Some of last year's occurances

I was very busy over last year and neglected writing in my blogsite - probably because I was adding blogs for work, and then walking Patch in the evenings up until August when he unfortunately died in a stupid accident.

He really loved swimming and would go into any water he could. I had gone down to the river near the Brownie Linn waterfall at Muirshiel, one afternoon [after three and a half days of rain], and had told Patch-NO for swiming - then got distracted and was trying to photograph some Common Blue Butterflies. Each time I looked up Patch was waiting for me and then I looked up and he was not there!!! - I just knew he had gone into the river which was in spate. I found his body a mile downstream one and a half hours later. His body was caught on a rock but his head was bobbing under the water................As you may imagine I was devastated.......I managed to pull him out of the water but then broke down and 'howled my sorrow to the wilds' Luckily the other two rangers had returned from patrol, got my message and had come to help search for Patch. They carried him, and helped me, back to the centre, and into my car. I brought his body home and buried him in the garden the next day with the help of my brother. I still miss him terribly as he was just such an excellent character - good manner, loving, well behaved[trainable]. Everyone at work was shocked and saddened at the news, as he had made himself a part of the whole team at Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

I eventually decided to go back to the Dog's Trust in October, to 'register my interest' in another Dog, and believe it or not later that evening I got a call through a friend in Lochwinnoch, about another dog which was needing a new home as its owners had both died [in April and October]. I met him at Castle Semple, with the neighbour who had been looking after him temprarily, and he found a new home with me.

Hamish - was a very skinny, Dingo like dog -smaller than Patch, and definately more skittish, but he has settled in over the past four months and [after 'THE SNIPS'] has also calmed down a lot, although he is not as responsive to training as Patch was , he is coming along slowly. He is however very loving and gets on well with my cat Suki!!

I thought I'd add in another little poem I wrote at the end of Octeber, one morning whilst at Muirshiel Country Park I felt inspired to sit down for ten minutes and pen this little poem.

Muirshiel Morning

Muirshiel morning has dawned clear and bright

Hard to believe there was a storm last night

Shades of Golds & Coppers & Browns

reach from the treetops right down to the ground

Scarlet leaves of a Guelder Rose, shine bright and clear

the sounds of a Robin, and a Wren skulking near

Long fallen trunks lie thick on the ground

Pointing the way that the winds knocked them down

The green of the rushes are now tipped with brown

and the Rosebay Willowherbs have fallen to the ground

The sun is shining throught the raspeberry leaves

and the clumps of ferns are swaying gently in the breeze.

The rhododendrons which used to cover this ground

are slowly but surely all being cut down.

They took over the area and swamped it indeed

a single monoculture where nothing could breed

but it is being replaced with the trees of this land

and slowly but surely, these woods will be grand.

this was written oriiginally on the 27th October 2008, on the Lower Habitat Trail at Muirshiel Country Park.

This is the road to Muirshiel at the mile marker [1 mile to go!]. It was a beautiful morning a week ago, and I couldn't resist stopping to take some photos on my way to work - nice route eh! There is a small parking area at the trees on the right [an old 'guarry' area - but quite small. Enough for a couple of cars to stop.
The hills are just past their best as the heather bloom was a few weeks ago and only lasted for a couple of weeks - just when it was raining all the time!!
The brown stuff in the foreground is braken which can rapidly take over hillsides and smother the 'natural' vegetation.
The River Calder flows down the valley towards Lochwinoch and the riversides are quite steep as it cuts its way down. This means that cheep are excluded and therefore the trees get the chance to grow past eating height!
At the end of the road is the Muirshiel Visitor Centre. There are some huge Chestnut trees all around the centre and carpark, a remnant from when the area was a private Victorian shooting estate - and the trees were part of the garden policies.


A little view of the start of the Windy Hill path which goes up through an area which was covered in Rhododenrons in 1995. There is the sound of a Robin singing right at the start [unfortunately you will also hear my camera 'zoming in'! sorry]. The Rhododendrons were cut down in 1995-1996 (with which I helped) and a few trees planted in tree tubes. However the large Birch trees in the frame also set seeds of their own and the entire area has now started to regenerate by itself with masses of young birches getting to between 5 and 10 feet now, with plenty more young ones comming on below.

Patch had a lovely patrol on Tuesday morning up to the Windy Hill Gate, at Muirshiel. He had a bit of company too - a young springer spaniel called Buster, who had only been up to the park once before. Patch and he had a great time running around after balls, and then, when they got up on the trail proper - running around sniffing out all the exciting scents they could find, but always staying within sight of their owners!!
Eventually, when they were a bit puffed out and as their owners had stopped to take photos, they both sat down for a short rest too!!

Back down at the centre, they spent the afternoon, lying around whilst there was a bit of greenwoodworking going on - but always keeping their noses, eyes and ears open for anything else which might be of interest!
It was a beautiful autumn day and we did get some lovely photos.
Muirshiel centre - old picnic site.