Blogtober day 31 - you are a STAR!⭐

Today is the final post for #blogtober2021.

When I started I was a little unsure if I had enough waffle to fill a month of posts and I would falter. I did miss a couple of days and I did write some rubbish - no I wrote a lot of rubbish - so if you have read and commented throughout October you deserve a medal or at the very least a pat on the back - thank you!💜💙

This weekend was rather brief and very full - working on Saturday certainly put a dent into the enjoyment of having Eldest and GF over as they seem to leave as soon as they arrived but I am not complaining** - it was lovely having them stay over (** well I am complaining but only about having to work on the Saturday!!)

We went to see DUNE and we seemed to be (apart from one or two of the staff) the only ones wearing masks in the cinema foyer. I was also surprised how few folk were watching.  We were however, 'entertained' by the gentleman sitting IMMEDIATELY behind us (in an empty room that holds 180 people) as he sang loudly, fortunately tunefully, to the Beatles tunes in the lead up to the adverts and trailers.  He did give up on the film after the first hour as did a family of four quite young children. There was almost as much action in the cinema as there was on the screen! Did I enjoyed - yes, coz I love Sci-Fi - especially the epic trilogy type (cue Star Wars) and yes because we go out so infrequently that doing this was  'epic' in itself. 

The weather has been atrocious today and when there appeared to be a small window of relief we wrapped up after lunch and attempted a quick dog walk. As we reached the highest point just above the village we could see more rain rolling in rapidly so we decided to cut short our walk and only just got back in time before it began to absolutely throw it down. Strangely enough despite it raining hard, there was sunshine and a glorious rainbow.

So, once home and dried off - we made origami stars from old maps. It was lovely, just us (and a humpffing dog as she felt short changed over her reduced walk) and a couple of mugs of tea. 

Now it is dark, the weather is miserable, no chance of mini monsters, ghouls and witches braving the elements - rather glad as we have battened down the hatches - don't fancy any visitors tonight.

Right, enough waffle, I am off to the kitchen to cook - not sure what, I'll just have to open the cupboard and see what I am inspired by .... 

And if you have got this far - thank you for sticking it out and thank you for all your lovely comments!

#blogtober2021

Blogtober day 30 - nearly there!

Another silly busy day and once again I am curled up on the settee (with a now empty mug of tea) having just written the work's blog post - so please forgive me for just copying and pasting it in - I don't have the brain power today to be 'witty and wordy' (well,  I am not often ever witty, although I know, I can be wordy!)

So here goes ... The Santa's grotto check list....

• Elf on the Shelf  ...... ✔ well - two actually - double trouble!
• Garland ...... ✔
• Stockings ...... ✔ (one either side of the roaring fire!)
• Gifts ...... ✔ wrapped and tucked into the stockings
• twinkling lights - on the garland   ...... ✔
• More twinkling lights around the room - work in progress
• Festive tree ...... work in progress
• Back drop ...... ✔ well the back drop has been measured and cut, needs a bit of sewing and decorating before it is ready to hang
• Back drop support wires  ...... ✔
• Comfy chair for Santa  ...... ✔
• Snuggly rug for Santa's tired feet  ...... ✔
• Paper tree workshop materials collated and packed ready for next Thursday
• Pebble painting pebbles boxed up, brushes found, paints and paintbrush rising jars collected for the Wednesday session
• Sticky stars, 'gem stone jewels', ribbons, string and scissors sorted
• Origami stars made ...... ✔ well, a start was made, more need to be crafted then we will have such a magical place for Father Christmas's grotto.

It was a bit of full-on day with us all busy getting on and doing things, cutting, snipping, folding, gluing, drawing, measuring, wiring but by lunch the bulk of the grotto set up was done. You may wonder why we are being so early in our preparations - the Garden Team are about to transform into the Chrimbly Craft Team and we need to make sure we are ready to go go go and hit the floor running!

Thank you Molli, Sharon and Dylan for your help and input - I am now going to lie down in a dark corner!🚶🏼‍♀️🚶🏻‍♀️🎅🏼🎄🔨

Samhain blessings from our house to yours

Blogtober day 29 (only just)

I am working tomorrow

Eldest and GF are here for the weekend

It is late and I am tired.

What did I do today? Started building Santa's grotto ..... yup you read that right.

Sant's grotto

image from pixabay

IT...IS...STILL ... OCTOBER!!! (only just) but still!!!

g'night.

Blogtober day 28 - Izzy, wizzy, let's get busy !

This morning started off wild and tempestuous and as the day went on it worsened! Not surprisingly we all managed to find work indoors.

We are prepping for our festive (gah) workshops coming up - they start next week. On the list of 'attractions' we are starting with two sessions of pebble painting, then I am leading three workshops making chrimbly tree decorations. 

The week after that kicks off three weeks of hosting festive wreath making sessions. In between that we are decorating the 'Coach House' (our place of work) building Santa's Grotto (twice) as well as creating items for sale for the Christmas Market.

So far we have wired seed pods and dried flowers, lightly sprayed foliage (dried) silver, red and gold, made willow wreaths for bases, stamped labels, cut ribbons and sorted out the workshop space.

Succulent and cacti planters have been made, wooden shelving and display units made and painted - all being prepped for our Christmas market.

We are still eight weeks away from a certain date and there is still so much to do!!!

All this activity is partly why I missed yesterday's post - I was so knackered when I came home I fell asleep on the settee 🙄😄

#blogtober2021

Blogtober day 26 - let's get to the root of the matter!

Day 26 of my first blogtober attempt and this evening I really don't have much to talk about....

Today was busy and I managed to work both gardening sessions - the morning one was delayed and accompanied by rain and a lovely friend while the afternoon garden was battered by high winds and filled with laughter.

One of the jobs from this morning was to rescue and repot a rather 'congested' Chlorophytum (think most folk know them as either Hen and Chicks or Spider plants). I was warned it needed a little TLC .... the description of it's predicament was ....

'It is trying to climb out of it's pot, I've never seen one trying to move out by itself'.... 

...and they were not wrong! The poor thing had pushed itself out of the terracotta pot by it's incredible mass of roots. 

It did take a bit of a pull before the pot released the plant, then with a bit of 'cruel to be kind' root pruning, the plant was potted up - I swear I could hear it sigh with relief.

Any hoo - shall leave it here - I have a mug of tea waiting for me and I am about to watch #SHOTY (Scotland's House of the Year) which we both thoroughly enjoy. Till tomorrow when hopefully I'll have something a little more interesting to say!

#blogtober2021

Blogtober day 25 - do all cats snore?😸💤💤

There is something rather comforting about curling your fingers around a mug when rain clouds are threatening ominously whilst taking on an outrageous yellow hue. The crash of the rain against the window happened moments after I took the photo startling all three of us (cat, dog and I).

Then as quickly as the clouds had accumulated, they rushed off to drench somewhere else and the sun filled the air with the most glorious light - producing a soft pastel shaded rainbow. It did brighten but only fleetingly before fading back into the rain.

Most of today was spent indoors with quick dashes out into the garden for Moss or to check on my succulents in the glasshouse. When I was inside, I was not far from a mug of tea or a cat. The morning soon dissolved while I worked on funding grants and researching historical details - I love delving into facts and following them down the proverbial rabbit hole. 

Talking of 'the cat', Pan has spent most of the day within (at a stretch) arm's length. I find it almost irresistible not to reach over and stroke that luxuriant white floof at regular intervals,  I do have to restrain myself as I know she has a very strict limit.

However this evening, she has, to my delight (although I am keeping the delight inward and going happy squeeeee in my head) chosen to sit next to me on the settee while I type - UNHEARD of!! So, I am brought back to this morning's feeling of comfort with a gently snoring cat next to me, the fire crackling away warmly and the rain - yes the rain (again)  - tap-tapping the window...

Thank you for your lovely comments recently - they too are a delight and they certainly warm my heart xx

What has warmed your heart recently?

Are you still being rained on?

Do all cats snore a whistling reedy little snore?😸💤💤

#blogtober2021

Blogtober day 24 - taking the slow lane

Today gave us no illusions of a lingering Indian summer as it seems that autumn is definitely here. We watched the rain fly across our view through the window while we sipped tea first thing this morning. The clouds seemed in a hurry too, rapidly sliding across the dreary grey sky.

It was a good thing that we went walking yesterday when, despite the greyness of the sky, there was warmth in the air and colour all around. The woodland we visited smelt damp and earth rich and the leaves were shades of bright orange through to red, browns and creams.

Odd fungi abounded - from the tiny little bright orange 'Yellow Stag's Horn' which when you compare it to the fronds of the sphagnum moss, you can see how small and delicate it is; to the large peach coloured bracket fungus which I suspect may be a Birch Polypore.

We followed a path blanketed by fallen leaves when we stumbled upon a strew of green and red crab apples, we must have stood on some as the air was filled with a crisp sharp apple scent making our mouths water at the thought of the very acidic tangy juice.

Although plenty of bird song, there were very few insects about - apart from this sticker of a bumblebee on the road sign.

On such a dull day - the more subtle and probably over looked colours seemed prevalent, the soft tan browns of the front door glowed in the dull light as did the red leaves on the wall climber.

The bracken in the gill still looked gloriously fiery in shades of yellows, lime, rust and terracotta yet it's brackeny cousins on the top of the hill were already a dull dead brown.

And just in case you ever wondered if there were ever any stars on earth - the answer is yes - 'Earthstars' or Geastrum - a type of puff ball - strange creatures indeed.

A tiny family of tiny Mycena, I am not sure which variety, seemed to be strolling through a mossy scene on a rotting piece of fallen wood.

So, while Moss was stick hunting, puddle splashing, water drinking, sniffing, running and generally taking life at high speed - we slowed down to see the smaller things, the less visible, the quiet and the decaying. Yes, Autumn is definitely here.

#blogtober2021

Blogtober 23 - A Wuffing good walk

Moss here ... fink I bes put my bes paw furward and type a tail from today's furbulous walk.

Wos dat?

Dere wuz sticks and fings to chase, mud to run through and lots of sticks.

Dere wus paths to follow and run up and down, up and down, up and down! 

Wot was dat?

Wot wus dat? Oh nuffink.

Where wus I,  ah yes.

I find da bes drinkin' places, lap... lap... lap dis one tastes nice an clean!

C'mon, wotcha waitin' fur?

Deres more paths ta follow.

Look! I's finds a gate!

Hi - I've taken my laptop back Moss was getting a bit 'pawsey' with it!

We had a lovely walk - Moss thought it was brilliant - she may not have said it as much but her face radiated joy and she must have the biggest and best stick collection a dog could ever want! Sadly (not) we had to leave it behind!

#blogtober2021

Blogtober day 22 - summat's fishy

For my Northern readers of my blog, you will know what 'summat' means, for those who don't summat literally translates to 'something'. I have noticed over the years that my accent has slid more and more 'southern' with a slight (bordering on New Zealandish) twang despite me being born in Africa and living in the north of a soggy island.

It is only when I listen to recordings of my voice I can hear my own accent - which I don't normally notice day to day - it is then I realise how I sound.

There are some accents I can mimic with a modicum of success however the minute I attempt a Northern accent - it comes out wrong... so very wrong (and not necessarily in a humorous way - more in a 'what on earth is she saying' sort of way!)

So now when I use a northern term I go to great pains to say it either in a  'VERRRRY' northerly way or excessively southernly fashion - almost to accentuate the fact it is not a word that naturally comes from me.

An example of this is the northern delicacy - the chip butty. Which again for those who don't know - it is a large white bread roll or bun with slightly rancid butter slapped on it and filled with greasy chips. This delicacy is usually raised to culinary delights by adding salt and vinegar. Don't get me wrong - I am not dissing this particular 'dish' for it is absolutely delicious and I for one am salivating at the thought of it.... I am using it as an example of how Himself and I differ in describing it.

In my terms a chip butty is as I described it above, a bread roll, butter and chips. Himself (and thousands and thousands of other northerners) would say it is pronounced - a chip buh-tey or boeteh, which is a white bap with chips. If - should you wish - want to have a bright green (some would say an artificially green) side of 'mushy peas' you would need to ask for 'moosh-ay peas'.

This little dish of bright green goop is made up of marrow fat peas cooked to a sloppy pulp and kept green by adding bicarb (or food colouring....) and is in my opinion as disgusting as it sounds!

The fish photographs were going to be the theme of todays waffle but I was carried away by the idea of chips - hey ho - welcome to my world of random tangent and often incomprehensible thoughts.

#Blogtober2021