Well, summer has finally arrived at Auchenstroan. I think it’s going to last for at least two days, so we are trying to make the most of it. We are supposed to be taking a break this week, but there’s always stuff to be done. A couple of sheep have suffered from midgie bites around the eyes so we have been wiping the affected areas clean with saline which seems to be helping. Another sheep has a cut (from shearing) which has got a bit infected, so we have been treating her (it looks like it’s getting better).
While we have been having problems getting veggies to grow (problems with veggies), the flowers are doing really well. The flower bed at the front of the house (pictured above) is constantly buzzing with bees, both honey bees and also various bumble bees.
Nicole is especially pleased as many of the flowers she grew from seeds. Pictured right is a meadow area which is just coming into bloom and looks really great.
Pictured left is a flower bed created by Nicole around a stone dyke (one I repaired a while back). The roses are still to bloom, but the geraniums are enjoying the warm sunshine.
Our wild areas are also blooming. We have set aside quite a few areas as natural meadows. Pictured left is what used to be the pig pen. Now it’s a wild flower haven with young rowan and hazel trees planted so as to create a small woodland. In the meantime, the wild flowers are flourishing.
Our broad leaf woodland is also coming along nicely. The trees are getting to quite a good size now. It’s a great area for trees as it’s quite damp – a lot of the water from the hillside ends up here. We are looking forward to the trees getting ever taller and creating that real woodland feel.
In the meantime, we are scrabbling around to finish our tasks so that we can get the garden chairs out and put our feet up before summer ends.
