June is flowing by with change in the weather and in our business

Monday

I’m going to talk about the weather. It seems this is a common thread to how most of my broadcasts begin. By the time you read it, the weather will no longer be news or current as true to Scottish form it changes within minutes. For those of you who live in more consistent weather patterns, please be patient. After all the heat, it’s wet and windy and really quite cool up here.

The wet has not, however, filled or even topped up the pond, nor the new road side ditches. Nor has it washed the new driveway away so that’s a positive! It has however tested my willow plant supports (still standing) and shown what would happen when I don’t support things. Ah well. I bought a different looking support at the Scottish National Gardening Festival at Scone Palace (always worth a visit). The Big B is convinced it won’t work but I’m up for a bit of experimentation and always happy to support a basket maker. 

Business news:

We wrote to Airbnb and Booking.com asking them for more information on facilitating the rental of short term let properties in the illegal Israeli occupied territories. They haven’t responded so we have suspended our listings on those sites. Yes it’s a risk but we are doing it. We are looking into other options for our marketing and hope to go live on Cool Stays soon. If you have any other suggestions please let us know. (Sawdays declined our application.)

Tuesday

Laura, from Satis Botanicals, and I have been trying to get together to use her still for two years (!). Finally our planets aligned and we did it. I told little E that we were making potions, and that’s just what it felt like. Think nepeta, oregano, rose. The options are endless.

Wednesday

Our Singaporean woofers are back soon to help us host a week of world schooling at the end of June. We me virtually, them in Spanish heat, us wrapped in Scottish wind, to discuss the different modules. I’m going to work with ecological surveys - soil, plants, trees, birds. I’ve been wanting to get a better tab on what is here and I think four children will be ideal to do that; they will see, feel, hear and touch things that I ignore. November and Halley have created a fabulous crossword and colouring in sheets and will talk about taxonomy and history and cooking. It’s going to be a great week. (Still one place left for a family - either residential or not).

Thursday

A lamb broke its leg above the hock (that’s like it’s knee). No idea how. The vet has now put a proper ‘plaster’ on. Of course they are now made of fibreglass. The little lamb was so quiet when we were looking to see what was wrong and I made the mistake of anthropomorphising the situation, assuming she would bleat or make noise if she was in pain. But of course sheep don’t want to attract predators, so they go quiet - the opposite of us humans. 

Friday

Our latest guests are again a mix of antipodean and London based friends using Burmieston as a base to cover as much of Scotland as possible. The trampoline and little E’s customer relations were a hit. One evening I thought I could hear them playing Miles Davis through the open kitchen window, but it turns out it was our elder son. My parenting is complete.

What I have been making:

Rhubarb and citrus fizz from The Happy Pear. No one eats rhubarb but it comes anyway in the veg box so this was a great use for it.

Nettle cordial for Olly’s hayfever. It tastes nice because of all the sugar, it who know if it works after all that boiling?

The dandelion vinegars are ready.

What I have been listening to:

Podcast called Hidden Brain. The episode ‘Forget About It’ was particularly relevant