I apologise in advance for the picture heavy post, but the blog has been lacking somewhat in photographs this week, but for a very good cause - there are still a couple of days left for you to make a donation to the fundraising effort being made for the victims of the NZ Earthquake this week.  Jill (in NZ) and I have been stunned and overwhelmed by the generosity of people so far.  The total currently stands at £750 and I'd love to see it go as high as £1000!

We've had a couple of lovely sunny days this week, but today we finally had the chance to make the most of the lovely, spring like weather and we set off to the hills.  The first stop we had, giving us a chance to catch our breath, was at Paisley house, a ruin now,



but I can imagine it as it once was - a happy, busy home for a crofter and his family, with beautiful views down to Lexie's Loch:



We have been told that the folk who once lived in Paisley left it to come and live in the house we now live in.  I don't know how old Paisley is, but whenever it was built it is obvious that careful thought was given to where to place the window in order to give a good view up the hill behind the house:



Although many of the walls are still standing they can't stand forever, and it would seem that the severe frosts we've had this winter have taken their toll on the lintel which holds up the wall above this doorway, and sadly I don't think it will be long before it collapses:



It is interesting to be able to see how the walls were constructed, especially as we have a stone house that probably has exactly the same sort of double wall construction:



We have walked this route countless times.  I couldn't begin to calculate just how many times we must have walked past this unprepossessing collection of stones:



but today I noticed Lexie, who is always one in search of fresh water for a drink, taking an interest in them and when I went around to the other side of the rocks to investigate we were stunned to find a well:



In the photograph above I've pushed my hiking stick in almost up to the top.  I was able to tap on the rock below.  It must have been a well for a nearby house (The Old Soldier's), and we can only assume it was used when the burn which runs alongside his house dried up in the summer time.

The reward for our hard work in getting up a couple of steep hills was this - a wonderful view of Water Loch, which is effectively our well as it is the source of our water supply:



Lexie did a taste test and clearly found it up to scratch: