Saturday 24 February 2024

Something Spotted


 This is the earliest I can recall seeing one of these on the loose! (20/02/24)  Given that we had a frost last night it may be regretting it's early emergence.

Monday 19 February 2024

A productive little corner

Starting the plot tidyup, right in the corner is a clump of Jerusalem Artichoke ready for harvesting. 


The soup lived up to its reputation. Sweet tasting, and active on the lower gut.


 Next door the rhubarb won't be long to first harvest.




Thursday 15 February 2024

All Time Low

This is definitely one for the record. 

 Whether you take the view from one end ...



...or the other

The plot is looking very barren just now.  But I need this for comparison purposes later in the year.

The fruit cage has the nets removed to guard against snow damage



and last year's pumpkin and bean patch is looking particularly sad.



On the plus side there is not much weed growth yet!  Time for a mulch and a fabric mulch!

Also there are some brassicas still hanging on.  The Purple sprouting broccoli will be another month until it gets into production mode!




Back home the marmalade making has been completed for another year!




Friday 19 January 2024

Watch The Birdie

 




We love our birds and keep them in food all the year around.  Right now the goldfinches are away, but the blackbirds have returned to their winter quarters.  Because the normally reliable crab apple crop was so poor this year we have supplemented their supply with apples and more recently pears (which they love!).  The sparrows have been muted in the cold snap but there are always pigeons, jackdaws and magpies who swing by to mop up the day's supply.  Another bird that has got wise to the congregation js this sparrowhawk.  Just the other day a pigeon was taken and dismembered in our garden leaving feathers al over the place.  Nature in claw and beak!




Sunday 14 January 2024

Edinburgh Topography

 




A New Years walk along the Fife Coastal Path offered this perspective on our home town of Edinburgh across the Firth of Forth.


To the left is Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano that looks like a recumbent lion. Next to that are "The Salisbury Crags"  This escarpment was quarried for building material for neighbouring  Holyrood Palace in the 1300s. Quarrying continued until .banned by Act of Parliament 1831..

The next feature is Edinburgh Castle, only visible because of the weather conditions, highlighting it in front of the Pentland Hill massing to the right of the picture. The Castle sits atop a volcanic plug.  When the ice sheet moved across this landscape from right to left the volcanic plug persisted and left a ridge a mile long tailing off behind it: the High  Street or Royal Mile, as can be seen from this vantage point.

I have since come across a reverse view I took recently.  In this case Fife is across the water in the distance.  The Royal Mile from Castle to Holyrood is the backbone of Edinburgh Old Town.



Thursday 21 December 2023

Green Sunset?


 A whole patch of the sky went green at sunset this afternoon. By the time I stopped driving and found a vantage point it had diminished somewhat  but was still visible at the centre of the shot above.  

The phenomenon of the green flash refers to the sun going momentarily green at sunset and I guess this related as the sun's refracted light is being projected onto some clouds in addition to the red, orange and yellow light frequencies that are more usual.

 In a less analytic sense - it was pretty weird!

Friday 15 December 2023

Festive Baking

 

Lebkuchen

Candied Peel

Chelsea Buns

What to do when the weather turns and allotment visits are off. Do keep well fuelled this Christmas!