Homeland-Scotland

Showing Tag: "duck" (Show all posts)

Crofting Life - 19th July 2010

Posted by John McKenna on Monday, July 19, 2010, In : Crofting 

All the locals smiled sardonically and one said “Welcome to crofting.”

We were at the fank, having just brought in the sheep for sheering, and
I received the news that a dog -- owned by the new tenant of the croft
adjacent ours -- had killed our last surviving female Indian Runner
Duck.

This fellow although not exactly apologising, he did offer to give us ducks of completely different
breed. As the conversation progressed, he then suggested that his dog
would, in fact, kill more of our ...


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The Ducks Return - 7th Feb 2010

Posted by John McKenna on Monday, February 8, 2010, In : Crofting 

Good news, relatively speaking, on the duck front. Though we had seven Indian Runners, four survived whatever accident befell the lot back on 13 January towards the end of the big freeze.

To recap: One, as you remember, was left behind. I moved the hut and her closer to the cottage. Then on Saturday 16 January, E found another one down at the lochside and we shephered her back. A week later, we got a call from the house up on the hill saying one drake was in their garden. Finally, 25 January, ...

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Ducks....Done a Runner? - 16th Jan 2010

Posted by John McKenna on Saturday, January 16, 2010, In : Crofting 
Done a Runner?

I wish that were the case. The other morning, 13 January 2010, I found no Runner Ducks in their hut. None to be seen in the dim Winter’s light. Checked the croft, all their usual spots, and the surrounding area. Nothing. Back to the enclosure and closer inspection revealed straw pulled out of their home, mixed with a few feathers.



what’s left

In the improving light, I saw that one female was still tucked in the back of the housing. El Ultimo Pato? The last duck standing.

I feel...

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Just Ducky - 2nd Nov 2009

Posted by John McKenna on Wednesday, November 11, 2009, In : Crofting 

Last night was our first carnivorous meal featuring croft livestock. The Indian Runners are not ideal for the table, but seeing as how we need to cull a couple of drakes, we might as well not let them go to waste. I followed the basic outlines of a Jamie Oliver recipe.


before



Roughly chopped veg (onions, carrots, celery, garlic) go in the bottom of the pan. Fresh sage leaves are mashed with salt using mortar and pestal, and then rubbed all over the bird. Citrus (lemon or orange, halved) gets ...

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Birds Do It - 16th Oct 2009

Posted by John McKenna on Friday, October 16, 2009, In : Crofting 

One of my regular duties is cleaning the hen house. Scraping poo off roosting bars may seem a dismal task, but honestly, the shit is it.  Along with stray feathers and bits of straw, it goes on the compost heap. Then it works a sort of horticultural alchemy with the green kitchen waste, shrub trimmings, grass clippings, shredded seaweed and some partially rotted horse manure from the other side of Lewis. Over six months or so, the concoction heats up and rots down to become among the best soi...
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 Colin Macleod - Local Lad + Landscapes:

Again in the music-videologue-of-Lewis-vein: this one features the rather frightfully handsome lad, Colin Macleod. Pal of Dotjr, apparently. New CD (on Geffen) due out soon.

 

 

About Me


Barry Shelby Barry Shelby, American-gone-native-Scotsperson, Journalist , Photographer, Author and....Crofter located now at Earshader on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Barry, based for years in Glasgow, is now with his wife Elizabeth on the Islands off the North-West Coast of Scotland.

Images 

 

Lewis (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas,  also Isle of Lewis) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides (an archipelago) of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is 683 square miles (1,770 km2).

Lewis is, in general, the lower lying part of Lewis and Harris, with the other part, Harris, being more mountainous. The flatter, more fertile land means Lewis contains the only town, Stornoway and three-quarters of the population of the Western Isles. Beyond human habitation, the island's diverse habitats are home to an assortment of flora and fauna, such as the golden eagle, red deer and seals and are recognised in a number of conservation areas.

Lewis is of Presbyterian tradition with a rich history, having once been part of the Norse Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. Today, life is very different to elsewhere in Scotland with Sabbath observance, the Gaelic language and peat cutting retaining more importance than elsewhere. Lewis has a rich cultural heritage as can be seen from its myths and legends as well as the local literary and musical traditions.

 

(source Wikipedia)

So where is Earshader?

 

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