Summer and winter all in one day. And it’s May.

 

Nigella’s salt and pepper squid. Juicy, soft and tender with a great kick. Just buy some fresh baby squid from the local supermarket fish counter. So easy to cook. Accompanied with a chilled bottle of Chablis, delicious.

Click on the image for the recipe.

Virtually finished the tiling of the deck. Just have to grout around the up stands. But scratching my head to find a method to keep the inspection caps free to open once the grout is poured. Will put it to the back of my head for now. Sun is out, so into the garden, making cages to keep the roses and vegetables protected from the roaming deer. They are little buggers, but gorgeous to see.

Enjoying a break after reseeding a section in the wild garden

Another visit to Morrisons. So had to have a sugar fix.

It’s my only vice these days. The others are ignored. It’s a memory thing. Selective memory.

The wild garlic is now flowering and going to seed in our hidden garden. Still managed to use a lot of the young leaves in salads and also in a homemade green garlic fresh pasta dish. 

I was reading an article recently that’s reporting that people have turned foraging into a business. Stripping the countryside on a commercial scale with the wild plants ending up on supermarket shelves and in posh restaurants. 

Something has gone wrong with our society if people can plunder the earth to earn a few bob. 

Then l realise that we have been doing that for generations, oil, gas, coal to name but three. Depressing.

Selfishly, l swiftly move on and into my gardens. My own little escape from reality.

What with the mixture of rain and sun, everything is starting to come to life in our wild garden. Just hope the new seeded wildflower meadow takes hold. All l am seeing are a few blades of grass showing through.

These oyster catches are noisy little blighters first thing in the morning, but they are lovely to see.

Talk about a meat fest. Judith found this on Twitter. It’s served in the Canadian hall at Epcot in Florida. The thought of melted beef fat makes me feel rather queasy. Although, when l was growing up, we often had beef dripping on toast with a sprinkling of salt. But that was because we couldn’t afford the luxury of butter. 

Other dishes on the menu give you an overdose of fat. A great attack on your arteries. Wonder if they have shares in the local cardiac department.

Now we have been let out for good behaviour, we escape the confines of our home for the first time this year, walking to Walkers, the DIY store with cafe in Dunoon for a prawn sandwich and soup. Delicious. Being totally naughty finishing the meal off with a great big chunk of carrot cake washed down with a freshly ground coffee.

Great to stretch the legs after months of inactivity other than the odd local walk and our daily tai chi routine. 

Weather was dry, but overcast. So nothing unusual. 

Great to just experience normal life once again, taking in the views as we walk the 6 miles into town.

Attractive cargo ship, named Menai, heading out to open water

Spikkin Scots: Listen to the different dialects of Scotland with our interactive map

Very interesting interactive map that allows you to hear the different dialects along with an explanation of how they derived. Click on the map to hear for yourself. 

Busy extending the Japanese garden, preparing for a new walkway

Whilst working outside in the garden I heard the familiar sound of what I believed to be the oldest paddle steamer in the UK, the Waverly heading towards Bute. Haven’t seen it since it crashed into Brodick pier on the Isle of Arran back in September 2020, injuring 24 passengers and damaging the hull.

The usual rhythmic clattering sound of the steam engine cranking the side paddles is unmistakable as it ploughs its way through the waves. It emerged eventually into view. On this occasion, without passengers. Must be putting it through it’s paces before resuming its annual summer timetable.

We have never taken advantage of the regular trips that journey round Alisa Craig and the Kyle’s of Bute. Hopefully once the Covid restrictions have been relaxed we will be able to book a trip, especially as this year marks the 75th anniversary of it’s inaugural launch. 

As l have eventually completed the balcony tiling, Judith has taken to dressing it up in her usual fashion. Greenery, lights, bedding plants, and now l understand a giant pink flamingo on order. Interesting. 

Feet up in front of the box, watching with interest as the Scottish election result come in.

The elections have now completed in Britain. North of the border, Scotland and our Nichola, has once again taken the majority of seats. Yet as l see it, nothing has really changed. The SNP are now one , instead of two seats shy of an overall majority. The population is fairly evenly split between unionists and nationalists.

But before all the final votes were in, Nichola pushed forward with her attack on the seat of Britain in an attempt to become the first Queen of Scotland. The last, Mary, ending up with a severe headache at the hands of of her sister in the Tower of London.

It will be an interesting tangle between England and Scotland, and one that should not be just left to rumble on indefinitely. Personally l feel that everyone wants to be free of the effects of Covid. Resolving the problems it has left in its wake. Loss of schooling, backlogs in the NHS, unemployment and debt. 

But the referendum should not be brushed under the carpet by the British government, or steamrollered through on the back of Braveheart rhetoric  by the SNP.

People want to have all of the facts, the benefits and the downside of a break from Westminster. There will be a cost, most people realise that. More detailed and thorough unbiased research is required. Details, not a flowery wish list that is unlikely to come to fruition.

If it stacks up, and the benefits of a split out weigh the benefits of being part of the United Kingdom, then so be it. 

Always fancied dual nationality. And if Europe decides it wants Scotland to join the EU we could have a European passport. It could just happen. Europe being embroiled for years in a acrimonious divorce settlement over Brexit may feel that it would be retaliation for leaving the club. A real slap in face for Great Britain. 

Onto lighter things, more enjoyable pursuits, although not for everyone. Fishing. Salt water beach casting, spinning plus the occasional fly for salmon or trout. Need to make more time.

Up at six and out early wading into the cold Clyde, seeking out the elusive sea trout. Conditions were good, overcast, low water, slight swell. But nothing but cold loins.

Nevertheless the freshness was invigorating, coffee strong and hot and the bird life was amazing, yet noisy. Especially the oyster catchers. All looking for a mate.

Back by 8.30 for breakfast. Sourdough toast with lashings of butter topped with ginger preserve, and even more coffee. 

Will try a different location next week, possibly dig some lugworm and try for flounder.

It feels as if Covid has stolen a great chunk of our precious time, especially the cruising and the ability to disappear the cold wet climate of winter in Scotland.

But in truth we have found many ways to compensate for the lack of freedom. Apart from consuming some delicious and unusual dishes, suitably accompanied by the odd bottle of classic Spanish Rioja and finished off with a few wee drams, there has been the garden to delve into. Weather permitting. 

Surprisingly, the past few months have been mainly dry, albeit cold. Very. With many mornings, white with frost at well below zero. It’s the beast from the East that does it. It’s about the only thing the Russians share with us.

Hard landscaping has taken precedence. Although we have managed to eviscerate masses of deep rooted couch grass from the bank. That definitely kept me warm. 

We reseeded with a mixture of grass and flowers. Presently the grass seems to be winning the race to greet the sun. 

Ongoing list of jobs presently on my ever increasing list of jobs to do are:

Complete the side steps from the front of the house down to the back. A fall of about 8 metres in total. A daunting task that has been ongoing for years. But now almost complete

Remove the pebbles from the centre of one of the timber cubes, replacing with recycled blocks.

Cut out and lay another Japanese inspired path through the Japanese garden, using massive stones and slate. 

We also tiled the first floor balcony  and fenced the delicate rose shrubs and vegetable beds. But covered this earlier in the blog.

Finished of the Japanese mound, although need to replace some of the moss after the pheasants decided to rearrange it. Presumably looking for grubs. Why can’t they just eat the slugs. We have plenty around.

Judith caught me laying the paving blocks in one of the cubes. 

One of the cubes now blocked out ready to receive a few planters.

New Japanese path going in, prior to planting and finishing off the with fine gravel

Will call this the stairway to heaven. The deer still use the earth on the side. Even though l have gone to so much trouble building the steps. You often see the tell tale signs in the mornings, tracks, chomped flowers, poo. Its amazing how they manage to jump over the tall gate at the top end of the route down. 

That’s what you call a bad hair day