Up the lane.

The road leading away from Greenbrae yesterday. The members of our family that were with us over Christmas went this way to Aberdeen to catch their train to Edinburgh.
There is still more snow to come. Today has been much warmer, and there has been a slight wind.
One of my favourite Christmas songs is 'In the bleak midwinter', as it just sums up how it was over this Christmas!
I had a knot in my stomach all Christmas (along with a few at trying to please everyone and failing miserably) as our oil supply was dwindling fast. This gives us heating and hot water. Just in the nick of time our delivery came yesterday and we are back to full on both tanks (one for each half of the house.) Sods law as we havent needed it on in the day today!
Our family came bearing gifts including germs. Mike is now suffering, dosing himself, alternating Beechams with a dram. If I get it I cannot take Beechams because of the blood pressure drugs I take and I dont like whisky - I will more likely end up in an oxygen tent due to my other health problems. But still positive! Soon be 2010 - serious marketing of house and the way Christmas went this year we will be looking for a ONE bedroomed house!!

Happy Christmas Snow.

Zach in my present of dinosaur raincoat and wellies!

Oh boy, did we have fun!

Suffering today though. Our Rotary group visited the home of one of our members for drinks and nibbles. The home is the furthest Eastward stately home in the UK. I may not look it, but I was way out of my comfort zone! If it wasn't bear skins I fell over it was a servant.

Here is me..

laughing at my own jokes - again. The Rotary Christmas Dinner last night. Morag, on my left, is the ace reporter on the Buchan Observer, locally known as the Buchanie. She despairs of my photographing skills (lack of). I occasionally send in to her pictures and news about the Rotary for publication. So far she has published just one with a picture. So last night I was getting photography lessons. Apparently I have to do more zooming. Tell me about it. Today I have zoomed round changing our bed and cleaning our bedroom and bathroom What a pleasure just doing one bedroom. Also my sewing machine foot arrived and it fitted so I have made a cot size duvet and two sheets. Just about to zoom off and prepare the evening meal, just the two of us. Again, no hardship. I could get used to this.

My Kitchen

Doesn't look anything like this! Not after making Poppy and Sesame seed crackers - freezer now full. Plus Celeriac and Apple soup, goodness knows where I am to put that, and Cottage chilli hot pot, also to be frozen... This despite the chest freezer in the store room and a good sized freezer on top of the fridge, as you can see in the photo. All this advice about being prepared ......Well yes I shouldn't have to do tons of prepping food on THE DAY -it will all have gone off!

Ever had one of those days?

First the weather report - started off at minus five - got up to 0 then back to minus 5. The picture shows the mist freezing in the valley over the river. You may have to enlarge the picture by clicking on it to see it properly. The camera I took the picture on refused to work when fastened to the computer. So I have had the recharger plugged in all day, fortunately that was the problem solved. But the camera playing up was just the beginning of my day.
I had planned a whole day sewing. Setting up the sewing machine I discovered the foot was missing. I am completely at a loss as to what has happened here. The fastenings were still tight, I dont think I have ever removed the foot, but it was gone. Torch out, under the bed, under the shelving, all the places I had parked the machine, nothing. So on to the internet. I know it is quicker than waiting for shops to open and then trying to find them and just thinking about the walking makes me breathless....But my machine is no longer made, some web sites claimed all fitting all dancing feet, after a multitude of trawls I decided to order a foot and half a foot, praying that one will fit. Then it was doing battle with the check out. Fill all your details in and there is always something you have missed. Three goes and I thought I had cracked it and it just sat there. So I entered everything again and it came up saying those details were already logged.... I know I had just done it. I finally managed to complete the process. Then it asked me to print out the order - thats when the printer got all stroppy.....
And guess what - its now 3p.m. getting dark and I have done NOTHING. I am of for a beer.

The Best of Banffshire and Buchan Bed and Breakfasts.

Merry Christmas!
My first Senior Citizen lunch! Its alright this pensioner lark. I have had my Winter Fuel Allowance, as has Mike, so a total of £250. My £10 Christmas Bonus and cheap(er) meals.
Its been a long time coming, but I am quite enjoying it!

Sunrise.

This still worries me, even though I have had it explained, that the sun is rising in a different place to where it rises at other times of the year. Naturally, it also sets in a different place. I must have some primitive man in me in that I feel as if I should be sacrificing to the Gods to keep me safe! Also why is it darker for longer now, and in the Summer never gets dark?
Its to do with us being so far North apparently. Some things I find difficult to grasp.
Oh well, the Gods appear to have been propitious as I am well on with preparations for Christmas. This means I go round worrying - "There must be something major I have forgotten."
I cant help being a bit superior about it though, the first time I have ever been so organised and then last night at Rotary Donald announced , "No Christmas cards, just a donation to Rotary." So I piped up, "Except for those who wrote the cards in October."

Told you it looked awful....through the camera..

The photo is really weird = I did dress it a bit more, in fact a lot more, but it still only showed a nude tree when through the camera lens. Ah well. Just imagine it drenched in gold which it is.

Spent nearly all day cooking vegetarian meals for over Christmas. Vegetarian meals take so much preparation and cooking I realise why I am a carnivore. Lump of meat, into the oven, job done. So - I have a Homage to a nut roast and a lasagne already to be frozen. One more meal to do tomorrow and freeze. Takes so long......roasting almonds, reducing a roomful of spinach to a handful, whats the point? Also a pecan cake thing, which has to be served warm with ice cream and maple syrup, hope its as wicked as it sounds. And along the way, for our meal, a venison casserole. Had a very interesting conversation with George down the post office which is only open 1 and a 1/2 days a week, thankfully the shop is open 7 days a week. Anyway back to our conversation. I was in for a bottle of wine to throw on to the venison, and George was advising me, a la Heston Blumenthal, of whom he is a fan! Now George only ever gets excited speechwise if you talk about zebra finches, budgies and quail. But today I had the full scientific H.B. experience. Staggered out with a more than I was going to pay for bottle of wine. Which was fine as the recipe only asked for 250ml so I had the rest, which really helped cooking the vegetarian mush.

Pre Christmas Fun!

Because this house is so big one has to just 'dress' areas for Christmas. Putting decorations up like the old fashioned sort of trimmings that I vaguely remember from my childhood, paper chains etc., just would not work! So - the stairs get dressed, the entrance, the odd window sill, very spread out I am afraid, but great fun. The actual tree this year is placed by two windows and no matter how I photograph it it looks awful and is not a true representation of it as a human being would view it, so sorry, no picture.

It has been heavenly these last few days, having no paying guests in, so I can pratt about placing santas and reindeers and then shifting them all again, and baking in between, and Phoebe has at last had a bath! As this involves her being out of her cage I cannot do this when there is anyone else around as she would fly to them - albeit in a friendly way - they may not appreciate that.

I have pierced oranges with cloves and have them hanging over radiators, heavenly smells. And still loads of boxes full of Christmas stuff to come out - but it is only the 4th December!

I also signed up, today, for a Fitness Club. They have a small pool and my aim is to go three times a week and just walrus up and down and build up the old lungs, the bits that aren't damaged beyond repair. They have the machines in the club that featured in a tv advert, the music for which I love, no idea what the advert was for! Do you remember it? People suddenly doing walking exercises on machines in the middle of the street?

"You changed me." Hope I get changed too!

Weather report.

I can stand most things but I really do not like the wind.
Very cold here, and the wind chill makes it worse.
All the heating on, oil, electric and wood fire. Mike and I got our first winter fuel payment from the government. I have probably spent the lot today.