Bring on the season

It may not be April until next week but clearly the Rum weather fairies are already in the April zone. It's been sunshine and showers all the way for the last week or so. Sometimes within just minutes of each other, sometimes for a day or two at a time.

We've been busy indoors with candle making, poster designing, making new logos for Croft 3 produce and the odd film and popcorn session.

Outdoors we have done several loads of laundry, which looked so pretty on our very picturesque washing line I had to take a quick photo

We've also been chopping and splitting firewood, our stock to last the winter had pretty much been used up (we did well considering how cold, wet and horrid a winter it was though) and I had my first ever go with a chainsaw which was both scary and empowering in equal measures, and took out some frustration on a pile of logs which needed splitting with an axe. Excellent therapy wood splitting :)

The spring like weather has everything greening up and growing like crazy - there are buds and shoots on the trees and bushes in the fruit cage, all over the island the gorse and broom is throwing bright yellow blooms out to compliment the ever greening landscapes and blue skies reflected in the rivers and burns. Most exciting of all though was these sprouting seedlings down in the polytunnel today

We have two broody geese sitting on clutches of eggs and I have my ear cocked ready to hear the first call of the cuckoo.

We've been spending time with friends - old and new, as the first visit of the year from the Kinloch Castle Friends Association who had invited us to dine with them on Friday and Saturday evenings. The food was delicious, the company splendid and of course the opportunity to eat 'out' is not one we enjoy often living here so we gratefully accepted and had two lovely evenings with them.

This week we are hoping for a continuation of the nice weather as we have a fair sized job list awaiting our attention and are looking forward to as much time spent outside as possible.