Purple Fingers Again!

I popped home briefly the other day and spent some quality time with my parents.

We did what the Holden family do best...

 got out on one of the local fells, stretched our legs, had a good laugh and collected ingredients for our dinner.

The bilberries on Kirkby Moor were rather bigger than those here in Argyll, on fact they were more like blueberries!

Whisper did a good job of ensuring that we didn't stray too far from each other while distracted by delicious fruit.

Oh there's no place like home no matter how beautiful the places we visit are.

Exploring

Chris and I like exploring. As soon as we knew that we were moving to Knapdale we bought the OS Maps and would spend hours with them laid out across the floor examining the terrain and picking out interesting looking habitats, walks and camping spots.

We've covered a fair amount of ground with our faithful canine friends since moving here 19 months ago.

I was therefore quite surprised when Chris told me that he had found a previously unconquered gully just ten minutes walk from our door.

To be fair, this magical little fairy land has been closed off to visitors since we moved up here as the Forestry Commission were putting in a new path and bridges to allow folk who prefer to walk on safe ground access to its beauty.

They've done a lovely job of it with platforms to allow lovely views of the waterfalls,

places to sit and listen to the birds and the wind in the trees,

and taking in interesting natural features like this gnarled old tree. It does make one think that a lifetime is never enough to properly explore what it on ones own doorstep, let alone wider world!

Little Woollies

Those lambs are getting big now. Their poor mums are getting lifted off the ground when they suckle.

It will very soon be time for them to go it alone so that the ewes have time to recover.

Tolly will be coming out with the tup lambs and keeping them in order while the girls get some quality time (and feed) to themselves. He has done a great job leading the flock and putting a few dogs in their place (the hazards of having your sheep neighbouring a footpath. Grrr!

But in the middle of all this will be a bit of a change. More about that over the next few weeks...

"What do you think she can mean?"

Until then admire the sheep and the view (in that order!).