Sunday 2 June 2013

June Beags and Doodle Beags

The Quest

Part 1 of McGonks' attempt to follow the 'Pilgrim Way'
 
Torhouse Stone Circle
As you'll perhaps have noticed on the McGonks Facebook page, we are now trying to find out much more about a place named Whithorn and it's many links with Scotland's past - Vikings, Romans, the arrival of Christianity to Scotland and royal visits by such famous people as Mary, Queen of Scots and Robert Bruce.
 
This is in no way a pilgrimage nor is it in any way religious, it is a simple exploration of a road that is said to join the Southern Upland Way (Britain's first official coast to coast long distance foot-path) near the famous Glenluce Abbey then run all the way down through the Machars of Galloway to the Isle of Whithorn, where the remains of St Ninian's Chapel still stand to this day.
 
The Machars of southwest Scotland are home to many, many interesting places of national historical note. We believe The Whithorn Trust is like the information hub for anyone wanting to find out more about this area, offering helpful advice and information relating to all of the following historic sites: 
There's also Whithorn Priory, a place where no McGonk has yet to venture, so we are planning on visiting all of these locations this summer AND attempting to make it to Glenluce Abbey to complete all stretches of the original Pilgrim Way. In doing this, we hope to help raise awareness (and funds) to help save The Whithorn Trust. We've already set up a donations page and linked to a petition that we beseech you to sign and then spread the word to all your friends, relatives, colleagues and acquaintances to do likewise. Only by saving the Trust can we save the visitor centre and, in so doing, have somewhere of historical interest to meet and greet all the ex-pats who will be visiting Scotland during Homecoming 2014. Having some place to enjoy a cuppa whilst learning about their Scottish heritage has to be high on the list of priorities if we are bringing our long-lost relatives all the way across that big pond known as the Atlantic!
 
But let's get back to the case in hand bfore we become too distracted. Our route starts probably halfway between the start and finish of the original Pilgrim Way, from Thrift Cottage, home of Clan McGonk. We don't yet have a proper map of the road or pathway, nor do we even know if it is still in use - it is our quest to find out and to uncover the secrets of this ancient way that could have been walked, horse-driven or ridden over 1,000 years ago. We 'think' it's about 50 miles round trip, so needs splitting into manageable sections to allow plenty of time for exploring everything there is to see en route. There are also herds of cows to be avoided, as part of the track cuts over farmland that we already know is home to the big scary, hairy beasts, the Black Galloways.
 
Along the way, (pardon the pun) we will be seeking to help discover a means of saving the associated visitor centre and museum, which is located near the old Whithorn Priory. It apparently costs about £100,000 each year to run the centre (it now also has a cafe) and keep it open for business while holding on to the treasures contained within. The ruined nave of the Medieval Cathedral and crypts are now in the care of Historic Scotland, as is the museum, which is reported to house the finest collection of early Christian stones in Scotland. McGonks haven't yet travelled this far along the route but they have found an easy access point onto it and are planning to follow the road and visit all the sites that they can.
 
This is one of the Beag McGonks, a dandy little fellow who was part of the support group that ventured to the summit of Ben Nevis last weekend (a total of 4 McGonks succeeded in reaching the top - Bhreac + 3 supporting Beag McGonks). He has been out on the beach today, where he found himself a beautiful 'wizard stick' and a feather for his cap. He then went out to show off his new outfit and admire himself in the garden mirrors. He's fairly well travelled and should make an excellent scout for this challenge; if you look closely at the Torhouse Stone Circle photograph, you can just make him out when he and the grey Beag were hiding at the bottom of the huge boulders. He has been nicknamed Doodle Beag.
 
So, McGonk fans, let's set to work and try to help save the Whithorn Trust for a while longer and, in so doing, discover the Pilgrim Way so we can trek, ride or cycle the length of the Machars. It's another big adventure!
 
Check out www.mcgonks.com for links to donate or even just to sign the petition to help save the Whithorn Trust. We hope you will enjoy the summer adventures and our quest to uncover the original Pilgrim Way.

Saturday 1 June 2013

McGonks Conquer Ben Nevis.

WE MADE IT!


On Friday, 24th May 2013, McGonks set off from Port William, making the 209 mile trip by car to Fort William for what had become known as the 'Port to Fort Challenge'. The challenge was to make it to the very top of Ben Nevis and bring back a photograph as proof positive that a McGonk had been to the very top of the United Kingdom. It had been a difficult decision trying to choose which of the McGonks would make the trip but, in the end, the brave Bhreac McGonk was chosen. Bhreach sounds like 'Vra-chk' with the 'ch' similar to that in Scottish loch. (It's gaelic for speckled.) This is Bhreac safely tucked into the backpack, ready for heading north.

The drive up was spectacular, with glorious weather and a stop at Luss on the banks of Loch Lomond. The sun was shining, the visitor centre was alive with people out making the most of the bank holiday weekend and everything looked really positive for the big day. A quick look at Ben Lomond towering above the loch was a firm reminder that the walk to the top of Ben Nevis was going to be neither fast nor furious, as McGonks have virtually no legs and they need to stop often to take many, many photographs.

Onwards and upwards - we arrived at the hostel (www.fortwilliambackpackers.com) just before 5pm and were soon settled. Then we were off out for a short walk to explore Fort William. There are simply too many photos to share here but you can imagine how awesome such a trip was for such a little creature as a Galloway McGonk who had never been up any higher than the trig point on Mochrum Fell in the Machars! Indeed, we had been there just two nights previously by way of a final practice walking on hills. But Ben Nevis looked ENORMOUS in comparison!

We set off after breakfast on Saturday 25th May 2013 and reached the Ben Nevis visitor centre around 9.30am, where we stopped for some photos.

The mountain was busy and we saw all sorts of characters making their way up what's known as the old pony track but nowadays, the track has become worn and in many places all but disappeared under falling rocks and scree, so there would be no way a pony or donkey could clamber up to the top. But it's still safe enough for walkers and the well-practiced runners who race up and down it. Tumbling down it seemed like too much of a hazard to risk going any faster than snail's pace for us, though! And apart from that, we could now see snow on the summit... lots of it!

By lunchtime, we had reached the lochan that's about halfway up the mountain, where we stopped to eat our first picnic. Poor Aunty Woo had just got comfortable after slipping down a gully when a wee Yorkshire Terrier came scurrying along and pinched her cheese sandwich! The owner was so apologetic, but that didn't bring back lunch! We couldn't help but get the McGonky giggles! We decided to move on a little, and made our next stop at the Red Burn waterfall. This was where we began to see the snow creeping closer.

The sunshine and fair weather meant that crossing the burn was very easy and stopping to fill our water bottles an equally simple task. I can highly recommend the water from the Red Burn, no matter what you think of drinking from mountain streams. If you're out of water on a mountain, what else are you going to drink, bar eating the snow once you reach it?  (There isn't exactly much by way of livestock once you pass the 2,000ft stage, although we did see ptarmigan and red deer during our walk, plus sheep on the lower slopes of Glen Nevis.)

The path had run downhill slightly towards the burn crossing, but we were soon heading back up and fast running out of footpath. It was barely discernable once we reached the scree, with huge boulders that had obviously come clattering down with melting snow. The sunshine, mountain breeze, glorious blue skies and the occasional wisping cloud combined with the friendliness and camaraderie of most of the other walkers made this a truly memorabel trip. I certainly don't think we'll forget it!

We were walking for Pirsac, the Port William Inshore Rescue lifeboat, which is completely independent of the RNLI, but there were several other well deserving charities benefiting from the efforts of the climbers: this is one of the walkers who was making the trip to help raise funds for Brain Tumour UK. We met these guys again on the summit.

The rocks began getting a little slippery underfoot as we approached the snowline. Few photos were taken here for fear of McGonk blowing off the mountain, but we did try. The only way he could survive was within the safety of the backpack. As you can see, there isn't much to distinguish the path at this point, but the views were spectacular on such a fantastic day. The photo on the left is looking back down towards Glen Nevis, from where we had just come. Can you see the tiny people zigzagging their way up the mountain?

Onwards and upwards.

We could now see the snow stretching out before us. Bhreac insisted on having his photo taken at the bottom of the first marker cairn before venturing into the white snowy mountainscape, where there would have been absolutely no clue as to the whereabouts of the footpath had it not been so busy on that holiday weekend. It would have been a case of crampons and hiking upwards using map and compass, but we were lucky n that we could simply follow all the other footprints that had gone before us.

We took the straight route as soon as we could and began following
the line of cairns from one to the next, steering well clear of the teacherous Five Finger Gully and the equally precarious northeast face with its 2,000ft drops! Seeing the snow up there was awesome, especially when considering we were probably walking over about a meter of the stuff.

This is when the enormity of walking up Ben Nevis suddenly hits you! It is such an awesome place! 

Photographs cannot adequately reflect the magnificance and majesty of Ben Nevis on such a spectacular day - somebody, somewhere had to be smiling on us! The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, the snow was stretched out before us glistening in the sun and, despite the hundreds of people already flocking ahead of us, they looked like nothing more than tiny specks blowing along on the stark landscape.

This was the final stage of our walk - spirits were high, there were skiiers, runners, people of every age sliding around the place and, most importantly, everyone looked full of the joys of spring. We new we were approaching the summit by the sight of brightly coloured dots (fellow walkers) waving their arms in the air in celebration at seeing the old observatory, emergency shelter and trig point come into view.

Walking the final few hundred meters to the summit was an unbelievable experience on it's own - it was so good, Bhreac and I did it twice and, each time, we were rewarded with fantastic views and imprinted memories to carry home and share with the others. It certainly was an experience of a lifetime that I want to share and share again. I'd love to go back up there, but could anyone ever plan so well as to provide the perfect weather? I think not.

So here we are, right on the summit of Ben
Nevis, up on the highest trig point, somewhere on the collaped dome of a long-extinct volcano about 1,344 metres (4,409 ft) above sea level... and this McGonk about to make it to the highest point in the United Kingdom! I've included a close-up of the Ordinance Survey number off the trig-point as added evidence that this was, indeed, the summit of Ben Nevis.

Now, all we need to do is get back down again and make it back to Glen Nevis safe and sound to complete our challenge and show you all that this fundraising mission has been a success. We were delighted to see this little fellow waving at us on the way back down! But we didn't venture too close, as he seems to be pointing in the general directon of the dreaded Five Finger Gully - not a place the McGonks want to go near, especially in snow.

There was so much to see, so many people to chat to and even the wildlife was entertaining, with snow buntings coming to be fed crumbs on the very summit of the mountain. Time flew away from us as we picnicked on the top, watching the birds, surveying the hundreds of miles of mountain tops that spread out below us. It was fairly cold, the snow had filled our boots and there was a bit of an icy breeze yet, despite all of this, we managed to stay up there for well over an hour.

But time was marching on and we had to begin our descent. Such a shame to leave this all behind and
such a worry that something would happen to the camera before making it home and seeing the photographs!

The downward walk was slippery but fun. It was much slower than anticipated, although much faster than the ascent. The snow was slippery, the scree slid from beneath our feet, the rocks seemed twice as big when clambering back down the way and the views were stunning, meaning twice as many stops to take even more photographs.

All too soon (some may say none too soon) the lttle metal bridge was back in site and we were on the final slope leading down into glen and heading for the Glen Nevis Inn. Ten people, Bhreac McGonk and 3 mini-McGonks set off to reach the top of a mountain that day and all concerned made it to the top and back down safely.

I can honestly say that this mission has been accomplished successfully and we hope that all the money raised will be of benefit to the corresponding charities. We made several stops en route down the way and finally reached the pub early evening. We spent a full day out on the mountain!

For McGonks, we hope to help keep the Port William lifeboat afloat for as long as possible. If you would like to support this cause, you can still do so by donating via www.mcgonks.com website. To date, we have raised £635 from this one walk and put a McGonk on the highest point in the UK - no small feat for a gonk with no feet!

Our next challenge involves some more walking and cycling and it begins today, Saturday 1st June 2013. Warch out for news and updates online, where you can follow the exploits via the McGonks Facebook page and join our event (see events section) as we go in search of funds to help save The Whithorn Trust from closure.

Thursday 23 May 2013

McGonks Going Up Ben Nevis!

Heading Right to the Top via the Tourist Route!


This is it - the final countdown to our journey from Port William in southwest Scotland to Fort William, just over 200 miles north of here, where we'll be setting up McGonk camp in the backpakers' hostel - even although we're driving there!

We leave tomorrow morning and aim to walk up the mountain on Saturday. Our big plan is to get McGonks to the summit and raise some funds to help keep the Port William lifeboat afloat at the same time. It's all VERY exciting, as we havent announced which of the McGonks will be making this incredibe, once in a lifetime, trip.

It's going to be tough, especially for our wee lowland McGonks who have no high hills to climb for practice! But over the past 4 months, since deciding to accept the Ben Nevis challenge, we have both walked and cycled many, many miles in the hope of getting fit for the hike uphill. But we haven't tackled anything steep or relentless, so this Saturday will probably be the biggest test of our strength ever. This is where we hope to be by Saturday evening - right on the summit of the highest mountain in the UK!

www.mcgonks.com
Stoive / Foter.com / CC BY-SA
Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Monday 20 May 2013

The Goth McGonks

The Goth McGonks

Goth McGonkLast month was a very busy month, what with one thing and another, so we can only apologise for the delay in updating you all.
 
First of all, we welcomed the arrival of the Goth McGonks, who came marching into Frugaldom on their way to 'Deathfinity', which lies within the lands of Lockerbie. It was a most exciting time!
 
Then, of course, we have the on-going search for Beag McGonk, who failed to return from his exploration of the ancient stone circle. It really does make me wonder if that strange alien landing strip
might still be in use and if poor Beag was actually abducted! I mean, from the air, you can easily see where they land, but from ground level it's almost invisible!

See what you think for yourself, courtesy of Google Maps imaging. The 'landing strip' is massive. In fact, it is many, many times the size of the nearby stone corcle and the stone circle measures about 20m across! More about Torhouse can be found here.

Hooter McGonk has been keeping very busy, spreading word of the disappearance and investigating all the other possibilities. He has been to the top of the highest trees and into the depths of the deepest forests. He has searched almost all corners of the Frugaldom Kingdom and still there is no sign of Beag!

With only four days remaining until we set off for the Scottish mountains, time is running out for Beag!

Let's hope he does eventually turn up, he is going to be so disappointed at missing his walk up Ben Nevis and his visit to Beag Cafe.
 

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Enlisting the Help of the Hoolet

Widening the Search for Beag


As instructed by the Sneach, Bhreac McGonk had climbed back up the Barr Hill to the very top, so he could have another look around over the miles and miles of wide open countryside.

From this viewpoint he could see all the way to England, but he couldn't see the standing stones or stone circle of Torhouse, nor could he see Beag! He wasn't even aware that Hooter had failed to return home, so no thought was given to his plight with the Trolls from the Twin Caves!

A little higher and Bhreac reached the big angular stone known at 'Trig'. It was massive, with smooth
stone walls and an interesting metal plaque set into the side, bearing a number. After scaling to the top, the views opened out even more, but still no sign of Beag and no sign of the Hoolet, who had been sitting there previously, eating dinner.

But then Bhreac spotted something new and different and decidedly disgusting looking! In fact, he wasn't entirely sure what it was and didn't really want to guess!

This was silly, it wouldn't hurt to take a closer look and the 'thing' wasn't exactly alive.

In fact, it was most definitely dead!

Bhreac peered down at it in disgust, wondering what, on earth, it could possibly be, sitting in such a strange place, atop the 'Trig' rock. But as he looked closer, it suddenly dawned on him what it was...

Hoolet had been here for dinner and, as we all know, olws eat all sorts of weird and wonderful things at all sorts of wonderful times of day. They really are quite greedy creatures, just gulping down their food without a care, no hesitations, no wondering what's in it, just yum, yum, yum... down the throat it goes. And then afterwards, up pops a pellet, bleugh, spat out by the owl and containing all the bits and pieces that weren't supposed to have been part of the meal.

Bhreac had found an owl pellet!

On much closer inspection of the pellet, he'd become fascinated by one particularly shiny, white object and he wouldn't be satified until he'd discovered exactly what it was. Carefully, he wrapped the pellet and set off in search of the Hoolet, to find out more. And, of course, to enlist his help in searching for Beag.

It was a long, hard walk for Bhreac while carrying the huge owl pellet, but he finally spotted Hoolet snoozing on a high ledge, far above the gardens of Thrift Cottage.

Clambering up the vertical wall, he deposited the pellet at Hoolet's feet and looked expectanty for an explanation, in particular, with regards to the shiny, white object...

Hoolet began his curious tale of mystery, how he'd spotted what looked like a tasty morsel bobbing along the edge of the long straight burn by the side of the lane, and how he'd seen the glowing eyes of the creature and heard the gurgling, eery sounds in the night. His tale went on, the watching, his stealthy, silent flight overhead and, finally, his swoop to snatch whatever t was from the water's edge just after midnight!

What an exciting tale the Hoolet had to tell, but he hadn't seen Beag since their trip to 'the Doon'. Once again, he promised to spread the word far and wide so every creature within the Kingdom of Frugal would be on the look out for the missing Beag.

As for the white, shiny object? Well, that was... the tooth of a troll!

Monday 8 April 2013

Hooter McGonk Goes in Search of the Trolls!

The Trolls!


Despite the many, many times the little mini-McGonks are told not to venture off out of site, alone, the disappearance of Beag has everyone mystified. Nobody saw him go, nobody alerted anyone else as to his disappearance and nobody has seen him since he vanished from the standing stones. It was really upsetting Hooter, as he was missing his best friend, so he decided to go off in search of the missing mini-McGonk all by himself.

He knew he wasn't supposed to go near the lochs, rivers or streams on his own... but he did!

Off he went, following the edge of the long, straight burn that ran alongside the lane. The water was deeper than usual, faster flowing than usual and colder than usual. All that melting snow had to go somewhere.

After what seemed like hours, Hooter eventually came to the dark and scary twin caves, home of the Trolls. How often had he been told NEVER to talk to Trolls, NEVER to get in their way and NEVER to go near the Twin Caves? He couldn't even count that high, let alone tell how often, but Hooter wasn't to be put off in the least. With the arrival of the Goth Clan, nobody would notice him missing for a few hours.

Along the riverbank he scrambled, across the rocky bridge and then he began his precarious descent, clinging for dear life to the rocks, grasses and mosses that surrounded the entrances to the terrifying twin caves. Almost there... now Hooter was able to lean forward a little, just enough to peer inside the first cave.

An awful and hideous noise could be heard - a gurgling, hissing, growling sound, but more terrifying than that,  TWO PAIRS OF EYES were staring straight back at him! It was the most horrible site that poor little Hooter had ever seen! The memory of those bright green and red eyes, glowing from the blackness beyond the mouth of the first tunnel would haunt him forever! How he wished he had done as he was told and kept away from such dangers.

Hooter was terrified! He froze to the spot, unable to climb a single step further for fear he would fall or, worse still, be captured by the terrible trolls! But worse was to come. The trolls were pulling the moss and grasses right from beneath his feet and his safe hiding place was crumbling around him!

Hooter felt himself falling, slipping and sliding, air whooshing past him as he tumbled faster and faster, plummeting downwards and finally splashing into the icy waters below. Darkness descended and he could remember no more.

 This was not good! Beag was never going to be found at this rate and now there's a second missing McGonk that nobody at Thrift Cottage even knows has gone missing!

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Sunday 7 April 2013

Meeting the Rock Man of Clays Hill

He's So Dependable!

It feels as though the McGonks have stolen away the days! I know they haven't, but I really haven't got a clue where all the time has gone. All that I do know is that the search continues for litte Beag McGonk and all hands are on deck to help with the search... no stone will be unturned, although try telling that to the Rock Man of Clays Hill
 
The prickly gorse is coming into bloom and giving the place a lovely yellow glow, despite there still being snow lying on the sheltered slopes. Luckily, McGonks seem oblivious to the sharp little thorns, but they do still get caught up now and again.
 
We were kind of hoping that perhaps Beag had become tangled in the gorse and that we'd find him there, munching his way through the flowers or fermenting them into sweet gorse wine, but it wasn't to be - he was nowhere to be seen.
 
mini mcgonkHooter McGonk climbed to the very top of the hill and could see for many miles, but he still couldn't see his brother. On he tramped, searching under rocks and calling from the tops of rocks, peering around rocks and looking over rocks... he could see right over the top of the forest, but he couldn't see the lost Beag! He could, however, see a face looking at him, watching his every move!
It was the grinning face of the Rock Man of Clays Hill!
 
"Follow the Sneach," he cried, "they'll uncover the missing Beag!"
 
Excitedly, the little McGonk clambered down the rocky hill and went off in search of Bhreac, for it was he who was in charge of investigating the dangerous snowly slopes - they are simply too dangerous for the mini McGonks. Far off, in the distance, he could see the tell tale signs... the trampled snow leading to what looked like the gateway to the home of the Sneach!

I wonder what he'll find?
 

Saturday 6 April 2013

The Snowy Home of the Sneach

It's an Icy Wonderland!

After coming face to face with the Rock Man of Clays Hill, little Hooter McGonk got very excited about his mission and was in a huge rush to report back to Bhreac. He was also ever hopeful that he'd be asked to accompany the scouting party that would, inevitably, be sent out to investigate what looked like the frozen gateway to the underground home of the Sneach.
 
Racing all the way home, Hooter bounced around, chattering and pointing back towards the hillside, trying to recount his tale of rock climbing, coming face to face with the Rock Man and recalling his exact words, telling him to seek out the Sneach so that they could uncover the missing Beag. It's all very complicated for a little McGonk! Best just follow him and see for yourself.
 
Back along the long, windswept road they went, Hooter pointing and shouting all the way, sometimes tumbling over in his hurry. Then it was up the hill, following a strange and winding trail through deep, deep snow... whatever had made the trail had done so most carefully, but it was most certainly a trail!
Onwards and upwards, further and further they climbed and then, suddenly, they were plunging downwards, slipping and sliding, twisting and turning, faster and faster until they arrived at... a snowy doorway!
 
Bhreac was amazed by what they found! Little Hooter was instructed to stay well clear of the entrance for fear he fell in and would never be seen again!
 
The entrance to the doorway was well-worn and stepped in a gentle slope that allowed for easy climbing, protected from the driving winds by snowy walls. Bhreac called through the doorway, afraid to enter for fear of scaring the Sneach. He could hear whispers and rustling sounds coming from deep within the snowy cave, but couldn't see a single Sneach! But wait... is that one I can see now, just peeking out from the doorway? Or am I mistaken?
 
Neither Bhreac nor Hooter could see the Sneach, his white fur was so well camouflaged agaist the snowy background. But they could clearly hear him as he suggested they enrol the help of the Hoolet, who should be having dinner on the angular rock at the top of the hill right about.... now!
 
Looking upwards, the McGonks just caught a glimpse of the Hoolet as he took off, but they were sure he'd seen them.
 
Off they went on their travels, once again, ever hopeful of unearthing a clue as to the whereabouts of the missing Beag.

Thursday 4 April 2013

The Wrigglers of Wormery Hall

Wiggly, Wriggly Babies!

 
McGonks are wee, furry eco-warriors and they love nothing more than to forage for their own food, go beach-combing, search in forests, woods, coves and caves and make use of anything they find. In the land of Frugaldom, the McGonks have a massive estate filled with friends of all shapes and sizes, each with their own little community where nothing ever goes to waste.

The Wrigglers of Wormery Hall were Beag's favourite neighbours, he loved going to visit them, taking them table scraps, shredded papers and even the occasional teabag! It's been a few months since the Wriggler family moved into the lands beyond Thrift Cottage and there was some initial concerns for their safety. Hens, ducks, hedgehogs, badgers, blackbirds and even frogs and foxes love nothing more than a slurpy, tasty worm snack!

Wormery Hall managed to keep the Wriggler family safe without much of a problem. I guess it helps that the worms go into a kind of sleepy hibernation mode when it gets too cold, so the McGonks hadn't seen much of them since the beginning of 2013 and not a sound has been heard. It's now April and it's still minus 5 DegC in the mornings. The ponds are just thawing and there's still so much snow lying that tidying up the garden has been left to the ducks. But it must be warming up, as we met our first lizard this evening, who seemed to be out for a stroll but wih only half of his tail. Curious creatures!

This past week has been sunny and it is beginning to feel rather springlike, especially seeing the lambs playing in the fields. Wormery Hall was stirring into life and calling us to visit!

Carefully, we opened up the door and the McGonks peered inside. Then a squeal of delight! Their wiggly, wriggly friends were giggly! Not only that, hey were all safe and well, busying themselves at work and preparing stock for summer distribution. What. may you ask, might a worm be able to do? Well, the Wrigglers of Wormery Hall have their own little factory where they recycle all those lovely household scraps into 'worm juice'!

But what do you think was the biggest - or you may even say smallest - surprise of all?

Can you see the little red rectangle at the top of the first photo?

This is it enlarged to show you what we could see during today's visit to Wormery Hall: worm babies!

There are hundreds and hundreds of tiny, white baby worms, all eagerly learning how to help make the magic worm juice!

How exciting is that? The McGonks were eccstatic!

Wednesday 3 April 2013

The Return of the Wee Muddy Man

The Wee Muddy Man is Back!

It's been some time since we have seen or heard from the wee muddy man. Indeed, we thought he had moved on and forgotten about us, completely! But, just as the alpacas had promised, word was spreading fast and wide of the missing Beag and, as sure as a sure thing, creatures from far and near had begun joining in the search for our little missing McGonk.
 
Along the banks of the burn, whispers had been exchanged between the amphibians, the rodents and the feathered friends, each passing on the word until, somehow, somewhere, the news must have spread all the way to the wee muddy man.
 
Hoolet had returned from the 'Doon of May' forest to join Clan McGonk's search for the missing Beag. Afterall, it had been Beag who had accompanied the Hoolet McGonk when he first ventured forth to explore that particular forest - a task that could take many months. For now, it has been postponed until summer.
 
We were scouring the forest, looking for footprints in the snow and listening for the faintest sound of Beag when, out of the icy water, his little head popped up, had a quick look around and then the briefest nod of acknowledgement before exiting the chilly water and bounding off into the deep undergrowth of the forest! It was so good to see him back!
 
It will still take some time for all this snow to melt but, with the help of 'The Romp' (the wee muddy man's otter gang) the search has been widened and the waterways will now be patrolled daily until the missing Beag has been found.
 
Here's hoping that the sun shines brightly and the warmth melts the snow soon.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

I Spy Beag McGonk!

Could it Really be True? Has Beag Been Found?


Beag McGonk
Today we took Bhreac McGonk out for a trip to see if we could spot the missing Beag, but there are still no signs of him.

Several miles along the road, the tiny speckled McGonk had an idea!

Off he wobbled, onwards and upwards, struggling to climb the many, many steps to reach the top of an ancient fort.

From so high up, Bhreac could see for many, many miles, including all the way across the water to the Isle of Man! (There's still snow on the hills over there, too.)

But there were no clues as to the whereabouts of the missing Beag.

A little further along, we came to a lane leading to yet another fort - everyone knows Beag loved to climb - trees, hills, fells,  rocks, ruins, rubble, motehills and, of course, forts. So, off we went, along the lumpy, bumpy farm track until we could get no further - the path leading up to the once fortified fell summit was blocked by snow! About turn, retrace steps and resume our journey to wherever we were going.

Suddenly, Bhreac, who was peering through his tiny binoculars, searching the horizon, let out an almost inaudible, squeaky screech and became very animated, bouncing around in a most excited manner - he had spotted Beag McGonk in the far off distance!

He could just make him out and no more... along the road,  across two fields, beyond a car park and over a wall! It looked as though Beag had lost his Tam O'Shanter but Bhreac was convinced it was him, for sure!

Being so excited to see his little friend, Bhreac just took off - almost falling down a ditch as he scurried closer and closer.

On and on he ran, scrambling through snow drifts, under wire fences, between the slats of farm gates, across the car park and clambering up and over the huge stone wall that separated him for his long lost friend... and then he stopped in stunned disbelief!

No longer could he see his dear little buddy, Beag, instead, he could see... an alpaca, lying snoozing just behind the wall!

As Mr Alpaca turned to look at him, he couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity of it all. But that really did look like Beag McGonk sitting between the ears of this particular creature, especially from such a distance and with the benefit of wishful thinking.

Bhreac quickly explained to the still sleepy, wooly, furry beast about the loss of his friend and was reassured that all the animals in the park would keep an eye out for the missing Beag while spreading word to the other creatures, including the birds in the trees and the fowl on the ground.

With a cheeky little grin, the alpaca promised to have a search party combing the length and breadth of the parish in no time.

And so ended Bhreac's big adventure of the day... I wonder if we'll be any close to solving the mystery toorrow?

Monday 1 April 2013

Badgering Around in the Forests and Fells

McGonks' April Challenge - Day 1

The first day of April, Easter Monday, dawned dull and grey, not at all as the weatherman had predicted, so McGonks sat it out in the comfort of home, waiting for the clouds to clear and the sun to fight its way through the leaden sky. It took all morning!
 
By afternoon, the sun was shining from a blue sky, so we headed off into the wilderness to follow the trails of the Sneach and the wild animals that inhabit the lands around Frugaldom.
 
Along the way, the sun had melted patches of snow and little Hooter McGonk was able to find all sorts of exciting objects - none more so than this huge bone! McGonks were too scared to venture too close to this, just in case they got scoffed by whatever had been gnawing on the bone!
 
A little further along, they came to a giant cavern! Or at least that's what it looked like - a massive earthen cave! No amount of snow had stopped its inhabitant from scraing and digging to keep it clear. Hooter, being his usual nosy self, ventured right up to the mouth of the cave, peering in from a fairly safe distance. He assumed the residents were home and asleep, as they had left a rock in the doorway, probably to hold down any mail that the postman might deliver. Afterall, it was quite windy out there, despite the sunshine and blue sky.

What an Easter 'egg'citing day Hooter had!
 
He was absolutely exhausted by the time he returned home. But to his delight, he found a lovely surprise awaiting him - the first quail egg of the year! Tiny Hooter was quite shocked by the enormity of it all and developed a sudden fascination for eggs - that's when he discovered that he could actually fit inside a duck egg!
 
Being relativey new to Thrift Cottage, the McGonks had never seen a quail egg before, so the great red chief, Ruaidhri (Rory) McGonk, himself, had to have his photograph taken standing guard over the precious egg, too.
 
It remains to be seen if the egg will ever reach the plates of those in need of nourishment and sustainance, as the McGonks seem to be treating it as though it may hatch out a miniscule McGonkette at any minute!
 
Wouldn't that be a miracle!