When gardeners get married.

 Just like everyone else we pick our frocks (£20 charity shop) and our shoes (£10.50 reduced), our scarf (1.99 charity shop). Be assured the dashing wellingtons, (whilst cut at a killer deal), cost far more than the whole of the rest of my wedding outfit. Priorities and all that, the wellyboots will get well used again. We also have a good scrub as often as not, we're muddy. And we don't spend much money on finery as we need it for seeds and tools next year.

We kindly ask chums to gather and forage what they have in their gardens looking beautiful to make bouquets with....no one blinks and eye when asked for a bin bag of ivy or a bucket of berries. We just get it. We did indulge in a few red roses to set the tone, fair trade supermarket bunch for £10 for a large bunch. The only cost of our wedding flowers was £10. Quite happy with that, we didn't need them, but they added a lovely touch. If you work with the season you're in, frugal wonders can happen.

We ask their help to forage around their beautiful gardens and provide free seasonal colour for our tables, laid on old free recycled slate roof tiles cleaned and washed for the occasion.

 They also kindly take the time to lay it out and make it look radiant.

 We borrow the things we don't have like fairy lights, tea lights and improvise rustic peedie vases from 'Nutella' glasses from those who indulge in such decadence! . Table runners replaced table cloth hire, at £2 each, we paid £20 in total for those. Instantly an autumn country rustic theme is born. We added various bits of home made (by friends) bunting which just set things off beautifully

And nature doesn't let us down and it does its own thing and looks beautiful, like we know it always will. Simple, natural and celebrated is often better. The tops of free roof tiles point out the way through the forest.

So we go, nervously with our loved ones, in our recycled finery, our wellyboots and and take our vows.

 In the company of so many wonderful and kind friends who've helped in so very many ways. The old kitchen basket used last week to take veg to a chums house today is filled with song sheets and recycled dried petal confetti. This is our stuff, our family stuff and it played its normal back up role in our lives. A kitchen bottle filled with foraged elderflower cordial quenches our Quaich to welcome our guests.

How grateful we are for the friends that we have and the life that we have and those things that make life nicer from old guitars to baskets, bottles and bags. And how we laughed!

Be assured there will be more on this another time. Just wanted to tip my hat and say thank you for everyone who's contributed to a truly special spectacular day.  All of our friends worked hard to put this special day together for us whilst laughing and chatting and hopefully finding out how much we love them too. And due to their kindness, hard work and efforts, cost a fraction of what it might have. All the better for being hand made with love, a fair bit of charging around to see what we could scrounge and a few pennies.

Photographs here are almost entirely the hard work of my wonderful chum Robyn who I'm hoping won't mind me sharing a few the now.

 

Mr & Mrs McB
Gardener and Rock Legend, finally wed.

(more on that later.)

My grandad the hooligan.

The day was going well - up with the curlews and the oyster catchers and every other noisy bird here in Orkney at the moment! Chickens fed, eggs collected, extra chunky brownies* cooked, puppies walked - in and out of the house 4 times before 7am, before I noticed the obvious.....Ladies and Gentlemans we have a flat tyre. Deep joy - 7.15am daughters bus due at 8am one mile away - easy you'd think? Normally. However, the pesky car jacks (both of them) were in Darwin, currently in the garage in Stromness being fixed for the summer. Oh dear, however a quick head scratch and conflab with the cellist - we decided best plan was to don bikes, howk (definition here, I'm using it the sense of figuring a cunning plan) ourselves up to the neighbours half a mile away and borrow a jack. The cellist turned cyclist carried on to school bus and I ambled home with a 'borrowed jack' in my hand! I like neighbours, very helpful. Now, what on earth to do? Gotta change a wheel I guess unless any keen participants step forward?

Well boy/man child snored, Mr F off in some forgien location - that left chooks and mutts. The chooks were completely useless and pointed me in the direction of the trailers wheels which were it had to be said nice and plump. Pesky chickens always like to know better!

The hoonds (those manly chaps) - decided to protect the brownies in case of alien invasion of brownie eating fiends and watched on from the window. The team work has probably begun - maybe one of them flattenned the tyre (on smelling brownies) and the other was about to lock me out?

 Even the weather was not being awfully helpful - to say its been a mixed week of weather up here would be an understatment. And, the frequent hail/snow/rain storms of the week appeared to approaching with speed. Eek best get on with it eh?!

However, all is not lost. Firstly this girls' not shy of changing a wheel - and whilst it was a bit of the pain in the derrier - I can change a flat tyre and its not life threatening when at home, early and no pressing engagements. I'm armed with experience in flat tyre changage. 

I blame this entirely on my Grandfather. No shrinking violets on his watch, not a hope. First car I ever got I drove proudly to show him. First thing he did after inspecting my Primrose Yellow Mini-metro? Let the air out of one of my tyres. A grin on his chops - the monster - he flattenned my tyre just like that! Whilst he has previous for being a vandal, on several counts, he chuckled and informed me of his cunning plan. Seemingly, all girls, even pesty ones like me, should learn to change a wheel - so he thought he'd prempt my 'first time changing a wheel tragedy' and supervised me throughout the prempted sabotaged operation. What a lovely kind chap eh? Like I said - he was a complete hooligan through and through. But, I do know how to change a wheel due to his 'kind' help, pesky grandads who help you learn stuff........

Mr James T Henderson of Broughty Ferry, Dundee - Thank you very much - even if you were a hooligan, I can change a wheel like the best of them.

To be honest though - that was far too much excitement before 8am in the morning - I retired for the day with tea with a damp tea towel on my head and arranged to have a chat with a lovely chum  the puppies for a walk to Brodgar! And, just the therapy I needed!

*I've put the brownie recipe on the 'grub' page if anyone's interested - its my friend Janes recipe and its simple and quick and so yummy! This time I doubled the batch mix for a lovely chunky brownie - will do that again - they were lovely. Sadly all gone now!

The simple woman's day book - March

I sometimes take part, and clearly not often enough, in The Simple Womans Daybook, which reminds me to take each day at a time, embrace it and enjoy it, to shut my diary and not think of everything and how to tetris it all in to the hours I have in my week. But I need to take time to appreciate taking the time to sit, ponder and think.

I don't do this much, I'm an 'ants in my pants' kinda gal, I don't sit, I'm allergic to it.

I think I'm powered by solar energy or something - (!) during daylight hours I tend to be beavering away at home or at work. Or probably, more likely I'm actually fuelled by bread and the gigantic amount of food I generally eat - given my level of daily calorie consumption and my stature being very 'ant' like, I need to conciously work and play through my life like a tazmanian devil to not limit my abilities to actually fit through doorways! Today I was inspired by this lovely lady......to have a peedie sit and have a wee think and join in.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window… The lapwings are back, dancing in the skies and making utterly ridiculus noises, the curlews are also returning. Hen harriers and Owls are a daily sight from the house and the track and I know I must never take them for granted. I live in a truly amazing place.

I am thinking…how lucky I am. I am loved, I (and my family/friends) are healthy,  my cupboards are full and I've a very diverse stimulating working week ahead! And a cute dog.

In the kitchen…surrounded by hand picked flowers (daffodils - what else at this time of year?!) and a beautiful mothers day card - banana loaf half eaten and the signs of family life cluttering up and adorning most surfaces! I really like this. I like the clutter of family life.

I am wearing…Stripes and wellies - I love stripes - a stripey blue t-shirt - blue jeans and odd socks - one is spotty, on is stripey - I don't think a day goes by when I actually wear a matching pair (lifes just too short for the conformity of wearing matching socks). I like the secret subversiveness of it. I am also wearing my purple wellingtons, but shhh dont' tell anyone, we're not allowed to wear them in the kitchen.

I am going…on the plane tomorrow (again, I know, I was also on one last week,  this is why I'm a tree hugging environmentalist, my carbon foot print is epic and I have to redress the carbon balance). Tomorrow its for work - which will also be fun, liking your job tends to result in doing alot of fun stuff, which folk appear to want to give you money for. Its a win win situation!

I am wondering…about getting another puppy - will that fit in with our  life?

I am reading…a sustainable development textbook about waste management systems and recycling - the title is too heavy to put here - but its a good read and a great reference book! One dug out from my very non flowery undergraduate degree box - which I hadn't thought I'd ever need again, its been up in a dusty attic for many years now - just goes to show you doesn't it! Who knows what turns life may bring so don't chuck out things you think you'll never need again!

I'm also reading a Mr Men book - I love them so and being dyslexic, I'm terrified of reading outloud - However, I know reading outloud helps me to get over my fear of it - so if you're going to listen to anything like that - Mr Men are very cool and make me giggle.

And, a book on pruning as I've a pesky, not keeping to the right bit of the garden, Rowan to prune to help a lady this week and I want to do it right.

Reading is clearly all about diversity here!

I am hoping…to visit Graemsay, one of the Orkney islands I've never been to, I'm very excited! I should get there this week and do a bit of gardening with a lovely chum!

I am looking forward to…a trip to Brighton in May. Firstly I've never been and that will be exciting. Secondly I'm meeting such dear chums for a whole weekend I'm just giddy with excitement!

I am learning…… how to use my sewing machine more and I'm going to a workshop to make my very own bag. That will be exciting! I use to be able to sew alot - made my own clothes but funny when you get busy how little things like sewing can often seem a far distant thing.

Around the house…chaos! Children dashing about - dog chasing his bone. Kitchen full of cooking smells, sunlight dazzling through salty dusty windows, windowsills bursting into life with plants/seeds, chickens attempting to move in every time the door is opened to the garden. And the sound of a multitude of instruments filling my ears! Chaos!

I am pondering…about my polytunnel and if I can safely get the cover on it when my family visit at the end of the month.

A favorite quote for today…Well I wanted to steal/borrow Cheri's quote which is very pertinent to me at the moment.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucious

However I think this one is where I'm at today:

"Sometimes in life, you find special friends. Those who change your life just by being a part of it. Those who makes you laugh until you can't stop. Those who make you believe that there really is good in the world. Who convince you that there really is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it. This is forever friendship. When you're down and the world seems dark and empty, your forever friends lift you up in spirit and makes that dark and empty world suddenly seem bright and full. Your forever friends gets you through the hard times, the sad times and the confused times. If you turn and walk away, your forever friends follow. If you lose your way, your forever friends guide you and cheers you on. Your forever friends hold your hand and tells you that everything is going to be okay. And if you find such a friend or friends, you feel happy and complete because you need not worry. You have a forever friend, and forever has no end."
---Unknown

One of my favorite things (aside the family obviously)…my campervan - Darwin, he's been sulking and due to lack of funds he's been sitting petulantly staring with his back to us for months. However, his much needed spare parts are ordered and he's going to get a bit of love and a trip to the garage for some minor operations to enable us to have adventures in him again very soon.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Trip on a plane, kiss goodbye to Mr F again,  invigilate an exam, organise a class, attend a workshop, plant a hedge, trip on a peedie ferry, prune a rowan, tidy up a rockery and rampage through my paperwork. All the while, I'll also be 'stalking' sorry I mean parenting/terrorising the children and walking the dog on a gud few beaches. Might even manage lunch with a chum. Sounds OK doesn't it?

A peek into my day…(A single photo which peeks into my life) - I love how making a huge flock of recycled chickens for a childrens workshop on reycling.....(whcih was amazing fun, sorry I mean was work and amazing fun)

Can inspire this - a hand made mothers day card from the cellist in my life our flock of chickens in our tree with Peedie (our dog) looking to see why they are up there! Isn't it beautiful - her last card was amazing but this one is sublime!

If I were peedie however I would be wondering why the chickens had turned so colourful (summer clothing?) why they are hiding from him (are his bonios in the tree?) and how on earth a tree in Orkney could aspire to such a uniform, unlopsided shape (clearly growing behind a huge dyke)!

Happy living to all of you - the simple things really are the most important.

If you wish to join in with the Simple Woman - the link is here.

What type of cheese....?

Ok, so I'm minding my own business and I get a text from the cellist. This is unexpected. We are going through the 'I'm independent' phase, she's neither old enough to vote, leave home, marry, drive to the scool bus or anything else. But we are embracing her independence. Modern parenting I think they call it.

Anyhow, cautious, I read 'can I make dinner' - any non believers, I'll take a photo if you like. No lift, no money, a heartfelt plea to make food. I am extraordinarily suspicious. Thinking the worst, I reply, firstly, what you thinking making. This has to inform the response, I love her, but to be fair, dinner is dinner. If she's thinking chocolate spread on toast, frankly, I'm not a fan. The why bit also got me puzzled.

Thankfully I was assured 'food' would be pasta, bacon, tomato, red onion and cinnamon. She's mutated a Jamie Oliver recipe using tuna (she hates tuna) and so she's substituted this for bacon. I'm rather chuffed, cooking, plus innovation that's my girl. But, to be fair this girl likes to eat. the 'why' was unanswered. Funny how we love food and love to share and cook together, we've that in common and for that I'm very thankful, many a grand chat happens over cooking. 

Over the chopping, mixing, tasting and stirring, the why became apparent. She's an exam tomorrow, she's nervous, she wanted to keep her mind off it and destress. She like me, thought nice food, company and a bit of chat would sort it. What a clever lass. I was assistant chef tonight. Watched as she fathomed scaling up the recipe (her own version), got everything going to be ready altogether. All the time consulting her 'journal', it would seem she wrote her version of it down the first time she made it.

Hats off cellist, it tasted amazing. Cinnamon and pasta sauce, I'd never have figured it. She toddler off later, quite happy.

A hearty good luck tomorrow. Independent teenagers cook,to destress, how exciting.

As for me, Mr F in Norway tonight for work (waves across to Norway). Whilst he's been awayI've been pottering about (for that read manically cleaning) inbetween being fed.

Thinking norweigan delights, I bought some Jarlsberg today. Had some for supper. Well I tried, ended up burning it so badly it was inedible. Never try cook and manically clean. Unhappy me, happy hens, they've got it's nutty wonderfulness cooking away in the slow cooker, inedible for humans.

Moral of the story. Teach your children to cook, later on when you're distracted and burn the cheese on toast, you're sure not to starve. Or cleaning is bad for Jarslberg, or what ever type of cheese consumption, is another viewpoint.

In real life I was really chuffed like me she wanted to cook and chat and take her mind off something she was nervous about. And, to be fair she's not a bad little cook either.

I like parcels, I really like parcels, don't you?

Living as far north as we do, many friends and loved ones are 'doon sooth' - we rely on the post for lots of things - and those that come unexpected are always a bonus. This week, I've been lucky enough to receive, three cards, two magazines, a book (pictured above), a box of cake for a hearty welcome  (how cool a gift in the mail!) and a tub of home made garam massala spices (yum) and a packet of home collected seed! 

How utterly lucky am I. I also received a phone bill, a credit card bill and various junk mail. I've learnt to get rid of the junk I can stop the drop and get rid of any unwanted mail really easily (use that link for ideas). I don't think they help with the credit card bill  though........... My family insist we don't need any help with unsolicited welcome cake however............

How utterly delicious does that look, arriving in a lovely array of yumminess. Thank you very much to the particular folk at slow food for the welcome card and cake, more on that another time..........the kettle and the cake are calling, then feet up with a good book, or a magazine whilst I have a think about what I'll do with those seeds, I love 'nice post' - thank you guys! 

Ps -  to get rid of any pesky junk post visit here for a great advice.......or look for your local agency. Mail needn't be boring, lets enjoy getting post - if you fancy it, take a look at how you can reduce your junk mail  on here or online or at a local recycling site and if you fancy it leave a comment and if your name comes out the hat, I'll send you something fun in the post garden/food/recycling related - anywhere in the world - it might be a small something but it will be a 'fun' something in the mail. Mail should be exciting, helps to curtail those pesky necessary credit card bills etc. You've got until st andrews day - 30th November - and then I'll put all the posters names in a woolly hat and then pull out one lucky chap to post something fun too, if you're chosen I'll email you for your address, dont' worry I'll keep it very secret!

Toodalu!

Feeding the pig

Dear reader, I'm sorry, I've been neglecting you. Truth be told many exciting things are afoot in the lands of the windy wellies which I'll confess soon. Very exciting things indeed! However, in the mean time, my piggybank (flower pig, pictured above) is very very thin and really, truly needing fed, we are very poor at the moment so I've been busy back to work this week. Mainly desk based, plant researching, teaching and I did manage to escape by picking flowers which is, alas, unpaid but alot of fun!

Another fun event this week was my oldest child rather remarkably making it to 17 on Halloween, which is his birthday. And, given my lack of focussed parenting skills (which involve being in the garden, identifying plants, weeding and alike, not being in the house) we appear to have reached a fine mother/son balance. Birthdays and alike also seriously deplete the piggy banks further, hence the manual labour required to restock our finances in our flower pig.

That, of course being said, whilst we are poor, do not fear as we still eat like kings and a humungous gorgeous birthday home roast dinner was consumed, in celebration of the childs birthday. This was kept frugal with the addition of many home grown veggie and a large local chicken, not home grown (fear not the chickens are very safe and alive wrecking havoc at home), but very worth it and such a treat a local chicken tastes fantastic! The man child also requested a fruit crumble (too full of birthday cake from chums at school), so my home grown raspberries also took a battering, whilst free and very delicious, were are also now much depleted. Great fun though. I know I'm very spoiled and lucky to be a mum to a fine young man! 

We've also got visitors, which alas, poor reader, means MORE cooking, more baking and more eating, it's a hard life, eh? Pancakes (or dropped scones if you're south of the border) for breakfast this am...with home made jam, yum!Talk very soon. X

PS Mr Flowers, I've hidden the raspberry jam, just in case the visitors aren't unaware that you don't really enjoy the concept of sharing.

My favourite kitchen.......

Now its not often, I'll put you all to death with an image of my smiling chops staring right at you. But this post is for one of the most special folk in my life, Aunty Claire, my bestest friend, I've stolen her to be my adopted sister and one of my favourite people in the whole wide, enormous, solar system. And, here I am standing in her kitchen, my absolute favourite kitchen, smirking away being photographed by the dear old cellist ealier this summer. And, I did want to see her in person tomorrow as its her birthday. I wanted to give her this home grown bunch of flowers, I grew them all, by myself as part of my 'grow your own veg', I also grow cut flowers. and I'd love to give her them in person - as I picked them today as part of the first thing I did at work,  I thought of her. The flowers are for the tables in a local a local cafe, which she will love, when she comes visit....!

Alas one of the down sides of being so far away from your dearest dearest family (stolen or otherwise), is that you can't always be there if you want to or give them flowers you've grown for them either. And, I desperately wish I could be standing in her kitchen right now and give her the hugest of birthday hugs. But, I can't unless I get myself one of these, hmm wonder if we have room for one of them in the budget, I think not!

Nevertheless, without an areoplane, here I am in virtual life, standing right here in her kitchen, my favourite place in the whole universe. If I had a bag full of homemade hearts full of love, I'd share them with her. Always.

 Happy Birthday gorgeous girl. Thank you for sharing some of your very own, very special, hand made hearts with me.

I love you forever and wish I could be with you tomorrow, see you very soon!

Pottering......

Tonight it's sideways rain and gusting at 50 mph, yuk! No Indian summer here. However, yesterday was one of my favourite kind of days, calm and still, a pottering type of day. You know the kind where you guddle about doing stuff with no real order but it can be productive (to guddle um, another scots word which doesn't translate too well. Hmmmm I found a kind of reference here we're not talking catching fish, we're talking to potter about in an aimless fashion). Thinking of it like that, I'm sure the phrase 'she guddled' could be put on my tombstone, it would be quite apt, again not the catching fish with only your hands kind. Back to the pottering or guddling. Life here is pretty weather dependant, yesterday started with hope and slipped into grey/sunny intervals, therefore a bit of guddly cooking was done by me and my son, we made shortbread and jolly yummy it was too. Before he flies the nest he's learning to cook, bake and sew, as he's due to fly off next year, we thought we'd best get on with it. Today it was shortbread, last week, mince and tatties and then brownies. He's not a bad cook...............

Looks great, we had to try one piece, you know, um, what do they call it, lack of control? No thats not it, its, called quality control. Honest.

The Best Shortbread In the World
Perfect as intended by Jamie Oliver in Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon caster sugar (powdered sugar)
2 scant cups flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
2/3 cup semolina or 1 scant cup cornflour

Preheat the oven to 300  o F, 150o C. Butter a tin. Cream butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until pale, light, and fluffy. Add the flour and semolina or cornflour. Mix lightly until you have a smooth dough.

 Press the dough into your pan, poking it into the corners with your fingers – don’t worry about it having to look perfect. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake in the preheated oven until slightly golden –  50-60 minutes. While warm, sprinkle with a generous dusting of sugar. Allow to cool slightly, then cut into chunky fingers. 

Woo hoo it worked!

 Most of it made it into a tin, well some of it did.

That started the day rather well. Big tick for the boy child.

Next on the pottering list was a bit of outdoors stuff - 4 loads of washing, I won't bore you with photos of my washing, well not today anyway and then the gravel got spread about the yard, 3 tonnes will get those muscles working, who said guddling had to be aimless? The daisies are still flowering, although looking, like the rest of us a bit weather worn, but they're very cheerful greeting us in the yard, even still.

That lot of gravel should stop me getting muddy feet everytime I try and collect the eggs, which hide behind the door on the right. We had a visit from a lovely chum, which meant a sit in the garden and a cup of tea (with shortbread, of course be rude not to have any), only one bit, I'm not a cake fan, but I'm a biscuit monster, so I have to put it behind lock and key, or give it away, so my chum took some home too. Which is just as well, otherwise I would have eaten all of it - it was very yummy.

We've got back into walking everyday if we can, normally in wellies, other footwear is not so lovely or lets face it in our climate, waterproof footwear is essential.

When I say 'we've got back into it' obviously I meant to say Mother Tyrant (thats me, I'm called that alot) has dictated we're all too lazy and require a walk everyday there isn't any sideways rain, so we've got down to the beach at the bottom of our track, twice this weekend on days which have not been gales and sideways rain (unlike today as I type rain is splattering the windows at a force greater than I'd really expect the winow to put up with).
 

Down from the house, we look over to Hoy in the background and Graemsay in the foreground, where a fellow blogger lives and I'm sure we can wave to each other - I always give her a wave anyway, just in case she's watching. Although I'm sure she has better things to do than watch for me waving!

 We say hello to the horses, on the way down the track, not sure I've mentioned them before, they appear quite friendly...........

 I like this lighthouse I can see two from the house but this one is my favourite. We often sing the 'lighthouse keeper song', you know the one, 'I'm going to marry a lighthouse keeper and live right by the sea.....'. As Mr Flowers is not a light house keeper, we don't want to offend him by tales of marrying someone else, so we don't sing it too seriously, unlessof course he'd like to buy us a light house and we can all live by the sea? Perhaps not.......

 Our shore, not that its 'ours' but we do claim it for our own when we're on it. The beach is a sandy/rocky shoreline, nice and interesting. At this time of year, early evening lights is going faster than I'd like. We walk quickly, gasping in the scenes as they change intermittently between sun and cloud.

 Lots of lovely shells to find and stones to skim, a favourite passtime of Mr Flowers and Mr Cheery it would seem. I've the co-ordination of a fish, (no offence fishes) so I don't tend to skim stones for fear of wounding those around me. I do like to look at shells though and I love these 'Painted Topshells' with their irredescant inner shell revealed, all pearly and silver, we desanded it a bit, just because it was so pretty.

 The cellist spied a feather and took this rather lovely shot, I love the composition of her photos.

Whilst as always, I spied the plants on the beach (well aside the seaweed obviously, which I named as I toddled passed, just cos I like to keep my hand in). This bonnie daisy (Tripeurospermum or Matricaria, depending on which taxonomist you believe.......) was growing through the bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus, I remind myself, if you don't use the names you forget them quickly). Everyone in my family reckons I make them up anyway - so I guess I could call it anything and I'd always be right or wrong!

Anyway after a guddle on the beach, a dander back up the track, its time for tea. Traditionally sundays in our house includes either a roast dinner, or 'frog in a bog' (Toad in the hole) - this week we had delish home made yorkshire batter (the bog/hole) with tomato and pork sausages (the frogs/toad), mash, leek gravey and corn. The boy child makes this dish, using his secret recipe, which is neither his (its austrailian womans weekly recipe), nor very secret (we all know it off by heart - one cup plain flour, one cup milk, two eggs mix to a batter, perfect every time), really hot oven and a tray with 1 tbsp oil heated up in it. Hes great at it and he does make it very well, so we leave him to make it for us. No photos, this meal is always scoffed too quickly!!

A great pottering type of a day, I hope your own sunday was grand and full of fun.

Aint nobody here but us [frozen] chickens...............

A funny old week here, my daughter birthday, but she's away (that's my favourite photo of her age 4, dressed in her own unique way, blowing me a kiss, on way to a gardening open day and now age 15! wow I remember that photo like it was yesterday!), we've had family visitors too and gone from full on house to empty nest, in the space of 5 days, freezing weather, as I type my nose is cold and I'm wearing a jumper and a fleece! The 24th of July and its 11 degrees with wind speed of 27 mph and gusting at nearly 40 mph! Bah, so much for summer, we've been out exploring in hats and scarves and jumpers and fleeces. We've also been doing some indoor exploring, where we found a lovely painted butterfly -  so that cheered me up, the cellist loves butterflies, so it also reminded me of her!

The weather on the other hand, did NOT claim to be so cheery - the met office told me:

Sun 24 Jul - Orkney Weather

Time Weather Temp Wind Visibility Dir Speed Gust

1300 13 °C NNW 27 mph 37 mph Very Good

1600 12 °C NNW 24 mph 36 mph Good

1900 11 °C NNW 22 mph 36 mph Good

2200 11 °C NNW 19 mph 30 mph Moderate

Although on Monday it will be a bit warmer................ nearly 14 degree not really very warm, but better!

Mon 25 Jul

0700 11 °C NNW 15 mph 25 mph Good

1000 12 °C NNW 15 mph Very Good

1300 13 °C NNW 16 mph Very Good

1600 14 °C NNW 17 mph Very Good

1900 13 °C NW 14 mph 24 mph Very Good

Bah!

However, can't grumble too much, its also been full of visiting tall ships and lots of elderflower coridal being made as our elderflowers are flowering like crazy at the moment, a great recipe here from a kind fellow blogger, thank you! And, I got to go to a garden with the lovely purple cut leaved elder - very pretty, more about that later..............

The beginning of the week was full of vibrant life and visitors, and a wonderful energetic toddler, driving on the mower (the tiddler called it a tractor, who am I to argue?), vigorously collecting eggs (we didn't break many!) and  alot of walking and exploring, both indoors (at a play place, full of shiny balls and fun) and also outdoors, including  wearing wellies, spashing in puddles and at the beach after fish and chips for tea!

I don't have many photos of these, as, um, I was very busy, um, driving tractors and making silly noises and splashing and silly stuff as an Aunty, its my duty to splash and do silly stuff and beep beep when driving the tractor, for no real reason up the drive and down again. OK, we did need to give the mower a drive to keep it running (right?!) and to get a bit wet at the beach, and OK it was cold, but at the beach, splashing is compulsary, right?

This week was also the15th birthday for the absent cellist who's 1000's of miles away in France, Happy birthday to my favourite girl, we'll make you a cake when home, 2 week in France gone, 4 week to go til they come home (not that I'm counting you understand)! Yay! Being a single parent sometimes means you miss out on many birthdays and often many christmas's too, it sucks but then again, I get all the everyday good bits too, and they do need time with their other family. I do miss them though! Happy Birthday girlie, more adventures again soon when you're home xx

Age 5, waving in the Orkney sunshine.....and now age nearly 15 on a trip to Hoy.

Now, all the visitors went home yesterday on to empty life for a few days with folk away home and new folk arriving on Monday night. But, I'll keep busy with a house to tidy up again and chores to do. Its very, very cold, if the garden wasn't in leaf, I'd swear it was November, bbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

And, of course at the end of the week, the news of a very horrible tragedy for our near neighbours and close friends in Norway, what a horrible thing to happen, I thought the way Sian thoughtfully put up a few words  here was very poingnant. Thank you to her for that, I've lit a candle too and am thinking of those poor folk in Norway.

Wonder what the next week will bring, hopefully more peace in the world and perhaps, selfishly a little more warmth here!

Getting into it all......

Folk get away from it all, don't they for holidays. Us, um, we do the opposite- we've got into it all. We are off on our holidays(I'm currently ensconced in an English pub) catching up on life. Free wifi, blow me down, in a pub?! We don't get on to the mainland of the UK or into civilisation much, clearly! I'm parked here on my own to let my son and his friend who's with us visit warhammar world (fantasy gaming type strategy place)which they both wanted to come to, the cellist declined, can't imagine why.....! Great for the boys though :) the cellist has her own friend and a couple of dogs to keep her happy!

Excuse the lack of photos (still not mastered the iPad!)I'm enjoying visiting family and catching up with friends, but, relaxing this ain't! I can quite happily say I don't miss shops, motorways, 24/7 convenience, its darn expensive this 24/7 mainland life. To be honest I like that our shops at home shut some of the day, I like the lack of choice at home, supermarkets here are bamboozling with their choice and array of goods. Mind you, petrol here is 23p/litre, no typo there twenty three pence CHEAPER here.

But, blimey aside the overwhelming everything, we are having a blast! Family visits, friends, eating the best ice cream in the world in St Andrews (it really is!!) the cinema in 3d, lunches out, drooling at garden centres, lovely family roast dinners, lolling in the garden, cliff chain walking (will post that up soon, that was awesome!), takeaway pizza, too much food, too much talking and laughing (can you have too much?)and far too much fun! :) terrible isn't it, having too much fun! :)

Despite all the fun and catch ups, I'll be glad to be home into the peace and quiet and lack of choice, even if that means dearer petrol! At least I won't have to overtake lorries on the motorway chanting "there's no place like home". Haven't even managed to see a chicken whilst I've been galavanting - that's a bit sad!

Adventures in Hoy, with stripey stone beaches and the odd highland cow

Now having a new pair of wellingtons incurs a bit of responsibility - you have to make sure they get an idea of where they live and make sure they have adventures to keep them from running away from home. A bored pair of wellingtons, is not a happy pair is it now? Living on Orkney, there are um, about 80 odd islands in this little archepeligo (or should I say, not so little, maybe?) and its only fair to the wellies to get them out and about. We've been to many but Mr Flowers had never been to Hoy so thats the destination for our little adventure today. You'd be right to wonder if these wellingtons ever do any gardening, they do, but often they are also out on adventures! Today its Rackwick beach! 

Yesterday in true island hopping style we adventured off to Hoy, 35 minute ferry ride (£11.95 for a car one way) on one of the smaller inter islands ferry, to the second largest of the islands (mainland Orkney being the largest). Here we are at the bay of Rackwick, I think probably one of the nicest beaches I've ever been to (and if you know the kind of beach action we get up to that is indeed an accolade! I think its the combination of huge enormous cliffs, beach and gorgeous stripey stones and the notion that you can camp right on the beach beside a bothy (old barn), how perfect! A bit more info about that here..............from my old neighbour!

Anyway, being on adventures in new places means that your trusty cairn terrier Peedie pup leads the way - more checking out for abandoned sausages from the campsite than anything dangerous, but he does like to lead the way - so we let him! What a campsite eh? And the cliffs, amazing and difficult to get an idea of scale.........The roof of the bothy covered in large flag stones and then heather thatch, amazing what folk can do when wood and straw is scarce, brilliant use of local materials!

And we found a peedie (small) bench - which had a poingnant sign on it - I don't know the story, but these chaps seem awful young - we did as instructed and had a site and a think about these unknown (to us) chaps and our own loved ones..................

 And, we sat...............of course when adventuring, you wear your most glamourous gear! The cellist is at least slightly co-ordinated, although she has stolen my hat (so I stole Mr Flowers hat) - I'm my usual ramshackle of riotous stripes, borrowed hats and odd colours! And I know its nearly July and here we are in fleeces, hats, scarves etc - its 10 degrees here today - not a wet wild day, but NOT very warm! The temperature doesn't get very high here, although to be fair we've had a run of lovely (eg not wet and howling gales) weather over the past couple weeks, well aside that ONE nasty gale last week!

First there is the burn (small river) to cross - and a bit of a recycled (and a bit ramshackle if I might add) bridge to cross..........peedie was NOT keen, and can't blame him, his peedie paws might have got stuck, one advantage to a small dog - easy to scoop up under an arm and carry!

And, so to the beach...................its difficult to get an idea of the scale of both the beach and the cliffs - but we'll give it a go......Mr Flowers Ma, beach, cliffs - gives a bit of an idea of the size of the cliffs......!

Rackwick means 'rock beach' and boy were there rocks - the most gorgeous stripey rocks I've seen for a while, some the size of bean bags, some the size of bowling balls - all jumbled together on the beach - mostly stripey red sandstone, some slate black - but all amazing to look at!

 Now, here we go again, not much of an idea of scale - well heres my size 4 (EU 37) wellies on one of these delightful rocks!

 OK still not a great idea of scale, the cellist (age 14 and 11/12ths) had an idea 'Do you trust me?' she said, 'Um, maybe......' the reply - 'Mum, go stand on that stone she told me and conduct the sea....!' - 'Um, do what?', 'Conduct the sea!!!, Go down there arms out and conduct the sea.' - being told my mission - I did indeed go and conduct the sea.......

 Now, the cellist does have an idea of scale, so maybe conducting the sea helped after all? That girl has a great eye for a photograph. And she does make me do the silliest of things - or maybe we inspire each other!! Perching on stones, conducting the sea, how perfect a way to spend a day!

And, whilst we are at it - I'd best say - photos here are a combination of Mr F, cellist and myself or everyone gets a bit huffy - but not today - beach far too gorgeous!

Finally the beach! And, a kiss for being a good conductor! How lovely it is to be loved! What a smacker I got there! And, yes at 14 and 11/12ths she's already taller. The gamerboy was snoring - having a day off for good behaviour at home (yesterday he helped build the table and bench in the garden). When not adventuring we do a little gardening, honest injun!

 Having discovered the delights of the beach, the Peedie pup was in his element - he almost looks graceful here! Whats he heading towards you might ask...................

 He's spotted my scarf and he's off for a tug of war with me - a very cheeky dog indeed - cairn terriers are full of life and this one is no exception!

 Now don't ask me who's winning - I've no idea - the scarf is well use to this kind of nonsense - we scarf fly and tug of war alot on beaches the wind helps hugely and its great fun!

Beaches often mean a sandy nose though!

 Ok, I'm sure you're bored with our antics so back to the view - you can see this beach from the ferry when you go to Orkney, the cliffs either side are quite dramatic - aren't they?

 An eyeful of cliffs and an idea of scale - the cellist obliging this time!

 And those rocks - so beautiful - someones left us a bit of beach art - how perfect! We didn't distrub it, I'm sure the sea or the wind will soon enough!

 Again more beach art, in Orkney you'll see this type of thing everywhere - I always like to have a look and see what folk have done with the stones! Gives a good few ideas for the garden too......

 And there are so very many stones to look at we could have done that all day long, but we only had the day in Hoy so we had to make our way up to the car and say goodbye to the beach!

 Bye to the cliffs on the left and bye to the cliffs on the right - the old man of Hoy sea stack (449 ft) just barely visible at hte edge of the cliffs in that photo - maybe that gives an idea of the scale of the cliffs which are MUCH taller!

 One final look at the stones! This one is large enough for both the cellist and I to stand on, half way up the beach, imagine the force that got it there?! But far too pretty for our mangey feet to obscure the colours!

Goodbye to the stones and up onto the dunes - one final look back!

Tramping through the dunes, past the campsite, past the bothy finally a picture of a flower! Thistles are beginning to come into flower here - these are marsh thistles (Cirsium palustre)- when they are fully out I love the architecture of them a week or two they will look brilliant arms stetched out waving in the wind!

 More exploring a bit of lunch and a fair bit of driving along empty single track roads toward crofts and cottages under the high hills of Hoy....we did see a couple of cars when we were there for the day, but to be honest maybe not more than half a dozen! About 300 people live in Hoy, maybe they were all at different beaches today? There are many to choose from! Lucky for us we had the island almost all to ourselves to explore at our leisure!

 How lovely would it be to live here? Over the road, we spied my very favourite bovine - the noble Highland Cow! When we farmed in Colonsay, we had a couple of highland cows, its my ambition to own another few, one day. But for today at the end of our adventure in Hoy, at the very end of the road on the island how lovely to find one sitting ready to frame the view over to the mainland of Orkney - thank you very much you bovine beauty!

 No, now no need to get up and greet us, please go about your business watching the view and contemplating life! But, if you don't mind a close up, we'd be much oblidged!

 Then back to a bit of sitting! Time for us to go home, what an excellent adventure indeed! Thank you HOY! We needed to dash back for the ferry and homewards - we look over to Hoy from our house - so its nice to look over to the house from Hoy - we did give the house a wave when we were over there - just to be polite!