Beware of sloping beaches...........

OK, first of all - when I wibble on about the weather being so bad here, I promised to tell you when it was gorgeous and yesterday was one of the those beautiful days! Here you go - on a day like that a trip to the beach (via picking up willow cuttings) had to be done. What a gorgeous beach we went to yesterday - the second barrier beach down towards Burray in Orkney. In this house we do like this beach!

The second thing to say is that these are a combination of both my own and my other halfs attempts with the camera cos if I don't he whines like a baby! Team work today, always a good thing!

Isn't it gorgeous, and the oyster catchers were also having a little sunbathe. We tried to creep up on them.........

 They sat nicely for us and then of course along came the dog - they didn't hang around for long!

 Boats, beaches and the wind turbine in the background - a really wonderful scene. And, look in the distance the cows are back!!! They go inside lovely snuggly sheds in the winter - but today there they are out in the sunshine - spring is definitly on its way!

 And of course when on the beach, always on the look out for those pesky fish boxes - but not today - although whats that we spied in the far corner of the beach.............

A half barrel upside down, full of sand, whole, unclaimed and used on boats for fish and bait - unfortunately for the fisherman it fell of his boat - from where I don't know, but I do know where its going.......home with me! It even had two handy little bits of string handles on it!

And, what a gorgeous little walk we had, this beach is often full of cowrie shells - but not today. However as we lollupped up the steps these cheery daisies are flowering through the railway sleepers! Very lovely and bright!

 The new bucket in the car with the willow cuttings and all the other gubbins (random stuff) in there - chainsaw, special trousers for those and who knows what else - no room for peedie in there after that trip to the beach!

And back to the title, as you arrive at this beach you're given a warning - as these beaches are beside the artifical barriers which have roads on them now - the water is very deep beyond the sandy shelf - so beware of sloping beaches!

Thankfully, a bit cold for swimming (normally its too cold here for swimming except on the occasional day) therefore we were in no real danger - phew! What a lovely day indeed!

And, happy mothers day today for all you mummies - I hope your lovely younglings spoil you all! xx

Good things come to those who wait.............

Trying to propagate eggs! Only being silly, I wash them and then let them air dry in a seed tray seems the perfect way to do it

Today has been a very good day! My son has had a few good results in his exams, which I’m really proud of! You can even positively hear the buds breaking. The weather has even been smiling on us – a balmy 6 oC with sunshine and don’t tell anyone, there was barely any wind. Shhhh, it was supposed to be windy. Maybe today was one of the 10 days of the year we have here with NO wind. This is a fact, there are only that many days a year on average with no wind, I certainly don’t joke about the wind. In the sunshine, I noticed the hen coup all of a sudden has a rampage of daffodils popping up all over it. I think the job for the weekend will be to move these to various places around the main garden. What a bonus! Free plants yippee.



Free plants coming up all over the summer chicken coup! Nice to see them. They look like they are in prison but soon they'll be rehomed in the garden.

I sold a dozen more home grown eggs (£2) today and I’ve had another couple of requests for eggs this week. This is great as it means my very clever feathered friends will have some posh food, to keep them fit and healthy. We get free grain (floor sweepings) from the farm at work, but I also supplement this with layers pellets which I buy once a month. I get free eggs, friends get bargainous lovely hen eggs and the hen money goes to pay the ‘posh’ hen food. They also return the egg boxes and it’s the perfect mini-recycling local supply system.

Egg boxes from the big supermarket nicely recycled with our eggs and a silly home made label! This way I can keep track of the boxes we do keep recycling!

My dearly beloved is up in the Isle of the Winds this week and suggested a treat of fish and chips for lunch. Whilst I was in the local fish and chop shop, I asked if everything was local. OK, so they did look at me slightly strangely, of course it’s all local, why would they import fish or tatties here? Be like 'taakin sand tae the beach' I was informed. Ok, good stuff its all local and very yummy. A picnic lunch on the beach, in the sunshine (well OK eaten in the car) then a walk with the dog – perfect lunch!

The beach at scapa, a perfect beach in Kirkwall easy for a quick lunch and a scamp! Peedie is having a sniff in the foreground there.

I posted off a few seeds and plants to far flung places in the UK yesterday from Ebay sales. My email this morning informed me that I’ve sold a couple more packs of seeds today as well. And, to make life even nicer I’ve had another direct request for a fair few veggie seeds this afternoon. Yippee, this is the kind of day we like – slowly making a bit of progress on that side of things. And, of course, reducing my seed mountain somewhat!

Part of the seed mountain! From Pandoras box.....

And speaking of seeds, the time has come to reduce my seed stash a bit more by starting to sow some chillis and peppers. (Jo has done hers and now I feel as if I’m behind!) last year chilli growing worked well, I bought a 10 different plant starter seedling kit from ebay (plants at the 4-6 leaf stage)  and they cropped really well. So I’m being brave and this year from seed, I’m going to grow Jalepeno, Cayenne, Golden Bell, Californian wonder, Haberno, Explosive ember, Yolo wonder from seed and I’ve the 5-6 plants from last year to crop too. I’ll keep a few of the seedlings to grow on and the rest I’m hoping to sell on Ebay/locally if I can. If you fancy a few chilli’s yourself – get in touch! I’m sure I’ll have more than a few ready in a month or so!

Watch out windowsills! Here come the seedlings.............germination beckons! (Can you tell that I'm excited?) I'll do them tomorrow!

Have a great day, I hope its as good as mine today! x

No such thing as bad weather..........just bad clothes!

With the right clothes - being out in the cold is an adventure not a chore!

Well thats the theory isn't it? No such thing as bad weather - just bad clothes - i.e. if you wrap up appropriately for the weather than you should be OK in anything. Well, I've always preached that one at the kids and any unsuspecting soul who comes near me and tells me its too wet/windy/cold/yuk to go and do a job/walk etc outside. And then of course made them walk in the most outrageous of windy weather here! And over the past couple of days the weather has been outrageous!

A favourite walk - Yesnaby

I had to put my money where my mouth was today and try and walk the dog at lunchtime - he comes with me to work and if I'm in the field he can scamp around, get muddy and have fun -  but in this weather - well - I'm not really out in it and he'd be stuck at home - so we take him in the car - I've one of those huge open back boots in my car - so he's got a permanent bed in there. Well today - here I am at lunchtime - taking time out to see my faithful puppy, togged up in waterproof trousers, wellies, woolly hat, several layers and open the car boot up to the elements to take the Peedie pup out for a walk.

Oddly, he took one look at me, one look at the weather and buried himself further down into his basket - not really keen. Why don't they make wellie/waterproof clothing for your dog? But, then again what dog would wear it? I've been thinking about him coming to work - if he stays home I have to drive in and out of town to give him a quick five minute walk at luncthime - with petrol the cost it is and the amount of time it takes to drive back and forth  - he's better in the car at work - and we can spend an hour walking at lunchtime. 

But, with the weather getting colder I've been worrying more about him getting too cold. Now I've seen these funky dog beds/houses - but my word are they expensive!!!!! I might try make him a bit of an enclosed box-bed that he can clamber into from a cardboard box, good to recycle a box, with a decent hole cut into it for him maybe a bit like......but from a box - I'll let you know how I get on!

Kinda like.........................but in cardboard.

Or I might need to buy him a pair of wellie boot for puppy folk - or maybe not?

Maybe not for our puppy - but you do get welly boot for doggington folk.

Or a bit like.......the link, a cardboard dog box

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_6732296_make-cardboard-box-dog.html

Well, I'll give it a go and make him a bed for the car out of a box - with alot of blanket/fleece it might be quite warm............