Warmth.

This morning in Tescos.  The DP and I had volunteered to man the RSPB/Tesco Save the Rainforest charity collection.  We had been issued with buckets, sashes, which kept falling off, stickers, which didnt stick.  When we arrived there was no stand, no banners.  No nothing, and no-one at Tescos knew anything about it.

Fortunately the week before, the DP had met a (paid) lady on a stand with banners, monkey masks and colouring in cards in Tescos, who very kindly had said she would leave us all that .  So after a bit of hunting by Tescos staff the stand was found and we wheeled it into place.  Otherwise we would have been stood with buckets, juggling stickers and leaflets, and worrying about the strict instruction, YOU MUST NOT SHAKE THE BUCKETS.   How else people would be aware we were collecting money just stood there carrying a bucket and juggling leaflets and stickers I know not.
So we stood there for three hours and the lovely people of Fraserburgh and around threw money in the buckets in droves.  The leaflets were for them to hand over for all their green points, for using their own bags, to be handed over to charity.  (Tesco staff did not know anything about these leaflets, and when I tried to use one spent ten minutes reading everything on said leaflet, including very small print.)  Hey ho.  We were actually supposed to be their for four hours, but as we were by this time freezing cold, (and  it was the time when lunch break customers were hurtling in for a sandwich and a fizzy) we decided to call it a day.

Our afternoon was spent visiting more studios involved in NEOS (North East Open Studios).

We went first to Pennan.  This was the village hall following a mud slide from the cliffs above.  It is now completely refurbished and inside were the craft group and artists.

There was a wood turner, jewellery, knitted stuff, preserves, paintings, plus home bakes, coffee and tea, superb.

Pennan.  There is the Pennan Inn, pub restaurant.  The village is where the film Local Hero was filmed, starring Burt Lancaster, and has the, now listed building status red phone box bu the harbour.    You can just see it in the picture above, the film is excellent and if you get the chance do see it.  No sex, no violence, just a warm feeling.

How the hell did they build this house (above). And it is above, could not work out how you got to it.,.,,

The harbour from above, Pennan.

Next we went to Crovie, pronounced Crivie.

In Crivie there is no road access to the houses.  Everyone has a wheelbarrow.  They park their cars at the far end and barrow everything to their home.  We saw a coal delivery.  The lorry parked at the end of the houses, put the sacks of coal onto a trolley and staggered off to deliver to the customer.

This is where you park.  I got out and said to the DP, "You do it."  This is him trying to park the car, bear in mind, when you wish to leave you have to do a three point turn.  I did consider reversing all the way back up the hill but as it is something like one in 27 and there's a steep edge at one side of the road, you must do a three point turn here, avoiding the sea, so ok a 77 point turn.

But there is here also a red phone box.

These amazing rag rugs made of recycled clothing and blankets in the most delightful cottage.

We returned home safely!  And found Kurt, one of our neighbours with a trailer full of logs.

As he said, "Wood is great, you get warm chopping it down, warm chopping it up, warm loading it, warm unloading it, warm moving it to your wood store, warm moving it from the wood store to the house and warm burning it."

All in all its been a warm day.  Warm welcomes from all the artists and crafters, warm craik discussing our variety of interests, and warm neighbourly feeling.