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 Donald the fish arrives

 .. with a suitable hat to talk to Sue with hat

 And David with hat

While Mr Crofter Sir plays with his tomato plant - without a hat!

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 Into the heat

The teeth were made and in the post. Dad Crofter was oiling the car bottom for some reason while The Kindly Crofter Sir was taking water out for the animules - some of the two legged kind having taken refuge under the quad.

 Oiling the car

 Modelling the latest fasion

On went the hat - just the latest fashion you know - up this neck of the woods anyway.

 Pig in..... outside its hutch.

Broiling

The animules did nothing much really.

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I'm told the animules are not too keen on the heat. We don't get it that often and they have not acclimatised. The hens hid in the barn under the quad, the turkeys girls are on the nest while Turk prowls as usual. He's always hot!

The piggies are asleep on the ground awaiting Mr Crofter Sir to wet the ground so there is some proper mud to wallow in. The coows are sweltering down the Croft - Tinga sporting her newly painted toenails after the vet came to attend to a spot of podiatry on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the ducks are being ducks and Mr Crofter Sir is being Mr Crofter Sir - with a hat on! [and, can you believe this, wanting some rain!] .

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 Bag in the barn

Bag on the shoulder

Yes, we are still here. Only the sun is shining and I have a problem spending time in the dark when I could be strolling in the sun. The Crofter is happy-ish  as the ground is dry and hard, he has money making work to do and the animules are all behaving themselves. I did hear him mention that he needs a bit of rain! Never completely satisfied that boy!.

The pigs were wallowing in the mud/poo when I was there yesterday, trying to cool off. Sheeps were out on Tolsta Head, coows were in the top field awaiting the Vet to arrive on his white horse over the horizon to do a little pedicure on Tinga and The Crofter and I sat and chewed the cud on the comfy chairs saved from the community hall skip. Was really lovely sitting there passing the time of day and all but falling asleep!

The Vet on the white horse or in the white van never arrived while I was there. Mr Crofter Sir went back to making teeth and I came home. 

These snaps were taken on a duller day when Mr Crofter Sir moved bags of feed from there [the van] to there [the barn]. Such excitement!

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I decided I'd better pop down to see how Flash, the new calf was getting on. He is living at the bottom of the croft so off I went down the veg patch to be greeted in the traditional hissing manner by geese numbering four. Apparently, the islands are plagued by grey lag geese that come here to eat the grass since we seem to have altered the world's climate somewhat with our insatiable appetite for burning fossil fuels and now the islands seem a good place for them to be at this time of year. They eat the grass so I'm told, then leave their droppings all over the crofts so when the grass is cut for silage, it gets caught up in the rolls of grass and then starts to rot it. That and the rabbits and frogs that also get sucked into the roll-making machine! Anyway, since the geese cause all these issues with the crofts, why keep white ones?

I passed on by the welcoming geese, taking time to enjoy the light over the Minch that day. That's number 1 North Tolsta down there. Nice position I think.

And there's Flash, running to her Mum away from me as I point the box he hasn't seen before at him. You can see why The Crofter was inspired to call him Flash too. I stayed a while, enjoying the day, breathing in the fresh cool air then sauntered back up the croft again. But not before one of the big coows gave me the eye.

I didn't hang around even though there was a good fence between the beasts and I.

The light was still there glancing a blow on the waves below as the bird sat on the chicken house and waited for some feed to become available. Then I went home.

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No, I don't usually 'do' colour. It's not my thing as it gives a false impression of the world. But, seeing as I had a roll of colour film hanging around, I shoved it in the old plastic ''toy' camera and set off with The Crofter a while back. Now the film is back from being developed in the 'sheep-dip', I present to you [with all its flaws]. Make of it what you will as it's unlikely to happen again - unless someone sends me some colour film!

 Sheeps [brownish]

 Crofter & Co [greyish]

 At the edge of the Croft [blueish]

A popular Crofter of North-Tolsta [greenish :-) ]

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Mr Crofter was happy today. Well, when I say 'happy' what I really mean was that he smiled. Only the once mind you, but a smile all the same. He'd just un-loaded a shed-load of animule feed brought back from Lewis Crofters. The other croft-supply place on the other side of the island has gone bust after a short period of trading. Such is life!

Life is tough for the lonesome Crofter

Anyway, Mr Crofter sat down for a cup of tea - builder's tea with milk and sugar - although now that you mention it, perhaps he doesn't have the sugar. Anyway, the invoice then came to his notice! 'Oh good-gracious'' he said with a certain amount of emphasis on the 'bol******' bit. Still, nothing that a sip of a nice cup of tea couldn't put right - that, and another full weekend making teeth!

But drink a mug of tea and he is smiling again.

note; of course it wasn't like this but why let truth get in the way??