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When you're smiling, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you...

Despite the grey skies and heavy clouds, this otter really brightened my day..



Yes, I've had a lovely few days, wildlife wise,

Out and about with my camera,
Walking along the beach, away with the fairies
When something black and shiny ran out from some seaweed covered rocks. Over the sand he ran and into the sea.

Was I ready with my camera? eeer no.

Well the otter was in a playful mood and he swam on his back
he dived for fish and then with one last cheeky grin he was gone.

Back at the homestead, I have made some seed and suet puddings for the birds and although the majority of visitors are starlings, one cheeky coal tit appeared.



A friendly little chap he was too,

Although Coal Tits are common on the Mainland, according to my Tiree and Coll Bird Book, the Coal Tit is a scarce visitor to Coll.

I was well, choughed,

No, lets not bring up Choughs, I had enough with that one, identifying a rather large blackbird as a Chough earnt me the name of birdbrain.

A more sorrowful sight is the one legged starling who for now is holding his own, hopping about atop of the seed puddings,

I haven't taken his photo, as I do not want to scare him

I think it's rather amazing that this poor one legged bird is surviving amongst his brothers and sisters which are quite an aggressive bunch.

Will he become pussy fodder in the next few days? that remains to be seen.

It's my ****th birthday on Sunday and I am now the proud owner of a Camcorder, which I am learning to use and load up to YouTube,

It seems the world and his wife are on Youtube, but it's so confusing, what you can load up and what you can't,

Anyway, it's a nice hobby over the winter months.

Well, I hope you are all keeping warm

Take care
xxxx

Is it just me or is mass produced food becoming even less pallatable?

Plastic, tasteless, cardboard cutouts !!!

Steaks like old boot leather
Eggs with insipid yellow white yolks
Chickens way past the old boiler stage


Carrots that are uniform in size and shape, no nobbly bits to make
you laugh, wink wink

and

take your average supermarket sliced loaf for instance.

Sometimes it's like eating bubbles, its so over refined
other times it's doughy and heavy.

This week I've taken to making my own bread, and what a difference.

Okay, so its got an hole in it from my bread maker, wait a minute I'll hide it with a coupla eggs, there, that's better...




I can actually taste real wholesome bread. And the aroma which fills the kitchen, .....

It slices beautifully, all wonky and thin at one end, thick at the other, but hey who cares? A great big doorstep with a whallop of butter.



Here I am with my Panda's Tonic and my old Red Rooster from a 1960's TV "Serial", What a KleverKlogs he is too.....



And Eggs?? A few chickens scratching about in the back garden...



Can there be anything better than a freshly laid egg, softly boiled and home made bread cut into soldiers to dip in.


That deep yellow yolk, so tasty with a sprinkling of salt
MMmmm, I'm beginning to drool.

And what about home made soup. A great way to get rid of all the bits in the fridge, the half cut onion, the odd carrot, a few spuds and hey presto, a mouth watering meal for just pennies.



(half cut onion - tee hee)


Sometimes, living on an island, its difficult to get the ingredients for adventurous cooking, but yesterday in our Island shop, I spotted the most beautiful quail's eggs. They were so pretty. What a treasure trove of gorgeous delights found on the doorstep.



Islands all over Scotland have some fantastic produce....

Shortbread, Black Puddings, Chocolates like sea shells,
Heather Honey, Hebridean Lamb, Lobsters and mmmm scallops
Crab Claws, whisky, winkles, Haggis, oysters, cheeses,

and not forgetting Scottish raspberries, surely the best raspberries in the world.

Swirled into my whisky laced cranachan, oooo soooo luverly.....

I've conjured up too many mouth watering images in my head that I really must go put the kettle on.....