Thursday 28 May 2015

New Beginnings

We had a day to recover from our travels before we were off again...meeting the Pirate's younger daughter and her new (to us!) man . 
They came to stay for a weekend before going to the Nederlands to do on the ground research for their new life together and joint project...it sounds good and we're wishing them success.

We had a cultural weekend as fortunately their visit co-incided with the Spring Fling in Dumfries and Galloway.

We practiced before they came....by going to a photographic gallery opening in Lauriston. A lovely village, but without a shop atall.

After collecting them from Glasgow Airport, The Pirate suggested something new to us all..The Burrell Collection in Pollockshaws...marvelous!!




 A marvellous building from natural materials.They've been having some leak problems...but not surprising,the rain they've been having in Glasgow!!

 dutch brushwork...
 on this painting.....
 slip!!!....they have a Toft plate there too,  "The Pelican in her Piety"....
 Beautiful....


 This looks very much like the handles and shape I like making.....but with one difference...
 It is considerably older!!....

 He enjoyed himself....


 and so did they!

The next day we headed South, away from the rain....first stop Hannah and Doug to say hello and see the kiln in action. 
Then another first for us all,a visit to Kirkcudbright.

Couldn't resist snapping that one....we found a good cafe and saw a print shop and workshop.

Onwards and upwards,along new roads to me,to Newton Stewart and then to Wigton....Scotland's Booktown.

 Thinking of Dan Finnegan....just needs a bird each side of the door....



We can recommend the Old Bank Bookshop...most welcoming and helpful, and not just because they sold us a book on printing!!

Being a booktown has brought some hope to the town, but it still leaves a few very thin months in the year.

We were sad to wave them off to the plane on the Monday morning...but it had been a happy weekend.

Monday 25 May 2015

adventures in England ( and Walesand Scotland...)

 We headed South after an afternoon on the velodrome at Glasgow, just over 200miles to near Oldham. Overnight with a cycling friend and off again by 9am...
We stopped for lunch in Leominster (and on the return journey too).
I could spend a day or more there with camera and drawing book....


 We patronized Cafe # 1...a chain started in Cardiff, then taken over by Brains Brewery, also from Cardiff.  Luckily they seem to have changed nothing!
The decor includes sayings.....apt for us and also the Pirate's younger daughter,starting out on a new venture ,moving to the Nederlands....
 Overnight with The Oily One then with the Carpenter (and partner and her son) in convoy to North London  for the Rixon Annual Family Get-together.
There were only just under thirty this year because of birthdays,exams and being on tour....one of our cousins (by marriage...but still One of Us!!) is one of Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, wielding his saxophone. They are on their 50th anniversary tour through May and doing very well.

We escaped London that afternoon and headed for Kent.  There near Ashford we stayed with the Pirate's Nephew and his Wife whilst visiting some of the extended Possee possee.  Help was needed to lift the pea netting protecting the onions and peas from the pigeons and grey squirrels.....
 On our way back West we visited an old cycling team-mate near Maidstone....and here they are in 1958 or 59 with the Pirate doing the pushing off duty at the grass trackmeet in Faversham
 They raced tamdem time trials together too..and were beaten by not much over a minute for first place (they were third)
 Back to Wales to celebrate the Oily One's 34th birthday with the Carpenter's partner and family....and see friends....one with a few cars.....


 then a pub lunch in Llangynidr...



 before meeting Baxter
 and The New Cat...
 went for a walk and saw a path worn by a brock....
 and the wind waving the grass
 It was good to relax with friends and make plans...then the next day head North again...360 miles in one day this time, the longest stretch.
Back again via Leominster, heading up the A roads via Hereford and through Shropshire and not seeing Motorways until the M56 that goes across from North Wales to Manchester. A quick hop to the M6 , a break in the next services before our usual stop in Westmorland at Tebay.
I managed a quick snap of this clubrun before they moved on

Back into Scotland and we changed our usual route...up to Thornhill for a break before having what we thought was a quick look at a possible new home....

Through Sanquhar and Kirconnell,then turn off up a lane...which after half a mile straight up a slope, changed to a gravel/stone road....
I said,turn back....but we tried a little more.
Then we met another vehicle...a large 4x4....and enquired did he know the cottage......yes...he had just moved out after living there for 45 years or more, working as a shepherd..and it was three miles further up the track...

We couldn't refuse the offer to see the cottage so followed him carefully up the rutted stone surfaced track, up and down,over bridges and cattle grids,thinking of gravel roads in New Zealand.....

The house and garden would have been ideal....four miles nearer the village!!
Apart from no signal of any kind, the track would have been hard on any vehicle and 4 wheel drive would be 100% necessary.  The main weather problem, apart from track washouts, would not be snow, but ice....on the last half mile of tarmacked road!!  Only once had they been stuck out there...but that was for a month.
The shepherd's employer had insisted that he moved nearer Sanquhar...good for him....and this is the first time that this cottage will have been let...IF they can find a tenant....
A definite NO...from both of us....so we're still looking!!

We had left South Wales by 10am...and arrived home at 9.30pm....not so tired as you'd think,because we'd kept the journey interesting

Friday 22 May 2015

Baxter


Not ours-he lives near Abergavenny

Sunday 17 May 2015

travelling

Going around assorted family, driving about 1200 miles or more,by the time we get back home...which wont be long!!

Tuesday 12 May 2015

spring?

Yes the sun is out...but interspersed by cold sleety showers!! However, despite this....

 the House Martens and Swallows have arrived
 and my Geranium Phaeum is flowering nicely.

We had another friend staying over...he relaxes nicely with us...a hard working lad, getting the goodies to the bike shops!
 I made supper...and the Pirate looked after the dishes in the galley.

Still nothing certain to move to. Plenty of friends are keeping an ear to the ground for us, we are really grateful for that.

There is one possibility....but although She wants to rent it out, He doesn't.....do we want to be in the middle of that? It wouldn't be ready until the last minute, if then......