Thank Goodness Its Friday!

Nothing planned. Whew. Caught up with the cleaning. Had my chill out session in the Summer House, just watching the birds, too dark to paint.

I watched a coal tit sitting on the nut feeder. It appeared to be frozen. I had never witnessed a bird be so still for so long and was becoming concerned. When suddenly it flew off and immediately there was a whoosh as a Sparrow Hawk pursued it. Twas better than the fillums. And it missed. So a happy ending. For the coal tit anyway.

The Dawn Patroller had to wait for his trip to get the morning paper to take any photographs. So dark, and dreich.

Fantastic looking curlew at the waters edge.

Our brave fishermen setting out on stormy seas.

I am sure they appreciate lighthouses shining their light to warn of hazards.

These are the net drying poles alongside the, now replaced, Kinnaird Head lighthouse. Which is now the Scottish Museum of Lighthouses.

Some time back a group of volunteers were gathered together, and as they could all knit, the Knitting Nancies were born. To encourage involvement in the museum and to publicise it they came up with the idea of knitting covers for the drying poles.

The idea took off.

People from far and wide and locally transformed the drying poles engendering lots of publicity and the beginning of local involvement.

This was followed by the knitted fish. Over 600 fish were received at the lighthouse museum. From all over the world.

Doctor Helen showing a couple.

Doctor Helen is the person who brought together the first group of volunteers who have knitted and arranged the displays.

At every school holiday the volunteers get together activity mornings for the local children. This has brought in an enormous amount of local people, both young and old, to the museum. A great success. And a lot of fun.

The aim is to encourage all to appreciate the museum and bring it to life. Well that has certainly been achieved.

Even on a dreich day - a lot of colour!

Farewell from the Knitting Nancies.

Virginia Mayes Wright. Director of the Scottish Lighthouse Museum.

Presented with a Scottish Quaich (cup for drinking whisky out of) and a knitted (of course) lighthouse. The lighthouse sits cleverly on top of the quaich. An improvement on those knitted dolls covering loo rolls.

Due to the cut backs the Lighthouse Museum is closed, for the first time ever since its creation, until next April. Virginia could have stayed rattling round in there, but who in their right mind would do that?

Sadly the museum has now lost one of the best promoters of tourism in the North East of Scotland.

Sticking with the lighthouse theme, Virginia is to take up a new post at the Grace Darling Museum in Northumberland.

Our merry band of volunteers bade our farewell over lunch.

With most of those present speaking Doric, and the waitresses, we had a few 'sticky' moments. Particularly the one waitress who wandered forlornly about asking, "Hale not Hafe?" Well thats what it sounded like. Eventually Virginia got her whole sticky toffee pudding. Apparently if you order sticky toffee pudding you can have a whole one, or a half one.... Tis a mine field I kid you not.

Last night was my night out at the Rotary. Tonight is The Dawn Patroller's Photographic Society weekly meeting. He swears he is the youngest member!

But I have to say retirement has been such fun. The latest is I have been invited to join in on reading the local newspaper for people who are blind. Now, come on, are they going to be able to understand this quinie?*

*Girl - at some stage you become a wifey. I insist I am not there yet.

"Aye aye, ah'l see ye the morn"

A break with tradition.

This is what I like as a Christmas Tree. Reds and Golds. And Green of course.

It is what we have always had. I have boxes and boxes of red and gold balls and lots of gold tinselly stuff.

So why have I now bought this lot?

Apart from the reflection of the background it is indeed - silver.

Our last home was mainly built in the late 1800s and had space for at least two Christmas Trees. The red and the golds went perfectly.

But not here. The only room we can fit a good sized tree in is the dining room, which if you remember, is black, chrome, glass, etc. and a red and gold traditional tree just would not go.

The other break in tradition is that this will be the first Christmas in 29 years that the Dawn Patroller and I will be - just the two of us.

No Roast Goose, no Vegetarian option. Instead of Articulate or Monopoly et al it will be Scrabble. (And he has to have an egg timer plonked in front of him, otherwise we would be at it till dawn).

Two crackers, how sad is that?

But hang on a minute, it does mean that when I open the wine there will be some left! Ha ha!

Back to normality.

If the cap fits....

Even if you are not impressed.

All knitting and sewing projects delivered whilst in Edinburgh. So on with another.

Larger sized duffel coat. As Second Grandson came out fitting 3 month old clothes I have had to start again!

My calf muscles are just getting back to normality after trekking up tenement buildings' stairs in Edinburgh.

The morning was spent at school in Fraserburgh continuing with new groups of children knitting Catties Tales.

The kids have so taken to this I am to produce an instruction leaflet for them to take home so that they can continue. The ones they are making at school are to be part of a display and they are all desperate to carry on. Even the s-l-o-w l-e-a-r-n-e-r-s who say, "This is too difficult for me." And then realise that it isnt! (Although I still struggle.)

And I am back down the shed in the afternoon.

Tomorrow's art class is to be snow studies.

I was in the library yesterday and found a book, 'Painting Snow and Water'. I did a jig! This afternoon I practised what the book preached and got quite excited. There is one of the other 'students' who definitely looks down her proboscis at me so I am hoping to not show up as such a raw beginner. My mantra is burnt umber and ultramarine blue. Yaaaa.

And finally. This weeks lilies. On our trip to Edinburgh we managed a trip to IKEA. (Probably our nearest.) Along with masses of t lights we bought this beautiful glass vase.

A post script. My favourite sea bird - the Gannet. Blue sky, beautiful bird, and only a few days ago.

Spirits lifted? Hope so.

Am I getting too old?

I used to love driving anywhere, any place. Put me behind the wheel and I was happy.

Friday we drove down to Edinburgh.

We stopped for lunch at this lovely Garden Centre. I sat and looked out and redesigned my garden! Such beautiful colours, the paths, the setting, it was lovely. But I had this awful desire to then turn round and come home again! And I had only been driving for two hours.

But we carried on and first drove round Edinburgh to Gilmerton where we had a self catering cottage. This post office was just down the road.

One of our daughters and her partner were travelling up from Lincoln so it seemed better to pick somewhere for us to stay that was on the South side of Edinburgh. But this then entailed a drive through Edinburgh - and back again.

My eldest daughter has a flat, on the top floor, of a tenement building in the middle of Edinburgh. These are the views from her window.

Here is the Dawn Patroller with our eldest grandson. Being silly.

And here he is meeting our second grandson.

Me meeting 4 week old grandson. I have this effect on most males.

We had a lovely two nights away. We had all our daughters and partners to see. Three daughters are in Edinburgh. We had a trip to IKEA. We played with our grandsons. We drove through Edinburgh and back again till I finally did not need to ask "Which Lane?"

We visited the other two daughters' flat, backing on to the Botanic Gardens, beautiful.

Today we drove home again. I am shattered!

I went straight down to the Summer House and sat and watched the sun set. All I could hear were the birds. I sat for two hours and eventually I unwound.

Our daughter who lives in Lincoln is about to present us with our third grandchild. I am checking out flights........I am getting too old.

Craigellie and how the internet can run away with you.

Arms of the Craig Clan.

Somebody long dead of the Craig clan.

In Craigellie Woods a spooky ruin.

This morning the Dawn Patroller discovered the above ruin. Only once the leaves had left the trees could he see that there was a track leading to this tucked away in the wood.

This set me off surfing the internet to find out what Craigellie means. Craigellie is where we live. It is not part of our postal address but does appear on some sign posts and the locals know exactly where it is.

There is a large country house called Craigellie House.

Ellie means small burn and indeed there is a small stream just round the corner.

Craig means Rocky Hill, and there is one we can see from the dining room.

Further reading led me to the fact that there was a Craig Clan. With a coat of arms (above). I got quite excited. Bit here is where I came down to earth with a thump. The Craig Clan were from Aberdeenshire but not this bit! Ah well.

So why this area is called Craigellie is down to the fact we have a small burn and a rocky hill. Not very romantic.

Nor was this discovery in Craigellie Woods.

An ancient tattie (potato) digging up machine.

At last the awful truth.

What I had to paint.
I cant paint.

Back to school.

This morning I learnt how to make 'Catties Tails'. This is the Doric for French Knitting.

In my day, long, long ago, we had a cotton reel with nails in and wound the wool round the nails, looped over, and eventually a woollen tube appeared. What you did with it then was anyones guess. I never did find out.

Whether it is health and safety or just plain recycling or what we now have is these amazing alternatives to the cotton reel and nails.

We had toilet roll inner with taped on lollipop sticks. When I say we, this was our tutor Isobel, me, and four primary school pupils. We will draw a veil over my efforts at Cattie Tails. The kids soon picked it up and were away.

I concentrated on encouragement, praise and extending the language skills. Mine also.

Because I had Polish children who spoke Doric....... The girls spoke English so beautifully, people from Poland speak so clearly and crisply. To then hear a word that was pure Doric, totally threw me!

Another way to do Cattie Tails.

We ladies, the Knitting Nancies, adjourned to the Internet Cafe in the town, for coffee. The picture shows it newly opened some time back. A community run cafe and meeting place.

The cappuccino was one of the best I have ever had. I love it when the beans are freshly ground. Are you listening Santa?

When I returned home it was to find that B&Q had finally delivered seven internal doors for our joiner to replace from the awful 70s Sapele ones we have downstairs. Upstairs will have to wait. But shock horror they have to be painted or varnished, three coats of, before being installed. I have no idea what to do with them. I know what I dont want, which the Dawn Patroller has suggested, that each one be painted different colour. Does he really want to live in a place that looks like a Day Nursery?

My water colour equipment has been delivered.

It took me the best part of an hour to unpack it all. Peeling off the wrappers on fiddly bits of paint pans and brushes, I was so exhausted by the time I had finished and brain dead, I just packed it all up into my bag to take to the art class tomorrow morning.

And to be honest - its all a bit scary.

Back to school then.