Singing you all a fine 2021

 

If I'm honest about this it's a snap from a year or three back when Eve, my lovely partner made the Crofter his Pigs might fly cake for his birthday. 

Wishing you all a fine 2021 when The Crofter will be again doing things croft followed [occasionally] by me with a camera

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Long-necked white chickens. Or something

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I found JP whispering sweet nothings to the tractor tyre today while the good crofter was tickling the machines underbelly.

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Fine weather brings the Crofter out with his pet shovel. I think he was trying to move the shadow from the shed to elsewhere. 

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J-P taking time out to enjoy the sun while moving sh*t from the trailer to the muck pile. A small promotion of sorts.

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I don't visit the good crofter as often as I used to. He has a growing family, gates galore and a barking dog. Instead I take Keith the cat for a stroll down Donald Four Tractors croft next door and marvel at The Good Crofters place from afar. Mr Four tractors only has potatoes planted there currently, and they are somewhat less aggressive than the dog .

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JP looks out o'er the Glen to see where coows had got to. He was taking two back tot he croft. Eric the bull was being lent out to stud while the other will be gone to the kit makers [as it were :-( ]

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The Great Man, pondering. Or do I mean posing?

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J-P does some sort of island-fling on the trailer one recent misty day.

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The Crofter is helping me by just keeping black or white animules on this part of the croft

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Ms Emily crofter, Mum and Dad and Isobel.

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A rather fine portrait of Dad Crofter taken with my second-best plastic camera.

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Still makes me laugh when I see this snap. The ducks winding up Dad Crofter with the old step on the hosepipe trick. Or should have been.

Perhaps it was the cool morning that turned the water to solid. It was midsummer's day nearly after all.

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Eight years ago eh?
Was it that long ago?
Seems like yesterday.

They are no more.

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This iteration of the chicken accommodation was I believe based on Bauhaus design.

The photo on the other hand was based on Wabi Sabi principles

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Ah yes, this was the day a year or three back when the kind Crofter went to Dingwall in order to adopt Eric the bull.

Oh I remember it well. Scrambled egg on toast at a cafe on the way there from Ullapool after the ferry crossing then Strawberry tartlette after the adoption process had been finalised. Oh what a day we had.

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The early coow, / pig / soon to be sheeps housey.

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Snow, and The Crofter has it all in hand.

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Old post Soviet crofter architecture .

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From the archive that was the big box of snaps in the box room.
The Crofter on that fateful wet Clisham walk.

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Back when life was in real colour piggies frequented the croft. Dad crofter doing the feeding up then.

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Gate man David outside his gaff.

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Three little orphans.

The ragamuffins.

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This fine sheeps is one of the 'wild' Hebrideans resplendent in its overcoat. It's probably the size of a rabbit once its unruly hair is styled properly. Obvs J-P is already well styled. Obvs.

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The good Crofter and his oppo J-P survey the hobo sheeps who were caught red-hooved after spending 3 years out on Tolsta Head refusing to come in. They boys set a trap letting out news that what with the lockdown and everything, they couldn't go out and get the sheeps in. Only, they could and the sheeps were caught off guard.

Although the sheeps were in good spirits they had rather let their appearances go to pot. No doubt the Crofter and J-P will see to that - once they have caught the little escapee sheeps that's just sprinted up the road past our house into the fog :-)

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Coow in the sunshine

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Back when

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Took a minor strollette to The Crofters the other day with snow round about and even - though not crisp. Took a gander at the sea o'er the croft and the gooses shouted at me.

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Keith Akabilly - the cat, and I took off down the road in the unexpected cold sunshine to see the Crofter today. The Crofter was in the tooth factory so Keith and I went down to the barn to see J-P, the coows and sheeps. They were there so I took a snap.

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 The crofter greets the vets as they come to tickle the coows in the big barn.

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The good Crofter and J-P discuss the merits of some machine that goes putt-putt, or most probably doesn't go Putt-putt but should.

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Winter is a wet time. Like here at the croft gate, the land is very damp.

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No, I don't know what was going on. It was dark in there; howling and wet outside and the animal doctors had not arrived yet. Maybe the good crofter was going stir-crazy. Maybe JP was trying to escape, who knows?

The Drs did arrive looked at the coows tongues and the like, checked their cholestrol levels or something. Took ages. I went home as it was getting dark and my steam camera can't see at that point.

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A very happy birthday to the Great Dad Crofter, David here seen - almost - in t'vehicule with JP. I love this kind of snap but if you prefer something more usual then see the David here.

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The Crofter and his family, Gemma, Emily and David  would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and contented 2020.

Christmas Day snap.