Long live Heather

01/16/2005

Heather the weather was absolutely spot on. Rain and wind through the night, a dreich morning, but an interlude from midday till 4.00pm. In these few hours of mild weather, plus 10 degrees, light southerlies and with dry, although overcast skies, we have achieved a lot. Dotty cracking the landscaping whip, actually we are both keen to complete a new garden scheme designed for us by “Viridarium” last year, so every available moment is spent in the baronial JCB breaking new ground. I regret that part of the duties to-day also included a burial parade for twenty assorted sheep, and as I always feel that for every dead sheep recovered, another one lies elsewhere, we have probably lost up to fifty in the last couple of weeks, due mainly to floods and mud. There is a financial loss, but I do feel that we are being forced to risk livestock to comply with CAP and that saddens me. I will return to this, as I feel strongly that it is linked to many of the ills in Britain to-day. I must thank “Ray Ban” for his message from Dublin, Ray must represent an excellent cigar shop there. I regret that my Malboro habit was stopped some years ago by the insurance company covering the “risk” of the Tower of Glen Trollaigh, who considered that I was a fire hazard and proposed considerable premium increases. By agreement the Tower is now smoke free, apart from the billiard room, and for a limited number of nights, the long gallery, where we still hold the odd lively soiree. Although I keep them hidden, I still stock a 50 air-tight jar of Uppmann Coronas for moments of extreme frustration, or for the pleasure of my more unhealthy chums. Back to the weather, our interlude is over, so we expect Westerly gales and blizzards! This comes the day following the broadcast of a Horizon programme about “Global Dimming”, what the hell are we doing the blue planet? Yours aye, Archie, The Baron Trollaigh.