Skies and seas, eggs and sheep

The Easter holidays bring a welcome release from rigid time-keeping, especially with friends staying with us, and the cottages full of families on holiday. Last week, we had a full pre-Easter week - the true start to the season - and it was lovely to have some of our seasonal regulars around the place, as well as some new faces who have fallen in love with the place too. One 'new' couple to Treshnish came from Edinburgh on public transport and 'survived' (loved.... thrived....?) in this isolated place without a car. Sometimes I am asked whether it is possible to be here without a car, and it is always difficult to know how to answer - because it so depends on what people want from their holiday and how they view remoteness. It was great to see that these two had made the right choice as they had a fantastic time apparently - AND saw sea eagles, golden eagles, short eared owls..

Feedback from guests is important to us - good or bad. We never assume we will always get it right. It was wonderful to open up the Twitter feed at the weekend, and find these great tweets! Hearing how much our guests enjoy the place is a sincerely good feeling for us. So thank you all - you know who you are - it made my Easter!

I'd tell you to check out @treshnish but I'd rather have a chance of getting a booking every year for the rest of my life. #bestkeptsecrets

@Treshnish 140 characters could never do justice to the farm and Haunn in particular. Most perfect place I've ever spent time on all fronts!

@treshnish Thank you so much for a fab week; so many kind, wonderful folks. I can't put into words how good the place felt. So sad to leave.

Lovely to find this threesome. Wood anemone, Celandine and Violet. Lots more violets now and celandine littering the fields below the house, they seem to enjoy the same ground as the bluebells come to later on, sheltered by the dead bracken - it is good for something then?

A bit of colour for an Easter weekend. We have windswept hyacinths in the garden and the daffodils all too quickly are going over, not helped by the cold wind or the damp weather.

An Easter egg hunt in the garden, for the 2 girls almost, but not quite, too old for such childish things. Or perhaps they kidded on to keep the aging parents happy. It has been a few years since Farmer was spotted wearing 'bunny ears'!! The kitchen filled with too much chocolate! Some egg decorating and rolling too. Above is 'Dad', and below some beach rubbish, down at the boathouse.

I saw my first kingcup about 3 - 4 weeks ago - there are lots more of them around now. And we saw our first sea-thrift today too, just coming into flower. I did take some photographs to prove it and will upload them with the next blog.

West Cottage guests had a great otter sighting near the cattle shed. They were walking along the track with Badger (one of Jan's puppies from last year), and an otter trotted across the road in front of them, went across the field above Shian and Duill, over the stone wall, and towards the lochan. We restored the lochan about 6 years ago, and has had increasing variety of wildlife on it, but this is the first time anyone has mentioned an otter being seen anywhere near it.

Sheep have been in this field quite recently so the primroses are just beginning to recover a bit. Particularly where sheltered by brambles or bracken, or out of reach.

The beginning of a flush of new grass coming now. The cattle are ranging on the hill, still being fed a bit of silage but they are finding some roughage on the hill now too. We are looking at the grazing regime plan to make sure we keep the right fields locked up for the right time. It will be interesting to see how the flowers are this year compared to last year.

We are not sure what this white marking in some of the rock pools is, but it was present down by the boathouse this afternoon. It almost looks like salt marks but it was below the tide mark. In 2008, when we had a very hot May, we collected sea salt from the pools further up the tideline.

The pre-lambing gathers were completed earlier in the week. Farmer went to see John in Dervaig to see if he would be able to give us a hand with the gathering as it is easier with 3 people. John knows his way around our hill, and it was really nice to have him back giving us a hand. The gather went fine, it was cold and the ewes were slow, but then they are heavily in lamb - and it is a good few miles for those furthest away. The last time Farmer handled these ewes was after tupping, before they went back to the hill at the beginning of January. Putting them through the fank now was a good chance to sift out any who looked as if they needed a bit of extra nutrition. Condition scoring is a useful method of assessing their condition throughout the year, so you can adapt treatments/feed et cetera if you need to. Farmer was worried to see that some of our ewes have not come out of the wet and relentless winter as well as they usually do. He kept those ones back for extra feeding. This is where the training they get as hoggs helps, as sheep do not naturally know to eat the delicious ewe nut or 'cake' that comes in a shiny sack - they dont naturally know about hay either. These ewes are 6 or 7 years old now and will not have needed supplementary feeding until now. So to begin with, they look puzzled as Farmer pours out the feed into the troughs, but slowly they start to eat it. The rest of the flock are back on the hill again having received their annual wormer (still following the system we used when organically certified) and the next time they come in through the fank will be with their lambs at foot.

Skies were changeable today as they have been all week. Blue skies in the morning, and then threatening rains and hail, and then sun again. By the time we got back to the house, we had been soaked by yet another downpour though.

Farmer gets to drive something other than a tractor

The hoggs have been eating down the Black Park and Haunn fields. The primroses are flowering beautifully in sheltered spots away from the sheep. They will go back to the hill soon, so we can start keeping stock out of the in bye fields according to our conservation management plan.

These 2 are the pet lambs from 2009 - Alice and Agatha. They have today had their routine pre-lambing treatments. They, the other cheviots and the brown ones are all now in the New Field to the north east of the Point. It hasn't had stock in there for a few months so they are going onto relatively clean grazing.

Farmer has been busy this week. The tractor has been busy too. But Farmer also took up the chance of a lifetime to drive something a little bit different this week - but more of that later.

I apologise for yet more photographs for the magnolia but one blissfully still and sunny morning we walked the dogs down to the Ensay Burn in order to catch the blossom in different light. It was quite magical enjoying the woodland with that dappled light, clear air, hazel branches in places dripping with grey green lichens, and the scent of wild garlic drifting up from the gully in the rising warm air.

The dogs were frantically running through the field on our way down to the burn, following the scent of something - all 3 of them coursing the field noses to the ground. Could have been mink. Or an otter. In the middle of that dog doing what comes natural to them moment a hare appeared and crossed the field. For one awful and prolonged moment I thought the worst - that all 3 dogs would sniff him at the same time - and go for it and I would be unable to control them. Thankfully after stopping to look at us for a moment, the hare took off across the field again unnoticed by the dogs. His hind legs were still white. Farmer, a day later, watched 2 Mad March Hares boxing and jumping about, near the farm buildings. It was a great privilege to see them.

Farmer had quite a big list of things to do this week. Fields to harrow, fields upon which to spread the well rotted FYM. Trailer of FYM to deliver to Dervaig. Harrowing brings the dead grasses and mosses to the surface so is good for the grass growth when spring comes. We have had a false spring for most of the last 10 days or so. It has been mild, and dry and wonderful - and hot at times too.

After the wet windy winter I have enjoyed every moment of this weather, but then that nagging concern about unnatural weather surfaces - signs of spring appearing too early and where will it end? Farmer and Daughter went off one evening to look for tadpoles and frog spawn to rescue. When out feeding Farmer had noticed that there was frog spawn in some of the puddles formed in tractor wheel ruts, and with the warm weather, the puddles were drying up. So they collected and moved as many as they could find, and re-homed them in the lochan above the house.

On Friday Farmer was up before dawn, feeding the animals as the light lifted. He was away down to Bunessan to pick up a minibus.

You may just notice a flower on the seat cover behind Farmer? Farmer volunteered to drive down and collect the Balamory Bus (which was awarded to the Ross of Mull for their community transport and can be hired out on the island) in order to drive guests from the Oban ferry up to the Ulva Ferry area for a meeting USCA were holding with stakeholders, chaired by Jim Mather. Guests included our MSP and Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning Michael Russell, MSP Mike MacKenzie, MP Alan Reid, and lots of other agencies and third sector organisations who all made the journey across to meet us. Torloisk House hosted a delicious lunch made by local caterers and bakers. It was a very successful day in all - and we were delighted by the input and support from those who came to meet with us. I found it very moving that so many people had turned out to talk and to see if they could help us, and the behind the scenes effort was huge. What a day! Farmer got to drive his party back to Craignure afterwards, and Daughter was thrilled (ish - she is about 8 years too old for Balamory these days) to go too.

The last photo is of Farmer joined by Michael Russell MSP and Councillor Devon who have both been a huge support to Ulva School and USCA.

This week is back to normal, and the week for gathering and working and I will be posting something again soon. Sun is shining, the sea is surreally blue and there is a raven floating on the wind outside the window.

Bracken fronds, fallen trees and magnolia blossom

This is one of the tall trees we lost in the winter storms. Older and vulnerable hazels have fallen too, but this one is quite dramatically down a gully, the potential firewood will have to be left for the insects, as there is no way we could safely retrieve it for our own use.

Daffodils are out. These are the leftovers from a 1970's farm diversification scheme, called the Hebridean Bulb Venture.

This field has been well nibbled down by the Cheviots. Stock are out of the graveyard field now. Hazy light.

It has been a mainly dry and warm week. The fields have dried up sufficiently for Farmer to do some field work on his tractor, and he is contemplating putting the cows out on the hill again tomorrow.

Time had to be taken to walk through the woodland area above the Ensay Burn. The exotic Magnolia is flowering so strongly. Not quite so wonderful to see are the first bracken shoots - bear in mind please it is only March.

Something very unexpected about staring up at the sky and seeing this in a hazel woodland on the north west coast of Mull.

Our damp climate helps support abundant lichen and fungus. We manage the woodland to protect the hazel glove fungus in particular. This means trying to keep the deer out, but they manage to sneak in when we are not looking. Their tracks follow along the deer fence, down the bank to the Ensay Burn, and across the shallower bits, you can see their tracks continuing across our neighbour's field. And back up to the hill. Some browsing is encouraged as hazel glove fungus needs air and light as well as shelter - a balance.

The forecast is to stay good for the next 7 days..lets hope so. The spring season has started - cottages busy and lots of walkers coming through to enjoy the Headland walk.

End the week on a high note

Clearing up seems to be one of Farmer's perpetual jobs. This week it was round our house. We now have 'lawn; where there was rubble. Here is Jan enjoying the novelty of sitting on grass where there once was only rubble.

Signs of spring, in montbretia shoots catching the late afternoon sun. The hens love this part of the farmyard, they spend alot of time dusting themselves and use the fully grown montbretia for shade later in the summer. They have been pecking at the shoots too.

The new chip, whilst wonderfully uniform and absent of slithers (and therefore unscheduled stoppages/blockages), does not flow as readily has the old chip. I have probably said this already, but it means Farmer has to climb in and shovel. Not good for the back.

The sliding roof motor rusted through so now the roof has to be wound back manually. It is still better than having doors on the roof which have to be lifted rather than slid, as they would not be able to be opened when it is windy. You can see the water sitting in the sliding roof section - we need to stop walking on it as it has bowed! So Phil is going to come and build a walkway along the side. You learn from experience I guess!

The traditional white paint on the exterior of the house, and cottages, inevitably goes green after a while, and every 6 or 7 years the house and all the white cottages need painting. Farmer decided this year that as he has Jamie looking after the sheep (supposedly saving his post-op back) he would look after the painting himself. First thing is pressure washing the green - hence Farmer in full waterproofs on a sunny day. It looked so good once he had done it, we now think we can hold off the painting for another year.

All but one cow has calved now, but there is still lots of tending to do. All the calves have to be eartagged and the numbers recorded.

In late afternoon Farmer 'beds the cows up' (fresh straw) and 'forks in the silage' (moves the left over silage from earlier away from the centre of the feed passage so the cows can reach it). These phrases are etched in my winter psyche. I hear them every day, and the winter in that respect would not be the same with out them. However housing the cows in doors, as we have done ever since we built the sheds in 1999, is proving tough on Farmer's back and we are having to look at alternatives.

Another gorgeous calf!

It is touching watching cows interacting with each other. The dun cow was giving the black one a good ear lick.

The sun has been out all weekend, and we all feel the better for it. The last few nights people have been looking out for the Northern Lights. I was up late after Farmer and Daughter had gone to bed 2 nights ago - the sky was fantastically starry, with Jupiter and Venus so clear and bright. A band of cloud hugged the skyline obscuring Coll, so dark against the accumulated glow of the millions of stars. A green glow rose above this cloud, so strong and not the usual starlit sky colour and hue. A partial Northern Lights then? It has to be said I was not popular the next day, as I did not think to wake anyone else up to look at its beauty.

The old and the new. The sleigh has seen better days and is riddled with woodworm now, but acts as a good marker for Rob when he is reversing the tractor and trailer on wood chip delivery days.

Clothes drying in the sun, with Shieling in the background. The cottages are getting their pre season 'deep clean' in between bookings.

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A first celandine - for me anyway. Lovely to see. Curlews calling today. Lovely to hear.