Good Evening, it seem ages since I put pen to paper or should I say fingers to keys and wrote something in my main journal. It has been a busy week for us all our dental appointments and hair appointments have come together and also a full day looking after our seven year old grand daughter on the last day of her summer holidays she had from school. This week has also seen us out for lunch and dinner different days but that in itself is quite an occasion as you know we don’t go out a great deal to eat, its just the way things have worked out. Last Friday Stuart wanted to treat me to lunch out in a lovely restaurant in Perth then when we came home he rushed around to cut the grass and then to do the edging before we had more rain and in the process suffered for it all weekend he will overdo things even though he knows he should take things easy but with the weather being as it has been I could see his point but it was not worth it. He is fine again now but I hate to see him so tired and listless. On Tuesday night we were out again it was Stuarts Art Groups dinner out, were at an Italian restaurant, there was seventeen of us and we had a great evening. We now have a wedding to go to and then that should be the end of our gallivanting for a while I hope, I do like the quiet life.

The weather has improved somewhat the last few days have been rain free for the last days in august and today has been really warm and sultry I am sitting out in the garden doing this entry in word an will transfer in later this evening. I have some pictures to show you and will download my camera after tea.

From the pictures you will see that at last we have some butterflies in the garden on the Buddleia we have Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, and Peacock not forgetting the three kind of white butterflies. We were getting worried that we were not going to have any at all this year as they have just appeared this week and are very late indeed I think they must have been waiting for the rain to stop.  I think that's about it for today off next week to Skye hope the weather is clear not expecting miracles. Will try to update before we go.  Till next time.      Love,

                               There is a new entry in my book journal ................

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

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Good Evening its Monday again.

 

 

                   

 

 

 

Good Evening, so here we are at the end of another summers day and the rain is still pouring down. Stuart and I did not bother going out today which is very unusual for a Monday as we always go out. Today with the weather being as it was we decided to stay home and watch the Olympic games. Great stuff.

Last night Stuart booked a holiday for us at the beginning of September, after all the schools have gone back. We are having a week in the misty isle Skye. We have not been to Skye since the bridge was build don’t know what it will be like going over the bridge to Skye just does not sound as good as over the sea to Skye. The last time we were there it rained for the two weeks hence it taking so long for us to return it must have been 1995. It is such a lovely spot I hope the weather allows for me to take photographs of the wonderful scenery Skye has to offer. Really looking forward to it less than three weeks to wait.

I have not had my camera out for some time as I have not been anywhere different to take pictures that you have not seen before. I did miss out on a family being rescued from the sea at St Andrews a couple of weeks ago they had wandered out and the tide came round behind them there was plenty of help arrived very quickly in the shape of the Coast Guard but even they had bother as the could not walk out to get them, in the end they were rescued by boat. All was well but they all looked a bit cold as the sea at St Andrews is never warm, it is the North Sea.

The schools up here go back tomorrow so that’s the end of the summer holidays for another year. Maybe once they are back the weather will improve a bit here’s hoping.

I think that’s about it for today so till next time,

Love

Tags: Skye, Skye Bridge

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2

A Big Thank You.

 

Good Afternoon, firstly today I would like to say a big thank you to dear Jeannette for choosing my journal as one of her Guest Editors choices. I have had so many comment it has taken me ages to read all the comments and visit the rest of the journals she chose, it has been great fun and reading so many new journals that I have not visited before. I installed a world map on my journal and it is so interesting if you click on it, it tells you where all your visitors come from I have had US, Canada and the farthest away was Australia and of course here in GB. If you would like one of these maps just click on mine and Bobs your uncle follow the link from there.

I am having a problem and I was wondering if it is happening to anybody else. If I have read a journal from America when I close it I get numerous pages coming up of that journal and it will not stop, I have eventually to close down my PC is this happening to anybody else or do you know what I can do to stop this other than closing down.

Stuart and I have been really enjoying the Olympic Games you

know what armchair sports lovers we are. Our track cyclist have been doing so well winning all those medals. It’s a pity all the swimming finals have been while we have been asleep I thought we would have been OK knowing the usual schedule but it was changed to fit the US audience which was a bit disappointing for us. Still the cycling and the Athletics have worked out better.

Can’t do an entry and not mention the weather well today is quite nice sunny spells and warmish so no complaints today.

Till next time take care. Love

                                                                      

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2

This and that and the Lamas Fair

 

Good Evening, been ‘footering’ with my sidebar today and placing a new picture at the top I lost the last one for some reason or another a while back and my journal looked a bit strange without me smiling to you at the top. Yesterday we had our usual trip to St Andrews although it was a bit different as the Lamas Fair was visiting. It is a large street fair with all the usual stalls, side, shows, and rides. Stuart and I have not been to a fair for many years and I just about fainted with the prices. Candy floss £2-50 the rides were from £2-50 and £4-00 it must be very hard these days for parents taking children to the fair and that was daytime prices. We stood and watched for a while and some of the kids were coming off some of the rides were looking very green. We had about an hour walking round St Andrews when the rain came down in buckets once again, is there never going to be a let up this summer. It is making me very down and I don’t think I am the only one.

Remember earlier in this year I was telling you about my noisy neighbours and their trampoline well the good news is they have moved away so at the moment its peace perfect peace.(in the rain) So hopefully on the next sunny day if we ever get another one we will be able to sit on the patio and have a coffee and a read of the papers.

I think that’s about it for today not a lot going on shopping tomorrow and collect Ellen from a Sports Camp she is at this week. Till next time. Love                                           

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2

I told you so.

                                                                       

                                 

Congratulations Nicole Cooke.

Yesterday I was telling about the cycling at the Olympic Games and told you we had a great chance today with the ladies event . Well I hate to say but I told you so and I hope you saw some of it. Stuart said it was worth getting up for. Our first Gold Medal. Well done again Nicole and the rest of the GB Team.

Keep it up. Love Joan.

 

Tags: Nicole Cook, Olympic cycling.

Saturday Deliberations.

                     

                          

Good Afternoon do not usually enjoy the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games but yesterday was a whole new ball game it was a fantastic show never seen anything like it before it was just perfect. I do not agree with China’s politics but you had to admire them yesterday for the way they staged the opening ceremony it will be very difficult to follow that it must have cost the earth. This morning we were watching the cycling road race and again it was a very well staged event that took place in the countryside around part of the great wall if you want to have a look it’s the ladies race tomorrow morning and we do have a good chance as we have the world champion in Miss Nicole Cook.

Today I am not going to talk about the weather as I seem to spend a lot of time doing so I am not going to spent time tell you that the rain that came down all morning in sheets causing the cancellation of our local agricultural show and how now that it has done it’s worst the sun has come out no I am not going to waste my time and yours telling you all that.

There is a lot of comings and goings in our street just now people moving out and new people moving in it is great to watch. We now have two great big skips in the road so between them and all the parked cars not it driveways or garages, getting our car out and in is great fun. In the skip across the road is a perfectly good computer chair I was really tempted to go across after dark but do not have the courage and I don’t really have room for another one.

Am going to watch a documentary tonight about the Great Wall of China as I don’t really know an awful lot about it and would like to find out more I remember when Jeannette (Welcome to my travels) was there last year she was very impressed with it. At the moment we are sort of watching The Mummy that has just started have seen it before and is a lot of fun. Till next time enjoy your evening. Love

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_4

Not singing in the rain.

                     

Good Afternoon, after the weather we have had in the last almost 48 hours I suppose we are lucky to still be almost dry. We have had 46 hours of pouring rain there has been lots of flooding up here dams almost bursting, but of course it will not be on the national news as it is happening in Scotland which is of no consequence as any news that happens up here ever is. Just listen the next main news program and you would hardly know we exist up here in the frozen north. Rant over.

We have not been out very much since our Inverness non trip just a bit of a weekly shop and the morning paper today. At the start of this entry I said almost dry that is because we have been getting water in our front door through the letter box have never had this before it must have been the way the wind was blowing will have to watch out for this during the winter. I has been a very wet summer if I can call it that in June we had 117% of our usual rainfall and I shudder to think what the July figure will be when it comes out in our local newsletter next month. Stuart has not managed to get the grass cut for the last 2 weeks as it has never been dry enough think I will have to buy a goat or maybe a sheep or two. Lol

Have been doing my collecting of free DVD’s again with the Daily Mail ,this time it has been Vanity Fair, Middlemarch, A Room With A View, Mansfield Park, Tess of the Durbervilles, Pride and Prejudice, David Copperfield, Emma, Tom Jones, North Hanger Abbey, and my very favourite Rebecca. I think I have managed to collect most of them even though we don’t live near to W H Smith or Tesco where you collect them free with the paper. Am looking forward to watching them come those winter days or even a summer days when we can’t get out on one of our excursions.

We have the plumber in just now as our toilet is leaking and I have had to have a boil to collect the water that has been dripping don’t know what has been causing this but hopefully it will be fixed today. I think that’s it for today oh forgot to mention I have my buddy list up and working again I have not had it since I changed to my laptop it will be nice to see all whose online etc again. Till next time .Love

                                                           

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2

Another fine mess.

 

 

 

Good Evening, Stuart and I have been having one of our adventures again today this one takes the biscuit. We decided last night to take a big bus run to Inverness in Highland today. Inverness is 123 miles in a northerly direction from where we stay. We were up at the crack of dawn well 7 o’clock to be exact to give us plenty of time to get the 9 20 am bus from our park and ride. We left the house in good time all showered and dressed for our day away, we had time to pick up the morning papers and some sweets etc for our journey. As usual the bus was late it was coming from Edinburgh and as they are laying new tramlines in the centre of the city and with the festival being on just now traffic congestion is a big problem it always is but this is worse than usual just now. So on with the story the bus arrived about 15 minutes late and as Stuart and I got on we were asked if we had booked we did not know this was necessary and said no the driver told us we could chance it and hope to get on again after whoever was waiting with tickets in Perth took their seats. When we arrived in Perth the nasty driver told us we had to get off the bus and stand outside to see who wanted to get on, we were then told we had to wait for the Glasgow bus to come in to see if any of these passengers were going to Inverness. So we waited and waited this bus it turns out was running 40 minutes late. Eventually it turned up and a lot of people got off that, and then got on our bus. The driver said he would probably have room for us but to wait just now. By this time the bus was really full and yes you guessed it would have meant us sitting apart for the three hour journey so we looked at one another and agreed to go and get on the park and ride bus into Perth have coffee and a wander then get the bus home. After we did just that we walked up to the bus station which is a bit of a walk we arrive and were told the next bus home was in 40 minutes. Stuart and I found a seat outside and just sat there exhausted and just wanting to get home. Fortunately the bus was on time and after a 20 minute run down the motorway we picked up our car at our park and ride we eventually arrived home hot and tired. Lesson learned when going on a Mega Bus book your seat. We do intend to try again not sure when but soon before the summer has gone. Don’t know what it is just now last week we set off for St Andrews when the road diggers closed the slip road and we ended up in Perth this week we were going to Inverness and we ended up in Perth what next . Watch this space. Till next time. Love

                   

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_3

A Poem for you on Saturday

                                          

Good Afternoon, as know I have been watching the young Ospreys at Loch Garten since the eggs were laid way back in April, out of the three eggs the proud parents have managed to raise two fully fledged birds, they are now able to fly a few hundred yards and are as yet not fishing for themselves. When I was on the site today I noticed the poem I am copying for your amusement. Deshar is the name given to the young male bird and his big sister is called Nethy. Hope you enjoy this poem as much as Stu and I did………..

Patrick Preston is in his 17th year as a volunteer at Operation Osprey. Every year he writes a poem, this year we have decided to put it on the blog. ENJOY

DESHAR'S LAMENT
Who’d have a bigger sister
you wouldn’t out of choice.
She’s pushy and she’s greedy
and she’s got the loudest voice.

I used to have a chance
when I was second in the queue.
But after titch gave up the ghost
those chunks of fish were few.

She’s only two days older
but she thinks that she’s queen bee.
“I’m bigger, better, nay – the best,
just follow after me”.

“I’ve flown across to that old tree
why don’t you have a try?”
“Give me some space to flap my wings –
I’ll show you I can fly”.

When I can fly I’ll learn to fish
before she gets the knack.
Then what I catch I’ll eat myself
and not bring any back.

When she gets older and comes back
to find herself a mate.
He’ll be hen pecked all the season
but I’ll leave him to his fate.

By Patrick Preston
Operation Osprey Volunteer.

Till next time Love

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2

Everything is OK

    

 

 

 

                                        

Hi thats it all done the problem we had was we could not find the Wireless Connection Key on the keyboard as we did not know what to look for when mine came the Wireless connection was already on. Nevermind Stuart is a happychappy upstairs playing with his new toy and I'm off to make the tea.  Have a great evening Love,

                                                                          

                                                                              

What a day.

                

Good afternoon, it is now, but we did have some terrible weather overnight and this morning very heavy rain it was so bad I had to go our to empty the puddles from the top of the tomato house which has a flat roof. I thought it was going to collapse there was so much water on the roof.

At last I have managed to get Stuart to treat himself to a new laptop our desktop is at least five years old and very slow it took 30mins to get on line it was so bad you took a book or a paper with you when you went upstairs to go on line. We both seem to want to go on the PC ‘s at the same time so we really need one each. Yesterday morning we bought Stu a nice new fast PC brought it home and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get a wireless connection with no joy I remember we had all this bother the last time with my laptop. At this moment we are trying again wish us luck as it a tedious job I think we will have to phone wonderful Aol with the wonderful English speaking helpful assistants in a minute or two will get back and lit you know what happens shortly I hope. Till later Love

                                       

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2