TWO posts in one day!

Theres  no hope, I think I need a therapist?  This morning I went out for some retail therapy.  Achieved -tick.  Cappuccino, best place is the Lighthouse Museum, on the way through to the cafe I sold a few tickets to the museum.......staff absorbed in displaying 2014 calendars.

Staff struggling with new till EPOS system and stocktaking to be done TOMORROW.  Volunteered to come in to give them space and time to do same.

Enjoyed cappuccino while watching school child on work experience taking money and placing scone on plate without using tongs, offered to do a bit of food handling training.

Came home.  Shed/opera theatre/art studio/drinking den and now thanks to Mum's Simply Living blog. ! a dance studio, I was sent to tapdancing lessons as a child and loved it.  Then the money ran out which it frequently did, so I now have segs on my slippers, so I can tip tap around the shed!!!!!

Me time, work in progress, a Puffin emerging from his/her burrow.  Did you know Puffins dig burrows, like rabbits?  Well they do.  I just loved the image and had to paint it.  Lots more to do, probably ruining it.....   Sadly due to the weird weather we have had many Puffins have died.

Fingers crossed many survive, including my painting.

My art blog justjillukart.wordpress.co.uk  has more paintings.

Think I am all posted out now.

My week and not doing what I have been told to.

Monday was at the doctors confirming my diagnosis of having pleurisy.  Antibiotics prescribed and told to TAKE THINGS EASY.

So, I sat down, and exercised the few remaining active brain cells.

Preparing work sheets for Kids Activity Mornings, and finding my new printer spends a lot of time thinking about it before realising it is a printer and not a clockwork toy on the blink.

So that brought me to Wednesday morning.  Now I just HAD to go into Art group as we are preparing for NEOS (North East Open Studios), which isnt til September, but it will probably take us that long to prepare.  We are registered and paid up now, gulp.  Our exhibition at the Lighthouse Museum has to come down next Tuesday and after announcing that I was met with a wall of deadly silence.  So next Tuesday I will have a car full of other peoples precious art work......

Collapsed Wednesday Afternoon.

Thursday Morning our Kids Activity Mornings Volunteer group met at the Lighthouse and sorted out final preparations.  Somehow I have ended up with more work for the clockwork toy.

Some of us stayed for lunch.

Half way through I noticed more and more people coming in to the cafe.  Only two people working.  So I went downstairs to the admission/shop desk and the person working there went up to assist in the cafe.  I didnt leave til 3p.m. It was manic, and not even Easter yet. (and I didnt finish my lunch.)

Yesterday was my official volunteering stint at the Lighthouse.  People piling in to the cafe, but schools now broken up, so all our secondary school staff were in.  
A coach load from  Shetland then arrived and went to have their soup and sandwich in the Audio Visual Theatre.  
Host of German tourists.
English tourists.
Scottish tourists.
Tours up the lighthouse on the hour, full, all afternoon.
And they all descended on the shop like locusts.................

At 3.30p.m. I was carried out to my car and finally did what I was told, and went home.

Spring chapter two, or Spring cleaning you have to be joking.

You know its time to do another blog when all your comments are coming from 'Anonymous' trying to get you to view their web site which is usually pointing you to their website, titled, Acne, Haemorroids, (I cant spell it and neither can they), or bordering on pornography. I had thought about doing a complete post showing everyone what I get as a comment, I would have of course have carefully copied, and pasted, so as not to alert the robot that had sent it that there was some idiot out there who had actually been so daft as to take it on board.  A good sign for all you  is the post they are commenting on is usually months ago!

Howsomeever, back to the title.  Well, when you are working on a nearly flat battery and cant really do much other than move from chair to chair, your eyes land on .....

The bedroom curtains you put up when you moved in.     Dark, well one has to have dark curtains come the Spring time dawn which shines in at about 6 a.m. now and will get earlier, and by June it never gets dark.  

We put up our maps in the entrance hall, which do come in handy when we get knocks on the door from numerous delivery people wanting to know where ????  Satnavs do not work round here.  Drivers are sent by them down cart tracks to ruined houses.  And the map on the left, which is a 1949 Ordnance Survey map depicts many of the places they want to go to.

Also in our entrance hall is the meter cupboard, an essential for the meter reader, the mirror, one should always check ones image before venturing out, and the dreadful dried flower arrangement, with peacock feathers, which my Mother would throw her hands up in horror as being very bad luck. 

Once one is allowed in as far as the inner hallway which is swamped with art work, photography, and this again, awful dried flower/false flower arrangement

Into the sitting room, one thing we would never dream of changing, Minerva McGonagall on the leather chair.  Also in the sitting room, a three seater and two seater leather settees, easily cleanable, unlike material sofas, equals no fleas.....

Our antiques. inherited, and precious, (despite my frequent visits to websites to see if they are worth something.) (Dont care how precious they are once they hit the over £100 tara.)

 My lovely, evergrowing, nurtured, plants in the kitchen.

My Orchid collection on the kitchen windowsill (theres twice as many elsewhere, waiting for them to reburgeon themselves, which they will...) (well they have before).

And then you look out of the window and see the remains of the Dawn Patrollers Wild Flower Meadow.

And as you meander, having a sit down every three steps, not forgetting to take your antibiotic, you really wish you had the energy to clean, dust, vacuum cat, remove awful crap, get a man in with a scythe, begin to hate orchids, read every book, again, on the book shelves, change the curtains, go make a few cushions, paint every wall sunshine yellow, drink a glass of wine.......and its the last one wins.

It is Spring, it is Spring, It is Spring......

Keep repeating, keep repeating, mantra, hum, hmmmmmmmm , it will come.

We had a beautiful day, here in the North East of Scotland, albeit still bitterly cold.  The sun shone, there was no wind, (I hate the wind.)  birds singing.  So I went outside to check whether the garden was feeling Spring like.

These tiny Daffodills, dont know their name, but really short stemmed, always the first up.

With loads more in bud.

The big boys too in bud, and I think these are the ones with the most heavenly smell.  I may well pick some and bring them indoors and hope they will open a wee bit earlier.

What did surprise me was the Rogersii shoving up through the soil.  This is one big leaved giant of a plant, a bit like Gunnera (think big rhubarb).

Ornamental Poppy lots of new leaves, need to get rid of dead stalks...

You might have to hit on the picture, but my new Rambling Rector has buds!!!  It has survived.

Today's blue skies.

Guillemot sleeping in the sun.

And a wee bit o Doric to get me into the mood for next week's Kids Activity Mornings with a Pirate theme.

It is Spring, it is Spring.....repeat after me......

O me miserum.

Just welcoming an  old 'friend' back. Pleurisy.  Actually returned on Saturday, but I didnt recognise it, though I knew I was not 'right'.  Could it be an allergy to grandchildren?  Last time Pleurisy came to visit was following a visit from the grandsons.  Small children do harbour germs do they not.  One reason why I packed in volunteering in schools was on Doctors Orders after a run of chest infections.  But you can't exactly pack in grandchildren can you?  Should I wear a mask?  Hmm.

Now I am stocked up on large yellow antibiotics, my bed close by, wine glass filled (it doesnt say anything about not drinking with these tablets, my gp knows me well.)  And I dont see much difference to the 'hot toddy' hes always telling me to have.

The weather isnt helping.  The wind finally dropped today after days and days of such rawness and wind speed, it nearly took the skin off you

 Though it doesnt bother some people.

Or beasts.

And some people take their camera into the car wash and use it.  What else is there to do?

O me miserum.

Spring Chicken -thats me.

It was my birthday on Thursday, first day of Spring.(Yes, I know some think it the 20th...)   As we know in this country it has not been exactly spring like.

What the pictures do not show is the howling winds which have brought the temperatures even lower.

All family departed now.  Quiet!  Toys packed away.  But then you dont really need bought toys or play equipment.

Dried pasta, a bowl, a jug and a wooden spoon.  

Dont even need a fancy push chair.

Yesterday the DP told me to be ready to go out at 6.30p.m.  I was all set for an early night and a glass of red, having refrained all week.  You cant risk small children knocking yer glass over.  Plus, said small child had woken me up at varying intervals during the night, boy can that child scream.

But it appeared I had no choice.  Our friends duly collected us and off we went into the freezing blast and horizontal sleet.  "Is this really a good idea?"

Well, yes.

As we arrived at the Lighthouse Museum, I said, "It doesnt launch til next Friday."  This being the Museums evening restaurant new venture.

Well what a (late) Birthday surprise this was!

Starters, choice of Cullen Skink Soup,

Scallops on Black Pudding, which I had, wow!

and Leek and Crowdie (Scottish cheese) tartlets.

For the main course the choice was Rump Steak, Haddock or a Vege burger.  Made with Chick Peas (which we had a taste of and was delicious.)

Dessert was Sticky Toffee Pudding, A Fruit Crumble or Something Creme Brulee.

All freshly cooked to order, all locally sourced food.  Nothing like this for miles around, the Restaurant should be a success.  And what surroundings!

When we asked for the bill.....no charge.  And a bouquet of flowers for me.  Ever seen a spring chicken cry?

(Footnote:  The staff now have nerves calmed knowing they can put on this superb food, and are looking forward to filling restaurant with proper punters.  And a large donation to Lighthouse Funds from the Happy Guinea Pigs.)

Sorry, got side tracked.

My apologies for not blogging for some days.

But I am being a Grandma ( and a Mum).

Two youngest daughters with us for the best part of the week.  Plus my grand daughter aged 15 months.  

Catch up soon.

60 pence is that all I am worth?

The good news is I have a regular outlet for my cards.  These are photos of my original paintings, downsized and placed onto very posh card, which I have to fold using my pink card folder, and then package into cellophane, along with an envelope.

Having to put a business head on did not come easy.  I sell my cards for £2.00.  But this was someone else selling my cards and looking for a profit, so I was asked how much did it cost me to produce the finished product.  Shock horror!  I had to ask the DP for help.  he eventual outcome was 28 pence.  Not  taking into account the vast amount of labour, blood, sweat and tears to produce the painting.....  So I sold my wonderful cards for 60 pence.  Now retailing at £2.00.

I have done a series of paintings, still ongoing, called Buchan Birds and Beasts.  The cards also have a label on their backs stating this.  Perhaps someone will become a collector!!

Barnacle Goose.

 'Black Sheep'.

And my lovely Gannet.

And the Hare.

The Roe Deer

Also a couple of pheasants, an Oyster Catcher and the Short Eared Owl.

Added to which, my seal.

Next will be a Fox and a Dexter Cow.  If I am spared.

Just have to hope the cards sell .  

It is not about making money, how could it be?!  Just the wonderful pleasure of someone wanting to pay, to own, something I have made.

Worth far more than 60 p.