From Winter to Spring

As snows melted and the ground thawed, the ditches began to teem with life. On the warmer days we opened the door to croaking of rampant frogs, which soon resulted in squirming tadpoles.

Peeking out from under the eves of the Garden Bothy we glimpsed fragmented sun appearing between heavy showers forming perfect rainbows of bold colours arcing across aging rusted tin sheds and the iron grey sea. Enjoying the warmth and gentle scent of wood smoke from the stove within and the absolute silence afforded by the turf roof-I felt the urge to curl up on a chair and read in uninterrupted peace.

We have the most glorious sunrises in February around 8am a manageable time-highlighting the need to spring into action for the season ahead. It is a time of snowdrops, witch hazel and hellebores, and for our yearly snowdrop day held at Dundonnell House garden-where hot soup and bread is served to warm hands while enjoying the beautiful forms of lacy trees and hanging bells of many snowdrop cultivars within the walled garden.

Yellow and white daffodils small promises of light appearing all over our garden and held up in pots as trophies to end the winter, bright against the warming sandstone of the Garden Bothy.

The early delicate pink blossom of ornamental cherries and blue flowers of the tumbling rosemary encourage the first of the large northern bumbles out of their holes and hibernation. The earliest moths Clouded drabs, Hebrew characters, Early tooth striped, Red sword grass to name but a few are beginning to emerge as their food plants for egg laying become available.

April sees very low tides and the start of the years sea shore surveys by "Little Loch broom Marine life" our citizen science group to study species over a long period to see the effects of climate change.All who stay with us are welcome to come and join the fun of discovery, seaweeds, creatures and hot chocolate and brownies as a reward for the hard work. The days are lengthening the catkins are opening, the hens are laying frantically and lambing is upon us.

The Garden bothy has had a hair cut in that the roof was trimmed ready for the new growth to emerge with summer flowers and grasses.The rill beside the bothy and the bed behind is filling with scented spring bulbs and lengthening Iris to to bring a little piece of "Giverny" to the highlands.

We are soon welcoming our spring guests to stay at the bothy in coconut scented air from the egg yolk yellow gorse that frames our roads and mountain sides.Awaiting our guests will be a welcome pack of our free range hens multicoloured eggs, home baked bread, flowers from the garden,

Highland made sweet oat biscuits, and fresh seasonal produce from our croft.