A diary of how projects are developing at Higher Crochail woods. Path building, the hydro scheme, finding water, thinning the woods, wildlife and much more…
Tonight I have been making simple willow circles to take into my daughter’s school tomorrow, so they can have a go at willow weaving. We thought we might try and make simple platters with them. The school has cut green willow which we are going to use for the weaving, but I made the circles … read more…
Finally I have managed to put it on our site! Washing/Scouring fleeces Washing a fleece removes lanolin, which will impede the dyeing process if it is not washed out, as the natural grease of the fleece will act as a barrier to the dye. Some spinners like spinning in the grease and leave the fleece … read more…
It has been a while… Things have been very busy here this Spring. We have had our relaxation retreat, the Highland wool festival and weekend courses. Alex is also back building the house. The shed and garage are now up and the foundations in. Next we have to harvest more trees to finish off the … read more…
Just returned after a quick break in Perthshire, we stayed in a stunning glen, surrounded by Red deer and heather. We have come home to a busy time. The rain today meant time in the poly-tunnel, but I never really seem to catch up with everything I want to do; there is still a pile … read more…
We have just finished fencing part of the clearing in the woods and today we moved our Shetland sheep in. They were so happy to be on fresh pasture again and the lambs loved it. The clearing was full of wild flowers including our first Orchids and although there are lots of them all over … read more…
We have had such a busy couple of weeks here in the woods. We have been putting in the forestry track and extracting wood for the house build. Our ewes have also now had all their lambs. Unfortunately the last of them had twins and rejected the small female. So we have ended up bottle … read more…
This winter feels like it is nearly over, as I am sat here with a pot of tiny Crocuses just in flower! I must not get too hopeful for spring as last year winter came late. The crisp winter days are stunning up here, clear blue skies and snow on the mountains. It has been … read more…
A few days ago the snow arrived, we woke up to a perfect covering of white, so powdery we couldn’t even build a snow man. On the same day our new addition, Gordon Rambo Ramsey or as Thora likes to call him “the boyfriend” arrived. He is a young tup/ram, born this year, but mature … read more…
The next stage- the roof is going on. We have now finished all the Hazel wattle, thank-goodness as there really wasn’t much more Hazel left for Alex to coppice. It’s a beautiful shape and looks great from the inside. Alex is now going to cover it with hessian, waterproof layers, carpets and then turf the … read more…
It has been such a long time since my last post as we have had such a busy summer! I will be up dating the blog with pictures and news from this summer, but for now we are in the middle of building an Iron Age style roundhouse. We have used hazel wattle and will … read more…
