The tidal range in Wigtown Bay can be around 8 metres at the spring tides. This gives us a large area of inter-tidal beach in Kirkandrews bay and plenty of opportunity for exploring around the shell beaches, mud flats and rocky pools.
The sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) plantation is now on its way to being a supply of stove fuel and garden mulch. After a minor setback with not being able to start up the chain saw, the reliable old Flinn-Garlick cross-cut saw was put into use and soon transformed the trees from a vertical to a horizontal format. A couple of gooseberry bushes and a currant bush should now get some more light and hopefully provide us with some fruit later in the year. Unfortunately the removal of the sycamores will also let more light into the rest of the area where there are lots of eager young nettles and other invasive native plants so we will have to get to work on a variety of measures to restrict their growth while we decide what to do with the quarter acre section of garden.
Now we just need to get the stumps out of the ground…
The snowdrops are over and the daffodils are in full bloom. We have made a start at removing the sycamore trees from the middle section of the garden. The trunks and larger branches will become fuel for the wood stove next winter and the small branches will be processed into mulch.
Our latest trip up into the snowy Cairngorms. Our target was a route called Aladdin’s Couloir in Coire an t’Sneachda which is just a short walk round the corner from the main car park at Cairngorm ski area. The short approach and abundance of easy climbs makes it a popular venue and there was a procession of climbing teams on the approach path.
Here are a selection of pictures from our first weekend at Craig Cottage. Our friends Hilary and Jonathan helped out by testing the guest facilities.
Our first visitors at Craig Cottage. Hilary and Jonathan helped us get moved in on our first weekend at the cottage. They also made sure that our wine glasses were in good working order.
The path to the beach through the lower garden - February 2011
Removing the sycamores - March 2011