mixed weather at present, but still lots to do.

The weather has been quite varied these last few days. Warm and damp, cold, blowing a gale, horrendous rain and days that are idyllic. Just wall to wall sunshine.

Now that the type one is compacted (its a bit like hardcore crushed with coal dust) we started laying the timber sleepers.  Most people use sleepers for raised beds, but after seeing a few garden designers use them to obtain height and structure, we decided to give it a try, and make two gigantic wooden cubes, linked together.

Initially we tried to purchase oak timbers, 200 x 100 x 2400. Found them on the internet for a superb price of £25 each. Unfortunately, they wanted a further £350 to deliver them from Essex to Innellan. So checked out all our local suppliers, but the cheapest quote came in at £49 each plus vat. So ended up with seasoned and treated pine at £17 plus VAT. In fact, after having 24 delivered on site, and then manhandling them down to the back garden l was pleased they were pine. These knackered me, but oak would have put me six feet under.

Took some time to get them laid out level and fixed. But with Judith's help managed to get them all square and continued with erecting the corner posts.

Then came the difficult bit. Raising the massive timbers to sit on top of the uprights. Managed using various assists. Wood screwed in the side for the ends to rest on. Stepladders to help take the weight, and also for me to climb up, timber in hand. Quite precarious to say the least. Judith came to help, but realistically, if they slipped it could do serious damage. So she kept well away.

Taking our time we managed to get all the top cross beams in place and fixed. Although l decided that we need to have angled wedge supports in all the top corners, just to help secure it squarely. Especially as Judith wants to hang a swing from one of the cubes.

As we finished it started to rain, so this will have to wait for another day.  Nevertheless, they look impressive and do what they were supposed to do. Give height and structure.

View from the top balcony

Shops have opened in England, with many people disregarding the need for social distancing.

Aren't people funny, joining unnecessary risk increased queues for goods that we've been able to order perfectly well online throughout the whole of lockdown. What exactly are we meant to have been missing? 

Now we have been told by Boris that we are doing so well that its possible to reduce the distance from 2m down to 1m. Undoubtedly pushed by the commercial sector who need to have it reduced to 1m to enable them to claw back some income, especially pubs and restaurants.

Nevertheless, other areas around the world are having a second wave. Countries that have previously been praised for their handling of the pandemic are now seeing a rise in infections.

Germany has posted a travel warning after a coronavirus outbreak at a slaughterhouse. Workers at the abattoir in the town of Guetersloh, home to some 100,000 people, have tested positive for the virus, prompting the state to put Guetersloh and a neighbouring town back under lockdown. 

Christian Drosten, Director of the Institute of Virology at the Charité Hospital in Berlin, said he was deeply troubled by recent spikes and said in two months Germany could see a resurgence of the contagion unless it got a handle on it rapidly by enforcing social distancing.

640,000 people have been ordered back into strict lockdown as a result

Norway, Denmark and Finland have all closed their borders to Swedes this summer, fearing visitors would bring new coronavirus infections with them.

While those countries went into strict lockdowns, Sweden famously refused. It now has roughly twice as many infections and five times as many deaths as the other three nations combined, according to figures compiled by The Times

The NY Times also spotlighted other countries who are now seeing a dramatic rise in Covid 19.

During the initial phase of the coronavirus pandemic, an apparent anomaly was puzzling health experts around the world: Why was the virus pummelling rich countries, but seemed to leave many poorer nations relatively untouched? 

Theories abounded. Some speculated that developing nations were insulated from the worst effects of the virus because they had younger populations, lower rates of diabetes or warmer climates. 

Now, things have changed. The virus is poised to explode across the developing world and is already surging in Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa — areas much less equipped to fight it. In the Central African Republic, for example, there are only three ventilators for a population of five million. In some countries, there are none at all. 

Life is certainly going to need to change. But will it?

Good job we are in Scotland, moving as usual rather slower than the rest of the UK. 

With a lack of density of population, we are presently quite protected from the frenetic hoards in the South of England. Although the highest intensity of cases within Scotland is in Inverclyde, just over the water. Good job we have the Clyde and a ferry between us.

So back to work. But its raining, so its jobs inside.

Made up a worktop and unit for the utility room, fitting a sink and taps and plumbing it in. Yet l am still hunting out timber that can be used for some shelving.

But its such a treat to be able to have somewhere other than the bathrooms to wash my muddy hands before traipsing upstairs. Judith is now impressed, and the stairs are really pleased not to be coated in excessive amounts of dust and dirt, deposited by the uncaring worker heading North for a cuppa tea or my lunch.

We also removed all the tut from under the stairs and built slatted shelving. Another treat. We can now see all the items that were previously in cardboard hidey holes. Its truly amazing what came to life. Useless items that are just too important to discard. In fact most of them were just bought on a whim, never to be used. Gadgets that inspired at the time. Boxes of this and that. A cheese making kit, still in its wrapper. Once we got it home, we realised that you need unpasteurised milk. Unfortunately, Scotland bans it.

Still have more shelving to put up, but its warming up. So out l go.

Its great to be able to get out. This year its been absolutely fantastic in Scotland. So much sun. No rain. Then we started having two or three days of heavy rain and gale force winds. You soon forget the good days, and your mind concentrates on the inability to get out. Human nature l imagine. Especially when friends in the South keep emailing photos of their sun soaked activities. You get so jealous and your objectivity is slanted away from all the positives of living in Scotland. Lack of density of population, mountains, seascapes, desolate areas of un-spoilt natural beauty. You could go on for ever. Am l selling Scotland. Also the cost of housing is so more manageable.  So the lack of year round sun comes at a price. But we wouldn't want to be in a country that didn't have the four seasons.

You notice l don't mention the other downside. MIDGES. We will gloss over those.

Can l just mention that a midge is smaller then this dot      .     Yes its smaller than this. But by god they do bite!

Britannica Encyclopedia description.

Midge, (family Chironomidae), also called chironomid, nonbiting midge, or gnat, any of a group of tiny two-winged flies (order Diptera) that superficially resemble mosquitoes. Although they resemble mosquitoes, midges are harmless, with small mouthparts that are not elongated into a piercing structure for blood feeding. They do not have scales on wings or body, and the pattern of wing veins differs from that of mosquitoes. The male antennae are feathery. Midges are usually found around ponds or streams in late afternoon and evening in swarms that produce a humming sound. Midges may breed in water or manure or under tree bark.

We move on. The rain has stopped, its warmed up. There are no midges because the wind is blowing. So its out and fitting the fencing at the front of the building, The gate will have to be made later. Need more timber. 

Three cruise ships are laid up at Shieldhall, next to Braehead
Its the Azamara Quest, Azamara Pursuit and the Azamara Journey.

And there are two other cruise ship now moored at Greenock
Hebridean Isles and the Hebridean Princess.
All presumably with skeleton crews awaiting for the lock down to be removed 




We have a new addition to our land. Our neighbour managed to get a photo the other day.

The little doe must have only been a few hours old. It was having difficulty standing.