More information please !

The information folders on the shelves in the cottage lounge have now been changed. All pages have been checked, updated and new ones inserted if necessary. We have gone a bit upmarket with the actual folders as we found that ordinary office folders were not very robust and were constantly being replaced. We purchased some rather posh green padded leatherette folders with reinforced corners for extra strength. A new addition is a folder entitled 'Places to Visit...Wildlife to see'. There are also folders entitled 'Boat Trips', 'Day Trips by Car', 'Walks' and of course 'Aspenwood Information'.

We have recently had our web site updated allowing me to have complete editorial control. I can now make any changes and add new photos and new pages.One of the first things I changed was the 'Places to Visit' page and now there is much more information with some new photos.The other recent addition is a page on The Jacobite steam train which runs from Fort William to Mallaig and is famous for its connection to Harry Potter as this line was used for the Hogwarts Express in the films. This is a trip we plan to do maybe in September. We hope all this information proves to be helpful in organising your days out. But...if you just want to stay in and chill out there are plenty of games and local information leaflets to read and possibly entice you out but there is also an eclectic selection of music to listen to with your feet up and a glass of something refreshing to hand.

View from the beach.

Yesterday was very cold with a clear blue sky. Took a stroll down to the beach for a closer look of Loch Ness. All the stones on the beach were frozen together and it was extremely slippery. Managed to get to the chairs and grabbed hold of them. They had a thick frost on them so decided not to sit down so stood up and admired the view. Found that some kind soul had left a stout walking stick next to them which I gratefully made use of on the walk back home.

Pheasant for lunch anyone ?....

This juvenile male pheasant flew into the grounds at our house from Aspenwood and was glad to eat on the sunflower hearts placed upon the logs for ground feeding birds - whatever their size - before having a paddle and a welcome drink in the  'designer' bath which has now defrosted after the harsh snowy weather over the weekend.

Spring clean.

We have had a thorough spring clean of Aspenwood during our maintenance month and we were very lucky to employ this local lass to help us out with the more challenging tasks in the cottage as she is well sought after in the area.
Keeping an eye on her made us really exhausted so we escaped as soon as we politely could for a lunch at The Snow Goose in Inverness followed by an afternoon matinee of 'The King's Speech' to recover. A very fine film with excellent acting and we came out feeling refreshed.
As soon as the temperatures rise a bit more we shall do some outdoor jobs at the cottage but just too chilly right now.Still snow on the mountains opposite and zero temperatures some nights but it is staying lighter longer. The birds are starting to sing in the mornings and as well as providing food here we walk up every day to feed them at Aspenwood Cottage so everyone is happy.

Long Tailed Tits.

We have had noisy gangs of long tailed tits around recently and they have been returning every winter.They are easily identifiable by their black,white and light pink plumage and small black button like eyes.Their prominent black tail with white edges is longer than the body and is used for balance.They feed mainly on insects and spiders but in winter when this source is scarce they visit the garden feeders for vital nourishment.Because of their small size they often huddle in groups at night to keep warm.
We had a flurry of snow last Friday just when we thought we were safe although it did lay on higher ground and is still on the mountains opposite. These little birds had better huddle up tonight as it is still chilly and zero degrees are forecast.