No-one and nothing is indispensible

Daughter and granddaughter now gone home.  But whilst here they helped sort through all the toys that live in the garage for more than 11 months a year.  Decisions were made to drastically reduce.  After all when grandchildren come visiting they are oot and aboot climbing lighthouses, playing in parks and running along beaches, so a tad silly really to have 3 large boxes of stuff that rarely see the light of day.  Plus sit and ride thing, kitchen with sink,cooker and washing machine,depending on which side you go in.  Always worried me did that.  I had visions of some helpful child shoving washing into the  real  oven and the roasting tin into the real washing machine...

And watching Neve help sort I remembered that the favourite toy was always a box of some sort.

Daughter and Granddaughter were quite ruthless.  All I was left with was the car which I wouldn't dare get rid of, though there may be some sharing lessons coming up......

As daughter pointed out I provide craft and art activities out of virtually nothing which is far more fun.

The two girls spent a happy time going through the box of photgraphs and albums I had created,  Identifying Mums and Aunties and Grandmas and Granddads looking very strange.

Grandma was once a baby!!

 
The toys are now all packaged up and are being collected at the weekend to go to the charity shop for the New Arc near Ellon, which rescues animals and birds.  We had a duck from them some years back.  Plus bags of games, I never did like Monopoly. Have kept Scrabble, Boggle and Articulate.  Jigsaw puzzles are going, we have loads, tho we have had to do them all to make sure they are complete.  Not me, the Dawn Patroller is wading his way through them.  

The DP has been magnificent. He is washing stuff, drying stuff, cleaning stuff, cooking stuff, tho I aint eating much of it, and shouts at me if I head in any direction other than the bathroom.  

On Thursday, hey up that's just yesterday, it was realised I was deteriorating agin.  Doctor out.  The neighbours probably think I have a toy boy by now.  The chest infection has gorn from where it was but has now reared up in the pleural cavity.  Now taking one antibiotic bomb a day plus strong pain killers. Pleurisy hurts.

So I am looking at my diary.  I contact all by email and find everything I had to do has been sorted.

I am dispensed with.

Living life vicariously.

Whilst I recover and wobble about wafting in the breeze, granddaughters still have to be entertained.

Saturday,  the Dawn Patroller drove off with Daughter number 3 and said granddaughter.

They drove past Aberdeen Harbour, where you are almost guaranteed a dolphin sighting from the Torry Battery, which is t'other side of the harbour from us.  And were not disappointed.

 Further South down the road was
 Doonies Rare Breeds Farm, Aberdeen, has one of Scotland's largest collections of rare and endangered farm animal breeds. The farm is nationally recognised as a breeding centre for rare breeds. There are currently 23 rare animal breeds on the farm.
Doonies farm is now operated as a family run business; however the farm used to be owned and operated by Aberdeen City Council and is run as a working farm, although it is open to the public. Due to council cutbacks it has been earmarked for closure in the summer of 2008, however there have been many petitions and protests to persuade the council to save Doonies, and an agreement may still be reached.
Doonies farm stands on the coast, just passed the old fishing village of Cove in Aberdeen, Scotland. Aberdeen City Council had ownership of the farm for some twenty years, until in 2008 budget cuts faced potential closure for the farm. Recently, the farm's manager of fifteen years had taken over the business as "Doonies LTD." This means that the farm is no longer Council run, but a family business establishment.
The farm holds a number of endangered and rare breeds of pigs, cattle, sheep, horses, chickens and ducks. During the Easter time of year, new arrivals can be seen such as lambs, calves, chicks and foals.  Wikepedia.

 "Now who wants feeding?"

Sheep.

Being a sad  person I own two books.  One is called Know Your Sheep, and the other is called Know More Sheep.  As no-one thought to look for a label I finally discovered this panda look a like was a Kerry Hill.  Mainly the Welsh borders and Midlands, and the Netherlands.  So very rare for up here.

 

At some stage in my past I lived in a town called Tamworth.  Apart from a castle the best thing about Tamworth was its pigs.  This is a Tamworth pig.  I didnt need a book for that one.

This is a foal, a horse, which has four legs, one on each corner.  No idea what breed.  In my teens I avidly read Horse and Hound and other horse related stuff, even owned an Irish Connemara pony for a while but it isnt one of them.

So there is my vicariously lived outing.  

Birthday

65.  Yikes.

No longer infected but very weak.  Fortunately I had some help opening my birthday presents.

Neither of us could open the bubbles.

 When my kids were little you unscrewed the lid to which was attached the 'stick' you blew through.  Oh no not now.  Unscrew the lid then theres this impenetrable foil cap.  Which needed scissors.... then the stick is floating around inside..... sticky fingers.....yeuk.  We made it in the end only to discover the bubbles were the size of a pin head.

We had a lovely birthday lunch at the Lighthouse Museum , which tired us both out.

So we went home and ate some of Grandma's birthday chocolate.  Then Grandma had some lovely red medicine.

Out of the Shadows!

Thank you all for your lovely supportive comments.  It has been a scary few weeks with emergency gp call outs, changes in drugs and some added.  In the few lucid moments it has been lovely to read all your blogs, although not commenting much, it has taken me out of my pit for a while.

The Dawn Patroller has taken good care of me and managed to bring back photographs to tempt me.  Altho lifting a paintbrush is like lifting the caber just now.

 These are seals.  Lots of seals.  You may have to hit on the picture to confirm I am not hallucinating.  And, yes, done a fair bit of that too.

 Flock of Oyster Catchers. 

Our youngest daughter paid a flying visit on Sunday and spent the evening telling me I didn't look ill.  Strangely I never do.  Something to do with the pink glow cast by the merging broken veins I believe.  

Whilst here she and the DP visited the Ythan estuary where these photographs were taken.  An abundance of wild life here in the North East we do our bit to encourage them.  I have already written about the RSPB Bird Reserve at Strathbeg.  This is another of our reserves, the Ythan Estuary, via Wikepedia.

 
The Ythan Estuary is the tidal component of the Ythan River, emptying into the North Sea 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of Aberdeen, Scotland. The estuary’s tidal action extends a 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) inland and has characteristic widths of between 250 metres (820 ft) and 780 metres (2,560 ft). Besides the tidal channel there are interfaces to the upland dunes including mudflats, sand beaches and shingle flats. Reaches of salt marsh occur, but they are primarily near the Waterside Bridge (crossing of the A975 road) and the mouth of the Tarty Burn, a small tributary river. Based upon the habitat of the moorland bordering the east of the Ythan River near the mouth, this estuary is ^[1] the most significant coastal moorland in the northern United Kingdom.
The Ythan Estuary is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and appears as site no. 939 on the Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance^[2] with Meikle Loch. There are 50 breeding pairs of Common Shelducks^[3] in the estuary, and there is a mixed tern breeding colony on the east shore 1 kilometre (3,300 ft) from the mouth comprising Arctic, Sandwich, Little and Common Terns.

One other strange fact about the Ythan.  Somewhere on there is a decrepit old rowing boat quietly rotting away.  An artist I met has done literally hundreds of paintings of this boat. Obsessed.  He doesnt know why either.

Not to be recommended as a proper diet, but a definite way to lose weight, is not to eat.  Unike the rotting boat I can and will rebuild.   

Sunshine!

Still unwell and spending most of the day in bed. 

 It was good for the DP to get out yesterday and walk a friends dog.

She enjoyed it too.

Tempting Fate.

Certainly learned a lesson there.  Monday I posted.  

By Tuesday mid afternoon I realised that the dreaded chest infection was present - again. (Blame all that snogging and air kisses at the wedding.  Only later on did people say, "Oh have had terrible chest infection,but I am alright now." )  Never again will I kiss anybody, no matter who they are, how attractive they are, no, not ever.

So that was Tuesday evening cancelled.  Antobiotics started.  As always I never learn and set up exhibition on Wednesday  morning.  Collapsed afternoon.  Wednesday evening also cancelled.

Thursday cancelled also.

Friday.  Like one idiot I fulfilled all, after all I had had 5 antibiotic pills,  Stupid. Now collapsed.

One day I might finally accept there is a limit.  

And not tempt fate.

Trying to be like a blogger, well some of them, thank god for the ones I follow.

I try most days after finishing painting or whatever to catch up with other peoples' blogs.  This is usually on my tablet and is so frustrating as when I try to comment it sends me off into the ether.  So, apologies for me sometimes being apparently ignoring you.

Some blogs I read make me feel totally inept.  So organised!  One actually has her whole weeks wardrobe worked out and takes photos to show. Others have their menus planned and shopping for done for the whole month.  I don't work like that.  Sorry.

What I can do, if anyone is the slightest bit interested, is tell you about my week.

Remember I am almost 65 and retired.

Today. Monday.  I spent the hours from waking to leaving the house at 10.30.a.m. having one slice of toast and marmalade (home made) (with no bits in as thats the way I like it) two blood pressure pills and two inhalers,( all this is done daily). Writing, printing off and laminating biographies and labels for an art exhibition setting up Wednesday.

I then went off to be part of a committee on another Art exhibition which will be taking place in June.  And yes, I now have even more tasks I stupidly volunteered for.

Working lunch with the Manager of the Lighthouse Museum. 12.30 -1.30.

Had a quick zip round looking at potential houses for sale from the outside.

2p.m. Met up with my picture mounter and framer.  Discussed mounting and framing, collected one done.

3p.m. Home, Shedudio, painting.   Answering phone to problems at Museum.

All this done in jeans and a jumper and pretend , oh I cant remember what they are called, from Australia,boots, expensive, but only £5 in Primark. Shugs?

Evening, crashed out in front of the t.v watching women giving birth, QI and about to watch the Banks detective thing.  Now dressed in pyjamas and dressing gown.  Asda,  and glass of red.

Tomorrow.  Phoning doc to double check my appointment for starving overnight, providing a urine sample etc. and please god I have the date right and its not the same day I have to do physio. 

 11 -12.30 Physio.  Lunch at Museum. 1.30. meet other trustee to put up 'Before the Storm' and 'The Storm' Art exhibition.

7p.m. til 9p.m. presentation at the Swimming Pool(?) on Be Part of the Picture.  Some arty farty rubbish our council are spending our money on.

Wednesday a.m. Hanging my exhibition and a delightful lady from Lithuania's paintings, hers are all very dark and gothic, well you have all seen mine.......

I may have Wednesday afternoon to catch up on my own painting.

Wednesday p.m. talk to local Rotary on my doings on the Lighthouse Museum, oh god in between today and then I have to put all pics to illustrate said talk onto a stick......

 Thursday.  Well I know I have physio 11- 12 and my other art group from 1p.m.

Friday ahhhh hair cut and colouring 9.15a.m.  Hair dragged through plastic cap, no relaxation there.   

2p.m. Meeting with other trustees of museum.

Saturday/Sunday decluttering big time to put house on market.

Now how many of you have your eyes glazed over!?

As far as the wardrobe is concerned I will probably have worn the same jeans, same boots, but everything next to the skin is replaced regularly......I have not been near a supermarket, local shop or butcher - the DP does all that.

Lets go back to talking about the fun times.

Movers and Shakers.

First let me tell you that we viewed the house at Cairnbulg.  But so had many others and there were already five notes of interest.  This means it will be going to sealed bids very soon and we are not so daft as to make an offer when we haven't even got ours on the market.  Hey ho.  So now its on with the decluttering, booked the surveyor who will do the Home Report and valuation of ours, and more internet trawling.

The Law on house purchase and selling is different in Scotland  to the rest of the UK.  We do not have estate agents.  Solicitors are estate agents.  They charge a fee similar to an estate agent and do the advertising etc. but on the whole I think it comes out cheaper and you are just dealing with one person/company.  The other big difference is that once you make an offer and it is accepted there is NO backing out without high financial penalties.  So on the plus side no gazumping, as once the offer is accepted the seller cannot back out either.

Right thats the Movers out of the way, now the Shakers.

 Yesterday we attended the wedding of one of my closest friend's daughter.  A Humanist Ceremony which I found very moving.  No-one given the chance to shout when, "If any person here present knows of any lawful ......"

But like most weddings while the Official Photographer interminably posed people and tried to get everyone to smile at the same time the rest hit the champagne.  It looks beautifully sunny, which it was, but it was also just above freezing out there.

 I do not like white fizzy stuff.  Fortunately I met a kindred spirit who was staying at the large house wherein was the wedding.  She had red wine in her bedroom, never travels without it, now why didnt I think of that?  So she and I were well away.

 

 The Bride.  Very Downton Abbey.  And it was nice to see that all the many trips i took with her to the dental hospital, when she was small, and Mum was at uni, paid off.  Beautiful.

 And what Scottish wedding would not have a piper.  This was a female of the species, and excellent.

As the celebrations progressed to the evening.... this was one happy guest.