Slowly

 The days are hot and dry and we are taking things steadily..enjoy each day we have.

I was fortunate to sell an expensive pair of handlebars by putting them on the "grapevine"...and by word of mouth, a friend who is a coach has bought them for one of his riders to use.  He was willing to pay a good price (still a decent bargain) plus no website fees for selling...win win?!

They went off today in the post.

I also heard from Daccordi, an Italian maker of beautiful frames...that yes, the frame I have to sell is one of theirs from about 1985 (they didn't start dating them until a couple of years later..although they have been building frames since 1937!) It is a pretty frame..and a small frame is the test of a good builder..no room for mistakes!

The weather is gradually getting hotter..so after sorting the plant pots ( and putting some out at the front with a sign saying Free!) I put some shading in the greenhouse after moving plants to the cooler polytunnel.

The shading is also keeping it warmer at night...so a smaller temperature variation.

And a rack for the pots is in construction...I design it...Pirate has to work out how to make it!!!!

Tidying

 From this....to a useable space...

And there is a heap of flowerpots to sort!

The seedlings are lining up to be potted on....job for tomorrow!

Vennels, Kirkcudbright

 As the title says..vennels, lanes, alleys....

Spring Fling Again

 Yesterday we headed south again...this time starting in Lauriston at the gallery run by photographer Phil McMenemy..his work is great, always has a good display of other artists' work in the gallery...and it's great craic, coffee and cake!

Onwards to Kirkcudbright, a place stuffed with artists from the Glasgow Boys to the present day! A makers market ( mainly food) was on the green, but despite being busy with that and guided tours it felt nice and relaxed there. 

1600s style punishment!! Still on the wall....

Castle built 1575, mainly as a show of money and influence...which after a couple of generations the money ran out and the roof fell in!

There are many studios and galleries in town but this time we just went to one...Laura Boswell who does linocut printing and Japanese woodblock printing.

This is the entrance to her home and gallery

And what else I found I will put on the next post....

PS...it wasn't my birthday the day before, that's in June...but Pirate got inspired!

Then we went on to Newton Stewart and had a nice flattish ride out on the national cycle route 73...just about ten miles total, turning and retracing before it started going up any hills! A good end to a nice day.

We parked by the river...and to think that a few years ago we had torrential rain...that car park was a couple of foot deep in water and a footbridge got washed away where I took the photo...

Spring Fling!

 Day out yesterday....saw friends at Southerness and took plants...

Started our Spring Fling visiting Hannah McAndrew and Doug Fitch at Corsock

Took some plants as a gift....and Hannah gave me a bowl! ...Then Pirate bought me a birthday present....and they are in use this morning..

We had yet another spectacular sunset last night

And the seagulls were jumping around on our roof last night...and first thing this morning!!....sunset is about 11 and sunrise about 4 am.....

And this is Pirate's first view of the morning....

Carrying on

 Waterbutt, re-sited...

The garden is steadily looking tidier..Pirate wants to open the curtains in the morning and see a tidy garden...not Work In Progress, constantly!!

I took advantage of a beautiful sunny day (shorts!!!) to wash twice..bedding and clothes...and get everything dry and ironed. 

I have started netting the fruit as well...the small bed is done, the big bed just over the top of the old polytunnel frame. I will close the rest in as soon as possible.

The plants in the greenhouse are really coming along, and I have set aside a few as gifts to friends.

And at the end of a nice day....a nice sunset. A peregrine falcon was hunting over the rough ground behind the bungalows opposite...but with this tablet even at full stretch it was just a small speck. And yet with our eyes we could identify it.

Garden time

 I managed to get to the garden at last today..in the greenhouse as the wind is still chilly! It's no wonder that the runner beans are not running with it being so cold and dry!

Potting up time for cucumbers squashes and tomatoes..and...drum roll, Steve, six red lupin seedlings!!!

The chard has just germinated..relief as we eat quite a bit of that..but the parsley and coriander are still no shows.

I will take a wander around the garden for you..

The garlic planted last year is going well so far, and I've sown carrots too..but they take an age to germinate.

The compost bin construction is coming along slowly, step by step and is now working..in the second bin are the pallets I will use to make shelves for my empty plant pots...

Which are cluttering up the polytunnel...

It is indeed a sorry object too because the plastic is rotting....Pirate believed what he was told when he phoned the importers..that it would last five years....no, this stuff does not!!

 We had a nice afternoon, me in the garden and him sorting some papers. Then chatting with neighbours...really enjoyable.

Himself is off to bed..he runs out of steam by nine...and I have a quiet Me time...clearing the washing up, making sure the greenhouse is closed and everything vaguely tidy for the morning, and a quick Duolingo lesson...I try to to a quarter-hour every day.

Then the sunset...and it's ten o'clock already!