The calves have massacred our fledgling apple trees and this week deployed their enormous pink tongues to a more festive prey: our raggedy pine-trees that had dared to spread over the dyke to within reach of these baby assassins. I’m all for foraging and making the best use of this rough piece of west coastContinue reading “Festive Fodder”
Author Archives: softercrofter
Sheep Thrills
Our sheep dine on premium Argyll grass, accompanied by a sprinkling of turnip-tops with a mineral-lick on the side and their own highland spring to wash it down; all enjoyed alfresco with open views to the Paps of Jura. It’s not a bad life. But, I have to confess, we haven’t really bonded. Our woollyContinue reading “Sheep Thrills”
That Sinking Feeling
The furry-friend headcount remains intact. Everyone’s still gracing this soggy land of the living. So, our hunt for nourishment has taken us further afield; in fact, across the field and onto the nippy waters of the Sound of Jura. This funny little croft is blessed with a rugged shoreline that throws open a whole newContinue reading “That Sinking Feeling”
Vegging our Bets
It started with a wee bit of kale and a few courgettes, stilted strawberries and masses of spinach. A bumper crop of tatties was shared generously with our local slugs, as were the ubiquitous phallic carrots and parsnips. We had enough for our locked-down family and surplus chucked in the garage in case of anyContinue reading “Vegging our Bets”
Sassy Lassies
Years ago we brought home a scrawny giant of a dog, skittishly submissive and painfully biddable. He would cringe in horror as his adoptive sister bed-hopped every night, leaving a dirty-duvet trail of hair and sand so you knew she had graced you with her presence before she moved on to find a comfier bedfellow.Continue reading “Sassy Lassies”
The Softer Crofter 