* With apologies to John Steinbeck!

We've been wondering why the birdseed and peanuts in the feeders have been disappearing at a rate of knots, and now we know who may be to blame:

stoat



Isn't he beautiful?

On Tuesday evening we had a real treat.  I have mentioned on this blog in the past how fortunate we are to have a fantastic range of concerts each year in Lochinver.   These are organised by the ever tireless Alex, and on Tuesday evening we were treated to a wonderful concert by the Black Umfolosi 5.  This is a group of 5 men from Zimbabwe, who sing and dance in the traditional southern Africa way.  This was one of the gentlest concerts I've been to in a long time.  The music was so harmonious, and all done without any accompaniment, and the dancing was thrilling.

blackumf1



They ended the concert with a vibrant display of gumboot dancing - a form of dancing that has its origins in the gold mines of Southern Africa.  The group are incredibly skilled in this form of dance, and they had the audience completely entranced.


blackumf2


One can only hope that life improves for all those living in Zimbabwe.