the accidental smallholder :: diary archives

Maid of the Forth

Alloa used to be a port with a substantial shipbuilding industry. The docks are now long gone but hey! there's a boat back on the Forth. A local businessman has started running cruises on the Forth, from Alloa to Stirling. The boat is called "Maid of the Forth" and here she is.

This was taken at the end of October, I think. The boat went up on our side of the Inch and back on the other side. There were a few cruises in the summer and I think more are planned for next year. I'd like to go on one - it would be interesting to see the area from a different perspective.

I do think that the river and its waterfront are vastly underexploited assets in Alloa but I'm sure things will change in the next few years.

New photos in the gallery

I've finally learnt how to put photos on the gallery. I'm such a technophobe with a huge streak of learned helplessness but I'm feeling really pleased with myself. My tutor (Dan) is now lying in a darkened room, sobbing quietly.

The real test will come tomorrow night when I try to put more on - we'll know whether it's learning by rote or whether I actually understand what I've been doing.

Anyway, some new photos of Smokey with apologies for the very casual longreining. And some new photos of Felix, Cassius and Meg.

Now how do you work that scanner...

Working horses

Well, all is not going quite as planned.

The first set of harness I bought for Smokey was cheap rubbish and went straight back to the supplier. The second set was really nice but too big in the breast collar, although it was OK in the breeching. The third set (same make as the second but a different size) fitted in the collar but was way, way too small in the breeching. So, we 're buying custom made. It's from a company called Libbys, which makes a range of synthetic tack and equipment for horses and dogs. It can take up to three weeks to come but hopefully it will be sooner than that.

So we're still longreining and hacking out. We're also trying to source a vehicle so if anyone out there knows of an exercise cart for sale, suitable for a 15.1hh Highland, let me know.

It's been really windy here and there are lots of trees down. We had to manoevre round two today when we were out. However, Smokey doesn't seem to mind crashing through the undergrowth. In fact, for being a member of a plains evolved species, he's pretty comfortable in woodland. Maybe he can get a job as a logging horse...

There was an item on BBC's Landward last week about the original Horse Societies in Scotland in the 1800s. I watched it on the BBC website tonight. It featured an author called Russell Lyon, who has written a book about the subject "The Quest for the Original Horse Whisperers". I've just ordered it from Amazon. My grandfather was a ploughman, then latterly worked for the Co-op delivering milk by horse wagon. My father was brought up on a farm. I wish I had been old enough to know my Grandad better.

This week's Landward had a feature about West Highland Heavy Horses, who are relocating from Skye to Cumbria and are being ridden all the way. I thhought I had recorded it but hadn't, so I'll watch it on the BBC website when it comes on.

I love the idea of horses working - it feels right. There's a horse ploughing match near Perth on 25th November. If the weather's decent, I might take a run up and take the camera. Then in about five years,we'll put the photos on the site!!

Fireworks

Is it time fireworks were banned from public sale? Allegedly, the Americanised Hallowe'en is taking over from Bonfire Night but not here. It's like a war zone here tonight. And it's been going on for days.

Both dogs are hiding under our desks, although the cats are unfazed by the whole thing.

I like fireworks but maybe it's time for them to be restricted to licenced events.