final day

The old house is spotless,the sheds empty and garden nearly done..
now it is raining!

Weather permitting, the moved Shed should go up tomorrow....

and perhaps if we get enough work we'll be able to afford to stay in the new place next year when the rent raise comes in. Not that the Pirate had planned to be still mowing and digging other peoples' gardens at 76 and counting...
we'd rather be doing our own!!

from the frying pan into the fire?

Looks like the new place that was too good to be true,is....

Now we're home-hunting at just the wrong time of year. Not much affordable,let alone suitable.
 One bedroom flat in the local run down small town anyone, in the worst part of it?
Or even a one bedroom council flat in an isolated village , no garden, no parking, no sheds, no buses, icy roads in Winter all uphill out of the village... and the village shop is about to close again....

In theory we have six months here, so four months to find somewhere....

At least The Shed has moved, and all the three small sheds' contents go into my workshop.....

I think that unpacking will be minimal.

Pirate is very sad and feeling that he is being punished for something....can't say I'm too happy either.

cleaning the old

The old gaff is just about empty, and the Pirate has been busy Spring Cleaning...can't call it Summer Cleaning as the weather STILL isn't very summery....

Tomorrow afternoon we get the workshop keys, so the morning will be the last load from the house,and all my plants from the garden and yard. Then the Sheds will be emptied to the Workshop.

Friday is hopefully Move The Shed day.....when that is up, the Workshop gets emptied to the Shed....ready for the Carpenter to bring Workshop contents up from Wales next month!

Musical Sheds !!

All being Well........

we're in

so we had a chip supper out.....

The Isle of Arran from the Carrick Hills

moving problems

We eventually saw inside our new address on Saturday evening...it is a nice little cottage and has been completely re-decorated...more than was needed.

Unfortunately all the dog kennels were still in the garden and....oh,the rent is so low because of that and of course it will go up once they are out.....

The rent, as we have told them, was our limit....and they had been promising verbally to remove the dogs before we moved in....

it looks like we'll be moving again in January.

Meanwhile we move in tomorrow.

Birthday Bash....76 not out!!

 A heap of cards to open yesterday

 Afternoon tea at the club hut..cheese, apples, wine and oatcakes, chocolate cake and lemon meringue pie...and good company!


 The sun came out after they'd all gone...of course!

 Then to friends over the burn to talk through the evening, watching the Tour de France and golf from a sodden and windswept Carnoustie.

garden work in a beautiful place

 Southerness Beach on the Solway Firth

 England over the water

 Busy Pirate...I did the forking over and weedlifting...and the photography...

 A World Champion, Master dyker and stonemason from Dalbeattie at work...

moving very soon...

We've signed the papers.....ten days to go.......

just hope everything goes ok....

walk in the rain

 Yesterday we decided that it was too wet for a ride on our bikes...so we had a walk in the rain instead!

 Up a side valley from Talybont where daughter and family live....

 and back following an old track/footpath...

 heading back towards the village

 or so we thought....this is looking back...the path should come from the left, on the far side of the gate,through where the wall has been built.....
son-in-law knows the Rights of Way officer........

 Photographer at work.....(daughter)

 This is the bottom end of the footpath, all nicely marked.....and here there is no Right to Roam as in Scotland.   You stick to the paths....if you can find them!

 We found another, going down..

 past a nice house we'd all like...

then over a bridge and back home.

It is still giving us heavy fine rain today...another bike ride was planned, but perhaps just chilling out is best.
 Daughter is doing her freelance work in the next room...a job that would have been finished, but the client has a habit of changing his mind on details...luckily he is paying for her design work by the hour!

Tomorrow we head for home with  packing to do for our house move.

Yet more festival...

 The Cup Sale, for funds for 2017....

 This was my contribution....an honest salt glazed cup....it sold!!

In the Great Hall

 Naidee Changmoh

 Volunteers to add the hair on the Buddha

 offerings on the piazza kiln....which has found a new home, thankfully!

 and pots

 The Scrap kiln, the morning after...

 and the work installed

 The red shirted helpers doing sterling work...a great experience for them

 Lisa Hammond working in the Great Hall

 Guests' Exhibition...a selection....
Thiebault Chague

 Joe Finch

 Lisa Hammond

 Rita Gudino

 Tony Clennell

 Jim Robison, one of the event's two Master of Ceremonies

So much....and so much more.....meeting bloggers for real instead of online,
seeing older pots "in the clay" rather than in photos.   Getting together with old friends, making new.  Marvelous food...
Being spoilt for choice between Hall demonstrations, theatre and cinema talks and four kilns outside.
Sun, wind, thunder and heavy rain....
Absorbing ideas and being inspired......and getting very, very tired!!