↓
 

The Big Garden and Croft

A small country living in the Outer Hebrides

The Big Garden and Croft
  • Home
  • The Big Garden
  • The Woolshed
  • The Croft
  • Cottages
  • About …
Big Garden Home→Author Jonathan and Denise - Page 88 << 1 2 … 86 87 88 89 90 >>
This website is undergoing structural alterations. Internal links may not always work correctly, and there may be some blank/incomplete pages.

Author Archives: Jonathan and Denise

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →

Anyone at home?

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 07/10/2010 by Jonathan and Denise09/06/2012  

Bee inspection day today. Lovely and sunny and warm and only the lightest of breeze, so ideal.  Both hives were kitted out with queen excluder and a single super. Loads of honey in the supers (almost full) and a good amount in the brood chamber too. It was clear that the original hive (which I’d removed the queen from) was the stronger of the two, and though I couldn’t find a new queen or any grubs (but a worrying number of drones) it could just be that it is late in the year and after a spell of bad weather … Continue reading →

Coastal Defence – Public Meeting No 2

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 06/10/2010 by Jonathan and Denise31/03/2015  

Last night I went to a follow-up public meeting regarding proposed coastal defence works between Poll a Chara and Ludag. Council’s drawings revised – but still not good. They just don’t seem to have the sensitivity or even the will, and I doubt also the skills, to come up with a design of the quality that we should we be able to expect in this day and age, not least in an area designated of natural beauty, ecological importance and socio-economic vulnerability. The council officers present – one very senior – showed themselves to be arrogant and ignorant, giving out … Continue reading →

Goose poo

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 25/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise09/06/2012  

Denise: A complaint today from a neighbour about the mess the geese leave. The sillies get it in to their head to have favourite places to camp. For a few days – or even weeks – it will be on a certain hillock.  And then it will be down in a little gully by the sea.  And then for a while it might be right outside someone’s gate.  Now they are perfectly within their rights to graze wherever they want on croft land, and I’m within my rights to let them: but let’s face it who wants to have to … Continue reading →

Morrison’s car park

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 25/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise09/06/2012  

Jonathan: Parked at Morrison’s supermarket car park in Welwyn Garden City.  There’s something calming and reassuring about being settled amongst the comings and goings of so many people.  After a walk around the pleasant leafy suburbs of Panhanger, I settled down to read some short stories (Katherine Mansfield – The Dolls House; Susan Glaspell – A Jury of Her Peers),  drank a glass, of wine with some cheese and biscuits, and a little nap. It’s turned decidedly cold and blustry.  To save money I’m ‘camping wild’ for a couple of nights – hereabouts that means car parks of 24/7 supermarkets … Continue reading →

Bee worries

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 25/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise09/06/2012  

Jonathan: Last visit home – back in mid August, I divided the bee colony that survived last winter, in the hope of spreading my risk this coming winter. It was already late in the year to do this, but I had so little opportunity earlier.  I divided by moving the queen and a good supply of grubs and house bees, and some workers, to the new hive, and ensuring a good supply of day old eggs in the old hive, which the workers could convert to queens.  To be successful this would also require the new queen to be mated, … Continue reading →

It takes all sorts …

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 24/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise09/06/2012  

Denise: I don’t know that it actually takes (as in needs), but in any event there certainly are all sorts! Working in the garden today, a dog suddenly came woffling up to me – but it wasn’t Tilly.  A couple had come into the garden – my garden! our garden! – not only with their dog, and without asking, but without having it under any control.  They didn’t seem at all concerned when I pointed out that my own labrador was about in the garden, and was on heat.   I’d have felt less annoyed if they had apologized and got … Continue reading →

Light at the end of the tunnel

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 23/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise09/06/2012  

Jonathan: Today I announced at work that I will end working full time with Mouchel.  There’s no stepping back from that now. I will officially remain an employee, but only working the hours I’m actually needed and working at home in Uist.  The talk with my boss about my future plans took place along with my 6-monthly review. I’d put as my career development objectives that I want to change to a part-time casual status. That’s the first time that any objective I’ve ever put to management has ever been agreed to and has come about – and immediately too!Just … Continue reading →

Drain problems

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 22/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise09/06/2012  

Denise: The couple staying at Carrick called round this evening, complaining of an unpleasant ‘drains’ smell in the house.  Was it coming from the utility? No.  So not the trap of the floor drain dried out again (simple remedy – pour in some water).   Smell generally everywhere – seems to be coming from the ventilation.   Oh dear! This was reported by another guest back in spring, but only briefly. This couple seem a bit more put out by it. The problem seems to occur only when the weather is very still, and the when the temperature is falling, so that … Continue reading →

Trouble with Tilly

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 18/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise28/06/2017  

Denise: Tilly is unquestionably a very bright and loving dog.  But she also has her problems.  Mainly it’s that she doesn’t like being separated from me even for a few moments. if I put her out behind the house (with makeshift barricades until Jonathan comes home and makes something better) and I walk up the garden to serve a customer: if she hears me talking she’ll bully her way out and race up the garden to join me, sometimes alarmig the customer! Or if I leave her in the house, then she’ll wet on the hall carpet – even though … Continue reading →

Becky – 31 today

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 17/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise10/07/2018  

Jonathan: Becky – our eldest daughter – is 3[-] today.  She’s a lovely girl. A highlight of her birthday, she tells me, was the annual Aberystwyth Food and Drink Festival (sounds good to me!) on the streets of her home town.  She told me of a young woman selling ‘food from the wild’, such as samphire cakes, crab apple jelly and the such-like. I can’t tell you how proud I feel to know that Becky values – is excited by – such things.: for not only does it say something powerful about her values, it also it says these values … Continue reading →

Buffy and her chicks

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 13/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise16/04/2015  

Denise: All hatching from incubators now complete, and Buffy has now been entrusted with 28 chicks, which – believe it or not – all disappear under her feathers at night!

Continue reading →

St Alban’s – Verulam

The Big Garden and Croft Posted on 12/09/2010 by Jonathan and Denise16/04/2015  

Jonathan: Today has been sparklingly fresh and sunny, and so just as I last week said that I would, I cycled to St Alban’s for the day. National Cycle Route 61 passes very close to the campsite here in Welwyn Garden City: from the A1000 on the south side of WGC it crosses the A414 and then follows the line of a former railway through Hatfield and then  west for about 7 miles to St Alban’s, ending near the Abbey Station.  The quality of the route – in terms of surface, width, junctions and signing – was highly variable and … Continue reading →

Post navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →

Contact Us

General / Big Garden & Croft
The Hebridean Woolshed

See Also

Carrick – The Blue House, Isle of Eriskay
.

Categories

Archives

Follow by email

Follow Us on WordPress

Follow The Big Garden and Croft

An Gàrradh Mòr on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Privacy & Cookies : Cookies & Consent : See our Privacy Policy
Site designed, authored and maintained by Jonathan Bridge, with contributions from Denise Bridge. © Jonathan & Denise Bridge Privacy Policy
↑
en English
eu Basquezh-CN Chinese (Simplified)zh-TW Chinese (Traditional)nl Dutchen Englishfi Finnishfr Frenchde Germanga Irishit Italianja Japaneseko Koreanpl Polishpt Portuguesegd Scottish Gaelices Spanishcy Welsh