The start of the heather season heralds a gentle slide into autumnal colours and the hills change colour. Roadsides are colourful with Fireweed (rosebay willow herb) and on the woodland edge rowan berries begin to ripen, their huge red clumps of berries so full the branches dip and bow with their weight. I love summer, I think June is my favourite month of all the year, but once I have let it go, I do enjoy the end of the summer and the richness of the beginning of autumn. Some evenings are cool enough to light the fire. Some evenings are warm enough to sit outside watching the sunset. (Some nights are clear enough to watch meteors and look out for the northern lights too!).
On the farm, Farmer is helping make silage. Now that we don’t have our own cows any more, we don’t need silage for winter feed, so another farmer on the island brings his machinery across here to make the silage and he will take it over during the winter to feed his cows. That is another sign of autumn coming! This coming week is also time for gathering in the sheep from the hill as our lambs are booked in for the sales in Oban on the 30th. It takes a lot of time to sort them all out, which females to keep for next year and which ones to sell, and taking out the older ewes. Daughter’s pet lamb Alice will not be sold – we plan for her to live with Brownie (the neutered male pet lamb, a year her joiner) in the field between the veg garden and the Studio! There is a nice shelter in there for them and they will enjoy meeting our guests!
