A few days of insistent downpour, and one misconceived outing in trainers which resulted in trench foot, has meant that we are back to Welly Walks. It’s a little toasty in 2 pairs of socks, but it’s very much “access all areas” so Lyra and I have been out yomping round the fields and checkingContinue reading “WWI and WWII”
Tag Archives: countryside
Dropsy
We are still somewhat sweltering in the late summer heat. Evenings of light rain have lessened the stress on the plants a little, but it hasn’t really penetrated and a few centimetres down it is still dry and earthenstone hard. After a burst of enthusiasm getting four of the new peonies in, taking some “insurance”Continue reading “Dropsy”
The Dog Days are over
Since coming back from Glenelg we have been gently crisping. The Dog Days of Summer had definitely arrived and the heat has been intense, settling on the garden like a lambent halo by mid morning and intensifying relentlessly to a late afternoon inferno. With the help of mum and auntie Lois we managed (just) someContinue reading “The Dog Days are over”
Corran and the drove road
On Sunday, we decided to retrospectively justify the night before’s dinner at the Pub with a walk up the glen from Corran, with the objective of following the river as far as we could go leaving enough time get back in time for last cake orders at Sheena’s Tea Hut. The drive up to CorranContinue reading “Corran and the drove road”
Unspooling
We have been in Glenelg for four days now and the threads that bind me to things to do have unravelled into a tangled heap on the bedroom floor alongside the running kit and crumpled shorts I pull on most days. The carefully curated holiday wardrobe lies tidily in the drawers and seems likely toContinue reading “Unspooling”
The midsummer narrows
We hurtled to midsummer this year and nature has been running ahead of us all the way, reclaiming its territory. In the Hirsel woods the paths between the ferns have dwindled to the narrowest strip, brambles swarming across, ready to tug at unwary ankles. In places, the nettles have reached shoulder height. Mum and IContinue reading “The midsummer narrows”
What remains
Today Lachlan took Lyra and me to the Ford Moss nature reserve, just over the border in Northumberland. We saw an old friend on the approach. The Cheviot sits smack bang in the middle of the view from the front of our house and it was slightly strange seeing him from a different angle asContinue reading “What remains”
New month, new routine
Well perhaps…As the days lengthen to the craziness of midsummer I am waking earlier and earlier (our bedroom faces south and west and fills with light at about 4 am). Usually I lie and find something to fret about for an hour or so then drift back into a weird dream filled sleep, which leavesContinue reading “New month, new routine”
Pallette shift
The colours they are a changing’. Yellow and white have definitely lost their monopoly. In the garden blue camassia are going strong and pink hyacinth, aquilegia and the remains of the cherry blossom are muscling in with rosy tones. In the fields and hedgerows the thin yellow line of oilseed rape is just starting toContinue reading “Pallette shift”
A walk on the wild side
The doughty agents of Wildflower Patrol ambled along the river yesterday, checking on developments. The sun was shining and there was hardly a breath of air as we left the house so, after much discussion and humming and hawing, intrepid Agent Aunty Granny took the bold step of leaving her polar fleece behind. It seemsContinue reading “A walk on the wild side”