Production

 A busy morning.

Now waiting for Daughter and family to arrive for supper...bringing pizzas and chocolate courgette cake..and marrows from her garden!!

I haven't seen them for far too long...grandkids C&S are 13 now...just briefly at a funeral last year, and that was the first time since 2019.....

Wet

 It's been a weekend of wind and heavy showers..and a few bits of sunshine revealed as the clouds scud across the sky.

We had a trip to Mauchline yesterday to see our friends at Nae Sae New...old things and antiques in an old friend four storey feed mill. 

The gear changing had got a bit stiff on the way there...and when it came to leaving I had to be pushed backwards around a corner, so that we could carefully go home...thankfully only just over seven miles. 

Garage first thing Monday...

Today Pirate hasn't been feeling too good...it is odd in a way, his body has decided to be active at night, and in the day he is really tired, unsurprisingly.   The after effects of working shifts for many years, compounded by present problems.

So today I have been concentrating on fleabay....five pairs of pedals, mainly from the 90s, and all but one completely new in their boxes!  I have handlebars to pack and send as well..with any luck listing things more regularly will attract more sales.....

This evening we shared the job if chopping veggies and fruit for a cucumber, onion and apple chutney.

Pirate did the onions..and not one tear..perhaps a useful side effect of having his cataracts operated on?

And now I am listening..and watching..a Promenade Concert from the Albert Hall in London, on BBC4, as the light slips away outside.

Day after day

 Little improvements...but it is hard work for someone impatient and emotional to be ultra patient!!

Pirate is now aiming to walk a little every day.  Working around how he is feeling every day , we are managing it!

Today we thought...take the parcel ( a sale!) to the post office, in the car...and find somewhere different for a wander....

We ended up going for a nice wee ride....in the car....what parking spaces there were...were taken!!

Followed by a short walk around a bit of Hannahston, our first " off-road" walk. 

Bits and bobs

Pirate's birthday bouquet from fellow Blogger "Boxes &Bellows" and her lovely Eve who we met at Dumfries House for lunch over a week ago on their way home to the Western Isles.

A wall near Glen Trool. The work of the dyker is well skillful..not just a craft but an art.

Then sunset just now...I found how to get the truer colours... gradually sneak up on it, then delete those that didn't work!

 

Good and bad

 Yesterday I posted the good sale, on our way to Castle Douglas to have lunch with a friend.

Pirate was feeling a little better, the sun was shining and we enjoy going there for whatever reason.

After lunch and a top-up shop, I suggested that we didn't just return straight home.

Pirate navigated the way on quieter roads and small lanes to Glen Trool on the Newton Stewart to Straiton road, and we aimed for a stop at the Bell's memorial to check on the bench.

It wasn't there.....

Despite heavy duty steel anchors and concrete, it had gone.

Pirate is heartbroken.

A near(2 miles or so) neighbour to there commented on a public post I made on fb...he has CCTV at his property which covers the passing traffic...and went there to check.

It was obviously a professional job probably to order. The memorial itself was graffitied and drug paraphernalia scattered around...plus the place used as a toilet..

We won't return there ever again.

It must have happened about Wednesday...as the grass was mown by the Forestry commission a week ago, and cycle tourists visited there at the beginning of the week. 

I am spreading the news on every grapevine I can find, and we speak to the police on Monday.

Slow progress

 Monday's walk was a little too far...but it was an achievement.

Now the plan is a little every day. A change in meds that was supposed to be an improvement, wasn't...two steps forwards, one back....but now that has been got over, we are back to plan A, keeping gently active, resting enough and a little bit more every day...and be very, very patient!!

The garden is waiting for a bit more warmth, but the rain is welcome. 

There are hardly any beans on the running and climbing beans...not too many tomatoes set...and few female squash flowers..but...the cucumbers are going crazy!!

Here is our garden from above..

The greenhouse is under the bottom left hand corner of the photograph.

I have been researching the details of a batch of the handlebars and stems from our late friend's collection ready to sell. This is what takes time..but that is a dozen more items to list.  The real incentive is clearing all this, so that I can start using my workshop for claywork...and my share of the profits will pay for materials to get the kiln and workshop stove going..as well as hopefully our fares on our next visit to friends far away!

A nice expensive parcel has just been packed ready for posting...relief that something worth a lot has been sold..and for the asking price too! And making it worth carrying on.

Birthday walk

 Pirate is gradually recovering from his treatment, and we are hopeful for the outcome...but it is early days.

Today was his first proper walk for a month..not too far, down to the mill at Millmannoch to look for the dippers ( none..but plenty of droppings on the rocks in the river) and then back up the hill (with a tailwind, thankfully!)

Friend and myself carried on round to see what fruit might be on the way to forage later in the year..plenty of crabapples and hazelnuts where we went, but few cherries, plums or cooking apples...I will have to check our other apple and pear sources soon.

Tatties!

 

Not bad for two red and one white potato...he should have waited a bit longer, but we had a friend stay over... friend's birthday was last Wednesday and it was Pirate's birthday eve... They were tasty which is the important thing, steamed over water with a large sprig of fresh mint in it. 

Next year, one seed potato per pot.....

July garden

 July garden has gone from being hot and slow to wet and green!

I am not sure how much of the fairly heavy rain is going to the water table, but at least our garden waterbutts are full.

I lifted the garlic, as the tops had been knocked over in the first rains a couple of weeks ago and hadn't dried out. The tops would have had to come off anyway as yet again this year they picked up garlic rust..but not so badly.

The leeks that we finished eating a few weeks ago picked up very little rust from the previous year's garlic, as I put a light cover over them. 

The rust on onions is different..I had assumed that all alliums would get the same one.

Pirate's progress is slow..but heading in the right direction. We won't find out if the treatment has been successful for a while yet. 

Seeing the garden progressing makes him happy, as does doing the garden bring me satisfaction and distraction!

A long day

 We made it home...a long day, partly because we didn't push things, we took a scenic, but more direct route on one section..and enjoyed it!

And going from Lancashire and over Shap on the motorway right over to Penrith, we had torrential rain, thunder and lightning... maximum sensible speed 40mph(64kph)...and plenty of cars were passing us, some going well over the speed limit ...and quite a few with no lights on. Not good atall.

I had lights and foglights on, fire and aft. I want to be seen as well as to see!

It takes a while to unwind..but now it's time for a quick shower and bed.

Night all!! Xx

Evening sky last night

 Brother's house has some convenient trees between his house and the setting sun...you get to appreciate the sky at sunset without the sun dazzling the camera!