Author Archives: Christine Smith
Country diary: South Uist
The weeks of non-stop rain which the islands have been enduring are generally held to make up the longest spell of poor weather anyone can remember. Even on the rapidly draining sandy machair, sheets of standing water cover what should be areas of… Continue reading
Country diary: South Uist
Starting a garden from scratch on a wind-blasted coast is a daunting prospect, and one that demands long-term planning and patience. So this garden, with its established shrubs and small trees to provide cover for birds, was a definite factor in the ch… Continue reading
Country diary: South Uist
After the lashing fury of the gale it seems almost unnaturally still. The wind which for hours had battered the house and shrieked around the windows has died. The garden shrubs, so recently flailing helplessly under the onslaught, are now motionless a… Continue reading
Country diary: South Uist
The rain has been incessant. At Loch Bee the waters have crept over low-lying margins and spread across the grass to leave semi-submerged fence posts showing like a row of exclamation marks against the loch’s surface. A mute swan sails serenely across … Continue reading
Country diary: South Uist
It’s a welcome departure from the forecast when the day turns out to be mild and sunny. In the unexpected brightness of the day a narrow blue line of sea is visible on the horizon while above the machair, where the cattle are grazing, all is bustle and… Continue reading
Country diary: South Uist
It’s one of those days when the cloud has persisted at ground level all morning and, despite the slight but steady breeze, has remained completely unmoving. At the beach the landward limit of visibility is defined by the half-hidden dunes, and on the o… Continue reading
Country diary: Loch Lomond
On this damp autumn day the little lochside car park – usually so busy – is devoid of visitors, allowing me to claim the only parking space with a view through the trees to the loch itself. Grey and glassy under the cloud-filled sky, it stretches a… Continue reading
Country diary: South Uist
Scattered across the surface of the water is what appears to be a handful of animated metallic beads. Oval in shape, maybe half a centimetre long, they zip back and forth among the rocks in the shallows where the loch meets the shore. So brilliantly do… Continue reading
Country diary: South Uist
As the next shower comes driving in, I make a dash for the conifers. It’s not a large stand of trees but it only takes a few steps along the short path that leads through it to realise it has already acquired a forest-like atmosphere, hushed, expectant… Continue reading
Country diary: North Uist
The little beach is always strewn with small pebbles that are amazing in the range of their colour and texture, irresistible pebbles that beg to be picked up and examined before being returned to the sand or slipped into a pocket. I amble along towards… Continue reading