A new post about September, rainbows and moving into autumn ☺️ notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com/2026/10/02/r...

Rainbows in September

In early September the lower meadows were cut in a rush and a push. Cutting, tedding and baling squeezed into the intermission of a show comprising weeks of rain. Squalls pummelled everything. I th…

notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com

And breathe. Happy weekend everyone 🤗

A new post about September, rainbows and moving into autumn ☺️ notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com/2026/10/02/r...

Rainbows in September

In early September the lower meadows were cut in a rush and a push. Cutting, tedding and baling squeezed into the intermission of a show comprising weeks of rain. Squalls pummelled everything. I th…

notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com

A coffee time read: Coast, Croft and Hill: Letters from the Highlands with Lochaber crofter and writer, Kirsteen Bell published by @caughtbytheriver.bsky.social It's always a pleasure to share our letters with everyone. Happy reading! www.caughtbytheriver.net/2026/09/crof...

Autumn equinox afternoon on beautiful Firemore beach. Just us, the waves, wind and wildlife. View to An Teallach and the 'Great Wilderness'.

Hello! Can anyone help with the ID of this fungus please? Knocked over at the edge of a lawn by old tree stumps. It's a beauty. 14 cm diameter. Thank you 😊

Glimmer. Following a satin sea path to find the light. View to the northern tip of the Trotternish peninsula on Skye and the Outer Hebrides.

An August story... heat, holidays and hay making. notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com/2026/09/13/a...

It was lovely to welcome writer Amy Liptrot to Red River Croft. The hay harvest was in, the sun was shining & we chatted about crofting & rewilding. Since she read Windswept she's wanted to visit, follow the Seaweed Road to the beach & sea-log-seat, & chat about writing & family. Happy days 💙

An August story... heat, holidays and hay making. notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com/2026/09/13/a...

Hay harvest done. Pale gold fields edged in purple - scabious and knapweeds and late flowering clover - I spy autumn unfolding…

A fine bright afternoon. Swimming with grandchildren, sandcastle building, mermaid sculpting. We watched gannets diving & fish flitting through sparkles of gold. After weeks of rain, these late summer days are most welcome. An Teallach from Firemore beach, Wester Ross, Scotland. And a mermaid.

An antidote to the terrible heat endured everywhere else perhaps... A short blog post about our green, green summer. And fire weed. notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com/2026/08/20/g...

Green summer

Green is the colour of our west coast Highland summer.  Myriad greens and near-tropical lushness.   Spring was cold. June, July and the first half of August very wet a…

notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com

Toute la famille réunie. Watching the eclipse in the land of druids and dragons, kings and castles. Watching an unfamiliar landscape parsed by heat and dust devils, paddling and Perseid-watching. Watching out for snippets of deep time in dolmens and menhirs, caves and crags.

45 years ago I married my mountain man. My mammy insisted he wore a top hat. Mammy & I made and decorated the cake which my Daddy said needed iron girders to hold it upright. (The cheek!) We had 4 incredible children in 4 years (crazy, right). They love this wild, wild world as much as we do.

The latest in the series of letters with Kirsteen Bell for @caughtbytheriver.bsky.social. While the South has baked & burned, life has bloomed here. We've been cocooned from heat & fires. But worry still bites, the melancholy grows. We do what we can. www.caughtbytheriver.net/2026/07/crof...

The latest in the series of letters with Kirsteen Bell for @caughtbytheriver.bsky.social. While the South has baked & burned, life has bloomed here. We've been cocooned from heat & fires. But worry still bites, the melancholy grows. We do what we can. www.caughtbytheriver.net/2026/07/crof...

Summer brings moonwort and sea thrift, rain and flame to the Highlands, as Kirsteen Bell & @annieworsley.bsky.social look for symbols of hope on their crofts www.caughtbytheriver.net/2026/07/crof...

A glorious windswept afternoon. This coastal edgeland is filled with wildflowers, birds, bees & butterflies. We've waited a long time for sunny days. We've been cocooned in mists, gentle rains, separated from the terrible heat. It's a green, green summer here in the Highlands.

Summer encapsulated. Red River Croft home made blackcurrant jam 💜

Yesterday's pastel and priceless sunset. Also a serious midgefest requiring a high level of grit and determination and a large number of rude words.

Dear @itvnews.bsky.social @channel4news.bsky.social @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social Why is no-one talking about the shockingly poor #airquality in NW England due to Manchester fires? PM2.5 levels are dreadful. This WILL cause health emergencies, if not already doing so. Pollution+ heat = excess deaths.

This golden evening...

Beautiful film, fabulous music, words and voices. And the special view from a much-loved place... the sea-log-seat which features in Windswept. Thank you @skyebalou.bsky.social Haste ye back 🥰

Skye Balou@skyebalou.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Now put video to this song of G's, Turning Strange. Originally posted here cut to < 3 minutes. But I like the intro & outro so here's the link. youtu.be/NBV3X0QkNu0 It's the concept of people who have no means of shouting out to the world about the way the climate is changing their own world.

At the end of June, the @theipaper.com published a list of the 'best books by destination' for holiday reading. And oh my goodness... there was #Windswept among some very famous writers and their utterly awesome books. How incredible is that! Thank you @annabonetesteve.bsky.social 🤗

Amongst the Sea Holly I spotted this quite rare white pyramidal orchid on yesterday’s Sefton Coast Walk between Hightown and Crosby, plenty of hedge brown butterflies in attendance Also @annieworsley.bsky.social, someone has built a log seat from driftwood and stones rescued from the Blitz beach!

"This remarkable, small place keeps on giving, teaching lessons and providing hope"

Annie Worsley@annieworsley.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Moonwort and an orchid extravaganza. A short post about the latest goings on here on Red River Croft. Happy reading 🤗 notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com/2026/06/28/o...

Moonwort and an orchid extravaganza. A short post about the latest goings on here on Red River Croft. Happy reading 🤗 notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com/2026/06/28/o...

Orchid dreams

We watch the summer solstice sunset from the Erradale shore.  It is a peaceful and surprisingly midge-free evening. A gentle breeze lifts scents of seaweed and salt to mingle with the syrup, l…

notesfromasmallcroftbythesea.wordpress.com

Another new find on the croft! Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria), a fascinating plant which obtains all its nutrients from underground fungi, oh my.

For a few days here the official sunset is 22.28. Sunrise comes a few hours later. This short spell of night-not-night is beautiful, strange & magical. If you've not read Windswept, here’s a bit about the summer solstice. Last night, we walked out into pale gold & silver, moth wings & perfume.