Making the most of it

I popped back to Dunollie this afternoon to have a chat with the man who was in the process of slicing the felled walnut tree into beautiful planks. I think the intention is to make some furniture for the garden and to sell the rest of it - it's worth good money. I was hoping to beg a lump with ferns growing on it, to keep in the garden at Dunollie as a reminder of the old tree, so he's going to try to find a piece.

He has a wonderful portable sawmill which he slides along a ladder to cut beautifully even planks, four or five inches thick. You can see some of them behind him.

While I was there I took the opportunity to tie red and white plastic tape round a number of seedling sycamores - they're all over the place and if left to grow will totally take over the place, especially on the Castle Mound. Some are already six inches in diameter, so if the estate agrees they will be cut down and the stumps treated in the spring. I had difficulty even standing up owing to the force of the wind - the place is very exposed from winds down the Sound of Kerrera.

When I got home we had some of the heaviest rain I can remember for a long time - I thought there was a car rally coming up the road! Five minute later the sun was out - what weird weather we have!

Off to the Photo Club this evening for our first competition results!