The loch shows an infinite variety of faces as the light hits it on different days.
Lucky used to be a stray girl but has now found her new identity as a Donich Lodge boy (the vet discovered he was male when we took “her” to be spayed). He would ask you to respect his new pronouns.
The high mountain pass over the Rest and be Thankful is the main route out of the village. Here it is in winter.
Spring sky over the mountain tops.
Sunset from our front door step.
A misty moon over the mountains as darkness falls.
View over towards the loch from near the summit of Cnoc Coinnich.
A rainbow appears in a clear interval between showers.
Lochgoilhead in the distance on a clear spring morning.
As the year turns, the mountains are white on most days.
Looking across the loch from the village, clouds form a band across the hills.
Tora and Schrodi our snow Bengal brothers used to live here. RIP both of you
A dragonfly pauses for a rest by the side of our pond.
The weather here can be appalling. Here gales and torrential rain have blocked one of the village’s few roads.
The colours on the mountains fade to muted browns as autumn approaches.
The Donich Water in one of its kinder moods as it runs through our garden.
One of a myriad insects pollinating our heather.
A group of wild haggis have made a den down by the river.
Our new Highland Tiger Saphy prowling her territory. She is a demon for the wildlife with her specialized prey item being shrews. She is not adverse to mice, voles or birds however.
This is Amber aka as Bramble. She is big, black, rather podgy and a bit of a scaredy cat. We had her cloned shortly after she arrived.
Although we don’t get much snow at loch level, the higher mountains are covered for five months or so of the year
SERRANO - MINIMAL, CLEAN, FRESH
Expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms Purchase
Dec 10th, 2021
Read MoreFalcon again
Haven’t seen one of these in a few years, but this morning there was a sparrowhawk on the bird feeder. I am pretty sure it must have got its prey because there were feathers strewn at the base of the bird table. It was gone in a few minutes and shortly after that the small […]
Dec 2nd, 2021
Read MoreStart of winter
Winter apparently begins on 1st Dec. I disagree, because I don’t think the seasons fit into the four times three months mould in Scotland. Winter here is normally well underway by mid November. Today proved itself with some snow – only a few inches at loch level, but looks to be much more on the […]
Nov 28th, 2021
Read MoreChristmas Cakes
I made two Christmas cakes this year as usual. One a conventional cake made with eggs and butter, and one for V made with “vegan egg” and margarine. The “vegan egg” costs the equivalent of about £1 per egg, and as far as I can see, is basically baking powder plus a few other nasty […]
Nov 20th, 2021
Read MoreGetting used to it…
There are no cats in the house now. This is a first for Donich Lodge, but also a first for R and I in nearly 20 years. The place feels very empty, and strangely the loss of Tora has brought back vivid memories of Schrodi. We went for a walk to take our mind off […]
Nov 15th, 2021
Read MoreEnd of an Era – Tora died
Poor old Tora needed to be put to sleep. He was 19, rake thin, sleeping all the time and had got to the point where he couldn’t even jump on the bed. May he and Schrodi wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge. I will never forget them. Stand here at my grave and weep […]
Nov 4th, 2021
Read MoreMy birthday
My birthday today but I don’t have much heart for it. I think Tora is on his last legs now.
Oct 29th, 2021
Read MorePosh swiss roll
I had a go at a technique I saw on GBBO to make a smart swiss roll for my Mum. Basically you colour a little of the sponge mix and pipe it in a pattern on to a piece of baking parchment. Then you carefully smooth the rest of the uncoloured mixture over the top […]
Oct 22nd, 2021
Read MoreA strange feather
This was lying on the path outside the door today. It looks like a seagull’s feather but we hardly ever see them up here – although for three consecutive years we did have a solitary one-legged seagull we called Beaky. I suppose it could be an owl feather – we have loads of tawny owls […]