Spring

 It has arrived..but don't shout too loud in case you scare it away!! It is still fairly cold overnight....and this morning didn't warm up until nearly 11am.

Still working on tidying....as I had a request for some work for the small gallery at Souter Johnny's in Kirkoswald (also national trust)

That meant hauling things out of the pot(ting) shed....some things went in the bin, others to other sheds with other Things To Be Sorted....and one box of stock came to the house. Not a lot...kiln mending and making pots are getting urgent!!

What is left in the pot shed is my collection and my personal pottery archive...

After a quick snack lunch, I went by car to collect my new business cards from a local printer in Ayr...and then parked near Prestwick Sailing Club where the NCR goes onto the prom...and thence by bike to Troon as I needed something from a specific shop.

They were by the shop! All lined up.

Then back to Prestwick for a gelato...and sit in the sun to eat it...

Arran is over there.... through the haar..I could just about see it.

Ok day... eventually

Today I discovered that seven year old lino blocks don't really work...they go stiff.

So I carved a new version....

It my be the time to change to woodblock, at least for the smaller prints.

I've a couple of ideas for new small prints..and its no big deal to recarve the older blocks...good practice if anything!!

So not the best of days, but ended ok.

And the kiwifruit...

Ended up looking like this....but tasty!!!

Green crisps!!

 

Spring?

 Nice sunshine today..but the breeze is still chilly and it gets decidedly parky as the day goes towards the evening!

Washing done...and dried quickly on the line..today has been about tidying and cleaning, off and on. Not something to do a solid day of!!

I went for a walk this afternoon, just a shorter way around Hannahston and back up the field..then gave what lawn there is a trim..enough to mulch the garlic patch with the grass clippings.

Air France...freight

It feels odd not to go through a kissing gate with no kiss to go through....

Back to do battle with the computers...

Find then adapt the card back design, on the laptop....email it to me, download it on the tablet....as that talks to the printer...then print 48 cards on their back....

Tomorrow I need to handprint the front....

An amount of sorting and moving things around in the kitchen has been done....it does look better.. possibly!!

Useful day out

 Off to Thornhill...flue bends ordered, secondhand flue collar bought....

Card Backs bought from the marvellous emporium in Castle Douglas....

A lot of driving done on a lovely day....but very tiring. Practice for the Family Visiting Trip whenever that will be.

Evening clouds.

Carrying on..

 Tidying, sorting... hunting for things...

Yesterday's weather was wet cold and windy...again....

I managed half an hour on the turbo trainer...which warmed me up nicely!

Last thing Saturday night some news arrived on fb..... confirmed on Sunday morning..

One of my best cycling buddies in the women's masters track cycling died on Friday after four days in intensive care...one of her daughters found her unconscious at home on Monday.

Someone in her 50s with everything going well...a caring partner, new legal partnership (family law solicitor) . A person who cared, and danced, and worked hard on her fitness and enjoyed her racing.

Two daughters growing up well...it is just tragic.

Today started sunny but with high winds...I put extra pegs on the washing and it dried at high speed!!

After lunch I drove to Ayr.... recycling light bulbs at B&Q ( like Mitre 10, Tigger's mum...but not as good!)

Recycling batteries and water filter cartridges at Sainsbury's...and picking up reduced things there and Asda...six packs of kiwifruit looking rather lonely...I will slice and dry them,that makes a nice nibble.

And going to The Range where I usually buy blank cards and envelopes for printing.... nothing...and in the Kilmarnock branch just four inch square brown ones...which I have anyway.   The staff member I spoke to was very apologetic..she remembered it as it used to be too, with a good selection of all sorts of art stuff.

Home again, going a longer way just because, on a sunny afternoon in a warm car!

Winter still here

 I didn't have a brilliant night's sleep....so was running late with everything in the morning..guess who trotted after the green waste lorry to ask if the wanted me to bring my wheeled bin to the lorry?...towel around wet hair and sandals on feet!!!!

They took pity and reversed three houses back to mine !!

It has been cold all day, with strong winds and heavy squalls of rain...even the ferry service to Arran was disrupted...despite sailing from Troon which is usually a better harbour in rough weather than Ardrossan.

I raised my laptop to a better working level...

But it still refuses to communicate with the printer (which does work with the tablet) despite having what should be the right printer driver installed.

It was definitely a stay in and keep warm day...hang the expense!!

I got on with Our Shirts patchwork a little...two of the four central big blocks are now together and I've started on the fourth.

At four the district nurse who cared for Pirate in his final weeks called round .I had texted her at the beginning of the week...

She is in need of bedding plants and I have geraniums!! Plus some primroses and snowdrops. 

She hadn't been sure if I'd want her to call..the association with Pirate's demise...but we get on so well, so it's a good friendship both ways.

It is still getting dark quite early...I'll be glad when I can have an early supper and do things afterwards!!

So it was a good time to be in contact with our Friend in France and plan my visit there in September!! 

So much I want to get on the way before then !!!

A good day in parts.

 Today started with sorting the cook books for next door's granddaughter to look at, the over the road for Paddy Over the Road's funeral, starting in the house.

As we left the house I picked up a carnation head that had fallen from a wreath...one of his four sisters said "that was meant for you"...she didn't know that Paddy had given me a wee bunch of Carnations when Pirate died...as he remembered Pirate talking about his (Pirate's )sister taking cuttings when given carnations...

Instead of walking to the graveyard as it was raining she insisted that I go with another sister and her husband in their car...and that meant we followed the hearse on the lap of the village..before going to the graveyard where the pipes were playing and even more of the village people standing there..plus a grey Fergie tractor..,at one time Paddy had three...I only knew two of them...and he used to go on the annual tractor runs...

His cousins arrived from Ireland in time, thankfully, then Daniel O'Donnell singing Danny Boy was played.

Then down to what used to be the Bowls club in the village for chat and funeral spread.

I walked home...the rain had eased a little..with a mutual friend who lives along the road from me..he is a mere sprightly 89 years old...nine years older than Paddy was..

The afternoon has been more than a little frustrating...wanting to phone an artists organisation for insurance....they are only there from 10-1...

Going to cut a window in mounts for prints to be set behind....I thought, metal patchwork template, ideal....if I could find it....

The small label printer that I purchased...I can't print the tax invoice off the phone or the tablet, has to be the desk top version ...but the printer is refusing to talk to the laptop even though the driver was installed for it....

The card backs that I need to print are on the laptop as well....

I need an office / tech organiser in house!!!

I could also spend a couple of months concentrating solely on sorting reducing and tidying....but then I wouldn't get anything done....but.... because that needs doing I'm not finding things that I know I have..... somewhere!!!

Infuriating at times...