This is when you turn off your lights. 8.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. and make plans to save the earth. We have done most of the things on the list. Almost eliminated using plastic. Green electricity provider. etc.
Sitting by candle light is good too tho does make hitting the right ket on the ket board difficult.!
So - the rest of the day. Early morning saw the DP off on a day's bird watching. With two mates. I managed to get up early enough so as to have my breakfast provided. After that it was all downhill. I had to load the dishwasher. Load the washing machine. Tasks the DP does seamlessly. Me? Lots of regaining control of breathing but I did it.
Off to the Prom. Lurched into Lidl on the way and fought to the death over the last Press and Journal daily local newspaper. Actually there was no-one there to fight with but you never know. I was ready.
Now this has to be a first. 5 Oystercatchers. AWAKE!! Eyes open and not one beak tucked under a wing!
Just look at Nature's colouring on the beach.
The Gull Gang abluting.
Back home I did some brightening up of the background wash, more blue, more on the twigs that this Crow seems to have almost come a cropper in.
Much later watched the sun go down. Clocks forward tonight. I can cope with that. Sith Cat however is a different matter. He has his tea at 3. So fine tomorrow he will not start asking til 4 p.m. Its when we turn the clocks back in October and have to try and ignore him from ? Earth Hour? Cat feeding hour? Confused.
Right it is now 9.30 p.m. Earth Hour is over. I did my bit I am now coughing after blowing out the candle and getting smoke up my nose.
I think over 20 people said that to me while I was shuffling up the Esplanade.
The natives are very friendly round here. "Aye. " was my reply.
As indeed it was. I can't talk and walk. Normally its a smile exchanged and a nod.
Today, being a Sunday, the prom and beach were busier.
And a lone paddle surfer.
Not many birds due to the amount of people, kids and dogs.
So home again jiggety jig. Bit of Garden bird watching waiting for paint to dry.
I had a question as to what this bird is.
This is a Goldfinch. We have lots visit our garden. In the feeder are sunflower hearts which most of the birds love. Goldfinch also love Niger Seed which is tiny and the holes in the feeder - not shown today - require a pointed beak to access.
Blue tit.
Great Tit. We also have Coal tits but they are so quick I struggle to catch them on the camera. Will keep trying.
We have masses of Tree Sparrows. More than House Sparrows, but there are some. Tree Sparrows have the chestnut brown spot on their cheeks.
Female Chaffinch.
and male. I will try and capture the other birds we have visiting. We spend a fortune on bird food - but it's worth it.
Back to the painting. On the production line today.
Why I agreed to do an exhibition .... I also prepped some more canvases. The DP has been getting the finished ones strung for hanging. I am enjoying the challenge.
Fine Day.
That this is another Winters day.
With the added bonus of watching the professionals.
I did my walk but it took a lot longer ! They were incredible.
I did have a moments panic. I thought my eyes were playing me up.
The white thing you can see in the sky to the left of the boat turned out to be a drone ! The chap controlling it was filming the surfers and could make it stay still So my brain is thinking birds cannot do that - till it clicked!
I had a cataract op last year and now have 20/20 vision in that eye but am waiting for the other one to be done. ( And for anyone ready to tip off the DVLA I am okay for driving. Indeed I have throughout been passed for driving.) Its not an unpleasant operation - although I could have done without the blow by blow account from the consultant while it was going on.
Anyroads I finished another painting.
So today we have mist. Bit of rain, washed all the snow away.
Big surf though.
They make it look so easy.
During my walk I found a Tesco trolley also looking seawards.
And quite a lot of fish boxes. Some of which I loaded up and put in the bin.
Down on the shore line as the tide comes in.... Oystercatchers.
Oystercatchers. Just love Oystercatchers.
What will tomorrows weather bring.
One ritual I almost forgot.
Pomanders.
Orange and spices.
Cloves into orange. Use a skewer or darning needle to make holes. Mix your spices in a bowl. Cover the orange with the spices.
Add ribbon.
Now the recipe says to put into tissue, cardboard box in warm dark cupboard for 3 - 4 weeks. Well I havent got that long so its on kitchen roll on top of a radiator shelf till the spices dry out and drop off. It will smell heavenly from the word go.
The other tradition I forgot is the Christmas Wreath. I have enough time to do one and all the stuff to do it with. Watch this space.
Each year previously I have organised friends and others into a coffee and mince pie somewhere and go for it. Wreaths and Pomanders. Due to the health problems I havent organised anything. Its a lot more fun doing this in a group than solitarily shoving cloves into an orange . I had 2 to do but gave up on the one although I did listen to a lovely Classic FM prog from Winchester which helped.
Today has been most unseasonal. It has been as warm as a windy day in Summer
Oystercatchers sunbathing.
Gulls following the fishing boat.
Wondering why I am warm.
My thanks to a new follower BethB who has given me a kick up the proverbial and finally get round to being serious about my art. Setting up a shop on my facebook page in the New Year. I frequently get asked about selling my work and do not approach it properly. So thanks again Beth.
The same photographer gave me permission to do other paintings from his photographs. One was a harvest mouse on a dandelion head. Do you have them where you live? I may give that one a go. In fact I think I did.... will have a look through my vast pile of unfinished.....
Anyone get to see Countryfile on Sunday? It was about the area I live in, Aberdeenshire.
Macduff Marine Aquarium we have visited many times. It is open all year round so somewhere to visit with grand children - or without.
Crovie, pronounced Crivie , has no road to the cottages so everyone has a wheelbarrow. This is used to transport shopping from the car parked at the bottom of the road to the village. This transport mode was not mentioned at all !
Gardenstown is another village further up the coast from us. Bryan Angus, fellow artist, lives there . He and his partner run the Creative Retreat and have courses in Art.
It was a great programme with lots of other interesting stuff. We recorded it but those of you who know how to use catch up things - do it.
Our cat, Cait Sith, really enjoyed it. Here he is with the Dawn Patroller. Then he had to get closer.
Cait Sith is possibly a Kellas cat.
His double (stuffed and in a glass case) we saw at Aberdeen University Zoology department. Very large black cat Sith was a few centimetres shorter from nose to tail. The Kellas cat is thought to be a cross from a Scottish wildcat which is currently subject of a lot of hoo ha of protection, and a feral cat. Feral cats and any loose domestic ones are being neutered.....
Today I walked my .59 of a mile before lunch instead of after. Daylight is very short now and I really wanted to paint. Never seen so many Oyster Catchers having fun as the tide came in.
My granddaughter wants a painting of a cheetah. Sadly not found in Aberdeenshire, except on my drawing board.
Much better now.
Back to charging up the Esplanade.
And up and down the Path of Doom. I call it this as it took me a long time to actually get to the end which is where the sand dunes start and no through road for my chariot. It measures .59 of a mile there and back from where I park my car. Every bit of fence I know intimately as I leant over and struggled to get control of my breathing again.
There has been some fantastic weather recently. Temperatures into double figures, very little wind and sunshine. Okay not much in the above pic but what a beautiful sky.
Oyster Catchers
Redshanks.
Plenty of material for my paintings!
Although not enough daylight for doing much painting. I do have a daylight bulb in the shedudio, but it is not the same as the real thing.
3.30 p.m. Sunset.
So quite a struggle to .....
crack on and the cheetah looks more like a monkey...
The Dawn Patroller was out doing what he likes to do, and does well, taking photos. He met a fellow bird watcher and photographer and they got talking. Turned out this chap had less lung function than me, had COPD, but was quite obviously fitter. All down to this.
Vaping. I have struggled for many years to pack in smoking. Tried everything including some drug which was guaranteed by the NHS to work and sent me doolally. Obviously as I have COPD I probably was doolally smoking. Well I stopped - 3 weeks ago. Now I vape. The difference is - I feel as if I have got my life back.
Best Christmas Present ever.
