A breath of fresh air from Scotland

Welcome to "Man with two dogs" - the family website for dog owners and dog walkers.

This is my countryside diary which appears each Saturday in the Courier & Advertiser newspaper.

Archive for June, 2003

New life

Saturday, June 28th, 2003
Weekly

CUCKOO SPIT is everywhere on the tall grasses in a favourite walking wood. It’s another name eccentricity from past generations and has nothing to do with cuckoos or spit. It certainly looks like spit – a bubbly, white blob sticking to the grass leaves. The Doyenne, who is a great authority on many matters, thinks it is a deposit left by an insect. (more…)

Written for Weekly |

Dogwalking

Saturday, June 21st, 2003
Weekly

COW PARSLEY is a bit of a botanical misnomer in my view. It doesn’t look the least like parsley and the expert opinions I have canvassed doubt whether cows eat it. On the other hand, horses apparently love it. Such a common plant, its white, lacy flowers atop tall green stems appear in neglected corners of gardens, roadsides and the edges of fields. (more…)

Written for Weekly |

Miscellany

Saturday, June 14th, 2003
Weekly

WHATEVER HAPPENED to fly cemeteries, those delicious, gooey, raisin filled, buttery pastry top and bottom, sugary, cholesterol sins? (more…)

Written for Weekly |

Country calm

Saturday, June 7th, 2003
Weekly

RECENT RAIN has produced terrific growth in the gardens and woods, and along the roadside verges. The grass is growing as I watch it. I’ve had the strimmer out to battle with nettles which are most invasive weeds. I like to keep some nettles in an out of the way corner of the garden because I understand butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves and their caterpillars feed on them. (more…)

Written for Weekly |