Saturday, 20 September 2025

Using the new "toy" !

when bro was here I bought a new strimmer...and today I used it!!

The grass needs to dry out then I can cut it again, hopefully with the push mower in most places. 

A bits and bobs day again. 

I started dismantling a handlebar, brakes, shifters and gears set...that had been left absolutely filthy!! That was a serious cleaning job!


 The view at 8pm....I'm feeling tired earlier too!!

Friday, 19 September 2025

Wondering, planning....

 It has been nice having bro here for a few days....he is off for some camping on his motorbike, so I'm getting on with things...

Drying fig slices..

And I have my first aubergine!!
It is still quite warm in the greenhouse, so the tomatoes are ripening ok.  Outside the weather is odd...showery and sometimes a really cold breeze....I go to town on the bus, wrapped up for our weather....and arrive in town ten miles away and 400 feet lower...and I'm decidedly over dressed!!

I managed to mow the grass yesterday, and mulched the leeks and a patch of bare earth as well as feeding the compost bin...but the rain came before I could use my new implement....a strimmer!!  I had an old one, but on inspection the head was mangled...and nothing of that make available in the DiY store....and it was cheaper to buy a whole new one. Thanks to bro for helping me decide which one.

Today I took the picture that I bought in France to get a frame....but the farmer was closed.....Ayr races weekend plus bank holiday Monday, so quite a few places were closed for a long weekend.
Change of plans ...time to research travel to France....a combination of flying to Paris and Flixbus from there. Then I enquired at the station as travel agents don't do rail fares....even with a senior Railcard the single fare is £84...and it goes up in the new year....add on the cost of London to Paris....and across Paris...  That ruled out train travel!!

I wonder if there might be a vacancy for a potter somewhere.....??!!

And tonight's sunset....






Wednesday, 17 September 2025

Funeral celebration

 To Dumfries today to celebrate the life of Pirate's oppo and friend.

A day of strong and blustery winds and showers, heavy at times.

A day of celebrating, remembering and catching up with old friends.

A sad and happy day all in one.

A really blustery day as well.

And a smile...what do you think?!



Tuesday, 16 September 2025

Apples

a day of this and that...and apple picking...mostly for juice

 

Monday, 15 September 2025

Breezy day walking

 This morning was just relaxing and waiting for a delivery...then out to town with bro.

Paying most of my takings in....that is over a  third of the car mending paid back in....and some kept as float for gallery days and the next cycle jumble/ craft fair when I have enough stock, or whatever!

A framed A4 print sent off... that's a handy £28! From just posting a Facebook memory of my prints ...

Lunch in the bookshop then a walk up the street in Ayr where they have cleaned the block paving ..it has really made a difference....the rest of the town needs cleaning...and keeping clean!!





Then off to Culzean to stock check cards , look in the secondhand bookshop and go for a decent walk to the walled garden..fruit and veges...and to the Swan pond and back.

Lovely to have the sea breezes but also shelter from the trees as we walked around.


No vines in at the moment..just a peach tree.
The glass houses are undergoing renovation 





A willow water dragon!!







You can really see the erosive effect of the wind.

Sunday, 14 September 2025

Friends

 Up at 5 for Breakfast....and out not long after 6!!...to drive just over 60 miles to Cambusbarron on the outskirts of Stirling.

That was where the headquarters of the memorial time trial for the founder of my latest and previous bike clubs/teams...postponed from its usual late June date due to Kinross council roadworks....

An easy run through on a misty morning.

The HQ at the village bowling green was about three miles from the course...so on a cold morning I just had a wander round one bit of the village.

After the race and prize giving and reading out of times it was 11 am....and my brother was on his way a few days early due to the Weather!!

It is good to see him again.










Saturday, 13 September 2025

Bike bits!

 At the Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow....this was my offerings...and a good time was had by all!!









Thursday, 11 September 2025

Gallery day and car fun


 I'm glad I had the car today! After torrential rain last night and strong winds carrying on today....

The sun came in brightly through the gallery windows...but outside you could see the trees waving in the wind!! Just over a hundred footfall..but not many giving more than a cursory look, and few wanting to talk..and three sales!! That was with two coach trips in the grounds...

Glad too to arrive home with some energy to spare! I've packed the greenware (=unfired clay) in the car ready to go to a fellow potter to be fired.

I've been messaging with the Oily one to work out how to sort a long standing problem with the car...the switch on the internal fan doesn't work.. which is ok in the summer...the fan for the engine does work ok, especially as he fitted a new thermostat for me!! I know that I'll need the bit that fits behind the central panel and has all three knobs on it....and it is a matter of getting the correct one for the year and model.....we'll get there ok!!

It is that but under the radio/CD player....and has anyone any idea how to get a stuck disc out of the player?...I like Pink Floyd's "Dark side of the Moon"....but I'd like to be able to have something else as well!!!



Wednesday, 10 September 2025

Garden...and book

 Carrying on and preparing for next year.... weeding leeks, starting to move the strawberry plants to make room for the garlic later on. 

Courgettes still growing slowly...if the polytunnel had a cover I'd have put them in there...no room in the greenhouse.




Self sown sunflowers each end of the bean row!!


And Fresca asked what was the book I went to buy...