gothic?

 gallery duty today....good sales...including one of my bud vases!!

rain means...

 Working indoors again..getting this place slowly presentable..even if no-one will visit, I've got to live in it!! 

Ironically son#2 will be in Scotland on May holiday weekend...and up in Dundee as well so I wont be seeing him. He is one of a team of four going up for a bicycle polo indoor tournament.

rain also means rainbows

Anyone having trouble with paypal from the USA...they are telling a friend there that they can't send money to the UK ????

Learning

 French conversation this afternoon.

I arrived half an hour early...and so did our tutor!! It was good to chat...in French.

I find it much easier one to one, rather than in a class ...and no pressure to "converse" !

Also the room in the library isn't small with hard surface walls. like the Alliance Française...you can imagine what that did to my ADHD brain!!  

Learning about how I function ..or not as the case may be!!

Only six of us this time, as three

 are on holiday. Our homework for a fortnight's time? Using the various ways of saying "many"....write some sentences.Should be fun!!

Just before the bus stop, my next village up friend was in the car park with her husband ..and I got a lift home....very welcome indeed.Despite the sunny periods today the wind is chilly. Now it has been rising steadily for a few hours..not up to gale force yet...and we are forecast overnight rain.

yo-yo weather

 From low mist in the morning..through rain showers..to sunny intervals..and a couple of almost hail showers...and back to mist in the evening!!

Indoors jobs....moving a small chest freezer to the studio...and turning the bench 90⁰ because despite careful trimming with a saw...the gap was 1 cm too narrow!! Then floor cleaning...mopping there and steam cleaning the kitchen and bathroom floors..Despite the showers, this dried nicely..a quick vacuum through and lunch while everything dried! 

Bread maker set to work after lunch..

Tried to sort paperwork...at least I have the bits of paper together to note stock levels in the stock book ....

Eventually got around to 30 minutes on the turbo, after message chatting with sono #2...

curry from the freezer....and yoghurt on the way in the yoghurt maker overnight.

It sounds a lot....but it wasn't really.

gallivanting...sort of...

 Just the need to be OUT !!

Bus to Ayr first...then as I had time to wait, a  Long Black and a very decadent Brownie in a fairly new coffee place..Puck's. They know their coffee and make the best cakes!

Next to the Smiddy Gallery at Culzean.

Not just to top up my cards, but to give the person on duty a toilet break and a chance to fetch her lunch from the café...

Another wait for the (hourly) bus back to Ayr, which was a good excuse to visit the secondhand bookshop near the gallery...and spent £7...on three books and two Willie Nelson CDs!!

Back in Ayr....where next???? 

The next bus was the slow bus to Glasgow. No time to go all that way (it takes 2 hours, twice that of the express service) so just to Kilmarnock. Which was a grave mistake...I hadn't been properly for three years or more. It does have a new bus station...but the streets are full of boardedup shops, both our favourite cafés have disappeared..one appeared to have been destroyed by fire along with two other shops....

but I did find a very reasonable Italian chip shop...selling real (not prepackaged) chips...

Back on the bus again, arriving in time to board the wee bus home at the same time as my friend from the next village up!

Then home to relax...

pictures of cat politics this morning on the way to the first bus, the old High Street in Ayr and Coltsfoot at Culzean

what a change!

 A beautiful day today...still a little touch of chill in the breeze this morning, but then it myst have been 10 degrees or so warmer by this afternoon!!

Shallots were planted in pots in the greenhouse, a small bed weeded....aand lunch was al fresco on the garden bench!

The Daisies were blooming in the grass....first time this year..it must really. be spring!!

Oops....not sure what I've done!!!

I took my car down the hill first thing for its annual MoT test of fitness ...and it passed well. I'd only done a little over 6,000 miles since last year, so I went to the NFU Mutual office at the mart to sort the insurance.

I was in the up to 20k miles bracket...so brought it down to 8k to give me some leeway...and saved £28 per year...not a lot, but every little helps.

As it was near I went to the garden centre for my "free" hot drink...as a member...which has just risen to £15 p.a....you get two free drinks a month.  Which made sense when we did call by often....and 10% off plants and seeds looks good until you see the prices!

So I went to the family garden centre near home and got 4 bags of topsoil and a bag of potting grit. Not something you can do without a car!!

A funny note...no plum tomatoes..seeds or plants!!

As it was still warm and dry and I have a tub of fence paint...the outside of the back fence was painted....exercise and fresh air!!

hibernating

 Most of the weekend has been indoors!! But at least today it turned cold and dry....so the washing went out on the line and dried!!

I've finished more batches of cards ready to top up stock at the Smiddy. I'll have a day out by bus if I can get a dry day this week.

This was last night's sunset

My new phone has difficulty focussing with shots like these... The lights are runway lights at Prestwick Airport.

what a day!!

 Plenty to do indoors today....the cards are coming along well..and I did another half hour on the turbo!

at 5.30 it was a beautiful morning...birds shouting about it, clear sky....

Then at 6am the first hailshower landed ..and it was rinse and repeat all day !!!

northwest

southeast

dark clouds coming over again.

Gallery day...and cards

 Yesterday I did my first gallery duty day.

Travelling by buses....no point using the car if you have a bus pass and not a lot to carry!

I makes for a long day ..but it makes sense.

I topped up my cards...but found that I was down to one which is a view of Arran through a Culzean courtyard archway. and the chook cards had all gone!

Both were remedied this afternoon after I'd done half an hour on the turbo...I'd waited in for a delivery while it was sunshine and showers...and it was getting windier and colder!

View from the turbo...with bread trays protecting the garden from feline attention!

I'll write the backs tomorrow and possibly do batches of red grouse and rook cards as well.  After that I need to think of more designs for this size (150mm square ) and the smaller (100mm) square cards for the smaller shop, the Dancing Thistle.

It looks like it will be a wet and windy weekend so I doubt that I will be going anywhere. 

It is lovely reading about all the family gatherings...and the Kent Possees keep in touch..I have found out what two of mine are up to...50% success...but they all have their own lives. I'd like a little more contact though.

Sunset

 Not a lot done today apart from writing the backs of the cards ...."original handprinted design....website address... made in Scotland"

A bit of tidying around...inside not out as it is turning cold again and it was showery this morning. It is even cold in the greenhouse, where only one broad bean has started to germinate!!

The sunset was spectacular....This hardly does it justice.

The lights in the middle are Prestwick runway lights.

productive.

 A positive day today...washing done, and the clothes got four good drying hours on the line in the breeze.

yoghurt made. (and I've just remembered that I need to go back downstairs to get the tub out of the machine to cool down..there is always something!!)

printing done...half a dozen of the new Arches block and a dozen of the Castle as there was only one left before the Smiddy Gallery reopened. Some of my cards eere sold yesterday, but I don't know which four.

The footfall and the day's sales are posted on a Whatsapp thread for all the group.

I started writing the backs of the cards after supper....ten left to do tomorrow.

Duolingo to do, a few pages to read ( having read the prequel "Vianne" I am rereading the rest of the series that started with Chocolat, by Joanne Harris)

but first that yoghurt!!

Meeting

 Today dawned wet and windy...again...not much incentive to leave my warm and comfortable nest!! Apart from the need for breakfast!!

I thought I'd managed to sell my tv today...but he hadn't measured the space where it was to go....at least he was genuine, not like some of the usual timewasters. Then after lunch friends called by.

They live in the NorthEast of England now...but I last saw him in Cardiff...over twenty years ago? and I'd never met his wife who is from Mexico! Although we have been "chatting" on fb for years and watching each others photos!

The weather redoubled its efforts after they left...so half an hour on the turbo and create a new block for printing cards.

This will make three cards with views from the arches at Culzean.

Hail!!

 I walked out at seven this morning into a heavy hail shower!! throughout the day it has swung from hail showers and bright sunshine!!

The lesson went well...fraught with worry that I'm making mistakes but then finding that I get most right on each section.

What I lack is confidence in actually speaking...not just remembering the different tenses...despite ddoing the extra assignments ok...and missing the honework off the website. I must download a few of those before they delete them as it is the end of term, and practice.

I'm wondering if I should sign on for next term as I know that I'd probably miss four of the nine weeks.

Messaging with a friend about this she passed on details of U3a French conversation classes less than ten mikes away....I've emailed them...I need to know how long their waiting list is for a class place....

We'll see...

I thought you'd like the sign....

Gallery...nearly ready....

 Last minute additions today, of stock I had replaced at the Dancing Thistle. These are all bar one at the Smiddy Gallery now.

Here's hoping that tomorrow will be a good day....without today's sharp cold showers!!

Just when I thought of a bit of garden work...!!

Life...sucks sometimes

 I found this morning from a mutual friend that our friend in France had blocked me on fb. There's a first time for everything as they say.  I've no idea why, as I was very careful NOT to do things that I knew he didn't want.

He has blocked some others too..so not just me. 

Still, he gave me a break in the sun when I most needed it, couldn't have treated me better. Introduced me to an area I now live...and will return to in May. Introduced me to places and people...some of whom are now friends who I'll be seeing..

Got me brave enough to organise and book this trip for myself....

So he has done me many favours. 

But I don't give up on people just like that...which he knows.   So hey ho...Things might work themselves out one day, meanwhile it is just carry on and be positive...or Possee-tive....as Possee was Pirate's surname ..and attitude.

"woodwork"

 Not exactly wood...shelf material, plastic coated fibreboard I think that it is called.

The pieces were cut for me by the glass artist as he has a proper saw bench to get them accurate.

I haven't done any construction for a very long time.  Between having husbands who enjoyed doing that ..then children also, including my daughter. 

In her teens she built a bunk bed as we were to host a school exchange student from Brittany. 

I've just made a plinth.  screwhole filling and painting to be done to finish.

Not a lot else constructive done today oras after a blue sky start we had 50mph gusts all morning and heavy rain and hail showers all day!!

stocked

 I took my stock to the gallery this morning. What is there looks good, but I need bigger pieces...and less of a scattergun choice of items!!

Then to buy a countersink bit...an independant shop was shuttered ..and it wasn't lunch time quite... so off to Toolstation where I got a pack of three different sizes. ok for metal, so shelf plastic shouldn't beat them!

Asda for some reduced items and a picnic lunch to eat in the car. then home in the rain. as if we hadn't had enough already!

Further north has snow....

Not much else constructive apart from fettling some bowls and putting them sae in mushroom trays.

taking stock

 I got the washing through nice an early and a brisk but chilly breeze almost totally dried it by lunchtime. Rain arrive mid afternood as the breeze became wind.

Now it is almost nine p.m. and the wind is roaring around and whistling through cracks ...

I listed all the stock I have here to decide what is going where. A group exhibition by Carrick Artists in the small gallery at Souter Johnies in Kirkoswald in May.  The Dancing Thistle small art and crafts shop in Ayr and the Smiddy Gallery at Culzean, our main group gallery.

I can sort the cards for the Smiddy tomorrow. Nothing new yet....no inspiration!!

Now to do my Duolingo evening session...

homework for the  AF class can wait for tomorrow afternoon!

Improvement

 To edit...it was the penicillin antibiotic which has caused the problems....

All the symptoms are steadily disappearing as my body clears the penicillin. It will take a while with some of them, but even my hip is easing steadily..I'm keeping up with anti inflammatory gel..and keeping moving!!

Despite a chilly breeze, I weeded a quarter of the polytunnel and cleared the grass as well as I could from the quarter which has alpine strawberries. With the wind from the front of the house and with the late afternoon sun I was warm enough and the fresh air was good.

Then a bit of improving..fettling the greenware which is waiting to be fired. I am putting it in mushroom trays, packed around with shredded paper.

discovery...and commenting

 With help from a knowledgable friend I have worked out that I'm allergic to penicillin....muscle and joint pains kicking in after two days...consequently walking was a bit difficult today..

But I did it!

Concentrating on the lesson wasn't easy either...after a sleepless night...despite that I got much work correct.

I'm having difficulty commenting (even on my own blog!) The method to use when it just sits there saying "publishing" is copy the comment, reload the page, paste the comment..and it usually works. 

If you get the sad face instead of a comment box, reload...or go back later.

It was frosty again this morning...and I found a good sign the the Glasgow School of Art..and the old building still smells smoky as you walk past 🙁

Ayr today

 Shopping and French conversation today...not a lot of shopping...and never enough conversation!

Concentrating again on those little words that say nothing but are very useful in conversation!

Bah, Alors...Bof !!! Pfft !   Enfin..,Donc....

Every language has them!!

some building details on the way to the class...and sunset after getting home.