Where is is everybody.....

                             

Good afternoon, am sitting here half watching the tennis and reading my alerts but I am wondering and worrying where everybody is, my mailbox is almost empty everyday and I am wondering if I am getting alerts. I am getting one ore two but none from some of my regular ladies. Have you all gone the same way as my beloved Weather Pixie she has ran off from my journal and I have checked other journals that have a pixie and she has ran away from them too wonder what has happened have they gone on holiday do you think? Up here we are not having any summer weather at all at the moment, June has been an awful month I hope that July is going to be better or summer will be gone and we will have missed it. After the wonderful weather we had in May I thought it was going to be such a good summer silly me.

We had a couple of outings last week one to St Andrews and one to Stirling on the bus. It was not such a good run this time there must have been some sort of breakdown and the bus company had put on what I would call a town bus meant for short journeys. By the time we got back my back was killing me hope its better next time.

Yesterday I headed out the front of the house to do a but of weeding armed with my trug, gloves and hand fork I had just started when the heavens opened so that was the end of that. I then came in made coffee and sat down to watch a film so weeding out the front is still needing done will get to it another day. Our schools came off for the summer holidays last Friday so that’s the end of the piece and quiet for seven weeks or so. We have a rented house two doors up from us and the guy who owns it will let it to anybody as he does not have to suffer the noise or disruption his tenants make. This time it’s the children, they have this giant trampoline in the garden and they scream every time they jump up and down and there can be three or four of them at a time on it at a time, and they are on it about 12 hours a day at the moment, it can become very annoying after a short time. It's not so bad for meI can switch off my two hearing aids and don’t hear a thing but Stuart and my other neighbours can’t but what can you do they are not the type you would dare complain too. Maybe it’s as well we have not had many days to sit out in our garden lately. Hope you are all well and look forward to hearing from you all soon. I think that’s about it for now so till next time. Off to watch the tennis now as Andy Murray will be on shortly fingers crossed. Love,

                                            

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A Sad Day.

                  

Good Afternoon, not good news today remember our fabulous Osprey family I have been watching on the RSPB video link well the youngest one died yesterday. It has been a bad week weather wise and food has been in short supply. The male bird has not been bringing in enough fish and the youngest chick suffered dreadful bullying from the his two siblings. It has been a bit like this all the time for the little chick and we have all had this bad feeling from the start. The female osprey does not usually fish until the chicks are up a bit but she has had to help out this week when the rain has stayed off long enough. Wet chicks are very vulnerable so she has to keep them dry. The other two chick are getting big now and should survive fingers crossed. If you have not had a look for a while you will be surprised how they have grown. They will be starting to exercise their wings any day now. That’s about it for today till next time Love

                                               

Here is the link for the Ospreys.....

http://www.rspb.org.uk/webcams/birdsofprey/lochgartenvideo.asp

Tags: RSPB

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A Visit from Mickey

               

Good Afternoon, what a busy week very eventful for us and in between Royal Ascot oh I do like to see all the lovely hats and dresses. With the wind they have had this week the ladies have done wonders with their hatpins and kirby grips. The Queen’s hat today was a real winner. Stuart and I have both picked winners at good prices but nether of us risked our pennies.

On Monday morning we had an appointment with Mickey Mouse as pictured above, we were having Sky + installed. We have had Sky for many years but I have read so much about how easy Sky + is we thought we would have it. It is all that it is said to be, it is so simple to use it is unbelievable none of this setting timers seeing if you have enough room on the disc having it on the right channel on click on the name of the program and your done its absolutely fabulous can’t speak highly enough about it. We were invited again to Ellen’s school on Wednesday her class were doing a little concert about Scotland all about Burke and Hare, Mary Queen of Scots and a bit of Country Dancing, we were served tea and coffee after the performance we had a lovely time.

Stuart took unwell during Wednesday night he seemed to have picked up some type of tummy bug, he must have been bad during the night as he actually woke me up which is very rare. He stayed put in bed yesterday morning and took it easy and I put on my nurse’s hat. After lunch we managed to get up and as the rest of the day progressed he recovered fine and today he is back to normal.

It’s a lovely afternoon here sunny if a bit blowy. Tomorrow is the longest day and the forecast is not very good hopefully warm summer days will return soon. I think that’s about it for today so till next time. Love,

Catching up.

                                 

Good Afternoon, coffee by my side so I will do a catch up today as it has been a good few days since my last post. In my last entry I was telling you I was going to Ellen’s seventh birthday party at a place called Active Kids, last Saturday. Wow what a place it is build at the back of a large farm way out from the nearest village and perfect for kids to have a great time. There is all sorts of things for them to play on, the usual swings roundabouts etc then there is mini golf, a big castle, a flying fox(a zip wire) pedal go Karts on a track climbing frames and even animals so much to do. We said hello to Ellen and that was the last we saw of them till eating time. A quick bite to eat and then off they went again for more fun until it was time for the cake and the singing of Happy Birthday. Everything is laid on except the cake. It is charged per head but for busy working parents it must be a godsend all you have to do is turn up. The centre is open to the public you just pay your money for the day if you are at a party you wear a coloured tabard so you can be spotted as the place is so big it would be difficult to round them all up but with the tabards you can pick them out not bother at all. We were very fortunate with the weather we had a cloudless blue sky most unusual for here and warm too. If the weather is bad the kids get there wellies and raincoats on and just carry on but we were lucky. Wish I had been a bit younger well a lot younger I hear you say so I could have had a go on that flying fox.

Been a good week up here a bit showery the last couple of days but the garden is needing it as Stuart has been watering every evening. My tomatoes are doing well and in flower, I have six plants this year in two little plastic greenhouses three plants I bought when I was on holiday they are now in a grow bag the other three will get transplanted this coming week as they are a bit smaller and have not all flowered yet so will have to wait to plant them in their grow bag.

The pictures at the top are of the countryside around Dunkeld had a run to there last Saturday after the party as it was such a lovely day. I have shown you photos of the area before but last time it was snowing so now you have seen it in all weathers. It is a big favourite with Stuart and myself we did a lot of our courting round this area and I spent many Sunday’s there as a child. The hill we climbed is where I used to pick brambles as a girl with my parents and Mum then used to make Bramble Jelly. I was very surprised when Stuart and I came upon Bramble bushes in the same spot last Saturday I don’t think it can be the same bushes as it must be well over 50 years since I picked berries there but I can dream.

I think that’s about it for today hope you are all having a great weekend till next time. Love                     

                       

there is a new entry in my book journal just click here.....

http://journals.aol.co.uk/jaymact1/joans-musings-book-journal./

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Good afternoon, can’t believe its Friday already it has been such a quick week. Weather wise we have been very lucky up here warm sunshine most days with just a shower or two on Tuesday. Have been watching Springwatch on BBC2 and they have had some terrible evenings and Simon King up in the Highlands has been having a great time.

Stuart has been on an outing with his art class today not far just down to the side of the loch but the sun was shining and it was warm he usually freezes on the outings but today he did not even need his sweater on.

I have wasted a lot of time catching up on BB from last night I recorded the first program last night and whizzed through it as it is so noisy with all the screaming and cheering I like it better once it settles down a bit not that I will see a great deal of it as Stuart hates it so I just pop in and out as I like to know what is happening.

All the plants we have planted this spring are doing well along with the hanging baskets and the tomatoes so it should be looking great just shortly. We have a small herbaceous border down one side and at last this year it has come to fruition and will be in flower soon just the Lupins and the Bleeding Heart are out at the moment.

Our Grand daughte will be seven tomorrow and we are going to her Birthday party this year we are going to Active Kids where there are all sorts of things for them to do like go carting etc will tell all next time. Ellen has been there often to parties and thinks its great . The weather forecast is set fare so I hope they have it correct as it is all outside and I don’t fancy standing in the rain for two hours. Think that’s about it for today so till next time take care.      Love

                                                                                        

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The Book

            

The rose of all the world is not for me~

I want for my part, the little white rose of Scotland

That smells sharp and sweet and breaks the heart.

Hugh Macdiarmid.

Been out and about today so just a quick entry with a picture of the said book and today’s poem. Love

                                                       

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June is busting out all over, maybe

The Cuckoo comes in April,

                    He Sings his song in May,

                    He whistles a tune in June,

                    And then he flies away

                    William Hazitt.

Good afternoon, we have a book in the lounge sitting open on a cast iron stand (the kind for a cookery book) its called:

               Island,

        Diary of a year on Easdale

             by Garth and Vicky Waite.

The book is lovely it is all superbly illustrated by the authors and written like a diary with a different little painting a poem or just what happened that day, we keep it open at the date and have look every day the poem above is today's offering along with some lovely painting of birds and wild flowers. It is just not the kind of book you want to keep shut away  in the bookcase it is far too beautiful for that. I will try to take a picture of it to let you see it one day soon.

It has been a lovely weekend and we have been out enjoying the garden getting the hanging baskets ready the grass has been cut and everything is looking great.  The weather forecast was right today it must be a first saying it would rain about 12 o'clock  well it was a bit late but it is raining now but thankfully we managed to get all we wanted done.

I am feeling much more like myself again the sun can do wonders for you when it shines. I hope the time slows down a bit now as I hate summer to fly by its the 1st of June already being on holiday for two weeks in May makes the month disappear so quickly.

June means Big Brother I suppose I will give it a look now and again but I do object to Channel 4 taking Desperate Housewives off till BB is finished it was months late in starting this year with the writers strike in the States but there is no reason to take if off again just when it was getting good. Mump over.

We had a nice day trip on Thursday we went to Stirling on the bus good for the environment and out pocket as we go free just joking we really like on the bus you can see over all the hedges and walls and Stuart enjoys seeing all the countryside as he usually does most of the driving and has to keep his eyes on the road. It was dull when we lift home but by the time we arrived in Stirling the sun was out and we had a lovely day. Off now to upday my book journal as I have just finished another book so I think that's about it for today, till next time.. Love