Friday 7 September:Mist rolls in frosts the glass with tiny crystal droplets. “Hello this is Hebrides.net our offices are closed. To reach our automated system press 1 for sales; 2 for technical support: Press 1 for network status – there are no problems on the interconnected communities network Press 2 to test your connection –
I should know better by now but the arrival of autumn always takes me by surprise. The gold of the buttercups is fading and the bleached heads of the grasses are a pale cream highlighted by the richer hues of the red clover. Russet brown seed heads of the wild angelica stand tall like skeletal
In any rural community the major event of the summer has to be the agricultural or local garden show, although here this maybe disputed by the islands’ highland gatherings (games). Whether it is a grand county event or the local village fete being asked to be a judge can either be viewed as a privilege
In these distant isles ladybirds are rare gems. Every year I search the garden and polytunnel for these beneficial beetles, whose larvae gobble aphids at a prodigious rate, and I’m lucky if I find one or two.Whether it is for reasons of geography, climate or an unpredictable food supply we only find the 11-spot ladybird
