Getting organised

 Pirate made a high shelf from an old door, and a bench from two old homemade trestles and half a pallet.

This is most of what needs listing, cleaning and selling for our late friend's son.

Yet another distraction from making, but this will bring in much needed finance as I get 50% of the proceeds.   And the workshop roof needs doing properly.

Another incentive to do the roof is that with a wriggly tin roof we shall be able to use the rainwater for the garden...at present, being roofing felt, the tar in the construction of the felt is a growth inhibitor...a poison in other words.

Letting people know steadily.   Pirate is more at ease.   Looking forward to Friday and the treatment plan.

Moving forward

 Luckily this morning our neighbour came over for a cuppa and a chat...just as we had hoped for an early start...and after a while the landline phone went for Pirate...

It was confirmation of bowel cancer...but like the poster he saw on the back of the toilet door in the hospital, 9 out of 10 cases are successfully treated....and he is now positive in his attitude. So on Friday we meet the team who will be treating him, after their conference meeting on Wednesday.

What a way to celebrate a wedding anniversary!!...it will be five years married....and eleven years together.

After a later start than planned we headed off on the A 70, on a misty damp and cold day...this was the view at the highest point on the way to Edinburgh! But in the end we had far nicer weather than if we had stayed at home!!

We met our friend's son with son's son and stepfather....and loaded up the car with most of the equipment that needs to be sold....if possible! It could bring us in a fair bit of cash, but naturally we will have to work for it!!

Then across the new river crossing to Rosyth and along upriver to have a late lunch ...or early supper with another friend who hopefully will help us out a new roof on my workshop..he has helped us in the past with our buildings.

A drive through to Glasgow with beautiful skies and clouds with so much depth....quick shopping in Waitrose, catching things I wanted anyway at marked down prices...and home as it went dark.

A good day.   Not the diagnosis we wanted, but one we had expected...and now move on positively.

Back to winter?

 It has gone back to cold wet windy and grey.

This is the "meadow patch" in front of our home.  Not a lot happening yet...apart from the flowering currant which has been flowering for a while.

MRI went well today, but the parking was a nightmare. All rammed full, narrow lanes between the parking space rows, cars parked in every corner, people driving the wrong way..I was gazumped for a space twice in the half hour I was crawling the car around to find a space!!  If we had gone by bus it would have been a three bus trip to Crosshouse, outside Kilmarnock....and he isn't feeling well enough for bus travel.

Then pirate realised that he had made a cardinal mistake....do not turn your phone off AND leave it in the car......even with our obvious car he was walking around for nearly twenty minutes until he found the car!!

Now we have at least two weeks wait for the results, and hope that two other sets of results arrive as well.  Apparently the path labs are working flat out......

At last

 Signs of Spring

Back to work

 

Four trees and four birds..may need a few small tweaks but not far off ok.

Small cards, bookmarks, tags....small things to go on a stall with my bigger prints.

I am eyeing up a decent craft market...it's a little distant, but could be worth it.

The greenhouse growing is slow..but the night temperature is still quite low, so no great surprise..if a bit frustrating!

Pirate has been rebuilding a raised bed...and found it occupied by a garden worker.....

Not the biggest one we have seen here, but welcome all the same!

Just ticking along

 We are still gradually getting the place back to how we like it..Pirate tidied some of his tools this morning and did a little on the new compost bin. 

It needs a dividing pallet down the centre, so we may get that in tomorrow.

Our main problems there are that both of us have damaged shoulders....and Pirate is a bit low on energy....but he has the skill of wielding a sledgehammer!! Just two stobs (posts) to get in and that is the heavy work finished. We take our time....four hits of the hammer and rest....and repeat.

These two should not be difficult to get in, then I can do a bigger share of the construction work.

I am gradually sorting the upstairs studio and have done a little more cutting and printing.

Four trees done, now four birds...the owl I have already, a wren is half carved...the problem is to choose trees and birds that will convey what they are, despite being in a print block that is just over 50mm by 30mm max!

We had banking and posting to do this afternoon, which gave us a break away from the house....and travelling in our "tin overcoat" we were not affected by the rain showers!

We took a slightly longer way back home to avoid traffic jams and road works.....and were rewarded with a view!

Made it really worth going those extra three miles!

A quiet day

 It was a lovely surprise when son#1 turned up in his van to help houseguest clear their stuff....he has room for lengths of wood in his van!

Packing was practically finished yesterday, a chip supper rounded off the day nicely!

It was sad just to have him here only overnight until after an early breakfast..they wanted to be on the road and all the way to Blackpool before the roads got busy..which they succeeded in doing.

At least he has inspected the kiln for what needs finishing and should be back in a month.

We are looking forward to that!

We have both been pottering around getting everything back in place, and I have got the first test prints off the four new blocks..now to decide exactly what to make.. I have hopes of doing a few craft market/fairs as some newer ones are looking more Craft  than Crafty.....

And outside it has reverted to decidedly chilly....and may even be a frost by tomorrow morning!! I won't be putting the houseplants out, even into the greenhouse, for a while yet!!

Starting small , moving, decluttering sheds

 At last, getting creative again...on a small scale! 

It's one way to make myself do things again, plus I have bigger prints and need small things too.

Our house guest returned this lunchtime, with my eldest son in his van, as that is long enough to fit the longer pieces of wood and also uses less fuel, even on a much longer trip!

Pirate has, between naps , been fettling two mowers that need to find new homes.

They both work well..

A Ransome Bowlic Mark 4 with a quarter horsepower electric motor..a 1930s design from the 40s, for cutting bowling green grass.

This is heading for the British Lawnmower museum in Southport if all goes well.

The other, a Suffolk Punch is apparently too young for them!!

I have offered that one Free to a Good Home on the village barter farcebook page.

Our nice few sunny days have ended and we have returned to cold and damp weather. 

Thankfully pirate gave the grass it's first cut and everywhere looks neat and tidy, even the meadow patch at the front has had its perimeter trimmed.

Home, and testing

 It may be a bit disorganised...but at least I can see most of the bench clear to work on...and it's all our stuff!!

We had a bit of a clean and sort out and tidy...getting our home back!!

That's the CT scan done on a beautiful warm fine day. We had to go 20 miles over to Irvine to a hut outside what is called Ayrshire Central Hospital..used to be the maternity hospital. They scanned all of pirate this time!!

MRI next Thursday at Cross house hospital..we don't like going there...huge, impersonal, takes ages to find a parking spot, and getting there by bus would be totally impractical.

At least that will be the last test for now....

Round and round

 Pirate and friends had an hour of fun this afternoon on the boards.

Moving on

 Last night's sunset was spectacular...

Our house guest decided that none of us were comfortable in the situation...just imagine one of those small games with nine spaces and eight tiles...then imagine the game with much more than eight.....

I think that we would have been happier if progress on the van conversion had been proceeding at a decent rate.

However Pirate's health is far from 100%, we are still awaiting test results and two more scans....we need to be able to concentrate on that.   Thankfully our guest took the decision themselves without any hints needed.  Half of their Stuff was packed into their van this morning...and they will be back for the rest on Saturday.

We are very thankful for the house sitting done, but the past four weeks have been difficult especially for Pirate.

Now today he is trying a quiet session on the boards at Glasgow velodrome...nothing like gently doing something you enjoy, to make you feel better and more like yourself!!

Weather

 

And just when you get your first really nice day...

Haar, haar, haar say the weather gods!!

At least it isn't snow..but say that quietly, they might get ideas.....

Our garden

 Not the tidiest....

In the greenhouse I have germination!!!!...Rocket, mixed salad leaves and beetroot.

It's a start...no leeks, spring onions , carrots or beans yet.  The shallots are rooting nicely and will need to go out before too long.

Incentive to finish preparing vege beds!!

Life ticks on

 Friday came...and went.   Still waiting for results, and more tests.

But at least we have now met the consultant surgeon...and he knows more about pirate and we know more about where the surgeon stands, medically. It's all still hopeful and it's all been found early.

Gardening proceeds..we have had a couple of good days, unexpectedly, so the new compost bin is coming along.

Nothing showing from the seed sowing yet, but the shallots are putting out healthy roots.

I tidied the bean poles today, so the garden looks as if we mean business!!

Fleabaying proceeds...three items posted and there will be another in a few days..I have started going down the auction route..fingers crossed this will succeed, as we have taken on the job of selling a late friend's bike and components collection for his son....We collect that on Friday. I must be mega organised for this!!!! That will be a test!!

At last!!

 The day dawned damply...but stayed dry, just about....

The piper had problems with cold fingers...but overcame that well

The singer sang...keeping his back to the wind so as not to dry up!

Himself gave his spiel

And Margaret Fairbairn did the unveiling of the seat. She is the life president of the Ayr Roads/Harry Fairbairn Cycling Club..and would always rather help with the tea at events, rather than present the prizes! She was also one of the best riders in Scotland in her day.

Many people saw others they hadn't seen for years!

The job done..the sun came out,if briefly.

Then it was time to head for the community café in Kirk Michael, after taking the Easy-up (ha!!) down.

A quick lunch there, then home for a well earned rest.

And today's news? Medically, no action on one front, just a watching brief....onto the other front on Friday to talk to someone else. Small positive steps to find out just what is going on for Pirate