Bye Bye Cobleland Home :-(

Alas, we have to leave cosy Cobleland campsite :-(. We've been here a whole year so it's been really nice to see all the seasons and learn so much about the forest. At least we will only be thirty minutes away so we can visit lots! We've got a two week holiday first though so really looking forward to seeing family and having a breather after such a busy summer season with late ranger bat walks and early starts. It's been worth it though and loads of love and thanks to Lesley & Graham for looking after us this year. XXX

Birthday Cards

Happy Birthday Graham! In the middle is a 'natural' card I made for him, which Lesley reckons looks just like him?

It was Lesley's birthday in July too, so I painted a watercolour card for her, taken from one of Reverend Kirk's paintings of the faeries which he did during one of his visits to Doon Hill. I also added some text taken from his updated manuscript 'The Secret Lives of Elves and Faeries. See blog entry 21st November 2008 if you want to visit the faery hill.

Loch Lomond

If ever you are visiting Loch Lomond, make sure you visit The Drovers Inn at Invernannan, north of the Loch. It's like stepping back in time as there are stuffed animals everywhere, traditional music at weekeknds, all the staff are in kilts and it's really spooky. You can watch live ghost cams if you're that way inclined too. More importantly, pop in and see us :-)

Fantastic Fungi

More and more fungi are popping up everywhere. Maybe sulphur tuft on the right? Common inkcap on the left, although not really one you can eat as it reacts with alcohol up to 48 hours after drinking it. Looks nice though.

Lugs & Billy

Guess which one is which?

Go Ape..... again!

My family came up to visit for a week and stayed with us at the campsite. It was a great week despite the awful wet weather. Any excuse for Will to do Go Ape, so here we are again. My screams are getting worse on the tarzen swing at the end though!

Toads

There are toads everywhere, especially on our Dusk Watch walks as it's been such a wet summer again! We're having to be really careful not to tread on any. Some people ask how to tell the difference between toads and frogs "If it's warty, and it can live to forty", then it's a toad. Generally toads have shorter necks, rounder faces and can hold more moisture in their skin so can live further away from water. They lay their spawn in chains too rather than clumps. You can't get a wart from a toad, but they do have poisonous glands behind their eyes so you should wash your hands afterwards - but don't hold them for long, if at all as they are cold blooded and our warm blooded hands are uncomfortable on their skin.

Here's a poor wee toad that a fox caught last night though, but the foxes have to eat too :-(