Spike

A lot of rain has fallen on Skye since I last posted and it is now the season of the midge, moth, crane fly and mushroom. This morning I had to hoover the window sills to clear away last night's debris of dead insects. The mushrooms are outside, of course.

There is something special about mushrooms which brings out the curious in me. I like to seek them out and have a good peek. So many varieties of colour, form and size to stare at. And always the question at the back of the mind is this one or that one deadly poisonous?

This time last year we had one dog, Jay, for working the sheep. A year later and we have three. Jay, Lola still with the mind of a pup although she has grown full size and Spike, bought in June as a fully trained working dog.

Among the many things I never expected in life, one of them is to be cast in the role of pack leader. Spike is a Border Collie from the Borders or very near there. The 'Borders' for those not in the know, is what we call the border region between Scotland and England.

I had a wonderful time going to collect Spike. The first holiday from Skye in a good while and appreciated the break from the confines of Kingsburgh and the croft.

Apart from all that, we now have six new calves, four white, one red and one dun in the ratio of four female and two male. And, not forgetting the lambs, eighteen of the little blighters. If Lola had her way we would have none as she would kill the lot, but that's for another story.

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Death on the croft

Jay (dog) just bit me on the end of the nose when I was drying her in the kitchen. She must have hurt the pad on her foot and I gave the area a too vigorous a rub. Memo to myself, shoot Jay. Would need to borrow a real rifle so perhaps I wont bother. Lost a bullock to a rifle bullet. Vet had to put the poor creature out of its misery. It had damaged a leg and then managed to find its way into the only bog on the croft. No way we could get it out.

And then a dog killed two of the lambs (twins) on Sunday. Must have been a dog as they were ok in the morning and mangled in the afternoon. What can you do, as they say up here, but carry on regardless.

Lambs and Dogs

Back home from checking on the lambs. All was well this morning. This afternoon is a different story. Found two (twins) lying side by side, dead, in a mangled state.

Doubt the Sea Eagle would have killed them in this manner so only other option is dog. And it wasn't either of my dogs Jay or Lola as they were under strict supervision all of the day.

What probably happened was a dog came along, the mother ewe ran away, but the lamb's instinct is to lie still until danger has passed. I noticed this the other day when Lola slipped her lead and was running excited among the ewes and lambs. The sheep flocked together but the lambs lay still and quiet.

Anyway, the lambs lying still were easy meat and all I am left with a sense of wasted lives, time and effort.

On a brighter note, currently bottle-feeding a lamb, one of twins, rejected by its mother. Seems the lamb has adopted a rather bemused Lola as its new mother and protector. Good luck to you little ewe lamb and Lola, please keep the canines sheathed.

Jay the sheepdog takes as beating

Jay got kicked in the head by a cow. She can't help snapping at their heels but is now too old to get out of the way in time. And then, no kidding, the black Hebridean ram with the curly horns gave her an almighty butt! The beasties are trying to kill my dog!

And to cap it all, I lost my woolly hat when trying to feed cattle and sheep in a gale. It was blown right off and it could be in St Kilda or Canada by now. Or in the next field caught in a tree. My heart was saddened and my head was cold. I'll go and look.

A dangling sheep

Something out of the ordinary happend this morning. The sheep gatecrashed the cow's breakfast party and a mini riot ensued with Dolly the cow swinging her head and catching a sheep's horn with one of her horns and hoisting it into the air until it dangled for a few seconds like an overlarge, exotic earing. Well, I'd need seen anything like it, that's for sure.

Sea Eagle

I was walking the dogs in Kingsburgh Forest this afternoon and saw a Sea Eagle soaring high in the sky. Coming back the Sea Eagle was still about, but much lower and came over my head about 100 feet up. As I stared at this magnificent bird above my head, for a split second I thought it was going to have a go.

It didn't, suffice to say, and soared off to find smaller prey. Strange how I kept checking the sky over my shoulder until I was out of the woods.