Here we are waiting for Saturday’s guests and Spring is here. Where has the week gone, Saturday the 29th not 22nd. It seems like yesterday it was grey, cold and very wet. Now it is blue skies and calm weather, what a contrast and what a week we have just had. We left it last blog waiting for Saturday’s guests and that was the 22nd. Here’s why there has been no blog for over a week!!

Mark and Family Arrive

Mark, Nicola, Lesley and Clive plus the family (4 spaniels ) arrived a week ago. They won our annual cottage competition and were having their ‘free’ week. Even with 4 spaniels they managed to be the winners!!!!

Under Control

About two hours after this photo one of the spaniels disappeared! Mark and Clive were in the forest, they turned around and ‘Alfie’ was off.

As Good a Place for a Puncture.

Mark came over with the bike ( I’d left it over at the cottages) but the trailer  tyre came off the rim half way over. His news was that one of the dogs was AWOL. Lesley was very happy with the cottage but concerned that her dog ‘Alf’ had gone.

The Finished Article

We were pretty relaxed thinking the dog would return so Mark took the bike back and once I’d finished feeding the sheep (and Julie) I took him back to DH and had a look for Alfie. No luck.

Julie Spooked

Next day, Sunday the weather at last had settled and outdoor activities resumed.

Piggy Back

I dug a ditch out the back of the sheds to release the water and discovered loads of toads enjoying the mud. I had loads of wee jobs, it was good to get them done.

Birch Syrup

I had bought some birch sap taps and wanted to start them off so I grabbed a minute and set one off. 15 to go. I spotted the visitors at the top of the high hill, Acarseid Mhor. Guessing they were looking for the dog I decided to head up their to see what was what. No sign of Alf but what a view to-day.There was not a lot I could do apart from phoning the Base up at the lighthouse asking them to keep a look out and heading South to have a look there myself, but the only thing I found was an old antler from our big stag. So back to the shed to finish the fishing boxes.

The Latest Batch

The timber from Cromartie Sawmill was all cut to size so it was just an assembly job.

I had a deer count planned for the coming week so it was a bit of a worry that the dog was missing but there was not a lot I could do about it.

More tomorrow.