Can I press the delete snow button?

One day I have been incarcerated.  Already stir crazy.

Here is a video of the birds outside.  I am not very good at videos.

The DP went out this morning for the paper.  These are his photos of our road.

Since then it has been sunny, then more snow, strong wind and repeat and repeat.  Still at it now and forecast from now on and tomorrow.

It has been so cold we have had central heating on and electric fire and now wood burner.  And I was doing so well keeping the electric bill down...

My walk today, to the shedudio.  

I got down okay, the wind had cleared the path, but ended up in a drift at the bottom of the slope.  So the DP came and removed it.

I started to paint Dyson the Pheasant.  He is named Dyson as he, like all pheasants, vacuums up the bird food.  

I then discovered for the first time ever the water pipe was frozen.  So I could not change my water, after using up what was in the kettle.

So I watched the birds.  It was quite funny to see a lot of them acting like Oystercatchers, standing on one leg, and warming up the other.

My youngest works at Edinburgh airport where many of the flights were cancelled.  So got home on one of the few buses running.

The grandchildren's schools were closed, this was in Lincoln and Edinburgh.  The eldest lectures and researches at Edinburgh University that is closed tomorrow as are the schools again.  Schools are closed up here and many of the roads are closed.  Towns and cities have opened up places for the homeless to go to.  

I am thankful I am home and in the warm.  But would so like to be able to get out tomorrow.  Unfortunately there is not a snow button to delete.

I am going slightly mad.

We had a sprinkle of snow.  Strong wind and very, very cold.  My back was reminding me I have a spine fracture in there and crumbling vertebrae despite Calcium and Vitamin D pills twice a day and a monthly thing, which I take first thing and then have to wait an hour before eating.  Why?  Because I am told to.

Also told to exercise regularly.  Banned from the Pulmonary physio exercises at the moment as this could cause my cataract operated eye to bulge or something.  So I decide to go for the walk on the Prom.  Mad.

I got out of the car.  I walked to the railings.  I clung on to the railings.  I photographed the sea.

I photographed the Oystercatchers sheltering by the rocks.

The Scurries/Herring Gulls paddling and bathing.

A beautiful beach with no other human to be seen.  Realised I was mad.

So I got back into the car and drove home.

The sky on the way homeward.  The hill in the distance is Mormond Hill.  Snow covered in parts.

In to the shedudio.  A bit of painting.  Lots of bird watching.  Just look at this Pheasant.

His name is Dyson!

Little and large.

Amazing artistic inspiration.

It is now snowing.  Forecast is for it to snow from now until Saturday night.  Shall I venture out tomorrow?  Depends on the level of madness.

Monday mixture.

We have had sun shining all day.  Very cold, in fact my brain froze.

My walk this afternoon.  Beautiful is it not.  But boy, was it cold.

Herring Gulls having a paddle.

My favourite posers, the Oystercatchers.

Photos taken by the DP.  The Grey Partridge pair continue to visit the garden.

Two male Pheasants squaring off.

Despite the cold the birds are aware of the season.  We have had Valentines Day, so they are all pairing off.  These two are deciding who is to be the dominant male roond and aboot.

You can more or less see who is going to win!

This is a Dunnock.  It was thought to be a type of Sparrow, but is more like a Robin.  We have three pairs in the garden.  Tomorrow the DP is to sort out, clean and possibly add to nest boxes.

I continue to sort out the shedudio and do a bit of painting.  I hope to be open at Easter.

Mountain Hare on the drawing board.

And more hanging in the Shedudio.

I had hoped to get out again tomorrow for a gallop along the Prom but the weathr forecast is changing by the minute.  Whereas earlier it was dull, but low wind, very cold, I could cope with.  Now the wind speed is forecast much stronger so unless it changes again I will be confined to barracks.  So it will be down the shedudio for more sorting and painting and hanging.  And of course more bird watching.

Only one eye drop, four times a day. Yay.  

Be afraid, no not really.

We have a weather warning coloured Amber.  For snow.  High winds too, threats of power cuts.  Really.  Years ago we ploughed through snow over our wellies.  We lit the fire, we admired the frost on the inside of windows, such pretty pictures, filled the hot water bottles or wrapped the heated brick in a towel .  We survived.  We seem to be heading for some self inflicted panic attack from it being cold. ....

In February.  

I have checked the candles, ample, torches, powered up, load of logs delivered today, whistling kettle at the right of the stove, all fine.

Although it is bloody cold.

Jean, welcome, the photographs on my blog are taken by me unless otherwise stated.  If the weather is so bad I do not leave the car or I am unwell and have the  DP with me he takes the photos and I will say so.  But most of the photos are taken by me. The DP'S hobby is photography, he is very good at it.   I often paint from his photos.

So here we go.  My photos.

It was so cold today that I had difficulty breathing despite my inhaler which is supposed to widen my air tubes.  I got out of the car and grabbed the railings, put the brake on the chariot.  And got control of the breathing. You lean over the handy railing, in through the nose and pursed lips exhale.  It does work.  Me and the chariot then went forward into the wind.  Out there are the Gull Gang.

Some of the Oystercatchers.

In more detail.

And a large boat.  Not sure what it is.  Possibly has containers on to take out to oil rigs?  It wasnt going anywhere.  Often when the weather forecast is bad large boats shelter up this part of the coast.

The chariot and I then returned to the car much quicker as the wind was behind us.

There was no-one, not a one, either walking on the Prom or on the beach.  I shall now take 5 Brownie points.

I always, always feel mentally so much better having staggered up the Prom and back.

Back home.  The DP had lit the fire and fed my garden birds.  I did a lot of sorting for opening the shedudio at Easter.  And a bit of painting.

The start of a Mountain Hare.  

A chair awaits you when visiting the shedudio!

Forecast tomorrow is for the wind abating.  If that is still the case tomorrow I shall be off out again.  Fresh air and fun, not fear.

Winter is to return

I wasn't aware it had gone.  It is only February, just.  Snow is forecast Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday.  Tomorrow is overcast but the wind has dropped.  Which it had not today.  Bitter cold and wind gusting to over 30 mph.  My walk was a very short one.  But lots of hanging over railings and deep breathing the clean air.  All good.

Just a walk, a short walk, brings back my sanity.

The Gull Gang gathers.  I watched two Herring Gulls, 'Skurries' in the sea doing head bobbing, rising from the sea and back down again one after the other.  Soon be Spring!  Black Headed Gulls are becoming Black Headed.  We have Male Pheasants in the garden putting on threatening displays to each other.  

Most of the birds today were working out how to avoid the prevailing wind which was whisking up sand from the beach.

At first I thought this was some sort of religious gathering, then I noticed they all had Pug dogs.  A Pug Party!

Back home, more hanging of paintings and sorting.  Hoping to have an Easter opening of the shedudio.

In the garden lots of pairs of birds, time to clean out the nest boxes.

We have two pairs of Robins.  Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Chaffinches, Tree Sparrows, House Sparrows, Goldfinches.  Waiting for Red Polls, Greenfinches and Siskins.

Had an oil delivery 2/3rd of the tank filled. Just over £300.  Should see us through for quite a few months.   And logs being delivered tomorrow, should be under a £100.   Now I have the woodburner in the shedudio the Electric bill is going down.  So all set for the return/continuation of Winter.

My eye is still having 2 different drops four times a day.  After tomorrow I go down to one drop 4 times a day.  I washed my hair. I have to stay off lifting weights for my pulmonary physio for a while.  So thinking positive.  Well trying to!

Yesterdays blog.

I did post yesterday.  Which some of you saw and commented on, thank you.  In the light of day this morning I deleted the post.  I feel very strongly about the Lighthouse Museum.  But it is a personal thing.  Best kept out of the public domain.

Today the DP and I were at a meeting of the Fraserburgh Art Group.  Our Annual exhibition is in October this year.  Our face book page is 'Fraserburgh Art Summer Exhibition' FASE, but last year we had it in October, Tattie fortnight.  When the schools in this area have two weeks off, when in the olden days the kids would be herded out into the fields to pick potatoes, tatties.  No longer are they herded out but they still get two weeks off school, so up here a very short February half term to balance out.  October was very successful for us.  So this year we are doing it again - in October.

The other success, last year,  was the Community Challenge.  We had so much bunting with pictures, painted and photographed of 'My Town' totally amazing.  Schools, Community Groups and individuals all contributed.

This year the challenge is, 'Fraserburgh Flyers.'  Butterflies, Sea birds, Garden Birds, Pterodactyls!!  These images will be hung from ceilings, balcony and stairs of Dalrymple Hall.

Dalrymple Hall viewed from the Harbour.

This is the other side.  Its full title is Dalrymple Hall and Arts Centre.  

Fascinating history.  Donated to the town.  It has had the Beatles. A flourishing cafe, sadly no longer.  Three Art groups meet through the week.  Fraserburgh Junior Arts perform a Summer Show, Annual Panto, various cinema projections - all just released films.  Annual Flower Show.  Dance lessons.  And us.  Buzzing.

After the meeting the DP and I drove down to the prom.  It was freezing cold and very windy.  I stayed in the car.  He went off to photograph the new doings at the Kids playpark.

Wowee.

Oystercatchers, of course.

And a dog heading for Australia.

Scared.

Still too scared to wash my hair.  Did some exercises but dare not lift any weights.  But what about hoiking the chariot into and out of the car?  I have been zooming up and down Google.  Apparently within 2 days in India you can be back at work.  Whether that is lifting weights I know not .  No -one actually says how many days before you can resume normal life.  Including pulmonary physio, the weights I use are 1.5 lbs.  I really do not remember any of this for the first Bionic eye.

Took myself off to the Prom.

Fair bit of wind.

My favourite dog.  

Back home and into the shedudio.  Out of the window is the pile of branches from the now totally removed Lilac Bush/tree.  I think we should leave said branches as this afternoon they were aglow with colour from the birds.

Using the branches as cover and sunbathing too.  There is nothing else in that corner of the garden.  We may well move some of the mole hills down there and plant some wild life friendly seeds and leave the branches too.  I have plans for  a wildlife pond which this garden lacks, and every previous garden we have had has had one.... Watch this space.

Back inside.  Sith Cat decided to sit on the new chairs.  Taken a while.

He then decided to try the other one out.

We are now on day 2 of our road closure.  

We are the yellow blob.  Today we had an oil delivery, our bins were emptied, and my neighbour across the field came home from work down the red bit.  No sign of any activity to said road.  And farmers are zooming up and down moving bales.  I give up.  Being scared.