On Saturday R and I went to Kilmarten and had a look at some of the ancient monuments associated with the Kingdom of Dalriada. This has a particular resonance for me as one of my favourite books is Rosemary Sutcliffe’s “Mark of the Horse Lord”, which is set in Argyll during the late Roman period […]

The apple trees in the back garden are now laden with apples – definitely the best year for them since we have been here – and somewhat makes up for the total absence of any plums. Unfortunately, the family of jays which I strongly suspect of having stripped the cherry tree of fruit back in […]

This is the birthday cake I made for my friend J. It is based on an old Internet meme involving badgers, mushrooms and a snake. Too many drugs – or perhaps you just needed to be there at the time. The badgers were made by me from fondant icing and are each carrying a flag […]

R and I were walking down the Donich waterfall path the other morning, when we saw what looked like a lost hat that had been placed on a post (presumably for the owner to see it there if they came back looking for it). However, when we got a bit closer, we noticed that it […]

It has been terribly, terribly wet here – definitely the worst July we have had since we lived here (and seems like the worst I can remember ever). The weather does from time to time generate some nice views, like this one out to Stob an Eas the other night. There is something almost primeval […]

I made a rather nice lunch on Saturday. I’ve become a bit of a fan of different breads – so this was my take on a stuffed plait. Make a basic white bread dough with 700g flour and prove until doubled in size (you could make a yeast sponge to get it started off if […]

I finished up early today and went for a walk as it was the nicest day we have had all summer. I went all the way to Coran Lochan at the end of the penninsula, and then back along the side of Loch Long, over the 500m pass at Coilessan back to the waterfalls and […]

Today R and I saved our second sheep of the year (back in Feb we pulled one out of a frozen ditch after it got its leg stuck). Early this morning, we set off to do a climb, but when we got to the Rest we realized that the weather was not going to be […]

My Mum and Dad retired to the tiny hamlet of Mossdale about 10 miles from Castle Douglas. With the passing years the garden has got too much for them, and they don’t see as much of my brother N and I as they would want as it is a long and awkward journey from LGH […]

My father’s side of the family are from Cumberland, specifically the area around Walton near Carlisle. While clearing stuff out for their move, my father found the plaque above, which he had salvaged from an old clock many years previously. It reads “Presented to J Farrer by the members of the Walton Branch of the […]