Tag Archives: Spring

The opulence of confinement light and the determination of dandelions

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

Our dry weather continues. A few feeble showers have passed through occasionally overnight so the track to the sea remains dustily hard. The ground is unusually desiccated, the soil crumbly; it is the kind of dryness that would be found … Continue reading →

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Shielding and shelter

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

There are wriggling tadpoles in small pools across the bog next to our croft but in the last few dry days water levels have dropped and their living spaces have shrunk. A rescue attempt will be made shortly, buckets and … Continue reading →

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Sinuosity

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

In April the land burned. Cold snow showers that had bundled together under cloud-bands of steel grey and ink in late March were swept aside by penetrating blue skies, fierce light and desiccating wind. The air was bright, dry and … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, encounters with wildlife, environment, experiencing nature, landscape, landscape photography, mountains, nature, nature writing, orchids, skylarks, swallows, wildflowers#cuckoos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Fire and fury (and cuckoos)

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

On Saturday morning a surprise landed on the lawn as I knelt gardening. A cuckoo, his livery as blue as the waters of the Inner Sound rippling with currents of platinum-grey and violet, his abdomen a striped T-shirt. His “Cu-ckoo” … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, experiencing nature, landscape, landscape history, nature, peat bogs, Scotland, Uncategorized, wildfires, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cuckoo blues

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

Our high-sky, Mediterranean-bright spell of dry weather has ended in a shimmer of pearly light and cool lavender breezes. The last few days have blown change in at our windows and doors and brought silver mists and gentle dampness woven … Continue reading →

Posted in coasts, environment, environment, experiencing nature, landscape, nature, nature writing, photography, sea, Spring, Uncategorized, walking, wilderness, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A yellow, song-filled May Day

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

The sunset sky of May Day Eve was a riot of unflinching, billowing gold and crimson. It promised heat and flames but when the night came it was cool and solid like grey marble. May 1st 04.30: sunrise is an … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, experiencing nature, myth, nature, photography, Spring | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Spring surf, seals and a selkie

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

The last of the unusually calm weather has passed. Normal service has been resumed with strong westerlies forging ahead of cloud banks smeared across the Outer Hebrides. Spring has retreated to the low hill behind me and dithers in patches … Continue reading →

Posted in coasts, environment, experiencing nature, landscape, myth, nature, peatbogs, photography, river, sea, Spring, walking, weather, wilderness, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mists, mellowness and an otter’s supper

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

We have been languishing in benign, calm Spring brightness. The vernal equinox has prodded this place into wakefulness, shaking us all out of our winter wrappings. Music and song has erupted from every corner of the croft, from hedges and … Continue reading →

Posted in coasts, environment, experiencing nature, landscape, nature, otters, photography, sea, Skye, Spring, Trotternish, Uncategorized, walking, weather, wilderness, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The vernal equinox and a spring clean

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

A young blogger (https://youngfermanaghnaturalist.com/) asked whether spring had arrived on the croft. I wanted to answer yes, but in truth, though there are patches of spring here and there and although it is the spring equinox, we are mostly still … Continue reading →

Posted in coasts, environment, experiencing nature, landscape, mountains, nature, sea, skylarks, Spring, storm, walking, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Grey tails and skylarks

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Annie O'Garra Worsley

As the first page of March opened, tall thunder clouds passed over the Cuillin and Trotternish on Skye and glided across the Inner Sound. Soundless, austere and stately, the heights of their heads were impossible to estimate and yet I … Continue reading →

Posted in coasts, environment, experiencing nature, nature, sea, Spring, weather, wilderness, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments