I used to be keen on Chiltern Seeds bargain offers. They sell several types of ‘anonymous mix’ which provides a single packet of a thousand or more seeds such as perennials or annuals. Then they sell a ‘non-anonymous mix’ which provides 5 or 10 packets of their choosing. One of the latter, I think gave […]
Plant Quiz! What is it? Read More »
One of the first herbs to appear in the spring is the common stinging nettle. Foragers everywhere start on nettle soup. But if you leave it many weeks those temping bright greens turn grey-ish and dusty, agressive looking and stinging. This year I managed to investigate before the moment had gone – not with soup
‘Tis the season of the Nettle! Time for Nettle Bread Read More »
“Is anyone planning to go up onto the Cairngorm plateau in the morning?” I asked the crowd gathered around the fire in the bothy. No takers. Track looking back towards the Feshie Just a little to the north is a track which covers a lot of ground in 8 or 9 km to over
TGOC Plockton to Redcastle Lunan Bay – #3 Feshie to the coast Read More »
Cougie is writ large in the history of the TGOC so I was a little surprised it was not busier. Most TGOers arrive here on the Saturday however, and anyway time has moved on and some of the people there have changed. My trip notes recorded ‘fantastic bird calls’ at the camping site here. The
TGOC Plockton to Redcastle – #2 Cougie to Feshie Read More »
Plockton village is in an enclosed picturesque bay facing across the water to a bulky and barren rocky mass hiding Applecross. Easily accessible by train on the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh line and handy for excursions to the Isle of Skye, this is a popular tourist destination. The outstanding excursion on foot from Plockton
TGOC Plockton to Redcastle Lunan Bay – #1 Plockton to Cougie Read More »
Here’s the 2016 route, completed last week. For once no changes necessary – weather and body held up well. Details to follow.
2016 TGOC – Scotland coast to coast Plockton to Redcastle Read More »
Venison is the meat from deer. Deer embraces a range of animals from moose and elk to smaller roe deer. Because venison has less fat that beef it tends to be drier when cooked. This characteristic also means frozen venison can be stored longer than beef without spoiling. The label on the brick in the
Venison ( Elg or Elk )– a fine slow cook Read More »
Frost arrived this weekend. And so did the best system for insulation. The main route to a warmer greenhouse is using bubble wrap for insulation and a frost protection heater. What varies is the type of fixing for the bubble. In previous years I tried various plastic and metal clips designed to pierce the film
Double-bubble – Preparing the greenhouse for winter Read More »
The entrance to Hades is a cave near the southernmost tip of Greece. Leading to this and the three fingers of Greece pointing towards Africa is a land steeped in legend and marked by remains of the many civilisations that have occupied the area over 5000 years. The Peloponnese always seemed less accessible than
Around the Peloponnese Read More »