Technology again aaaargh.

Strikes again.  The DP and I eat in the evening at the dining table.  Very civilised.  He sets the table cooks the meal and serves it.  I open the wine and set up the music which tonight was sounds of the 70s or some such.  It started with John Lennon and Imagine.

At the end of the meal the DP was getting ready for his Photographic Society evening when the phone rang.  One of the daughters announcing that he was taking part in a group video thing on his phone.....which he had started?  He must have sat on the phone or more likely pressed something as he put it in his pocket....

Mike started a group video chat Mike joined the group video chat.

Emily joined the group video chat.

Emily joined the group call.

Group video chat has ended

Ignore dad, he's gone way beyond a pocket phonecall and pocket video called everyone.

We hope the rest of the daughters and their families did not hear our usual, " Got your phone, wallet, camera, something to write on, stick (for the computer) and car keys?"

Reply, "Will you stop telling me what to do? Where the f*** are my car keys?"

Which so reminded me of this.

A new series of Ladybird Books. Many of us who are around my age will remember these books which we shoved at our kids. This is for us!

This book is hilarious. But I do not want to spoil it for you - or the retailers/publishers who all want their cut. Please look out the whole range of the new Ladybird books. And enjoy. I am not on any commission....

What the DP and I actually did today was have lunch out. During which he got a message on his phone so after lunch we went to a field near where we live. Yes a field. Every year there are thousands of pink footed geese come to stay for the winter.

There are occasionally rarities in amongst them.

And this was it. White fronted goose. (White above the beak.)

I then went down the shedudio and painted.

I am playing about with canvasses. You have to prepare with a substance to take the watercolour, then varnish when its finished. But no framing costs involved so you can offer an original at far less. Yes there is still a lot of effort - how do you price that fellow artists? Here you see work in progress.

And a 'normal' watercolour painting of Oystercatchers and their reflections. Well thats the plan.

AA

Also work in progress.

No technology required.

November.

4p.m.. I just got back from the Lighthouse Museum and it really hit this is now post clocks back and I have now very few daylight hours in which to draw and paint.

Sunset will become even earlier in the coming days.

Although we are still experiencing unseasonal high temperatures once 3p.m. is past its colder.

 
 Around 5p.m. the central oil fired heating comes on, also heats the water.  We eat at 6p.m. ish, then the stove is lit and off goes the liquid gold.  Not long before the woodburner  heats the whole house, well the bit we live in.

I should own up to having a fan heater in the shedudio. I did try a convector but the shedudio is quite large and a blast from a fan heater works better, plus once its got the space up to the required temperature it switches off so I am hoping it wont be too expensive, but to be honest I dont care that much so long as I am comfortable.  

The DP and I have struggled financially all our lives, 4 kids under 5 led to them all being at university at almost the same time, and many of you will know how much that can cost.  I have lost count of the flat deposits we have paid and never seen again, bloody landlords. 

At last the girls are all launched and apart from the occasional propping up financially what we get from our pensions is ours.

We both still appreciate that there is so much in life which does not cost a penny.

 


November, and for the whole of the winter months, this is the spectacle at dawn as the Pink Footed Geese leave for their feeding grounds from the Loch of Strathbeg.  Many of the geese go over our house, calling to each other.  Along with the Whooper Swans.

 November - lovely.
 

Taking Stock.

It is that time of year again.  Stocktaking in the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses shop.  It did occur to me it might have been a lot easier had we done this a few weeks ago.  Before we restocked for half term and Christmas looming.  Hey ho.

Naturally we have lots of Lighthouses.
 

 And things with Lighthouses on.
 

 

Pocket money and or stocking fillers.

 Leisure clothing by the ton.  All with Lighthouse logo.

 

 

 The book section of the shop is my favourite.  Always well stocked.  But today I was not so happy as I had to count all the books.  And guess where all the visitors were heading?  I stood open mouthed as the books flew off the shelf, meaning I had to count them again.  

Any retailer would do a stock check when the shop is shut.  But a poor charity as we are, we never shut.  And no I am not coming in before ten or after five, I am a poor, old woman, who likes her win(e)d down.

More counting tomorrow.  

Stock taking is not all about shops.  It is about what is around and about.  (Or if you live up here, aroond and aboot.)  Well this sailed past us yesterday.

 Part of the thousands of pink footed geese, who spend their winter with us, setting off to feed as dawn breaks.

And for the last few nights we have had this.

 Aurora Borealis. Photo taken by my friend Lesley Jennings,  who always lets me know when its active, even to texting at 2.30a.m. ..........

Taking Stock.  I love living here.

A New Spring to ones bow.

Proper April weather.  Rain followed by sun shine.  April showers.  Also showered now with birds.  Migrants, birds displaying and pairing off.  

Down on the sea shore.  Pied Wagtail above.  Just look at the colour of those rocks. Definitely a painting there.

Wheatear below.

And up in the sky, Oyster catchers, in formation.

Inland.  The Feathered Ones also feeling Spring is in the air.

Not impressed.

Possibly impressed?

And even closer to home, a first for our garden, a Blackcap.

We are warming up a bit weather wise.  The garden is certainly showing signs and grass is growing, daffodills are in full bloom and tulips are all in bud.  Last year I planted quite a lot of bulbs.....and all seem to be successful.  Just hoping the Summer bulbs do the same.

This week I have started to plan the Summer Kids Activity Mornings at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, in July school holidays, with a Sea Birds theme.  Plus the One Thousand Sea Birds Challenge for the Art/Craft Gallery at the same.  Done extra stints at the same as our beloved manager is taking a well deserved holiday.  Plus my usual Art Groups, Wednesday Morning and Thursday afternoon.  Tomorrow more planning, but actually a day off, Saturday a very long shift at the museum.  So tonight - a glass of the red stuff.  

I know some of you haven't got spring yet iloveacloudyday.blogspot.co.uk

and some are a bit in front of us,pennyshenhouse.blogspot.co.uk do hope I have these right, its the first time I have tried to link.

A new spring to my bow.

Tuesday - Feathered Friends - or foes?

We actually had snow over night, but at day break there was left only small evidence in hedgerows.

The Pink Footed Geese saw the Dawn Patroller coming towards them.

And began to move.

Up and away.

A beautiful morning.  As lunch time approached, the skies grew darker, and darker, and then a blizzard of snow blanketed everywhere.  Within half an hour it finished, out came the sun and it was gone...... Weird.

Visitors to our garden today.

 Siskin.

Yellowhammer.

We are now closely watching the nest boxes within our garden.  One we have a camera inside.  Though from my vantage point down the shed/artist studio/opera theatre/drinking den I have seen no evidence of any bird even looking at it.  Although the one up our electric pole has had a lot of activity from tree sparrows.

Its exciting int it!

In between watching the birds I am having fun painting a new fanciful flock, well actually two.  The way I paint it takes ages for the paint to dry, so you may as well be doing another.....

More on the one shown yesterday,

And the start of another.  This is to be five hens striking various poses.  It is such fun!

I di hope you are enjoying seeing the stages one goes through, or is it like watching paint dry?

Back to Normal.

The Dawn Patroller is back on his early morning forays.  A cold and frosty morning.

The Pink Footed Geese in front of Cairness House.

Which as soon as they spotted the DP were off.  As they fly they call to each other and this is quite magical.  The birds arrive here in September and are now beginning to fly home, to Northern Europe.

I have yet to see one of these birds, in the flesh, a Bullfinch. They do not visit our garden.  Though I live in hope.  He is perched on some Pussy Willow.

This is a Buzzard.  We have lots of these birds of prey around.  They take rabbits, but join in with all the seagulls following the plough and therefore are not adverse to the odd worm.  Difficult to tell from the photograph but they are quite big birds, one swooping past the windscreen of your car blocks out most of the light.

On a Monday the DP becomes a man with a trolley on a mission and goes to the supermarket.  You often get stuff cheaper on a Monday, and we are but poor pensioners when all is said and done.

But he usually makes a detour.

Sanderlings on Inverallochy Beach.

The Bay at Inverallochy.

Looking Northwards to Cairnbulg.

I have mentioned these two villages before.  Two small fishing villages, our nearest to the sea, were divided by a stream, now a road divides them.  Inverallochy on the right and Cairnbulg on the left.

While he was doing all that I was finishing off my catch up of cleaning, what with pleurisy, Kids Activities etc., I had let everything on the housekeeping front get in to one hell of a state.  We do not use shop bought cleaners, we make our own, white vinegar in water and in a spray bottle, and borax or bicarbonate of soda.  Plus soda crystals down the plug hole every so often followed by a kettle of boiling water.  My bathroom now gleams again.  And I have had no nasty chemicals stopping me breathing. (I also use the vinegar mixture at the lighthouse when I do the lenses, as the stuff they use is enough to fell me at six paces.)

Once lunch is over - duck eggs today, yum, its down the shed.

Work in progress.

Blue tit is finished.  Its tiny.  I can knock one of them off in the afternoon.  This is our task at my Wednesday Art Group, think small.  Hmmmm.

I would far rather be splashing the paint on big time.  In fact I am on a bit of a roll at the moment.  I had a delivery this afternoon from Great Art, which included three new, all different sizes, but large, paper pads.

I had to force myself to leave the shed, come back to the house, force myself to have a glass of wine, and stop myself from starting at least two other ideas I have buzzing. Well, you have to stand firm sometimes, cheers.