Tuesday - Feathered Friends - or foes?

We actually had snow over night, but at day break there was left only small evidence in hedgerows.

The Pink Footed Geese saw the Dawn Patroller coming towards them.

And began to move.

Up and away.

A beautiful morning.  As lunch time approached, the skies grew darker, and darker, and then a blizzard of snow blanketed everywhere.  Within half an hour it finished, out came the sun and it was gone...... Weird.

Visitors to our garden today.

 Siskin.

Yellowhammer.

We are now closely watching the nest boxes within our garden.  One we have a camera inside.  Though from my vantage point down the shed/artist studio/opera theatre/drinking den I have seen no evidence of any bird even looking at it.  Although the one up our electric pole has had a lot of activity from tree sparrows.

Its exciting int it!

In between watching the birds I am having fun painting a new fanciful flock, well actually two.  The way I paint it takes ages for the paint to dry, so you may as well be doing another.....

More on the one shown yesterday,

And the start of another.  This is to be five hens striking various poses.  It is such fun!

I di hope you are enjoying seeing the stages one goes through, or is it like watching paint dry?

Back to Normal.

The Dawn Patroller is back on his early morning forays.  A cold and frosty morning.

The Pink Footed Geese in front of Cairness House.

Which as soon as they spotted the DP were off.  As they fly they call to each other and this is quite magical.  The birds arrive here in September and are now beginning to fly home, to Northern Europe.

I have yet to see one of these birds, in the flesh, a Bullfinch. They do not visit our garden.  Though I live in hope.  He is perched on some Pussy Willow.

This is a Buzzard.  We have lots of these birds of prey around.  They take rabbits, but join in with all the seagulls following the plough and therefore are not adverse to the odd worm.  Difficult to tell from the photograph but they are quite big birds, one swooping past the windscreen of your car blocks out most of the light.

On a Monday the DP becomes a man with a trolley on a mission and goes to the supermarket.  You often get stuff cheaper on a Monday, and we are but poor pensioners when all is said and done.

But he usually makes a detour.

Sanderlings on Inverallochy Beach.

The Bay at Inverallochy.

Looking Northwards to Cairnbulg.

I have mentioned these two villages before.  Two small fishing villages, our nearest to the sea, were divided by a stream, now a road divides them.  Inverallochy on the right and Cairnbulg on the left.

While he was doing all that I was finishing off my catch up of cleaning, what with pleurisy, Kids Activities etc., I had let everything on the housekeeping front get in to one hell of a state.  We do not use shop bought cleaners, we make our own, white vinegar in water and in a spray bottle, and borax or bicarbonate of soda.  Plus soda crystals down the plug hole every so often followed by a kettle of boiling water.  My bathroom now gleams again.  And I have had no nasty chemicals stopping me breathing. (I also use the vinegar mixture at the lighthouse when I do the lenses, as the stuff they use is enough to fell me at six paces.)

Once lunch is over - duck eggs today, yum, its down the shed.

Work in progress.

Blue tit is finished.  Its tiny.  I can knock one of them off in the afternoon.  This is our task at my Wednesday Art Group, think small.  Hmmmm.

I would far rather be splashing the paint on big time.  In fact I am on a bit of a roll at the moment.  I had a delivery this afternoon from Great Art, which included three new, all different sizes, but large, paper pads.

I had to force myself to leave the shed, come back to the house, force myself to have a glass of wine, and stop myself from starting at least two other ideas I have buzzing. Well, you have to stand firm sometimes, cheers.

Convalescence now allowed......?

One of the 70 plus wee pirates who came to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses on Thursday.

The following day I was doing my volunteering stint on the admissions desk and in the shop.  We have a new till!  Which sounds very much like the dustbin lorry in reverse.
6 a.m. Saturday I was up, sorting out paintings, cards, pasting table, curtain to cover over, printing off labels and laminating them.  Loading up the car.  Bitterly cold morning but the sun was shining and there was no wind.  Off to the Loch of Strathbeg.

Managed a half decent display, given the short space of time I had to do it all.

Now view this, see the cars, beyond them you can just see a barn, with closed doors.  Well that is where we were, with the doors open.  Holes in the roof, (being a bird reserve they dont want to stop the birds nesting), it was COLD..... It was warmer outside......  Picturesque piles of straw bales,  I felt like getting inside one... I have never been so COLD.

Inside the barn was a proper artist, illustrates books no less, a wood turner, another artist, a display of stuff by Rosie's Social Enterprises - Aberdeen,  moi and the Grampian Guild of Weavers, 

(Picture taken somewhere warmer.)  They were a great bunch.  Tried to get me to have a go, but by this time I was a block of ice and was worried I would break the spinning wheel.

Inside the actual Visitor Centre, which wasn't much warmer, but didn't have holes in the roof or walls, were jam makers, and other artists and other crafters.  

At one stage the Dawn Patroller (DP) relieved me so I could drive round and blast the car heater to warm up a bit, but it wasn't long before I returned and felt my damaged lungs feel like iron ones.

All good things come to an end and by 3 p.m. we were home.  I sold quite a lot of cards, and received two commissions...... No pressure there then.  I really should get the message and stop pratting about painting things that are true to life (?) and go for the 'hit of colour you dont expect ' 

This art lover (idiot) wants a big picture of three sheep.... and another wants more of these.

Now, what do they say, a boring woman has a tidy house?  

This morning I began to blitz the house, the car, the washing, the sorting,  as I am now totally bored with that and feel a swoon coming on, I raise my glass to you all. Cheers.

Fun!

Museum of Scottish Lighthouses Kids Activities one of two.  

I have fretted myself for some months about this.  On previous times there were many Lighthouse Volunteers who took the Kids Activity Mornings on board, then , for whatever reason the volunteers took their bats home.  It has been a struggle to gather together some volunteers who wanted the Lighthouse Museum to thrive, so six of us went ahead. 

A Pirate theme.

And oh boy, our work paid off.

And here is me, smiling.  

We had queues out of the door to come in, we gave them colouring in, draw your own pirate, we had templates of lighhouses for them to draw their own version of marauding pirates, make your own telescope, pirate mask, parrot puppet, pirate or parrot figure (using the now banned loo roll inner - excuse me? how many people have actually been diagnosed with whatever from doing crafts using a loo roll inner = nil.)
Make your own telescope, using kitchen paper inners, pirate masks, parrot puppets, pirate and parrot figures, badges, and the most popular craft of all, which everyone wanted to do, was the one  I threw in as a well, as I had  run out of ideas, lets try an old one,was the.......

so simple, make your own hat from just folding paper, went down a storm.

At the end of the session many went up to the cafe for Pirate themed biccies and cakes, and were rewarded by this from Nature.  Out of the window of the cafe, 

A complete Rainbow.

Now lying in a darkened room with, you've guessed it, a glass of red.

Gremlins.

 A tad worried.  My last blog had lots of white spaces obliterating what I had typed.
I managed to edit using html.  (Drawn to my attention by worried daughter and the DP).
Anyone else experience this?  On html it was repeating, background colour white, all the way through.  Scary.  Who, if any managed to read the whole blog, and who thought I had totally lost the plot?

Sorry.

Must have upset everyone, no comments....., well one, thanks Rusty Duck.  Loads of Anonymous ones, do I really want to view websites on acne, pornography, et al.  No.

Nature inspired arts and craft this Saturday (April 6th) at Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire.A diverse range of artists will be selling pieces of their work and this event is free to the public, running from 11am until 3pm. 
Stunning artwork, photography and crafts will feature in this one day event which includes Grampian Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, nature images, etc.....

and me.

As if I hadnt enough to do with the Kids Activity Morning at the Lighthouse on Thursday.  The DP has signed me up.

Might not be blogging for a few days.

Birds in the North East of Scotland.

Whoooo.  Today has been a good day.  Feeling better, (last antibiotic, coffin sized pill, you do have to double check it says by mouth instead of....) 

I went off to Doug Irvine, Picture Framer extroadinaire.  Had coffee.  Chose mounts and frames for three pictures. 

These are three paintings I dont care if I sell as I LIKE THEM.

While I was doing this the Dawn Patroller was visiting a friend who lives in Peterhead.  She has over 30 Waxwings visiting her urban garden.  Okay she provides them with (peeled)

apples, (has to wash bird s*** off her windows),  but, hey, wow.  Waxwings winter here from Scandinavia.  I know we welcome them . (I wish we did the same as generously to other human immigrants).

These birds normally go for the red berries.  

Thank you Supermarkets and Local Authorities who do plant such shrubs as cotoneaster et al.

This afternoon I was down the shed.  Ha whats new.  Whilst I was drawing, painting and pen and inking, there was lots of noise from outside.  

Apart from our neighbour doing his first cut of his  vast lawns, and everyone who passes by has to toot him  on their car horn.... does interfere with Placido reaching his higher notes, the farmer was moving his sheep.  

We had the weigh in, those who have reached the weight, into the transporter and off for....(hands up who had lamb for  lunch on Sunday?)  

The others went back into the field.  And were then joined by the rest of the anorexics. (and dont anyone take offence here, I have personal experience of eating disorders but lets raise a laugh. Always)

Here they come from up the road field, down to our field.  Shepherd and dog and two young men who make strange noises.  Whoop, whistle, whoop, ( doesnt impress me and I have witnessed it doesnt impress sheep either).

Oh , says me, please turn left and eat our ex crap, failed,  wild flower meadow.

But no, they kept on and were then shepherded into the field.

Happy sheep, lots of Neeps (turnips, swedes) and hay, and water,  But, sad, one day soon they will also reach the required weight and be off to death row.  

The great thing is they have had such a wonderful fun life, out in the fresh air, playing, unlike some of the birds everywhere who are not.  Lets all give some thought as to where our food comes from.  And vegetarians - have you heard the scream from a carrot when it is pulled from the earth, so lets all stop being holier than thou and start asking, where did this come from?  Do they use pesticides?  Sorry didnt mean to preach.  This was supposed to be about the Birds.

So to my long gone beautiful free range Greenbrae Gang, our last home, and our last hens.  Who I hasten to add did not end up in the pot.  

Lots more birds in the NE of Scotland,, beautiful, interesting, awesome, paintable, wonderful.