Specs at the ready.......

 

               

Good Afternoon, here we are almost at the end of September and it has certainly been a much better month that the rest of the so called summer. Today it is a lovely sunny day not all that warm but lovely all the same.

The last few day we have seen the start of our wintering geese coming back from their breeding grounds in the Arctic.

                 

. I rushed out this morning and managed to catch a couple of shots of the skeins arriving this morning. We used to have in the region of 80,000 Pink Footed and Greylag Geese here but numbers have decreased to a mere 18,000 now. Don’t know why this is the RSPB plant fields of winter wheat for them but they seem to like to go further south earlier than they used to, they waited till the loch froze over before they headed south. There must be a change of habitat and they don’t seem to like it. I have noticed that the fields don’t seem to be cropped so low nowadays the harvesters leave about a foot of stocks of the wheat etc. wither this has anything to do with it or not it certainly makes a difference to us in the winter as we cannot pick up the wintering flocks of finches as easily as we used to. Did not mean to make this a nature study entry its just the way it worked out. I was just saying yesterday it is strange where we get our inspiration for entries you sometimes sit down and the ideas just pop in other times there is nothing there.

While Stu was watching all his sport this afternoon I cleaned out kitchen cupboards. Its amazing what you find when you get to the back. The cupboards I was doing today are very deep and things get way back and forgotten. I found a few things out of date. I hate having to throw things out especially now with prices as they are. I found a pot of ground black pepper that I have had for ten years obviously I had never checked the date on it before today. It all looks so tidy now wonder how long for.

Wonder who will be getting sent home tonight from Strictly Come Dancing. Really enjoyed itlast night my only complaint is I find tonight’s program too long with too many reruns of last night show I think 30 minutes would be long enough for the dance off and the result still who am I to say. Think that about it for today so till next time.

Love,

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_3

Yesterday was Pruning Day.

                             

Good Afternoon, when I closed my entry yesterday I said Stuart and I were going to trim our conifers in the afternoon. After some lunch we ventured into the garden to get the job done. As you can see from the photographs they are quite tall and in need of a haircut. We keep them as they shelter the garden from the north wind which whips down our driveway into our garden and they do make a big difference. I have not been able to show you how Stuart does the top of the trees as I am hanging on to the step ladder very tightly. As you can see after we had finished it made a big difference and it lets me see out a lot better from the kitchen window. They look a bit bare for a while but they soon recover from their haircut. There is no pictures of me as I was like nothing you’ve have seen before with a scarf covering my head and face to keep me free of anymore midgie bites. I have had to take antihistamines as the bites on my head have been so bad and I did not want anymore added. Mission accomplished I headed for a well deserved shower as I had pine bits in place I should not have had. There was so much came off the trees we filled the brown wheelie bin we have for garden refuse and had to push it down to get it all in. I think that’s all the pruning done now for this year thank goodness only some bedding to pull out once its past and then we can put the garden to bed for the winter.

Today we were out for our usual Saturday morning coffee and this afternoon Stuart is watching World Cycling Championships from Italy me I’m half watching and shouting for Nicole Cook (remember her from the Olympic games) Yes yes she has done it she it WORLD CHAMPION. WELL DONE NICOLE. What a double for her Olympic Champion and World Champion in two months what a girl. The race was 138 klm.

What more can I say today Wales will be so proud of their girl. Till next time….. Love

                                                              Joan.

                      

Nilcole Cook. World and Olympic Champion.

Skye P2

                 

Good Morning, sitting all alone this morning as Stuart is at his art class today he is at the moment doing a watercolour of Chestnut leaves and chestnuts still on the branch last time I saw it it was looking very good it should be finished today.

The pictures today are of the Waternish peninsula on Skye. It is very beautiful but a bit of a strange atmosphere for some reason or other. This is our second visit to this area we visited last time we were on Skye and it felt the same then nothing I can put my finger on. Portree is a busy little town and has all the amenities you need it even has a supermarket now. The harbour is very picturesque and a great for photographs if the sun is shining. We were lucky the morning we were there it was to warm not wind on the only thing about it is it is downhill going and a steep climb back up so we had a few stops on the way back to the car.

This afternoon Stuart and I are going out into the garden to trim our conifers I will try to keep the midges at bay as I have a lot of bites on my head don’t know why we are being bothered this year as we have never been bothered before. I think that’s about it for today take care till next time.

Love,

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2

Nature's Larder is Ready To Go

    

                           

        

Good Evening, yesterday Stuart and I had a short walk in a nature reserve and I had my camera with me. Instead of taking views for you as I usually do I thought I would let you see what nature has ready for the long winter ahead for our birds and other wildlife. The trees and bushes were hanging so heavy Rowans, Hawthorn, Apples, Pears, Elderberries and a few brambles, were all in abundance it was lovely to see so I think they will all be very well fed this winter. Our Rowan Trees are usually stripped bare long before winter by our Starlings they can strip a tree in no time at all so there is never any berries left come winter it is a shame.

This is just a short entry tonight as am a bit tired as we have had Ellen from school today as usual being Wednesday and that makes it a late tea for Stuart and I and by the time we get cleared away it is nearly 8 o’clock.

Will continue our Skye holiday next time so much going on just no ha ha ha. Till next time,

Love                            

                                                         

 

 

 

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_3

Wedding picture and Monday

                           

Hello, as promised here is a picture of the happy bride and groom. It was a lovely wedding one of the best I have ever been to. K’s dress was beautiful and suited here perfectly. Unfortunately my photographs were rubbish I am ashamed to say. It was not all my fault the lady sitting infront of me at the service was a real pain. Every time I went to take a photo as I clicked she held up her camera in front of her so I have her hands on most of my pictures. Never mind the one cutting the cake was OK.

So today is the autumn Equinox it seems not time at all since the Summer Solstice. At last we have had some sunshine the last couple of days. I have noticed in journals from south of the border that you are all pulling out you summer bedding, we must be behind you up here as ours is still looking good it must be because ours is a bit later than yours starting to flower so we get a bit extra at this time providing we don’t get an early frost. I don’t mind Autumn and Winter I like the cold weather if it is dry I don’t think I would like it if I lived somewhere that the seasons did not change.

Have been feeling a bit down this morning as we have not been able to get away as we usually do on Mondays. We planned the day away but Stuart had forgotten that he had a dentist appointment late this morning so by the time he got back it was a bit late for a run out in the car. Never mind we will get the grass cut this afternoon once it has dried off after the overnight dew. I think that’s about it for today so till next time. Love

                       

                                                                  

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_3

Starry Starry Night.

                  

Painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

I wanted to tell you about a wonderful night we had on Skye. We live in central Scotland and there is a great deal of light pollution. First I must explain that the house we were staying in was on two levels and we had the upper part of the house which had been make into a flat, all the windows were dormer. One night I had to get up for a drink of water ,I never put lights on during the night so I do have good night vision. As I walked past one of the windows I looked out and above me was a sea of stars all twinkling so brightly it is such a long time since I have seen so many millions of stars. On Skye there is no light pollution at all. It was a truly wonderful sight, there was only the one night like this but it was something that will stay with me for a long long time.

I remember as a child there were many starry starry nights of course that was in the days of gas street lighting so it did not shine up into the sky so much as the big lights we have now. Just imagine going outside with a telescope to see an eclipse with a clear sky like this one. I was totally in awe that night and could hardly drag myself back to bed. Just thought this might be of interest to the more senior of us in j-land that remember dark skies that were black on orange. Remember remember. Till next time,                                 Love,

                                         Joan.

Tags: Vincent Van Gogh

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

The Wedding.

                 

Good afternoon, do you remember me telling you that Stuart and I had been invited to a wedding well today is the day. Our neighbour who is in her 50’s and never been married is going to be a bride. She has waited for a long time to marry her

Prince they were engaged over twenty years ago and something went wrong, however they are back together now and today is the day. Have been chatting to her this morning and she is so excited but K being K she did her ironing changed the bed and did all the washing just the hoovering and she will be off to get her hair done what a lady.

Stuart has gone off to his art class as the wedding is not until 5pm. Will take photographs and will let you see later.

Have to go now as I still have buttonholes to make. Till later. Love,

Have just updated my book journal with A Place of Execution and an other.

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

 

Our Holiday on Skye. P1

Good Afternoon, here I am back again have switched my alerts back on so I will be hearing all your news soon. We had a great holiday and surprisingly enough the weather on the whole was good very mild lots of sunshine and only a little rain which for Skye was unusual. Our house was super all mod cons including a dish washer. That is a first for me, having one at home I always think It’s strange having to do dishes on holiday however on with the tale…………..

We left home about 9-30am on the Saturday morning and as it was a good morning decided to take the scenic route which is only 6 miles further but not such a fast route. We headed for Glen Eagles first and met on the road a very old lady with her three friends having a day away at 30 mph, on this road there is just nowhere to pass safely so we just had to sit behind her for about 12 miles eventually the road straightened out and we managed to get passed, we proceeded to Creiff and then Lochearn, Glenogle and Crainlarich and onward to Glencoe. The weather did close in a bit as the mountains in this part of Scotland are very high and wild. After a picnic lunch we headed for Fort William that’s the little town at the foot of Ben Nevis (Britain’s highest mountain) it was a bit shrouded in mist and the photos were not great but I did my best. Stuart and I have been travelling our country all our lives and I have never seen traffic like we had today it was so busy it was unbelievable. Once we exited Glencoe it quietened down a bit and the rest of our journey up to Glen Garry and Glen Morrison to Loch Duich past Eilean Donan castle and onward to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Once we were over the bridge it was much quieter and we made good time in the sunshine up to Portee the main town on the Island more of that later too. We were glad to see our house and were warmly welcomed by the owners Joyce and Brian. Will stop there today and continue later. Till next time Love.

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Look What I awakened to today.

                    

Loch Snizort Isle of Skye today Sunday 9am

Good Evening, managed to get a wifi link on my laptop and just wanted to let you see the view from my window this morning at 9am and it stayed like this all day long what a treat. Love

Joan.

 

Tags: Loch Snizort, Isle of Skye.

Bye for now.

                   

Good Afternoon, been hearing you are having very bad weather in the south of England here in Scotland we have been OK this week yesterday was lovely sun all day which made a change. The rain has just started, a bit earlier than the wonderful weather people thought never mind. Hope you are staying dry down there. The forecast for the next few days where we are going is good so here’s hoping. I will be switching off my alerts as I don’t think I will get a wifi connection on Skye.

I saw this poem this morning and thought it was very appropriate.

Autumn comes, and with a snare,

Catches trees all unaware,

Paints their leaves, then makes them bare,

~With merry glee.~

Then the days much shorter grew,

Stronger, cooler winds do                                                               

Swallows o’er the sea must go,     

~To warmer lands~                     

All the sky doth turn dark grey

As she passes on the way,

Duller then gets every day,

~Till Winter comes~

By G. Waiter (When a schoolboy)

That’s it for me off on my vacation to The Isle of Skye. Bye Bye.                                

                                             Love,

 

 

Tags: Garth Waite