Achies

Plant Tetris

We are rapidly heading to one of my favourite times of year. With about a month to go until our last frost date the poly tunnels are filling up with baby plants that still need some protection from the colder days and still cold nights. So the plant Tetris begins. I remember the game fromContinue reading “Plant Tetris”

So nearly finish the first side of the roof.

The work on the roof continues but the weather finally broke today. In fact I think I might have caught the sun. You have to love the weather fluctuations in Caithness, four seasons in one day. The photos below show our progress so far… Thankfully this is the longest side of the L shaped buildingContinue reading “So nearly finish the first side of the roof.”

Battling the elements

There is no two ways about it, we have definitely been battling the weather with this years big project. Days 2 and 3 were a complete write off. We are happy to wrap up warm and get on with the work but 70 mph winds and snow blowing horizontally is not what you need upContinue reading “Battling the elements”

This years BIG project.

Today was the start of this years big project. To be fair I have been securing the materials to complete it for the last couple of weeks. The mill building on our Croft is easily over 100 years old and the Caithness stale roof tiles have started to split. This creates a definite hazard shouldContinue reading “This years BIG project.”

It’s the start of spring…

Despite there still being a distinct nip in the wind the signs of spring are now starting to show. It is lovely to see the first true daffodils braving the grey and windy day to bring a ray of sunshine with their glorious yellows and oranges. But it isn’t just the plants that are showingContinue reading “It’s the start of spring…”

A bit of sunshine… finally

We finally got a break in the weather this afternoon, just long enough for us to get suited up and check on the hives. All of the hives were lovely and calm. We had a few bee come out to say hello but they mostly stayed put. We put on the queen excluders and addedContinue reading “A bit of sunshine… finally”

Veg bed update

As we are still battling with the wind and rain there has been no chance of us topping the large conifers behind the big poly tunnel. It is also preventing us checking on the bees. Let’s hope the wind will finally drop tomorrow. The weather has meant that we can crack on with building theContinue reading “Veg bed update”

Preparation for the end of lockdown… for the chickens.

For those of you reading this outside the UK (and many people who are not poultry keepers in the UK) you may not know that it isn’t just us humans in lockdown. There is a highly pathogenic version of Avian flu in the wild migratory birds. While this is (currently) no danger to humans, itContinue reading “Preparation for the end of lockdown… for the chickens.”

Am I mad?

There are days I ask myself if I am more than a little bit mad. Today was one of those days. The weather here has been horrible, torrential rain and blowing a gale. Dispute that veg beds are not going to build themselves, so dressed up in my padded boilersuit I braved the elements. TheContinue reading “Am I mad?”

March in bloom

After a day working online where I was severely tempted to throw my computer out of the window I decide to cheer myself up by photographing what we have in bloom on the Croft. For so early in the year I had a real treat. How can you fail but to feel more relaxed whenContinue reading “March in bloom”