I’ve been watching the Great British Bake off since its inception 10 years ago and have always loved it. I was terribly sorry to see it move over to Channel 4 – I detest advertisements and in fact would definitely never buy from any company that force them in my face. One thing I do […]

We went into Glasgow yesterday. Tora has not been down to the village much of late, but yesterday he decided (very inconveniently) to go out at 5am. When we came back at 9:30pm he was still out and his food hadn’t been touched, so very unwillingly as we were very tired we went down to […]

We’ve had a few interesting visitors recently. Firstly, four large wood pigeons have turned up early in the morning and have learned how to get the seeds out of the feeder which is just supposed to be for the little birds. I don’t have the heart to move it to where they can’t get it, […]

This was Tora’s tally for last night. Both the mice were half eaten. The slug was the sole escapee. When I woke up at four am I saw it in the office door. It looked dead to me and with my still somewhat sore foot I didn’t want to struggle to the front door to […]

I have worked my fingers to the bone over our plum tree this year. So far I have made 35 jars of jam 2 pies 3 crumbles Happily our local Church have taken most of the jam, our courier driver has taken a crumble and one jar of jam, and my parents have taken four […]

I went out to feed the badgers late in the evening two days ago. It had been raining (as ever) and because the siskins make such a mess of the feeding area, the stones were really slippy. To cut a long story short I went arse over tit and have sprained my ankle. R is […]

Not in the six years I have lived here have I seen fruit like this. I’ve made 20 jars of plum jam already, and this is nothing on what is left on the plum tree or the millions of apples there are which will be ripe in a week or so. I’ve no idea what […]

We had a picnic yesterday which involved salmon sandwiches. Tora our one surviving cat was present and as an obligate carnivore devoured the contents of several salmon sandwiches, leaving the bread. I put this out on the feeding stone and shortly afterwards it was consumed by jays and seagulls. These jays are losing popularity with […]

Well I managed the loch swim. It was not the easiest thing I have ever done, but not the most difficult either (that would have been climbing Teide). There were six of us doing it and every one apart from me seemed to be wearing a wet suit and/or have a floatation device. Not sure […]

The plum tree is loaded this year. Unfortunately just as they get ripe they are being attacked by something – I think the same jays as ate all the cherries. I am picking them as I can and will make them into jam but it is a shame as my father likes to eat them. […]