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.

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!