Snow squalls from the north In the early days of March, I looked out and wondered whether we have been transported northwards and deposited on the coast of ultima Thule or on the mythical island of Hyperborea, beyond the home of the north wind. The sunshine and blue skies were deceptive, with a strong northerly
On wet, windy and gloomy afternoons, the best place to be is in the kitchen. It is the warmest part of the house and there is something very comforting about the mingling aromas of dried fruit and spices. I no longer make Christmas puddings or cakes, but I still delight in making jars of candied
March arrived as docile as a lamb and then began to roar, continued to roar and will leave still roaring. Spring took one look at the weather map and immediately fled southwards, leaving us cold, wet and miserable. Any daffodil foolhardy enough to raise its head was immediately decapitated, the primroses huddled in corners and
“Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam” – Dr. Brewster Higley (1874) This is not exactly the Hebridean equivalent of the Great Plains, but it is an example of unimproved grassland and although it looks like a completely natural habitat, it is the product of careful grazing management. If left unattended it would
We have just survived one of the worst weeks of weather I can remember for a long time. Storm force winds had been forecast for Saturday 13 February and by the late afternoon it was gusting about 70 mph, so we were not too surprised when there was a electrical power surge which blew several