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...



Monday, 8 September 2025

More of the same...

 Time to pay up and look big as Pirate would say!

I decided to pay the car bill in person...to remind myself of which of my neighbour's grandsons this was...and to see his garage set-up.

The group of units now have new buildings!! The local estate has invested...and there is a good tarmac road down to it...I remember it as a gravel road not long ago!!

It does explain why the bill is a bit higher than my local garage would have charged....plus it is nearer the town.

It was about £880 !! But getting the car lifted cost £100... labour £520...parts £213...and Value Added Tax adds 20%to everything.

Another run out for the car, dual carriageway driving this time.

Up to the West Kilbride Gallery to check if we have any sales in the exhibition.


plus coffee and cake and meeting a fellow potter and cyclist as she had a book that I wanted to buy!

On the way home then the car developed a squeak!! Back to my usual garage...the back plate to a brake has shifted a little..so he'll sort that on Wednesday.

Back home for washing, lunch and more cleaning!!


Enough!!!! Just a complete bike to clean now and that's it, I've had it!!


Saturday, 6 September 2025

It works!

 A short run in the car to collect a set of training rollers ( things you use instead of a turbo trainer) that I'm being given to sell...then the longer way home just to get used to the car and driving again.

Then the rest of the day cleaning and sorting bike bits. The bike/sewing room's floorspace is expanding!! The living room' s space definitely isn't!!

But at least it now looks a decent amount..two boxes of stuff to sort and then I need to go through identifying and pricing.

It will have to be done anyway, as what stuff doesn't sell will be for sale at the Manchester Bike Creche cycle jumble in four months time. 

Just before 5 I decided that a change of air was needed..and a walk...so I went to one of our favourite foraging spots for some nice apples and plums!!



Friday, 5 September 2025

Its back!!

 I had a day in Ayr today, finding a new café which is also a coffee roastery...Rocket Monkey!! Recontacting a small shop/gallery, ordering a new book!!!! 

Wandered through a shopping mall...



And French conversation group in the library in the afternoon...


I couldn't miss that shot of the blinds...or the window above the stairs....

It is one of the Carnegie library buildings so should be safe from closure.

Then home to ....the car!!!!

I picked the key up from my neighbour over the road and had a good natter....it is one of her grandsons who mended the car.

I'll go down to his garage on Monday to pay...no way am I going to Ayr tomorrow as the Ayr Air Show is on this weekend!!!