Continuing to de-clutter

This room is to be transformed back into a bedroom.
Hysterical laughter.
Bulldozer required.
Anyone see House Doctor?
I think the hands would be up in total horror. I know mine are.

Moving On

Mike and I have decided to move on, pastures new, and downsize...
So it is on with one massive de-clutter, while still keeping the house looking good for paying guests, for a few months.
Also tarting up areas the guests dont see, as of course the parts they do see are magnificent!
In between all that we shoot out and have a swift look at what is on offer round and about to see if we can visualise living there. We have no intention of going far as we love this part of the world so much. Many parts I have never seen as we work so hard to keep the guests happy - soon it will be our turn!

Friends

Here are some of our fellow bed and breakfast proprietors. Without them I would feel very alone. It takes a special person to run a good b&b and we can truly say that we are The Best of Banffshire and Buchan Bed and Breakfasts!

Sheltered Corner

Here is a small patio area, with table and chairs, to hide away in.
Unfortunately I am up a ladder painting another bathroom.
The problem here is that in the winter it is too dark to see to paint, so then when it is light you should be in the garden....but thats when it is light enough to paint. Can't win.

Yet another buzzard

This is sitting outside my bedroom window. The picture is not good enough to show the size of the bird, they are BIG. I had a moments panic as I couldn't see the ducks!
Absolutely beautiful day today as you can see from the picture. Fluffy whie clouds in a blue sky. The ever present breeze, but now I have finished cleaning and setting up all three guest rooms I shall find a sheltered spot and raise a glass - to the buzzard.

Happy hour(s)

Guess what I am doing today. Steam press at the ready. The Kist to fill with ironed bedding. (Kist is Scottish for chest of drawers - and mine is an enormous one).

Baking this afternoon.

Tomorrow I will probably go "ever so slightly mad". Listening to Queen at full blast really helps when I am pretending to be a domestic goddess.

The Office

Today I am catching up with the paper work, just in case I need a break, there is the vacuum standing by!

I have the minutes and agenda to do for the Best of Banffshire and Buchan Bed and Breakfast group's next meeting which is next week. As my note taking is brief to say the least (no pun intended) I really have to strain the brain cells into memory mode.

I also have to arrange one of our familiarisation trips for May. So - back to it.

Phew!

This is the spare room - awaiting a sort out.
Today I am having a break from all that and admiring what I have done, finished, sorted, and cleaned.






Here is 'the owners' accommodation.

and our wee sitting room, we call the snug. I think I can rest on my laurels for one day.

Strichen Swans

You know what they say, serenity above, paddling like **** below. Well I havent even got the serenity above the water!
I have freecycled lots of things the last few days. More going today. Why do we keep things we don't really want or need? Just in case? Of what? I had three bread makers (in case the main one broke), I have coffee makers in the plural, for the same reason. But we also have cafetieres, so why am I hanging on to the percolators?
I am going round in ever decreasing circles!

Drinnie's Observatory.

This can be seen sticking up above the trees from my bedroom. It is a few miles away on the Pitfour Estate and was built to watch the race course, long since disappeared.
I wish I was up there instead of down here sorting stuff out. I have now got my bedroom floor covered with bags of clothes for charity shops, bags for recycling bin, and a bag of rubbish. Sorting long overdue!
We have a room called the 'middle room' and this is another one to get sorted as is the 'back room' an ex bedroom which I have used as a sewing room and my daughter also has lots of farics stored in there. I am amazed at just how much stuff I have to sort through - and then there is the loft.AAAAARGH.

Hill climbing ducks

This shows the ducks climbing through a mound of ivy, which grows over a wall. How they do this with their shaped feet....but they do.
Glorious sunny, crisp morning today and an egg from the mountaineers!
Carrying on with de-cluttering I found three boxes of chocolates that should have graced the Christmas feast.
Fortunately still 'in date'.

Keeping Fit!

This is half of the corridor I walk up and down many, many times a day. Guest rooms 1 and 2 are to your right. Behind the camera is more corridor at right angles and off there is room 3 and our bedroom. Also behind is the laundry room. At the bottom to the left is the entrance door. The 'old' house is to the right at the bottom. There is the kitchen, dining room, office, library and snug.
We have only one guest in at the moment. He has four hawks with him and carries out pest control with them. The hawks fly and scare off unwanted birds attempting to nest where they are not wanted. Fascinating.
While we are quiet I have begun to de-clutter and sort through stuff I have kept -in case - of what I know not. So lots of things going to charity shop and on to Freecycle. Hence no blog for two days. Sorry.

Snow at Dawn.

Brrr.

And the wind is howling. Still looks beautiful, dont you agree? Puzzle cat does not.

The hens have refused to come out of their hut. The ducks seem to love wet weather, whether it be snow or rain.

Mike asked me what was to do in the garden - the other day he was considering the grass's first cut! On days like these I do not mind too much being in the laundry and ironing. Sad life!

Buzzard - Posing - Again.

I read yesterday that when food is scarce Buzzards have been known to go for a hen! This was in a letter to the local newspaper and was a general rant about all birds of prey. Most of the writer's comments were incorrect so hopefully that was too.
The promised wintry weather is here and it is hailing and covering the ground. Our hens will be sheltering, out of the cold and away from buzzards. And so will I.

Feeding the Birds

We have feeding stations all round the house. Where ever you are you can see the birds feeding. It costs us a small fortune to keep them filled up with peanuts, seed and sunflower seed and fat balls. Plus guests' left overs such as porridge and toast. So where do I get dead mice from? Or do I draw a line under wrestling with our vermin patrol for their spoils?

For those of you with eye sight as bad as mine, that is a buzzard sitting in the branch of our feeder tree in the front garden.

Going Green.

We were the first bed and breakfast in the area to receive this award, in 2006, at the inception of the scheme. There are three awards, Bronze, Silver and Gold. To get Gold was a real pat on the back for our efforts. Re-cycling has been second nature to us for years. Despite running a bed and breakfast our wheelie bin is only half full when it is emptied every two weeks, by the council. Food scraps - some go to the hens and garden birds, some are composted and some go into the cone which is buried in the ground.

A good web site is Freecycle, there is one of these in most areas. Anything you no longer want can be offered to save it going to land fill. Even broken items, we got rid of a petrol lawn mower to a man who could fix it.

One of the most significant areas, for me, is that we use hardly any chemicals. Vinegar, lemon, bicarbonate of soda, borax are used for cleaning. Soda crystals or herbal tea bags for mopping the floors. A plus is that all these are very cheap to buy!

I could go on - but will get off the soap box now.

The Courtyard

Just waiting for me and a cappuccino.
Glorious day, blue skies, sunshine.
The greatest compliment is when our guests wish to extend their stay, or return to us. The couple we had in last night have asked to extend their stay and we cannot provide as we are full... We have people returning for a four night stay. The other two rooms are full also.
The courtyard garden is where the ducks roam, and two of our bedrooms have access, so guests too can sit here with a cappuccino.

Back to work-

With a vengeance! Offering bed and breakfast really is a daft way of life. We are now turning people away, as we are full. Typically, for us, an essential piece of equipment gives up the ghost. Both our bread-makers, although still working, just, are about to expire. We have had a letter from the suppliers of our dish-washer telling us to stop using it as it may burst into flame at any moment. Hand washing breakfast plates - yeuk. I trust the steam press is working well as the bedding waiting to be processed is up to the ceiling in the laundry.