A Fine Day

Today was another quiet and fine day here at Whitelees. Another dry day like this and It'll be dry enough to cut the grass. The guys left on Saturday to watch the football game and were planning to stay over in the Northeast because the two of them are starting their dry suit course on Sunday. So, I've had big hamburgers on Saturday and a lovely salami sandwich for lunch today. By the time they get home, the offending smells will be gone and the packaging will have been burned in the stove. (we have a coal burning stove to heat the house)

Early in the day it was, as normal, dog walking time. We had all the time in the world so it was up to the wilderness bit. No half toads or mating amphibians this time. I only saw one single toad.

After climbing the fence we walked up winding and rutted lane. When rounding the corner of tall trees to where the pond is, we disturbed a big grey heron. I don't know if it was because we were so near or what, but this thing was huge. It seemed to be the size of a pterodactyl! I tend to see more wildlife when I walk the dog by myself. Other people, though good company, make way too much noise. I fancy that I could have been a marvelous woodsman/woman/person. I was following deer tracks and observing wildlife like anything. I had even brought my binoculars (or as we say here at Whitelees - "binoclears") with me. I saw that woodpecker again too.

I had a good look in the pond. I wonder if turtles ever show up in this pond. It looks like a good turtle pond. I just don't think there are many turtles in Scotland. Shame. The frog spawn up at the north end of the pond is a bit further on than the Whitelees frog spawn. The stuff up there is half hatched out already. This is the stage that the Whitelees stuff is at . . .

It looks like it has started to hatch, but it's a few days off that.

On the way home, I thought I'd take Polly through the woods across the road from us. I haven't been through there since before Barney died. Some young trees have been knocked over by the weather in the year since I've been there. Other than that and the fact that the wild raspberry places are greatly enlarged, not much has changed.

I must remember to keep an eye on the raspberries this year. I didn't pick any last year. I hope that they don't peak when we're away. It might happen.

The best thing about today's walk was the fact that after we emurged from the woods onto the road about a hundred yards from the house, a stoat (like a weasel or mink only bigger) ran across the road in front of us. Polly was looking at something and missed the whole thing.

I'm not too worried about stoats just now because I don't have any baby chicks. I had one stoat take 14 chicks from under a hen one year! The hen was too big for it to tackle so it went for the easy money and got the chicks instead.