Day out in a tin overcoat

A drizzly day all day...down to see Phil at the Gallery in Lauriston for good coffee and cheese scones with ginger jam..and good craic.

Nine miles over the hill towards the sea to Gatehouse of Fleet..

And lunch....or rather all day veggie breakfast....at the Iron Brew....a laundry with café!  It included fried eggs on a sweetcorn fritters which I'd only ever had before in NZ....with avo on the side....the Scottish touch being a Tattie scone!!

Walking back down the high street...

I thought John GG would like this one....

I used to work with a Jardine in Porthmadog pottery...and of course there is "Bodyline".....

A slightly damp one of the town hall

And NCR 7

At the Mill on the Fleet

There was also a secondhand book emporium on the top floor....talk about a sugar addict in a sweetie shop....but I resisted....

 The rain was steadily getting heavier...so no more walking...a quick shop for essentials in Castle Douglas Co-op and then steadily home.

It is good having Bro here..a helping hand with some things, helpful suggestions with others...

Research on getting my website up and running again is carrying on.

We need to find the simplest and easiest and safest way of having sales from my website...I will have to talk to other potters....

And of course....get drawing and making...pots and prints....

Lyttleton/Whakaraupō

 After a late start we managed to navigate our way to Lyttleton. We came here last visit, by ferry from the other side of the harbour . Today we came through the tunnel under the Port Hills...all 2.5km....and were surprised at how many were driving without lights!

We only just caught some of the farmers market in the high street..good to see what we did. But at this stage we shouldn't be buying anything!!...Having said that, we visited a gallery that was dedicated and opened at dawn today....by the Rai artists collective.

It is situated on the bottom road, behind the pie bakery!

Drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures...I have seen some of the work already on farcebook, but in real life it is stunning.

They also had bonsai trees in the gallery...and one is older than Pirate!!

We had GF pizza at the Arbour Woodfired Pizzeria...very tasty...and pirate sampled a local brew...

We saw a few gates...

And wondered at the steepness of the streets and how far up the slopes the buildings went...

Last time we came I managed to get more photos of the earthquake damage..and still some sections have not been built on. I like the photos of what was there on the hoardings by the sites.

And by another there is a bar and restaurant made from shipping containers

At the bottom of the hill near the ferry is a more traditional establishment

You wouldn't be surprised if this community would be feeling down...but it is upbeat, full of creative and inspiring  positive people...and welcoming too.

All that, plus a very busy harbour