July brings rain and the fruits of labour.

August 15, 2010

July saw some welcome rain to alleviate the dry spell. The west coast of Scotland was reported to be suffering rare drought conditions following a long dry winter. Here on the island, after what seemed like months of beautiful dry and sunny weather, but with chill northerly winds, the grass had turned yellow, the plants were wilting and the pond on the hillside had dried up completely and was being used by the ponies as a dust bath. Our water supply was struggling to cope with the many guests as well as the extra watering demand from the gardens.

There was a certain collective sigh when the rain arrived. The grass soon became lush and green again and the gardens got a second wind and bloomed into colour and fragrance. Soon we were enjoying home grown blackberries and strawberries from the orchard and peas, beans, and tomatoes out of the new poly-tunnel constructed during the Spring Volunteers Week back in March.

At the end of June and into July, the ponies started to give birth and we have ended up with a total of five foals this year. Two of them are part of the main group of fourteen ponies that are often to be seen grazing around the Centre. At first, they were quite comical, unsteady on their feet like they were wearing shoes too big, but they have since grown, weaned from their mothers and have become accepted as part of the group. Their baby coats are growing out and they spend a lot of time grooming and bonding with each other.