Still getting there slowly

 On Monday, Pirate had a medical investigation..they found nothing out of place, which is good. However with that on top of a busy weekend he is still tired!!

We are progressing slowly but steadily with the workshop verandah.

One quote for the roofing materials is just under £400. The VAT is nearly £80..I think he overquoted and can reduce the cost by £100..but at the moment that is still too much. So we will look at cheaper alternatives and in the meantime use recycled sheets of heavy plastic that form part of milk bottle packaging!

Tomorrow we have a day off and out planned. No stress..apart from buying petrol!!

Meanwhile..

My twin grandsons had their birthdays today. They live six hours away and are isolating due to covid. Ten days so far and their father is still positive.

It isn't easy living so far from family.  The nearest are  nearly four hour's drive away. 

However it is our choice to live in Scotland. We know we are better off by far living here.

Birthday trip

 Last weekend we went to Perthshire. Saturday we rode around the course as neither of us knew it.

It is beautiful there, and the time trial course goes around Loch Leven.

It used to go right through the town of Kinross and make a complete circuit...but with busy roads and all sorts of road furniture..now it starts at the Southern side and finishes as it comes in on the Northern side. 12.2 miles or about 20km.

In the shot above, at the third left turn on the course you look down over fields of oats...then fields of turf..then a gliding school before the first small village.

Pirate rode tandem with a friend. It was the first time on the back of a tandem for him, despite having piloted tandems for many years!

It was a race to remember Sandy Wallace from Fife and hopefully will be an annual event.

The start!! There were four tandems and 94 solo riders...a well run event by a first time organiser..and with help he did a marvellous job!! Hopefully there will be more next year.

The sun shone...after the previous night's thunder, lighting and heavy rain!!

Barley in the wind

Still mates!!

After the presentation we went to watch the British Elite road championship race on TV with our Fife friend. With tea and my birthday cake... chocolate of course!!...then first class chips form a chip shop on the way home.

The best of days.

How not to treat employees

 This is a copy of a Twitter post...those on farcebook should be able to read it.

This tablet doesn't cooperate where copy and paste is concerned unfortunately.

Rail

Looks like the information has been removed....however this is the third year that they have been offered 0% payrise. This year the offer and with 2500 redundancies, substantial increases in night and weekend working, a reduction in pay for this to time and a tenth from time and a quarter. Also a large section of the workforce would have to reapply for their jobs with changed conditions and £9000 less p.a.

This attitude and exploitative dealing is becoming rife. 

I am ashamed to be in a country that treats employees this way and where the gap between highest paid (£590,000 for example with network rail) and the lowest... minimum wage...is increasing 

I try and avoid politics...but...

Summer solstice garden

 I think this year may be summed up as better late than never!!

The roses have got their act together this week. Today I picked the first fruit of this year...thinning the gooseberries, and one alpine strawberry that was just about ripe!!

But you can't do everything 100% right.

Life goes on

 Looking forward to seeing this finished...but I must be patient!

There are so many things demanding attention!!

Broad beans were belatedly planted out yesterday. The first sowing didn't grow, and the second took its time. All the potting on was finished by today...tomatoes, small sweet peppers and sunflowers. The leeks didn't germinate so I bought some seedlings..and they went in today, and covered in white fleece. The garlic has developed rust, unfortunately...and this type also gets onto leeks. The crop will be fine, but the tops can't be used to plait and hang the bulbs up to store.

Today the wind was still strong and gusty and we went on a walk looking at potential foraging...the apples pears and cherries are looking hopeful!!

And in the Meadow half of our front lawn we have orchids!!

Greenan Castle

 Thankyou Wikipedia

I know I have some photos of my own....I just need to work out when we went for a walk there!

With friends

 Before our friends left on their way home to the Outer Hebrides, we had a morning together...brunch in a café and a walk on the beach at Greenan Shore.

Over to Arran

Looking back to Ayr

That is Pirate on the right. For scale!

Wind

 We worked today inside our conservatent...and the noise was awful..and that and the wind pressure made us both rather grumpy!

By late teatime we had at least painted one doorpost and added four bits of bracing wood...and tidied Pirate's shed a little....

We only opened one corner of the tarp, in case it blew away with the 40 mph gusts!

We have asked a local chippie for a quote for finishing the roof..but he will need restraining with regard to the use of plastic!!....roof only please!! ( Glass is not only too expensive, but wouldn't survive next door's footballs....

At least the roses are beginning to bloom

This is Arthur Bell..and it smells beautifully!

Morning blog reading

 I catch up with other blogs with morning coffee..

Reading one this morning makes me realize how the weather has changed.

Pohangina Pete in Aotearoa New Zealand writes of his morning tea in words that transport you there.

Reading his blog and scrolling back through older posts reinforces the view that blogging is far better than farcebook. That is just for the Now, not for any considered reading and connection. It does have its uses, but...!!

We used to have breakfast on the bench by the back door every day..at least a cuppa if a little chilly.  I can't remember the last time we did that.

Today, despite being "summer" we have 14C, feeling 11C due to 25 mph winds with regular 40mph gusts.  Friends in Whanganui also have rain and 11C...but they are in winter!!

We had hoped to do more on the outside of our construction today. It appears that we will have to be content with doing what we can, like yesterday, under a loudly flapping tarpaulin! 

Still, mustn't complain. The garden is getting a little much needed rain and if nothing else the wind is stimulating root growth in established plants!!

Testing...

 They fit! And we got the doorposts straight!!

They are back in their old place now. The wind has risen again, which we could do without. Retying the tarp was.... interesting!! 

Next job for me is sand and paint the doorposts, but that needs better weather!!

I am glad of the rain, however.  The garden was parched, waterbutts empty and some plants lost. 

Rafters!

 

Screwed..will be screwed and glued...but rain is forecast for tomorrow so the tarpaulin is back over the job.

Favour returned

 Yesterday we went to Cathkin Braes on the south side of Glasgow, to help our Fife friend when he raced there. Pirate's job was handing up drink bottles, as it was hit and dusty.

I took a few photos...

Like they say..it's not just about the riders!!...

There was racing all day, from 8 year olds to the Super grand veterans of 60+...a real family day out...and to one side was a BMX track. Also enjoyed by all ages!

From there being so high up, you could see across Glasgow to the Campsite Fells...with the velodrome in the middle!