set back, for us, in that the new bedroom window is too small and too high, but the ever helpful builder has ordered a new one, and is going to take this one out and replace it all at the right height before Studio is let at the end of March.  It is only annoying as otherwise Studio would have been finished weeks before then. 

We have completed the first step of Shian's new kitchen - changing the cooker and fridge/freezer positions, putting up some new shelving and installing a new ceramic hob cooker. Relatively small changes but it looks great, and was all ready for guests who arrived yesterday afternoon for a week's holiday.  Next winter will see the bigger phase 2 - which is going to be lovely, sunny and warm. (thats a hint)!  

The Neils are busy working away in Duill bathroom.  The Mermaid panels are installed as is the new bath, and our first guests arrive on Thursday!  So only the shower, the loo and the basin to finish then.  Easy!  

John, our architect, is coming over to see us on Thursday next week, when we will be looking at plans for our eco-camping/glamping project, which will open in April 2014. This is a really exciting project for us, not just because it is on a fabulous site with great views - but it will be low-impact in every way.  It will be appropriate in scale so as not to impinge on the balance already here (both in human and wildlife terms!); it will enable us to re-use/upcycle materials we already have in stock; utilise local & natural building materials; create an interesting new wildlife habitat and finally have a turf roof!  Watch this space!

We have some tups with bad eyes. This is a highly infectious infection so Farmer has seperated them from the others and brought them in to the wee shelter in the Stack Yard so that he can treat them more easily.   Farmer has been ordering some additional 'cake' for the sheep as we are going to scan this year - in a week or so's time.  I will blog about it soon!  The price of animal feed has gone through the roof, and it is worrying to think what the prices will be for our lambs next year.  We are still looking around for a new bull and they are alot of money. 

 

 

There have been some great skies. I guess because of the storms. Windy and wild at times. Rough seas. Dark grey skies. The neighbours tups found good shelter down in the lowest bit of the field to the left of the track down to the bridge onto Treshnish.  And then these perfect still moments with pale puffy clouds catching the sunrise light glowing over Coll or the dying sunset light on the Treshnish Islands.

Wood chip arrived for the boiler.  Always good to know we have a full load in store when the weather is unpredictable!

Farmer, accompanied by Jan and Cap, checking the hoggs - their favourite pastime is to get stuck in brambles at this time of year.  Nice little green shots to entice them into the throttling briars. And it takes a fright at best to get them out or a sharp penknife to cut the briars away from their wool at worst.

 

 

 

I can't do anything to make this display any better, and dont really like publishing it like this.  Hopefully it will be better next time.