The first celandine!

I think probably the photographs will say it all today, so I wont write much apart from captions. Having started blipfoto I am taking my camera with me everywhere I go now - I had to go to Salen to get Coco clipped earlier in the week and too advantage of the weather to drive home by Ulva Ferry.  

Loch na Keal.

Leaning power lines near Ensay. I am surprised we don't have more power cuts looking at these. I have been wanting to photograph them for years.

Good day for a bonfire.

Looking north from Reudle to Treshnish woodland and Coll in the distance.

Not a good machinery week. The blue trailer had a flat. The timing belt went on the blue van (cleaning wagon/bin lorry/furniture removals vehicle/building materials van/livestock trailer puller) this week.  Oops.  We are hoping that the engine is not a right off as that would be a disaster.

Great walk through the wood.  Fungi.  And mug. It was half filled with nut shells.

Some very good skies.

Natural regeneration doing well (the young birches on the left of the picture).

Sunday morning - feeding the hoggs.

Stamping down molehills.  Farmer has been doing a bit of field work listening to the radio (in the tractor which has a radio that works).

And even a Sunday picnic.

The bathing pool.  Looks lovely and clear.

Towards Calgary.

The first celandine protected by the bracken.  We have heard skylarks too!

Snowdrops still flowering and the daffodils beginning to come.

Half term and some pocket money earned by Daughter, helping with the hoggs through the fank.

The mouth of the Ensay Burn.

We have been having the most amazing weather. It has been cold, but it is winter so that is expected.  And it has been gloriously sunny at times, and dry the rest of the time.  So absolutely no complaints about the weather.  No more calves since last weekend. Farmer has been letting the cows and calves out as the weather is so good.  They come back in at night.  He is cleaning out the feed areas of the shed today. 

The hens are enjoying the sun and laying lots of eggs.

Walks to Calgary a few times. Blissful..

Waiting for Farmer to finish his cup of tea.

It has been an uplifting week.  4 of the cottages had folk in them this week, and they all had a great time.  We have a few slots left in April and May, we can't promise the weather will be like it has been this last week, but we are offering a discount.  Have a look at the news page for details.

An exhilarating walk

What a wonderful and beautiful day today, we celebrated it with a lovely walk with Farmer, Daughter and Dogs - along the shore below the house.

The hoggs in the photograph above had somehow got through the fence to the other field.  They were relieved to join their mates.  

Every morning so far since calving started, Farmer has come back for breakfast announcing the safe arrival of another calf. We now have 9 calves, with 5 cows still to calve. Fingers crossed this continues.  Last year the last cow to calve was about a month behind the rest...

Calves, posts and wet land

Calving got underway a week ago, and we have had 7 calves already - half way through our small herd.  One set of twins.  And our oldest cow, no 63, has had her 16th calf!  She is a fine mother. Black cows in doors are hard to photograph, but here she is with her calf already up and feeding. The second photograph down are the twins - one bull calf, one heifer calf.

This ewe has blindness at the moment and is under-going treatment.  She is isolated from the rest of her peers.  She managed to find a good shelter from the weather despite the eyesight.

This little birch is quite dwarfed by the Hooded Crow. On the same walk, I saw a Peewit, which was lovely. We don't see them often.

Off down to Haunn this morning with Neil to put new mattresses in West Cottage. He is busy tiling behind the new cooker in Middle and it looks as if a coat of paint is needed too.  Duill bathroom is finally finished and gets the thumbs up from M who is staying there this week and next.  

We had the wettest of days on Wednesday, and the burn by the house was higher than I have seen it for a very long time.  Within an hour of the rain stopping the levels had dropped thankfully, as it was nearly over its banks.  If we still had the original under floor level boiler room in the house, it would have flooded for definite!

My walk back from Haunn this morning was just magical.  Everyone is talking about spring being just around the corner. I hate to say it too.  It is very cheering to have the longer daylight hours, and it being a little warmer. The burns were burbling noisily in the Haunn field, and along the track.  

The wood sage stalks are so attractive against the skyeline, and distant cloud hills of Rum - snow all gone.

Our Barn Owl Trust designed box has got a bit of lean from the westerlies. I hope those barn owls come back this year.