As though from nowhere, a giant clematis has appeared growing through the bush next to the bird feeder. It has one huge flower the size of a soup plate so far – but loads of buds… I’m pleased to see it because there are some fantastic clematis in the village but ours haven’t done much […]
Well it was four rodents really… c. 1:30am Heard muffled meow from hall. Knew this sign of old so dashed into hall. Small shrew is on floor apparently dead with Schrodi standing over it proudly. Touched it lightly and it shot off under the bureau obviously not even injured. Went back to bed. This was […]
I don’t know what it is with drinks manufacturers, but it doesn’t seem to be possible to buy a nice soft drink without it being packed with sugar. You can buy soft drinks of the ‘squash’ variety (much beloved of R) made with artificial sweeteners, you can buy ‘diet’ fizzy drinks like coke and lemonade […]
Interesting that this time last year I had been eating home grown strawberries for a week or so. Of course they were grown in the (now in the process of being recycled) polytunnel, and the spring was also warmer last year. Having said all that, they are coming on well outside, and look as though […]
After a pretty grim week last week, with some of the coldest days in June that I remember, the situation is much improved this week. At this time of year our walks are a bit restricted because the midgies are very bad on the high trail through the woods and up to the waterfalls, so […]
Looking out from my new office window (faces towards the front of the house, Lochgoilhead and Beinn Beulah whereas my old office faced to the rear and Beinn Donich), I saw a beautiful roe deer and her fawn. They munched some long grass (I desperately need to do some strimming but the midgies are awful […]
This is the video I took of the Harley Owners’ Group rally going past the end of our road. I remember looking out for it last year (we never saw it because we there at the long time) and being eaten alive by midgies. There were virtually none this year…
As I have said a couple of times before, R and I have been having our rather dismal (aren’t all garages dismal) double garage converted into offices. He has the rear one (with a new en-suite), and I have the front with French windows. It’s been a huge amount of disruption over the last couple […]
My friend J was over here on Saturday night. Just when he was leaving he produced a fantastic surprise. J comes from Norfolk, and his late father was a fieldsman. Norfolk is actually the number one place in the UK for archaeological discoveries per square mile, and J has inherited a lot of things his […]
This morning we saw our first gannet of the year on Loch Goil. They seem to be occasional summer visitors here (not like Shetland where you see them by the thousand). I’ve always thought they were very beautiful birds with their yellow throats and graceful black tipped wings. Another set of summer visitors is the […]
