I got it.

Inevitable really.  Woke up at 3 a.m. extremely hot.  2 paracetamol and back to sleep.  4 hours later burning again so 2 more.  When I got up I started the antibiotics which I have ready for such as this.  Just had the second one.  Anyroad.  I got dressed after lunch (slut).

Coat on and went to the Prom.  What a difference in the weather.  Sea was grey.  No sun, gloomy.  But still clean, fresh, sea air.

Walked from the car to the railings.  Deep breathing.  Well - deep for me.  The diaphragm moved a bit.

Being a bit later than my usual all the lunch people had gone so the car park and beach were almost empty.

Just the Oystercatchers.

Doing their thing.

And this one having a stretch.  As you do.

Back home.

Stove lit.  

Bit of painting.

A pair of Siskins!  Yay.

Close up of the male.  Bonnie wee birds.

So - let us see what tomorrow brings.  The retired fisherman I now have a chat with on the Prom says its going to sna.  Snow in English.

So long as this lurgy goes as quickly as it zapped me and leaves me with sufficient lung function to get to the Prom I'll be fine.

Difficult to avoid ones partner.

The DP is sleeping in the spare room.  He has a cold.  Sneezing explosions punctuate the day.  He makes all my meals. Impossible to avoid him therefore.  I have fingers, toes and eyes crossed that I do not get a chest infection.  I have spent the winter avoiding people, cafes, shops, etc.  He blames his cold on returning to Dawn Patrolling.  Oh yeah.  I suppose the sneezing could be a reaction to almost every other field being muck spreaded.  But that doesnt cause you to groan regularly does it.

From the weather forecast this is to be the last day of wall to wall sunshine, and unseasonal heat and lack of wind.  Slight breeze today.  But just look at that sea.  And sky.  Mediterranean blue is it not.

Flat, calm, and beautiful.

Those two wind turbines you see we live at the other side of them.  We can see them from our rear windows over to our right and a fair distance.  About a mile.

To the left of the beach the Oystercatchers gather.  Not as many now.  Nesting sites are being inspected.  They like gravel.  The cemetery is a favourite spot.

Just a few.

The DP has been cleaning out our nest boxes.  I saw a Blue Tit today with a feather in its beak.  So we are just in time.  Although one of the Sparrow nest boxes needs replacing.  Tomorrow.

Thinking positive while avoiding ones partner.

Oh - and taking the medicine.

Noisy and Smelly.

Noisy from all the bird song.  Well into breeding mode here.  Pairing off.  Who can sing the loudest.  Deafening.

Smelly.  Farmers making the most of it.  Cows turned out.  Piles of their well rotted manure into whatever they call the machine and then spread on the fields.  The Muck spreader sounds like an old washing machine cranking up for a spin cycle.  The field to our rear is huge.  I was glad the spreading was done close up to us first so that when we wanted to be in the garden, and the shedudio, the smell had faded somewhat!

Still no wind.  Sunshine all day.

I had to dig out the coat I had bought for Summer it was so warm today.  

Fishing boat leaving the harbour.  Just look at the calm sea and the colour.

Noisy here too as the sea birds are all gearing up and pairing up.  Lots of shouting and shrieking if another bird gets too near the chosen one.

Herring Gulls known as Skurries up here.

Oystercatchers and Blackheaded Gulls.  Some pairing.

And some threesomes.....

Some just hanging out.

When I came home, and sorry no photograph, the DP was sitting on the patio with my mate D, also my picture framer, having coffee and Raspberry and white chocolate muffins!  In February, Global Warming/Warning methinks.

They were a bit noisy.  But not smelly.

If I was religious I would be scared.

The weather is weird.  Hottest ever in February - in Wales?  It rains in Wales, everyone knows that.

Here it was so strange there was no wind.  No wind.  In February.  Not a breath.  The wind turbines were still.  The sun could not be seen as there were so many clouds and mist.

Looking out to sea to take the photo .  Flat calm sea.  Hazy horizon.  Very strange.

The sky so strange.

The Kessock Burn going in the right direction but being strangled !  Well,  narrowed.

Not done a video for a while so turn the sound up and listen to the beach.  And ignore the jerkiness!

A strange day.  Sun forecast tomorrow.  Strange.

Sunday - not much different to any other day!

First thing this morning a load of logs delivered.  Now we have two wood burners we are having more logs delivered.  But the electric bill has gone down.

Although not as warm as the one day we had it is still Spring like.  Flowers bursting forth and buds appearing on shooting stems.

This Hellebore is in its second year with us and has spread and flowered. Just love it.

The Snowdrops have spread also.  We had a very small clump and now have quite a few small clumps.

These Hyacinth were bought as a Christmas forced pot Christmas 2017.  And have survived being planted out.  A first success for us on Hyacinths!

To the Prom.  It is Sunday, which for me is never a good day for the Prom.

Kessock Burn going in its usual direction.  Not shooting off anywhere.

Still a lot of sand being brought up by the tides.  Quite a slope being created.

So this woman is taking a photo of this

Which she built.  Any ideas.  Is this some new hobby.  I have seen towers of stones on the beach before but they have been a bit more impressive than this one.

Oystercatchers sorting their feathers out. 

And the people who removed them from the beach - and my camera.....

There was a moment of humour.  There were some early teen boys hurtling up and down on scooters.  Dropping empty bags of crisps.  Which blew towards me.  I picked them up and was just about to blast them verbally when one of them said, "Hello Jill."  Which just cracked me up.  So it was with a smile I said, "Put your bloody rubbish in the bin."

At least the cheeky monkey could read.

Home.  And another Sunset.

Sunsets.

We haven't seen the sun all day.

Then this evening we get this -

Weather today was the Glums.  Remember the Glums?  'Ooooh Ron." and "Ooooh Eth."?
The radio was good in the old days was it not!  Showing my age now.

My walk on the Prom today was a bit boring.  No sea birds as children were doing King Canute games.  And screaming a lot.  I am always careful about photographing children so none here.  

This is a very large fishing boat.  So large it needs the Pilot.

The Pilot boat.

Having taken the Pilot on board.  The Pilot boat departs.  The Pilot is then in charge of taking the big boat into the harbour.

As this manoeuvring took half an hour I had done my walk and more.  So you will not see the boat going in as neither did I.

Back home and watched Blackbirds having a bath, one after the other. This is one.

Then it was the sunset.  One has to take pleasure in little things.  Like the glass of red wine I now have.....

Dynasty and other things.

Got my favourite carer back today.  So the wash body and hair was a breeze.

A meeting of the Art Group in the afternoon.  I sat, took the minutes and felt totally inadequate as plans were discussed for fundraising for some replacement display boards.  At one time I would have been organising it all...  

So later for my walk on the Prom.

Very gloomy, not warm and breezy.  So yesterday was a one off.

I like it best when there are not many people.  Much more of a slope on the beach.  Fascinating to see what daily changes there are.

Huge container ship on the horizon.

Only four Oystercatchers.  Birds are beginning to pair up now as we head into the mating season.

Blackheaded Gulls.  Lovely red legs!

Today the Postie brought me my winning gift for being a member of the 6000 club of the North East Wildlife Rescue Centre -  The New Arc.

Its a Pot Pourri holder, the lid lifts off.  But even without Pot Pourri it is beautiful.
Heavier and bigger than I was expecting.  It was made and donated to the New Arc by Alan Maggs at Branching Out.

https://www.facebook.com/Somerset41/

Oh the Dynasty, nearly forgot....October I will be a grandmother to 7 Grandchildren - and, not forgetting, a cat.