In a Kingdom by the Sea @tiger-tiger-burning-bright - Tumblr Blog

Change of address...

I've moved to www.hmsendeavour.blogspot.com Not quite sure is it's a wise decision yet...but gotta try these things!

Last night I felt a large vole creep into bed with me, crawl up my leg and start trying to burrow. It was only really at that point I realised I wasn't dreaming! One of the many pleasures of living on Ramsey! Definitely could have been worse though.

(The vole pictured is Tim our friendly vole from last year. The one in my bed was much much bigger than Tim!)

#vole #rodent #cute #unwanted #rspb #nature reserve #island #ramsey islnd #wales #uk #britain #pembrokeshire #bungalow

Sunset around Grainel and Loch Gruinart.

#Grainel #loch gruinart #argyll #scotland #hebrides #isle of islay #island #sunset

A stubborn sheep on the Oa!

#sheep #ewe #oa #seashore #coast #argyll #isle of islay #scotland #hebrides

Around Kilchoman on the Isle of Islay.

#kilchoman #isle of islay #scotland #argyll #sea #coast #shore #hills #cliffs

Snow on the Oa.

#snow #oa #ruins #sheep #stones #drystone wall #asabus #hills #loch #argyll #island #scotland #isle of islay

The raised beach and deer fence across Loch Gruinart reserve.

#raised beach #deer #fence #loch gruinart #reserve #heather #moorland #upland

Gathering sheep on Glen Astle, the Oa.

#sheep #gathering #dogs #quad bike #upland #the oa #heather #moorland #glen #hill #glen astle #argyll #isle of islay #hebrides #scotland

A small chambered cairn on the Oa.

#isle of islay #hebrides #argyll #island #scotland #cairn #the oa #chambered #neolithic #historical

Sunset over Machir bay, Isle of Islay.

#machir bay #isle of islay #argyll #island #hebrides #scotland #sunset #coast #sea

Machir bay, Isle of Islay..

#machir bay #isle of islay #hebrides #argyll #scotland #island #shore #sand #wreck #sea #coast

Creative fencing out on one of the Islay reserves!... A lot of jobs aren't as simple as you think they're going to be on Islay. The few days I spent fencing around cliffs and bogs with Louise was one of those occasions! The quad bike just couldn't quite make it through the deep peaty mud so all our tools and equipment (including massive deer strainers) had to be hauled across field, hill and glen by hand. It was exhausting and quite often once we'd started we'd realise that there were a number of issues we hadn't anticipated....like the bog being much deeper than usual! Both me and Louise made sure there was always a steady supply of biscuits to hand to keep us going and despite the difficulties we had a great laugh... as well as getting most of our work done!

#uk #britain #scotland #argyll #hebrides #west #isle of islay #island #smaull farm #farm #bog #cliff #sea #coast #fencing #posts #strainer #RSPB #nature reserve #conservation

The sunset a couple of days ago from just outside Bowmore.

#sunset #bowmore #islay #isle #island #argyll #scotland #uk #britain #hebrides #sun #beach #water #sea

Walked from Port Charlotte, through Bolsay, across the moors/bog, up Beinn Tart a 'Mhill, down to 'The Giants Grave' a huge neolithic chambered cairn and back the same way last weekend. Was one of he best walks I've done on Islay and I was joined by Mary, the senior warden of Loch Gruinart and Beki who used to work here too. Beinn Tart a 'Mhill means hill of the thirst and at the top the ground undulates underfoot in some areas where deep springs are pushing up to the surface. I always feel a mix of being hugely unnerved but strangely drawn back to walking back over the areas that give way! 'The Giants Grave' is tucked in the plantation below the hill and is a chambered cairn I've been looking at on the map for ages. It didn't disappoint, it was huge and tucked in a little clearing surrounding by singing goldcrests. I think it could have been really tricky to find and I have a feeling we got lucky! Definitely worth a trek.

#beinn tart a mhill #the giants grave #chambered cairn #neolithic #ancient #historical #scotland #stones #argyll #hebrides #isle of islay #island #hill #plantation #trees #moor #bog #walk #hike #trek

A suspicious highland cow watching me get into my car the other day!

#highland cow #cow #bovine #farm #animal #stock #livestock #beast #car #oa #islay #rspb #argyll #scotland #uk #britain #horns #suspicious

This is Glen Astle on the Oa. It's one of my favourite places on the Oa and the island and although the house is a chough house (a ruin roofed so that chough are able to nest/roost there) I'd love to be able to live there. I often sit there and dreamily think of the sheep I'd have, where I'd grow my vegetables and what kind of boat I'd have so I could fish in the loch. But alas it will never be. Probably a good thing too as it's really quite remote and the Oa is brutal! But I'll be helping the RSPB team on the Oa to gather the black faced ewes from here and the surrounding hills tomorrow and the day after. They will be scanned to see how many lambs they are carrying and marked accordingly. By the time this happens though I'll be back on the mainland, my winter on Islay over.

#islay #argyll #glen astle #loch #chough #house #ruin #scotland #hebrides #isle #island #coast #oa #remote #sheep #fishing #dream #scenery #hills #landscape #panorama

#rubbish #waste #decompose #litter #conservation #environment

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