And the Winner is.

Our resident harbour seal. (Though actually a grey seal. )  When the Lobster Fishers return and, hopefully, empty their creels of lobsters, they also scop out the bait they have used and clean the creels.  So the bits of bait are scopped out to........

Juvenile Great Blacked Back Gull, also wants some.

So - the battle commences.  Sometimes the seal will hang on so tightly and the gull will hang on so tightly the seal drags the bird into the water so it then gives up.

Yum.

Our weather remains odd.  Surreal mists in the evening.

Our two ornamental cherries have no blossom on.?

Fortunately the real ones, that produce fruit, have blossomed.

And in the field across the field, a lovely surprise.

A real winner.

Books.

I love books.  I have always loved books.  I do not do Kindle.  I like the feel of a book, the smell of a book, and of course what is inside.

In our last home we had a library, a whole room that just contained books.  Part of that room is pictured above.

When we moved it was downsizing in a big way.  Now the same book shelves are in our sitting room.

Whilst idly scanning the shelves I realised what a load of books we had that we would never read again.  Past hobbies and interests, possibly someone else could benefit?
When you have a whole room dedicated to books - fine.  But now?

So far I have removed three large carrier bags full of books.  With not one single tear shed.
As you can see from the books remaining there were so many that storing them on the shelves had to be quite imaginative. (Stacking .) Or just plain daft. (Well, not very attractively displayed.)

So these are the first lot to be definitely going.

Some of the ancient ones I have googled.  I am waiting for the DP to double check, but there may be some which can be turned into money!  Yay.

It has been a real walk down memory lane.  And some I could not part with.

The classics remain.  My complete collection of Dickens novels, which I can still read and read again. Shakespeare, Austen,..... Our collection of crime novels, Mr Rankin, Agatha, Ngaio Marsh, et al.  
A huge collection of Bird Books..... belonging to the DP.  Anyone want to know about extinct ducks, we have a book.

But as I no longer have a conservatory, gone are the Conservatory Plant books, we no longer have a fish pond, so ....we are too old to be self sufficient. done that, bought the t shirt, any of my blogging friends need Mr Seymours advice, we have the books, so out goes the veg growing books too.  And sorry Anthea Turner but I will never ever be the Perfect Housewife.

Nor do I wish to be shabby chic, or do microwave crafting, or do my house a la Terence Conran.  Or Laura Ashley.

Isnt it amazing what we hang on to!!! 

Guess which ones I will never, ever part with?

Not because I read them any more.  Well I read them to the next lot of small people who I hope will love books, the smell of them, the feel of them.

In fact when I have some empty shelves........... I might just buy some more.

So we had Spring, all one day of it.

Back to normal.

The Broch (Fraserburgh) lifeboat out on manoeuvres.

I believe it is a bank holiday today.  We don't take much notice of them up here.  Hogmanay, well that's different, the whole country closes for two days.  But anything in May nah.

So to brighten the end of your May celebrations here are some garden ornaments displaying in New Aberdour.

And a wee croft/cottage/dump being lived in and has been for many years, near Mintlaw.

I just love the eccentricities around.

And finally a quick tour round Fraserburgh Harbour.

One of our permanent residents.

Having had his tea.

Hope you all had a good day.

Happenings in the North East of Scotland.

At last - wind eased and the sun is shining.  Which in the early morning gives us a mist.

But then we all warm up.

Lobsters are back in season, fishing of that is.  I like lobster.

The Farmer is catching up.  This was the field the sheep were in, across the road.

Now it has neeps in, Swedes, Turnips, which the sheep feed on when the grass is poor in the Winter.

Up the road, at the beach, there are Jet Skiers today.  

Just round the corner, this would be your way to the beach!  The DP went round the coast so as to visit Troup Head, the largest onshore Gannetry.

Who could not love this beautiful bird?  Oh God, I feel another painting coming on.

Coast Festival.

At Banff and Macduff.

The above picture is of Banff.  The Bridge over the River Deveron.  And thats the way in for me coming from the South.  I also drive through Macduff, which has a harbour where they build boats.

and repair them.

Banff likes to think of itself a bit more upmarket than Macduff.  Needless to say I far prefer Macduff.

However, I concentrated my visit on Banff today.  Both towns put on the Coast Festival.  A celebration of arts, crafts, music, and loads of other stuff.

Like musicians wandering about playing clarinets, oboe, and if I had stayed long enough I am sure someone would have come along with an accordion, also present while I was there was a very small pipe band, and really tickled me that the leader had a Yorkshire accent.  This I witnessed whilst trying to extricate my car from the public car park, as they were practising in the bit that said "LEAVE CLEAR" , for people like me wanting to use the space to reverse then leave..... Not easy trying to avoid killing a wee drummer.   Who was being shouted at by the Yorkshire Leader, "Dont you strop on me."

The reason I concentrated on Banff was that friends of mine were exhibiting in an empty shop there.  This empty shop would make a fantastic permanent art gallery, being huge and all white walls.  It was 'Bargainland'.  But the bargains ?  Well it went bust.

Not the best photo, but this was a woman playing the clarinet.  At Banff Castle, which to be honest, just looks like a house.

Next to me at another table, I was having coffee and a cake, was this chap telling stories/poems.

I returned home having missed loads, but its on tomorrow as well.

The DP was clearing more of the cut hay (ex wildflower meadow)  and later having had a text message shot off to see a pod of Killer Whales, it all happens here.  

So I did  a bit of painting.  Having seen some of what was on offer today, at vast amounts of money, I felt I should....

I had my own coast festival of what is on my coast.

Here comes the wind - again.

Just had to check the date again, 23rd May.  Snow on the hills.  Hail and rain and the ****** wind.  40 mph yesterday 60 mph gusts today.

Today.  The above and below,  is the Golden Horn at the entrance to Fraserburgh Harbour, still waiting for good weather to repair the damage done by the Perfect Storm, earlier in the year.

One wonders when the weather will allow any repairs to be carried out.

The one below is the view from the Lighthouse Museum, the village is Broadsea.  The swell on the waves clearly visible.

Where we live, out in the country,  seems even windier.  Howling round the house, the cat door doesn't shut as a cat comes in, but sticks in horizontal mode and whistles, the chimney roars, the bird feeders are all on the ground.

I was at the Lighthouse Museum this afternoon and could not open my door to get out of the car.  I had to exit through the passenger door.  (I should have turned the car round, I know, but the brain wasn't working.)

My day today was a whirl wind, with some peaceful lulls.  I spent the morning honing up my lecture, ha ha, now there''s a surprise, you didn't know I did that as well, did you?

One p.m.  was first my Thursday afternoon Art Group.  Well, fast becoming, an Art very few of us group.
I spent the first hour on my own with the caretaker huffing and puffing, 
"So when can we go home?"  
Me, "If no-one else comes by 2 we will go."  
Five to 2 along comes on other. 
 At half past another.  That was my lull.  

Thursday Art Group is really a joke.  Wednesday morning the minimum turning up is 10, one day I might just tell you why there is this vast difference, but for now I will hold my tongue.

At 3p.m. I shot off to my picture framer to sort out which day his art groups exhibition was to be put up into the Lighthouse.  Fortuitously the partner of the person currently exhibiting was also there so we negotiated the dates for one coming down and t'other going up.  
And said partner was threatened that he actually remained on site, taking down, removing, etc. unlike when he delivered and then swanned off....leaving me and one other to do it all.

3.30p.m. saw me turn into

Aye well, lass, you retired.  But during your working life you had a variety of jobs, experiences, all of which we can tap into.  Its called Giving Back.

I dont mind really, its just dredging up those experiences is a bit traumatic, like can I still do it?

Twenty years ago I lectured on Child Development to GCSE students, 16 year olds.  Not sure what the equivalent is in other countries.   I also trained Child carers which covered a variety of subjects, food hygiene, child development, etc.

So today I did a presentation/teaching/lecture on Customer Care, Food Hygiene, etc.  Lots of etceteras, (thats where the wind comes in!  )

Well, a variety of ages, and experience in the audience. 

"Who is the most important person in the Museum?"

Answers ranged from, mainly, the Manager, then Trustees, which was basically creeping. 
As the manager was present, and a trustee, me, was leading.

Eventually we got - the Customer. Allelulia.  

From then on hopefully the message got across.

With a lot of laughs.  I do think you learn more if its fun.

And then - when will I ever learn, I announced the next training session would be on First Aid, and I hoped they would not be as bad as I.

When presented with a scenario of a person with bleeding varicose veins, while I and my partner discussed, for about five minutes, what we should do the examiner said, 

"Right  - shes dead."

But I still passed, and hope I passed all the challenges of today, despite the wind.

Work and play.

So this morning it was blitz the bedroom time.

Flick back to yesterday.

       

And now.

 Yesterday...

and now.


I filled two bags for the Charity Shop and one for the bin.  I went through cupboard and wardrobes like a woman possessed.  And then I cleaned.  Is there no end to this?

The curtains went up and are now hopefully becoming creased less.

I never thought to see the day I would have blue inside the house.  Its been a no no for me for many years.  But putting something next to my blowsy gold flowers and butterflies was not easy.  So duck egg blue it is.  (creases take about a week in past experience, otherwise its the iron out, bah.)

Then it was afternoon and time for the shed.  I staggered off down there with a bag full of stuff which had never quite made it, and where it belonged, not in the bedroom.

I am on with planning and plotting for the next round of Kids Activity Mornings at the lighthouse museum.  So far I have begun the poster, art wise, done a lot of downloading craft ideas from the internet and am gathering stuff to use to make the crafts with.

The poster has yet to have all the info put on and be 'coloured in', but its a start.  The above I aim to play about with so it can have different text below, such as 'This is to certify that ................................ attended the Kids Craft Activity on /at etc.'  The Lighthouse Logo will also be on everything I produce.

Then I had a bit of fun.

A friend of mine who does a blog called, Lesleysdailypaintings.blogspot.co.uk. has made her own charcoal!  How amazing is that.  And no she isnt hidden in the woods with a tent.  She does it on top of a stove.  And it doesnt take long.  Perhaps I will get her to blog about it.

So I had a go.

Joe.

Lonmay hare.

Great fun.

(have to say that the DP has today done the shopping, been to get bird food, cut a bit of lawn, laid and lit the fire, cooked the tea, and brought the washing in.  Bless.)