We finally have Summer!

Fraserburgh Beach.  One of the cleanest in Great Britain.  Also, for most of the year, the emptiest, apart from seabirds.

 Today, yesterday too, and a few days now, it has been packed. 

 

24 degrees.  Too much for me!

 

Back home its watering pots, hanging baskets, and herb beds.  Not had to do that for a long time.  

Patio doors open, first time since they were installed two years ago!

Andy Murray finally won Wimbledon.

Wow.

 

 And I set up my first solo exhibition.

Walls at home are bare.  But the gardens blooming lovely.  Tis Summer!

Beginning of life and end of day.

The nest box is four strides away from our kitchen window.

Which our predecessors erected on the electric pole, and we said, "Well no bird is going to use that there."  
We pass there frequently.  
Some of the bird feeders are also outside the kitchen window and are extremely busy with birds ranging in size up to Rooks.

But twas done.  Cherry Cottage does its bit for the endangered House Sparrow.  As this is the second brood.

What amazing weather we are having!  Yesterday our temperature was 21 degrees.  Today a more sensible 16.

In the morning I put up my first solo art exhibition at the Lighthouse Museum.  Aye.  Came home and kept finding pieces I had forgot.  So I will be back again in the Morn.  (This means tomorrow in Doric, not morning, another thing I got terribly confused with recently, turning up for a meeting in the morning that was actually in the afternoon. Hey ho.)

Another benefit from this glorious weather is the sunset.  I wish you a productive, peaceful and happy week.  And some views of the sunset in the North East of Scotland.

Lovely day!

Look up the lyrics, Bill Withers, A Lovely Day, one of my most favourite songs.

Today was one such.  I set off driving from Lonmay to Keith.  Quite a trek, and these days an

expensive one with car fuel costs.  But well worth it.  The weather, blue skies, not much wind, and w -a-a-a-rm.  Heavenly.  Driving along what a beautiful place I live in.  Yay.

And then - meeting up again with Christine, from  http://christinelaennec.co.uk/ and Tina from
thequiethomeblog.wordpress.com  do hope I have these links right.

Cappucinos, Lattes, yummy cakes.  Lots of chat and catch ups.  We are all looking a wee bit worried that the waitress knows how to work our individual cameras!

We exhanged gifts.  We exchanged stories of our lives at the moment.  Some stuff that does not appear on our blogs, well not just yet!

Isnt blogging, meeting like minded friends just great!

Then I am sure for the three of us it was back to real life.

I called in at the Lighthouse Museum, for lunch,   And eventually left at 4 p.m. Tourists in their droves, an un - planned coach load of tourists from Yorkshire, so I was in my element being able to understand everything that was said!!  Now home, shattered, and no, I didnt have my lunch.

Lovely day.

Pooped!

Today I am pooped.  I am sure that everyone, whether they be across the pond or here in the U.K will understand that one.

This morning was our final morning before the Kids Activity Mornings, next Thursday, of ensuring we had our activities fine tuned.

Above, sitting on a table in the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses Cafe are the Puffin face mask, or Puppet, on a paper plate, and the loo roll inner Puffin friend (?). I now have to do the final template printed off on x amount of white card, for the kids to cut out, or their parent, colour in, and apply using double sided sticky tape, which i also have to supply.

Collected stones from the beach, which the Kids will be let loose on painting their sea bird or whatever they want to do, this is mine, a Puffin with a Perm.  Great paper weight.

There will also be making a telescope, colouring in, drawing your own sea bird, a Puffin mask, a Feathered mask, a Sea bird mobile, all using recycled bits and pieces.    I have also an ace story about a Puffin which could well be used.  Okay, thats one session, we have two more, but fear not, lots of plans.  

I then did a wee stint in the shop at the Museum so everyone could have a lunch break.

Then off to Thursday afternoons art group where I dropped off the entry forms and rules for my Sea Birds Exhibition in August.

Came back to the shedudio and finished three paintings as from Sunday I am exhibiting in the Lighthouse Museum.  Kids Activities and Great Works of Art do not mix, and I dont really care - mine are going up, be they trashed, knocked down, what the hell.

So much happening, so much planning to do, when you put up an exhibition you have labels to do and posters, plus I have to ensure all the resources are there for the Kids Activity Mornings, I have to get some of my paintings mounted and framed, and to cap it all there is a Board meeting on Wednesday when I have to have at my fingertips, budgets, staff resources, oh god.

Pooped.

Art - En Plain Air at Strichen.

Today our Art Group went to the great outdoors.

Strichen community Park Company was formed in 1994 to take ownership of and develop the site of a derelict brick works into a Community Park.  The park provides a recreational, social and environmental resource to a wide cross section of the local community.

The project is to develop the park for community benefit by building a café and interpretive centre on the site of the original derelict Gate Lodge, providing a year-round meeting place, recreation facility, art and craft retail outlet and tourist attraction.

Well, they did all that and extremely well.

The Lake.  Lots of Ducks, Moorhens, Black headed gulls, and a pair of swans, one still sitting on a nest on the island.

We all found a convenient place to sit.  It was a lovely weather day, despite one dressed up as a monk, she was worried about sun burn....

That's me above, you have to wear a hat when outdoors, perhaps not such a big hat, but it was only £2 in Tescos last year.

Above is the Lodge which is now transformed into a superdelicious cafe.

Here we all are waiting for our grub.  Well worth the wait.

Goats Cheese Quiche.

 Cesar Salad.

Roast Beef Sandwich with horseradish, salad and Methlick leaves.

The Lodge 'Fry Up'.

Yum.

Back to earth, literally.  In the afternoon I planted some willow cuttings.  Donated by a friend who uses them to make charcoal from I planted these 'whips'  and am assured that they will grow like fury.

And fill this gap between our two Poplar trees and create a wind break........

Then - I should be able to seat myself outside, en plein air and draw and paint, just mulling over whether we too should have a lake........

What happened next...

Now, some of you may have thought I had been lying down in a darkened room since my last blog, BEING A PERFECT HOUSEWIFE, well, no.  

I did consider it, but then the rest of my life took over.  Housewife tasks, 1%, 99% doing other things far more interesting.

Above pen and ink.

Charcoal and chalk pencil.

Using up some small mounts I had from my lovely framer, Doug Irvine.

Tuesday, Lighthouse Museum.   

Our chef, Kipras putting the finishing touches to his desserts... yum

Library collecting books on Sea Birds for the Kids Activity Mornings.   Some painting.

Wednesday, Art group in the morning. And planning our next En Plein air at Strichen.

Which also has the Lodge Cafe for lunch!

Hope its not snowing on Wednesday!
Thursday I painted the putty on the buoy lanterns in the cafe at the Lighthouse Museum.

If I could find the picture.... perhaps next time.

Also met with volunteers for the Kids Activity Mornings to fine tune our activities.

Friday, met with VISIT SCOTLAND, who are to relocate their Visitor Information Centre to the Lighthouse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yay.

Then did my usual stint in the Museum, front desk, welcoming, selling stuff from the shop, and stocked the shelves.

Saturday, then I did collapse.  Also Sunday, not much better, but on both days I did some gardening and a lot of admiring.

Today I was given a chair, for my shedudio.

I can move round the whole place without getting out of the chair!!!!!!!!!!

What happened next.. well could be me shooting out of the door and flattening all the flowers.  


So there you have it, my week.  Well most of it.  The Dawn Patroller continues to struggle with his leg, in great pain most of the time, tho he has done a bit of gardening, but should not really be doing it, and no dawn patrolling.  Tomorrow he visits a physio.  Fingers crossed.  He also travelled in a white van to Manchester to move one of the daughters back to Edinburgh.  Hmm.  Hopefully back to normal soon and we see some of his ace photos.  I wonder what will happen next - well actually there is quite a lot on its way.


But for now, I know its Monday, but what a week, so glass of red.  I am retired, yeah!? 

Lets all wait to see what happens next.