Thoughts

 I met a cycling friend and one of her flatmates today in Ayr. Coffee in Puck's and a short wander as they'd never been to Ayr. They are from Aberdeen so are more used to grey granite rather than red sandstone buildings! 

We had cycling business to deal with, but also they had had their last exam of the year this morning at uni in Glasgow...so it was out and away!!!

Just a thought...they were travelling on their young person's Saltire card, so being under 22 had free bus travel. That is the glorious thing about cycling...whatever your age you have something in common and talk and equals. 

Then afterwards it can hit you...they could be my grandkids!!

Annoyingly I had to cut things short to go to the optician. I'm hoping I've just an irritated eye due to "hayfever" of some sort. No appointment available...but advice from the receptionists...and more from our village pharmacy when I returned to Drongan, plus soothing and hydrating eye drops.

Hopefully they will do the trick....if not I'm sure that I could get help in France.

These things do time themselves well, don't they?!!

some progress..possibly

 Today I went on the bus to Ayr to meet somone else who is on the waiting list for the U3a French group...coffee and biscuits and learning each other's history..and saying hello to their dog!

There are apparently 18 in the established group...only three of us willing to start a new group.  One suggestion is to ask any of the first group if they would like to join us....two smaller groups can grow, and I'm sure that the waiting list is putting people off.

I think he'll be joining the Friday group in the library where I already go!!

Then lunch in town, better than eating late, and  to back home for a rest...and turning and cutting the bigger bowl and platter.

The bowl went ok I think, but the platter may have to go in the recycling bucket and be used again. I haven't got the thicknesses right on it so it. would be a waste to fire it.

Good practice to improve my making anyway.

one of those days

 It has been one of those days where you feel that you gaven't done much...until you list it!!

LOTS of washing...sheets wash..everything that needs 60⁰ in other words..mattress protector, ordinary clothes wash, my handmade quilt. (Just fitted in the machine!!) and studio aprons and towels .  The machine did a lot of work..and the weather obliged and dried it all!!

I moved all the small plants out of the greenhouse . Broad bean plants and shallots were planted out. tomato and pepper seedlings on the shelving I made from pallets a few years ago.  It should be ok for them there..and while I'm away they'd be bound to get cooked!!

The apple tree in a pot is flowering!! That should have been potted on or planted out by now...but I'm not sure where it should go.

The bigger pots were dry enough to turn over to dry the bases for finishing and I managed to deal with the smaller ones.

So quite a bit done...plus morning and evening Duolingo.  

Not non-stop...cuppa breaks must be taken!

getting better and bigger!

 Mornings still suck....I think it is part of living alone, on my part....not having someone else there. I don't know.

Anyhow, I got myself out for a walk in the sunshine before lunch. I didn't fancy a road walk so Hannahston it was.  A floral day...one open patch is full of cowslips now! Plus the violets are lurking in the wooded sections..

Then to work after lunch.

The first two are five pounds of clay each...the next two seven . They will all lose a fair amount when I've turned and cut the footrings, but when thrown they need extra thickness there to support the shape.

When you are throwing, the most important side...is the inside. The space that is contained.

did this day the wrong way round

 I should have sorted the vases first....then gone to town...but I didn't.

I popped in for a natter with the small arts and craft shop where I have some work. 

She is doing a marvellous job on her own.

Then a wander down to Lidl to buy the three things that I missed off yesterday's list!

The idea was to draw.....but it just didn't feel right...so I took some photos that may end up as drawings or prints...or both!

Then back on the bus...

Despite having been wrapped, the vases..or bottles...were only just leather hard and starting to be too dry to finish!!

Supper was made to the sound of head banging music and a party...not mine!! But they have stopped now

even more sun!!!!

 I managed to get going earlier...and got things done!! 

My homework was well recieved...I managed to get all the phrases for "some, numerous, a heap of etc" in one long and one short sentence....on worrying about learning a foreign language!!  

I turned the bud vases upsidedown to dry the bases a little quicker....but then had to cover them with cling film, so that they don't dry too much before I can finish them.

Plus the bonus of being on the same bus home as my friend from the next village up...which gave us time for a good natter!

and dandelions..just because !!

JayCee have you seen the report on Manx tv about La Malouine ? 

I was sure that it was Wednesday

 Another clear and sunny day here, and quite hot at lunchtime!! I shaded the small plants in the greenhouse and the door and window stayed open all day..

Back to throwing today, just wee ones to start with, a few in the morning then more in the afternoon when the heat eased a little.

I planned to finish them tomorrow and move on to bigger pots....and do my homework for Friday's conversation. 

I've just realised that it is Friday tomorrow!!!! That means an earlier start..and no throwing until Saturday!!

sun!!!

 Blue sky and sunshine all day today..and still the chilly breeze. Home is on top of a hill though....

Today was a day for this and that...outdoors!

Tidying a bit in the greenhouse, painting sheds, moving garden shelving, cleaning tbe studio floor, clearing space for a piece of timber to go..

I gave the 3m long timber to the glass artist, along with some matchboarding. He is building a new chook house. 

An almost clear corner!! the thing with castors is upsidedown...and is a wareboard rack. When I moved it had to be cut ..as the Oily one had welded it instead of bolting. 

Now, nearly 20 years after he made it he will be putting it back together again as soon as he can get up here !!

 

steps in the right direction

 Good in the greenhouse...shallots sprouting roots...they'll go out when they really start growing. cherry tomato and hot pepper seeds have been chitting...and we have roots! So they have been put in small pots.

The best of the kale plants got planted out and beetroot and radish sown.

Bad in the greenhouse. One pane properly broken. But it had been on the way out anyway. I have a spare.

On the studio front, I have brought in most of my small tools and stamps...and bits and bobs....fifty years of accumulation needs sorting!!

These are not all...

and relax...sort of!

 Four or five years ago on this day we were mowing the grass for the first time that year...wearing shorts, jandals, sunnies and hats!!

This morning I looked out....no way, too cold!!! 

But the grass did need a trim...and the clouds stopped hiding the sun....

A square of garden  was sorted, loosened and rows made for tatties....all are now planted.. I tried mowing the grass, but my mower has no catcher.  I'd forgotten that I was supposed to have been looking for one...What grass cuttings there were went on the tattie beds.

Then a weeding job, pulling the grass which had submerged the Alpine strawberry ground cover in the currant, blueberry snd goosegog beds.

A nice job in a fairly sheltered corner, sitting in the sun.   The sky stayed clear until sunset.

Another chilly night!

looks like spring

 It still doesn't feel much like spring most of the time!!

A day at the gallery today, and most of the time I had company as we battled to get different items of technology to speak to each other!! 

Success in the end. And enough sales.

The day was capped by the first bus home being four minutes late...enough to miss the connection which has been up to now at least five minutes late going out..but not today !! At least it was only half an hour to the next one (and the one after that is another hour later...) during which time one could observe people of all ages in their finery...and various states of inebriation...as it was Race Day in Ayr today..possibly the Scottish Grand National event. (horses)

I got these two shots on the way down to the gallery.    "tramlines"

and who remembers learning the name of these flowers as "wooden enemies"?!!

comment problems

 I'm getting the little sad face instead of a comments box...or it sits there saying Publishing. ...but it doesn't.

Sometimes copy, leave then return and paste works.

Sometimes going to the web version works, especially with Steve's blog.

Sometimes I just give up!! 

So, Tigger's Mum..I was intending to publish this comment...and it wouldn't even let me add it as a reply to another comment!

"replying here as I'm getting the sad face instead of comments box!

They are so quick and elusive. We saw fleeting glimpses when on group bike rides from Blenheim.

Have you seen the Kāhu or Swamp Hawk? We used to see that heading either south on the edge of town past the trading estate or. going towards Rarangi"

Normal service will probably return soon enough..this is Blogger after all!!

Anniversary

 Pirate left two years ago..it seems an age yet no time atall.

So not much done today. Being quiet.

I needed and wanted a walk..but the weather didn't agree until teatime!!

I didn't go the whole way round..it was muddy enough where I did go!!

Photo #5 is the classroom for the local school and groups. The last one is the hide with bird feeders to the left. A pity they didn't make it two sided as deer go across the space behind!

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.