document.writeln('');
document.writeln('9th March 2010
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document.writeln('"Cold frosty morning" is a tune I soon ');
document.writeln('hope to play on my banjo>
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document.writeln('It\'s also the way our weather in Deerness started ');
document.writeln('today, with the fields white with frost.
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document.writeln('After a couple of hours the sun came over the hill ');
document.writeln('and with only a light breeze , it was a good day for a walk to the ');
document.writeln('beach.
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document.writeln('The snow that fell last week has disappeared, so ');
document.writeln('hundreds of wild geese were busy grazing the fields along the Halley ');
document.writeln('road.
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document.writeln('It was almost high water when Brock and I ');
document.writeln('arrived at the beach, so not much sand in sight for the many wading ');
document.writeln('birds.
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document.writeln('A group of oystercatchers marched along the water\'s ');
document.writeln('edge, with a couple of redshanks picking amongst the stones in the burn at the ');
document.writeln('end of the road. A snipe had moved to a ');
document.writeln('ditch close to the road where the running water was still unfrozen.
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document.writeln('Earlier in the week we watched in amazement as ');
document.writeln('brown hares congregated in the top field only 60 metres from our ');
document.writeln('window.
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document.writeln('Eventually a total of 9 hares started to chase each ');
document.writeln('other around in circles, ending in a sort of boxing match standing on their hind ');
document.writeln('legs. Was this a hares wedding or just a Deersound council meeting?
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document.writeln('It continued for most of the day, with several rest ');
document.writeln('breaks of about an hour. The following day only 5 remained in the lower ');
document.writeln('field.
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document.writeln('Leaving the grass to grow slightly longer has ');
document.writeln('encouraged Orkney voles to breed, which in turn has brought a black and white ');
document.writeln('cat to the middle field most days. Last week a woodcock spent 3 days in the ');
document.writeln('bottom field and we\'ve seen a female hen harrier circling the fields three times ');
document.writeln('this week. Today in the early evening before an amazing sunset turned the ');
document.writeln('western sky crimson, a short eared owl glided over the same area.
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document.writeln('I had a look at my boat today with a view to ');
document.writeln('completing some minor maintenance work, no time to be lost if I\'m to launch ');
document.writeln('it again in late April. It will soon be time to remove the old netting from my ');
document.writeln('greenhouse roof, protection from winter storms which seemed to miss ');
document.writeln('Deerness this time. With hedges to prune , seeds to sow and never ending grass ');
document.writeln('cuttting loomoing nearer, not to mention the most important job "Banjo ');
document.writeln('practice ".
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document.writeln('I don\'t know where the time goes to
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document.writeln('
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document.writeln('Current availability at ');
document.writeln('Deersound cottage
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document.writeln('April 3rd to 17th £195 / ');
document.writeln('wk ( SPECIAL EASTER ');
document.writeln(' OFFER £360 FOR THIS TWO WEEK BREAK ');
document.writeln(')
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document.writeln('June 12th to 19th £375 / ');
document.writeln('wk
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document.writeln('August 28th to October 2nd £285 / ');
document.writeln('wk
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document.writeln('October 2nd to 9th £195 / ');
document.writeln('wk
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document.writeln('October 23rd to end of March ');
document.writeln('2011 £195/ wk
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document.writeln('
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document.writeln('P.S. Although we no longer advertise with Visit ');
document.writeln('Scotland visitors to Deersound cottage are
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document.writeln('assured of the same warm welcome and 4 star quality ');
document.writeln('accommodation we have always provided
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document.writeln('Best regards,
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document.writeln(' Eric and Ros
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