Wednesday, March 08, 2023
A solitary red grouse was almost the only bird we saw on our walk - the other being a raven on the dam.
As usually happens with red grouse we were alerted by a pleasing croak as the unseen bird took off and flew up the hillside through the plantation, to survey us from a more comfortable distance. How nice it is to be moved by encounters with wild creatures and then to leave them alive - instead of wishing only to kill them and still their voices forever.
Greger brought his posh camera along today and my first response on lifting it to take this photo was the daft exclamation "Oh! I can see!" I'm so used to the less-than-perfect viewfinder on my bridge camera that it always comes as a shock to use Greger's DSLR, which I swear gives not simply a real-life picture through the viewfinder, but even an enhanced one!
The puddles along the track where the sun was only just reaching were solid ice. A week ago, I heard purring in a ditch a little way up the wind-farm road and caught a glimpse of two frogs; and out in the Coigach area later there was a single clump of frogspawn in one of the roadside drainage pools. Hmm. Bit too early, perhaps - but it illustrates the over-riding preoccupation with life on earth to procreate. Never mind the individual, just keep the species going - an urge that's been present in life since life began. Or it wouldn't still be here. Very odd.
It was a beautiful day, but very cold. We delayed going home because we have no heating or hot water, as we forgot to order in oil until there were only a few centimetres left in the tank - and at least after our walk we could drive around in a warm car! For the last three days, two oil-filled electric radiators and a two-barred electric fire have been moved round the bungalow from room to room in an effort to keep warm; but the only substitute for a hot shower is a flannel wash at the basin! And all this at the coldest time of the year. Last night, something like -14℃ was recorded at Altnaharra which lies to the north of Ullapool and inland so it's bound to be colder; but we know it was at least -6℃ here. Still, we're not complaining; we know the oil will be delivered eventually and that we can afford to pay for it. Others are not so lucky.
