Through the Western Highlands

On our journey up through the Western Highlands from Fort William to Skye we passed (but not in this order):

Loch Cluanie

Ben Nevis from above Spean Bridge

Loch Laggan

Chaffinch on shore of Loch Garry

Ben Tee over Loch Garry

Loch and Glen Garry

Laggan Loch

For 35 years I have regularly driven past Laggan Lochs and never been the 100 yards off the main road to see what they were like. If I saw them on our Scottish holidays when I was in my teens then I don't recall that although I do recall driving along that road desperately to get to Fort Augustus before the Banks closed on a Friday afternoon (or Saturday morning) so that we would have money for the weekend. The good old days before cash machines!

Gorse

In New Zealand gorse is regarded as probably the most noxious weed to have been introduced. It was apparently used as a natural fence and as sheep feed. During the last century huge programmes of eradication by spraying agent orange did get rid of a lot but also led to huge claims of damage to human health. However it is rarely economical to control gorse on grazing land by using conventional means and much marginal pasture land is reverting to gorse cover.

Control of gorse using biological control agents began in 1989 with six agents having been released so far. This technique is unlikely to provide the type of control achieved with herbicides. Rather, the aim is to reduce the growth rate, seed production and density of gorse.

Driving through Scotland on the way home from CJ's made me realise how much gorse there is in Scotland because it was in full bloom last week.

Doesn't the Sun Always Shine?

Since I arrived back on the Island the sun has shone constantly. Well, I say 'constantly' but what I mean is that it shines on us when it's not gone to bed to shine on someone else. It dips below the ridge on the other side of the valley that my study looks out at from the north window. It rises again and creeps round to shine through the east window.

There has been a cool breeze from the north over the last couple of days but before that the temperature was up to the early 20s. It's still good enough for me and for Ian, a neighbour, to be wearing shorts.

The result is that I've been torn between trying to get the house straightened up, catching up with the last 6 month's paperwork which Pat had so kindly catalogued in a lever arch folder for me, catching up with emails and blogs, doing the garden and going out with CJ. So far the mix has involved the garden and being out in the sun. After all this may be our summer. And the paperwork will wait.