I need cheering up!

What better way than having a tour around where I am so fortunate to live.

Pennan.  North of Fraserburgh.  Famous as it featured in the film 'Local Hero', starring Burt Lancaster.  He was head of an American Oil Company who wanted to buy up the village and turn it into an oil refinery.  The only way of communication between head office and the henchman sent to the village was by a ,now iconic,red phone box.  Which is still there. (Although it was a different one used by the cameraman!)   To my readers outwith the U.K. our red telephone boxes were all removed by the telephone company and replaced by boring grey efforts.  But the one in Pennan was allowed to remain.

More important, the pub,also featured in the film is still there.  For such a small village quite an achievement also!

Crovie below.  Pronounced round here as Crivie.

Pennan has a road that goes past the houses.  Along the edge of the sea.  Crovie has no road.  Just a path.

Youngest daughter keeping well away from the edge.
 

 So, when the inhabitants have been shopping, they park at the other end from this picture, and unload their cars into a wheelbarrow. 

Cormorant drying its wings.(Very like me doing my physio, tho I have to bring my bingo wings round to the front and then above my head.)
 

The road in to Crovie.

Notice how the houses are gable end on to the sea.  Most of us would think I want a view of the sea from my house.  Well, no you don't.  Not that close to the sea.  Pretty calm today but there are other days.  Most of any windows onto the sea have shutters also.
 

Same cormorant,now semaphoring the ships.  These,I think, have had containers on them and have delivered them to the oil rigs.  Masses of these toing and froing while the sea is calm -ish.

So why do I need cheering up.  Well.  To keep it brief.  When you give of yourself to help others, there is always some bullying b'stard being nasty, and dropping big hints that you are on the make.  

Perhaps when my muscles continue to grow (more wonderful physio today} ......but no, once a pacifist,always a pacifist.

Am now cheered up.  Ahhhhhh.

Exercise. Who me? No way!

Today was my first proper session at the lung diseases physiotherapy clinic.

Many years ago I played Squash and swam quite a lot.  Though not at the same time.

Then I was pregnant for the next . what seemed like, ten years.  And, for some time after that, exercise was chasing kids around.  Or vice versa.

I  could race up the road with a double buggy and a child hanging on on each side in a force 10 gale.  Do the egg and spoon at school sports. Be in charge of 20 toddlers at a playschool,now anyone ever done this knows how physically taxing this can be, never mind the effort required in beating them into submission.

Later years it was moving kids into student accommodation, usually up at least three flights of stairs...

Gardening.  Painting and Decorating.  Making beds and cleaning guest rooms and ensuites in the latter years and walking miles up and down corridors in our b&b.

Then you get told a) You have swine flu (and smoking since you were 10 hasnt helped.) and you now have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Now most people pack up, pack in everything.  But I didnt know this.  And carried on.  And gradually got slower and slower.  COPD doesnt kill you it is "Life limiting".  Hmm.  But nobody told me that I could do something about this.  Until now.

 So today I walked,I did steps,I did cycling,though I didn't go anywhere,I did arm stretches and knee bends and lots of other things with WEIGHTS on legs, arms and had to lift the bloody things as well, apparently this is what air hostesses do?  No, that one puzzled me too. As I dont know any air hostesses.  We also warmed up and then warmed down.

 Now I have to say I was very humbled.  There were other people on the course.  Lovely, lovely people.  Three had their own oxygen supply that they carried around with them, like a handbag.  There were people who began the exercise and could not finish.  Struggling to breathe.  But we all got to the end.

I absolutely loved it all.  And we all felt so great at the end. 

I met the DP for coffee at the Lighthouse Museum later and I went up the stairs to the cafe without hauling myself up the banister and then spending 5 minutes gasping for air.  

Apparently he and the Manager are now planning me doing a sponsored climb of Ben Nevis in aid of the Lighthouse.  What???????

Ha ha.

Sorry to involve you in my trials and tribulations,but I have to practice on someone.

Yesterday we had our 25,000 visitor to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.

I was the 24,999 th.  So got roped in to do the presentation.

 Our chef, Kip, cooked the lady her lunch, and her partner, all free.  I handed over the wine.

Why is new technology harder than the old?

TORTURE!!!!

The DP has the main computer in the office up stairs.  With wifi I sit downstairs in our bedroom and use my laptop.  Domestic harmony.

So when my laptop decided to freeze me out, at the weekend,and when I HAD LOADS TO DO, there was little option.  

Why do they change things?  If I wanted to spend the day playing x box or whatever -fine.  But finding some way of writing a report, letter, poster, uploading photographs.  NO!

 This new laptop is the pits.

Deep breath, I will get there,and just to prove it ....... 

One Snooty Coo.

And one curious Stoat just begun.

I am now off totry to upload other photos for your felectaion.  The other problemis you hasve to resally bwsh the keys.

 
 

Apologies for the break in transmission.

My lap top died. My tablet wont upload pics. Getting to grips with new laptop. Back soon.

Perseverance, didnt know I had it in me!

I do hope I am not boring you all with my struggles with art.  Today I had a success!!  I have twice today got a "Fantastic!"

Remember the *~##+^ dog.

 I am sure it is a lovely dog.  But this is all I had to go on.  

One part of the learning curve and an imagined slap round the head from my art teacher was to measure.  Perspective does not just apply to buildings.  One should always measure distances between eyes, and then to noses etc etc.  Aaargh.

It is not in my nature to persevere.  My nature is to say "Thats it, not doing it again, I do 
 not do things again.  Just the once, if it dont work, tough. BIN."   

Perhaps I am finally growing up, heaven forfend.  But this dog I was so disgusted with myself I did not bin it.  I left it, picked it up, looked at it, put it down again.  Took a deep breath and  - had another go.  Okay I had to use gouache. Which, unlike watercolour, does cover anything in its path.
 

Finally.  The dog became recognisable to its owner.

The boxing hares from yesterday.  Fantastic.  Still waiting for the verdict on the Hairy Coo.  

But you can't have everything.  Am well pleased.  At learning and accepting a new word.  Perseverance.

Sunday storms - and rants.

The bad weather, that a lot of my blogging friends have been experiencing,  finally arrived here.  We have seen some very big swells in the sea.   Today we had the wind and the rain inland.  I think every down pipe and gutter was rattling, not in tune either.

I felt as if I was marooned down the shedudio.  One side I could not see out of as the rain lashed down and it was very dark.

So I brightened things up!  

 Commissions.  Beginning to hate them.  

I use watercolour.  Unlike oil or acrylic paints once its on the paper there is little you can do.  Remember the Oyster Catchers all asleep, so standing on one leg?  Well that was fairly easy to add the second leg requested.  But you cannot paint over most colours once applied.  Sometimes you can lift paint depending on, again, the colour.  Some stain and are permanent.  

So to be asked "Can you make them thinner, more twisted?"  

Well, no, I have to start again.  

This is the sixth and last, I shall do no more.  If he doesnt like this one then he can s** 0**  !

This began as a "I have a space to fill.....! "  Well this is a bit bigger than his measly space I can tell you.  Ha!

So - silly me, I take another commission.  " I would like a Coo for a friends birthday."

I haven't done many coos.  So I trawled through the DP's photos and did this.

 
"We are not amused."

Neither was the woman who asked for a coo.  Wants a Hairy Coo.........

SO!!!!  I began the above, not finished.  And if she asks me to remove the horns.....

The following are a record of the DP's brave, nay foolhardy, photos of todays weather.

 
You can see from this picture why there is a harbour, safe harbour, where the sea is calm within the protective walls.

 The above is one big boat but the waves are bigger.

Kinnaird Head, with the Wine Tower right on the edge.

 And finally our nearest village, Cairnbulg/Inverallochy where the wreck the Sovereign has been just off shore since 18th December 2005.  The mightier the storms it  shifts a bit.  But remains a good perch for Cormorants when its not quite so wild.