Anything goes
Comfort zones
Tuesday 27 March, 2007
I'm not very good at getting out of my comfort zone or even very close to the edge of it. But I've done two things in the last few days that I've never done before.
Firstly, I bought clothes from a second hand shop for the first time ever. Claire and I had a wander round Dunblane on Saturday (after driving and our trip to the Scottish Rock Garden Club Show). Dunblane is quite posh. We had a wee browse in the two secondhand shops and I bought a really nice fleece for £3. I NEVER get a bargain - so this was a real treat. Cassius adopted it immediately (it's kind of lamby) and I had to prise it off him to put it in the wash. Smells of horse poo now, so I think he'll leave it alone.
Long light evenings
Tuesday 27 March, 2007
Isn't it great now we're on BST? I've just come in from picking horse poo out of Smokey's field. Granted it was getting a little murky by the time I'd finished. However, I got enough to cover about 16 square feet of bed, which is OK for a start.
I'm on holiday from Friday for two weeks so I'm planning to get quite a lot done including what passes for spring cleaning here. I think I feel a list coming on...
White washing
Saturday 27 January, 2007
Dan thinks I'm dead weird about this but I get a real buzz seeing my washing line full of white washing (coloured stuff isn't AS good), blowing in the breeze, knowing that it's going to come in soft and fresh (and not needing ironed!).
This was a white washing day, dry and breezy, so I'm well content! Simple pleasures, eh!
Spring is on its way
Sunday 14 January, 2007
Despite my moan about the weather earlier, and despite there being no improvement in said weather, I am feeling better. For two reasons, both poultry related.
Firstly, Hobbes has found his cock-a-doodle and is now crowing his head off. And secondly, we've had our first eggs of the year. Our girls stopped laying probably a few weeks before Christmas. Just ths other day, I said to Dan that I would know Spring was coming when we got our first eggs - and today we have!
Dan came in at lunchtime with two lovely brown eggs - laid sometime in the last week (we haven't been checking the nest box regularly, but I cleaned them out last Saturday).
Wee moan about the weather
Sunday 14 January, 2007
I don't know what it's like where you are, but it is truly dismal here. It's 11am and it's hardly light. The forecast said "light rain" - they must be joking. It's light rain interspersed with mediun rain and heavy rain. And it's windy. It's not cold, though.
I know some folk are worse than us - saw photos of flooding in York yesterday, so I am grateful that we're not in that position.
But it is dismal...
Maid of the Forth
Saturday 25 November, 2006
Alloa used to be a port with a substantial shipbuilding industry. The docks are now long gone but hey! there's a boat back on the Forth. A local businessman has started running cruises on the Forth, from Alloa to Stirling. The boat is called "Maid of the Forth" and here she is.
This was taken at the end of October, I think. The boat went up on our side of the Inch and back on the other side. There were a few cruises in the summer and I think more are planned for next year. I'd like to go on one - it would be interesting to see the area from a different perspective.
Fireworks
Sunday 5 November, 2006
Is it time fireworks were banned from public sale? Allegedly, the Americanised Hallowe'en is taking over from Bonfire Night but not here. It's like a war zone here tonight. And it's been going on for days.
Both dogs are hiding under our desks, although the cats are unfazed by the whole thing.
I like fireworks but maybe it's time for them to be restricted to licenced events.
Project Clackmannanshire
Wednesday 18 October, 2006
Since it's coming into winter, I thought I might spend some time telling you all about Clackmannanshire.
If you've read the "About us" bit on the site, you'll know we live in Alloa, Clackmannanshire. Now, I was born and brought up here so I know where it is but it never fails to surprise me when other people don't know where Clackmannanshire is. I don't really know why I'm surprised, but I am.
If anyone had told me when I was eighteen and off to see the world (well, the pubs of Edinburgh) that I would come back here to live, I'd have thought they were mad. But I love it; it's my home. Dan jokes that I get nosebleeds if I have to leave the county, which isn't entirely true, but I'm always happier when I can see the Ochils.
Announcing revish
Monday 16 October, 2006
My distinct lack of posts recently is down to several factors, one being the new website I'm working on in my spare time. Fortunately R has been exemplary in her posting record, and I know she's got some good posts planned for the coming weeks, so you're in safe hands.
Anyway, this head-above-the-parapet post has nothing to do with smallholding, and everything to do with shameless self-promotion, for which I apologise. The site I'm working on is called revish, and will be a new book review site. Yeah I know, so what, book review websites are a dime to the dozen. But I'm hoping this one's going to be a bit different, and I'm genuinely excited about it.
Seasons
Monday 2 October, 2006
One of the (many) things that I like about life in Scotland is the seasons. We're on holiday today - traditional Clackmannanshire holiday the first Monday in October - and it's misty and cool. So the jobs on the To Do list have changed. They include "put up curtains", "order coal", "clean out gutters" and the like, in preparation for winter. Although yesterday was so warm, we were out and about in T-shirts and the hens were sunbathing.
I also hate to admit it, but I ordered our Christmas cards and wrapping paper the other day - well, it might run out if I wait! And I'm kind of wondering if we should have goose for Christmas dinner again. We had goose last year and it was absolutely delicious. A rib of beef would be lovely, too. Every year I promise myself (and Dan) that I won't get over excited - never happens, though.
