2008 Harvest – the Final Chapter

We finally finished cutting wheat here on the 24th.   It was all sprouty in the head, and the old combine did not like it much as the chain on the unloading auger mechanism split apart with a spectacular bang.    One new chain, new bearing and a lot of pushing and shoving to clear out the [...]

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Beethoven 9 – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

I really enjoyed the opening concert from the BBC Scottish Symphony on BBC2 Scotland last night, broadcast live from Glasgow.    There were a few patchy moments, and we could not hear Karen Cargill very well, but I wish we could have more coverage like this.  
Last year, the BBC covered this concert where The Planets was [...]

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Mother Courage – Dundee Rep.

For their first big show this season, Dundee Rep have chosen Mother Courage.    And at three hours, it was a big show indeed.     
There was a lot to like and admire.    Central to the whole and onstage for most of the time, Ann Louise Ross gave a worthy and powerful account of Mother Courage, and was very ably [...]

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Buchanty Spout – Leaping Salmon

I needed cheering up today as it is raining once again, and the crops look more sodden than ever.    So I went up to Buchanty Spout to see if there were any salmon heading back up the river Almond.

 
Buchanty is a rocky place where the river Almond narrows into a steep and fast-flowing waterfall.    Given [...]

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School Exchange

Over the years, our children have taken part in a school activity involving a school exchange, and we have offered accommodation to visiting pupils.    We have hosted netball players from Australia, two lots of musicians from Munich and rugby players from Canada.    It has all been good and positive, and we have enjoyed being part [...]

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No we are (er, almost) Two

I have been blogging for almost two years now.    Blog anniversaries raise the question:  do I keep going with this, or is it time to do something else?    Or change the focus?
Well, for better or worse, Bluedog is here for a while yet, but marking the date with a slightly different look.

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Harvest Progress 2

This is turning into a particularly tricky year, because we are not getting much in the way of rain-free days required to work combine harvesters.
Winter Oats and Spring Barley are all cut, leaving wheat to do.    But wheat soaks up rain like weetabix soak up milk in the mornings, and it normally takes a whole [...]

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Picking Brambles

Peter Rabbit famously bunked off family bramble picking to visit the delights of Mr MacGregor’s garden, and ended up being put to bed with camomile tea while everyone else ate fresh blackberries for their supper.
Ever since I can remember, I have picked brambles every autumn.    There is something wonderful about the big black shiny fruits [...]

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Freeview Boxes

Freeview boxes continue to be the most unreliable piece of kit in the house.    
So far:     1 Nokia, 1 Phillips and 3 Daewoo set top boxes have all died within 2 years.   And last night my Matsui DTR3 also died.    Under two years old.    It blew its fuse, and looking inside, it also melted a component [...]

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Combine Harvesters

On Flickr, this is the “most interesting” picture of a combine:

 
 
 
 
 
And this is the “least interesting”:

 
 
 
 
 
 
Who gets to decide on these things?   I think that the least interesting one looks more reliable, but the red/green mix of the interesting combine is intriguing in its way.

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