Well now....

Been googling the area we are hoping to move to. Quite amazing how sparse the information is. So - there's another task for moi.
One claim to fame is that Elvis's ancestors are supposed to have come from Lonmay and then emigrated to America.
Longside, where we live on the edge of now, has tons of information. It was a planned village following the Highland Clearances. Mainly weavers lived here. There is a book titled Longside. In our library, a limited edition, produced by the Longside Church of Scotland members. There is a book about one of the families that lived in Longside. Another book with photographs of Longside in the past.
All of the villages in this area also have tons of information.
But little info on our new abode.
The area we are moving to there isnt really a village. Scattering of houses, farms, but then there are three churches, virtually next door to each other, in the middle of nowhere, cemetery, church hall and school. One of the churches and the school are now residential homes. But who did they cater for?
There is also a huge stately home, owned by two young men now. We have visited there, Cairness House. Breathtaking. The amount of work that has been done there continues. It offers bed and breakfast, bit more upmarket than here! From our hopefully future home we can see the front of Cairness House.
Another stately home, Crimon Mogate is where our rotary joined with fellow rotary member, William, who owns it, and offers wedding packages nowadays. We had a lovely evening there, over a year ago, and you will have to go back through the blog to find the pictures. December 2009.
So, picture a lot of countryside, fields, ancient woodland, huge great piles of country homes and their estates, the odd cottage, churches, cemetery very gothic.
Really, really interesting.
But I am still wondering why these buildings came to be here.
So watch this space.
The nearest village is Inverallochy, on the North East coast. Did they have some connection inland? St Combs another coastal fishing village did have a connection with the churches in Lonmay I have been told. But why? Its a fair trek without a car, before there were cars, to get from St. Combs to Lonmay churches.
The best place to start any investigation in an area is to visit the churchyards and read the inscriptions on the grave stones. So I am planning on doing that.
As soon as I have sorted out packing up here.
Well now...

Looking through the window.

Apart from the pole which carries electric wires and the sign, 'Danger of Death' warning, nicely juxtaposed near the bird nest box, (but birds can't read), is a summer house.....
This is to be my studio and where I shall write me book.
Grow seedlings.
Sit and sup me wine when its raining.
Play opera cds at full blast.
House overspill of guests.
Well, that's the plan.
We are now waiting for our purchasers' solicitors to do things.
Yesterday was our meeting of the Best Of Banffshire and Buchan Bed and Breakfasts.
We had a lady who gave a talk on the Banffshire Coast, an organisation promoting tourism on the Moray Coast.
They are now using images of dolphins to promote their area. Most days you see dolphins, porpoise, seals, the odd whale, off the coast, not just around Banff, but all the way down to Aberdeen.
Peterhead is called 'The Bloo Toon.' Blue being the colour of the whalers gansies (jumpers) who set sail from Peterhead in the past to catch and kill whales.
Nowadays we watch them.
And catch cod and prawns instead.
Our group once had a trip out from Macduff on a wee boat called 'The Puffin', and saw everything but a whale on that day.
At Macduff there is also the Marine Aquarium which I have visited on a number of occasions. Well worth a visit, no whales, dolphins, porpoises or seals, but damn near everything else.
Eyeball to eyeball in some tanks. Wow.
Well, once the lawyers get their act together we will be moving fractionally nearer the North Sea.
Although closer to The Broch, (Fraserburgh), than Peterhead.
And a different view through the window.

Perspective of sunset.

I like this picture as you can see the headlights of the car on the road coming towards Greenbrae. For me, who watches the sunset most days, I can also note that it has moved more to the right. And for those who read my blog regularly will note I find the moving of the sunset to still be a disturbing one.
I would have been one of those painted in woad, wailing as the sunset went down in a different place, but then I could have also been one of those who then decided to find out why. And discovered that the world was not flat.
Well, flat, does not describe my world at the moment. More spiral of aaaaarghs. Our deeds have finally been delivered to our solicitors and by tomorrow we should have sold Greenbrae and bought, the awfully named, Cherry Cottage.
Last night at Rotary I asked George, retired solicitor, who I love to bits, how to change the name of a property. His reply - just change it. So I will.
The house was called something awful like HILDER, Hilda and Derek, and they wanted to take that name to their new build abode. So our vendors planted a couple of (non native) cherry trees and renamed it Cherry Cottage.
Now, many years ago, I owned an end terrace cottage in Yorkshire and had a house sign commissioned and made, "Bag End."
Hobbit home of Bilbo, of now famed Tolkein trilogy.
When I commissioned the sign no-one had heard of hobbits, Tolkein, Lord of the Rings, and I was looked askance at for calling my house, 'Bag End.'
Indeed my Father was concerned at the possible link with tarts, prostitutes, etc.(?) Being brought up a stauch methodist he was particularly itchy about any such links and totally ignorant of Mr Baggins. In his mind set 'Bag End' somehow related to Bag = loose woman. Well I went ahead with it. I had a lovely wooden sign made which hung at my end terrace.
I still have this sign. Indeed it has moved with us four times.
What will the natives of Aberdeenshire make of it? Do I care?
Shall I name our new abode Bag End?
I think I will.

Rattray Head.

Fantastic sand dunes here.
When we considered living here, in the North East of Scotland, one of the places we viewed was the old lighthouse cottages and the lighthouse station, at Rattray Head. The latter looked, to me, like a lego house, and I said no way.
Subsequently it was bought by a couple who became friends of ours. They run a very succesful eco hostel in the lego house and do b&b in the cottages, where they also live.
As with most of our friends who are involved in tourism we meet up rarely, but always a pleasant meeting and, most essential, have a good laugh. It will be one of the pluses of moving that we will be able to see them more often.
Yet more decluttering and filling of dustbin bags and recycling, today. I attacked the utility room. Three bags of rubbish. I was being ruthless!
Mike said, "Why didnt you do all this before we had house viewings?"
Well, as did happen, none of the viewings came to anything, all of the offers failed for one reason and another, and you never know when you are going to want/need that bowl of screws, hooks, ancient polish, and just how many old tea towels were stacked up for goodness knows what, bottles of bath foam with 5 centimetres left in them, and so on.
I kept the flower vases in there and they have been packed up now.
There was an ancient box of Ajax or Vim, remember that?! Bloody good stuff, but not for todays sinks.
I also discovered we had 6 bottles of wood floor cleaning stuff. It must have been that every time we went to the Hardware Store to buy laminate floor cleaner and tile cleaner we also put in a wood floor cleaner. Weird. That has not been thrown away and will be left for the future owners who will never need to buy any again.
On the b&b front. Yet another slap in the face. We had a woman booked in up til 31st March. Indeed, we turned down the exit date of 31st March on our sale of the house, so as to be able to pack up after she had departed. Well, she didnt return after her weekend off. I am waiting to see if her cheque clears for the time she was with us, if it doesn't its the police, if it does I shall still make sure I have an enjoyable time composing a vitriolic email...
My diploma in Law enables me to discuss breach of contract, but my common sense tells me I am wasting my time.
A lovely sunny day here today. But very cold. There is a haze over the fields which indicates frost tonight.
We have a food inspector in tonight.
Will try not to poison him.
Fortunately everywhere is spotless, especially the wooden floors.

Downsizing.....

I am amazed at the stuff I have accumulated over the years.
Going through drawers I almost had hysterics and foamed at the mouth!
One drawer had the contents of Christmas Crackers from years back right up to 2010. Unfortunately none of interest to the Antique Road show, tho theres a thought, perhaps I should hang on to them... NO. Although in a few more years? NO.
The reasoning behind this particular hoard is for the year I will make my own Christmas Crackers.
That just doesn't make sense.
I never will make my own and furthermore no-one ever takes the contents, hence the packed drawer.
Not that I am ever allowed not to have Crackers on the Christmas table. This year will be different, I can tell you.
I have to say that there is one useful Cracker content and that is the mini screwdriver set. Perfect for fixing your glasses when they lose a lens, or a leg, or whatever. Needless to say there were none of them in the drawer. Packs of cards for midgets, erasers, sewing kits - they go in the guest rooms, never to be seen again, so yes, useful. Then there are the cars, puzzles, rubber balls etc. just big enough to choke a cat or a child, the stapler - again for a midget, the pen ditto.
All in the bin now.
Then there was the cupboard with bath foams, lotions and potions. All almost empty, or as regards the lotions, only used once. Down the plug hole and containers recycled.
Despite all this frantic activity and bin bag crammed with rubbish I can't tell any difference....
Mike is finally recovered from a bad stomach bug. Rarely ill, I get used to him doing so much, its a real shock when I have to do it all!
House sale and buying ground to a halt as our building society has had difficulty in finding a post box.
Yes, I am being facetious.
Why can't people do their job properly. If they cant be a**** do they think of the consequences? No.
Asked to send on our house deeds over a week ago they have promised that "They are in the post today."
So our solicitors will have them tomorrow?
Well, no, it could be Thursday.
Now even I know the post office isnt that bad.
So - on with the clearing. Who knows what I may find. Watch this space.

Its not all ironing.

I am the archivist for Central Buchan Rotary. On Wednesday we have our usual meeting, but this time its to encourage others to join. My task has been to sort through all the stuff I merrily wang into a box. And the box was crammed, I have been gaily wanging for two years and more.
Newspaper cuttings, all copied and laminated now. Photographs laminated.
All the letters of thanks for donations filed in order.
Menus, calendars of our meetings and activities.
Hope its impressive enough.
I have even mastered putting photographs on to a disc and then into a slide show.
I am impressed with myself but then no-one else ever is.
Rotary really is about FUNd raising. We really do have such fun together.
I just have to work out how to display all the items in the 'best possible way', (remember Kenny Everett?)
In between I have been sorting through all the instructions, guarantees etc. of things like showers, macerators, anything really thats been installed in the house, and/or will be of use to our potential purchasers.
On that note, I always did intend to write a book on how to run a bed and breakfast, which I shall do when I 'retire', but need to have something now! Well - for tomorrow, when our potential purchasers visit for some advice.
I have just had an idea! I could do a power point presentation! After mastering skills today for the rotary, I should surely be able to do that......
I had my ultrasound scan on Thursday. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I knew, personally, the operator (doubt they are called that, probably a lot more posh a description). But, this did mean that instead of waiting weeks for any results I was given them while I was still there.
Basically nothing in there that shouldnt be. Ha!
I am seriously thinking that, yet again, my body has decided to flag up STRESS, rather than anything major wrong physically. I have been down this road many times! Blood pressure, cant cope with stress. Lost voice for a year = stress (some people very happy at this one.) and so on.
So - if we really have sold the house - I should be fine. And, the consultant I saw did say this could well be the case. No pressure there then for our buyers!
Our paying guest has gone home for the weekend. I would normally have said, "Well you still have to pay for the weekend, " but Mike is ill, a rare occurrence, so I was actually relieved. She has a very early breakfast, which he is fine with, but I am not. I did it on Friday, but the thought of doing it again was not a good one. Sad - but one does feel ones age at times.
Weather report. Snow was promised, but on the hills. We have had some sleety rain, and the wind. But nothing major. The snowdrops are all out now, nodding away like fury. Soon the daffodills, the crocusses, deep breaths and imagine all that. I like the Spring, even though it means I am another year older.
Now who remembers Doris Day? She always insisted on muslin being put over the camera lens so as to portray her in the 'best possible way' - think I might try it.

Good hair day.

Although a rocky road to get thus far.
Where was Alan Sugar?
I had an apprentice shampoo me. "Is the temperature okay?" Well, no, it has just taken the top layer of skin off. And you have filled my ears with water.
Later, as she applied the hair dryer, I got third degree burns as she forgot to move it about, and just focussed on one bit of scalp.
What we women suffer in our desire to be beautiful, or in my case, just passable.
Fortunately she did not wield the scissors.
I was out of the house while the surveyor refreshed the home report. One, I was booked into the hairdressers, and two, I might have done him serious injury. I was still around when he started and I had to point out the new flat roof...... Why can't these people list all that you have done since they were last here - and give you a pat on the head?
So - tomorrow I am away for an ultrasound scan. Last time I had one of them it was to see a baby. This time its to see that there is nothing in my stomach that shouldnt be. Which means starving for 6 hours before said scan. Unlike last time when you had to be so full of water you daren't cough or sneeze.
I remember a strange juxtaposition of t.v. adverts. One was about stress incontinence and the other about hay fever. I thought at the time, what if you have both.

Whooooooooo!

Do not get too excited. It could still come to nothing. Under the Scottish system this is what it says, under offer. This means either side could back out, indeed we had a phone call last night from N. who said, "Tell me what the offer is and I will beat it."
As N already owns a successful guest house, I took that with a large pinch of the proverbial. But you never know.
Tomorrow is the refreshing of the Home Report. J has done our surveys from our original purchase, right through till now. He doesnt get any less professional and despite my every effort is not open to bribery. Joke! Although, having examined some other properties Home Reports, I wish he wasnt quite so professional. Or spoke about things which could apply to any house. But a prospective purchaser would automatically think, oh theres a problem there then.
One of the comments, "Flat roofs are prone to collapse without warning."
Well ours gave plenty warning, drips everywhere, so we had it replaced.
I bet you any money that that comment will still appear. Its on every Home Report he has done for any property that has a flat roof, even if it is a new build. So a stock in trade comment.
The other one is about seals round loos and baths etc. As a b&b proprietor we spend vast amounts of time attending to seals round baths etc. Something the Hotel Inspector is very keen on too.
It doesnt pay us to neglect any problems with the house. Not just for the paying public, but if you do not attend to things you end up paying more to rectify them.
As regards where we move to, well, now we are in the making silly offers stage. You never know. But the offer was turned down. So still in negotiations.
On the b&b front. We have a lady staying with us through March. Never, ever have we had anyone who had so much trouble finding us! A ten minute drive from Peterhead to here took her two hours. At one point we had a phone call from a local farmer to ask if we had moved the house! He had her on his doorstep and was telling her where to go and she said she had been there (she hadnt as Mike and I were both stationed watching for head lights so as to leap out and wave).
A lot to be said for SATNAV even tho one of the breed insists on sending people into the middle of the village, not the half mile out into the dark, dark countryside, but at least then they are easy to direct. Not someone who is in the dark, dark and doesnt know exactly which bit of the dark dark.
Had a bit of excitement this morning as I suddenly realised I had taken the wrong pill. Which meant, according to the instructions, I was about to go unconscious. Phoned the doctor, tried to explain to the receptionist , which included spelling everything. Hard to do when you think you are heading for a coma. Eventually, actually, to be fair, very quickly, I was phoned back by a doctor who assured me I would be fine. Which surprisingly immediately brought me back to consciousness! Now was that faith healing or just stopping me from being auto suggestive and stupid. Bit of both I reckon.

Well I did say downsizing....

The good news is that there is enough room for us to continue keeping the ducks and hens.
Though after just standing in a howling gale and getting wetter and wetter, and ended up pleading, "P-l-e-a-s-e go in," I'm not sure that is still a good idea.
The language of ducks seems to consist of a lot of head bobbing. When their heads begin to bob towards the pond rather than their hut I am sorely tempted to do that Japanese thing and "Ha so" their heads off with a strong kick. But as it takes me all my puff just to go once round the pond and do the pleading bit I doubt I ever will decapitate them (I wouldnt anyway - but cant help the wishful thinking).
Anyway downsizing is on hold at the moment.
So - on with the day job. Ironing tomorrow and cleaning guest rooms. And everywhere else. Ho hum.

Swimming pool.

A dreich day. Rain coming in horizontally. The ducks love it.
I shall so miss my view. When I sit at my lap top I have a mirror in front of me and in its reflection is the view from my bedroom patio doors. And the table and chairs waiting for summer.
Every window at Greenbrae has a view. Well, I suppose any window in any house has a 'view'. Our last house, in the Midlands, had a view, at the back, of our garden. High fences gave one an illusion of privacy. But when one of our neighbours decided to bring his t.v. into their back garden and we all had to endure Wimbledon whether we liked it or not, I knew it was getting beyond the pale. The front window gave a view of the street. Surrounded on all four sides by other houses I am surprised I remained sane. But then, I probably didnt!
We first looked at the west coast of Scotland. It just did not appeal. High mountains, pine forests, and the sea consisted mainly of lochs. Too claustrophobic by far.
I am continually amazed how, in a few miles here, you can be in totally different countryside. Yes we have pine forests, but also lots of broadleaf trees. Rolling agricultural swathes and then fields full of sheep or cows. And the sea. Right to the horizon, is the sea. You feel you can breathe.
When we look at houses, potential future homes, I am sure the owners think I am mad. As the first thing I do is look out of the windows. Just to confirm there are no near neighbours, plenty trees, and that my mental state will be able to relax. Then I can turn to the is our furniture going to fit malarkey.
As they say, location, location, location.

Fly away home.

Rooks on their way home to bed. After an exhausting day following the plough.
There are two ploughs today. One at our side of the road, so any minute now he will drive past the bedroom, and I still don't know whether to wave or ignore! We always wave when I am in the car. But imagine as they plough up and down, with about twenty minutes in between, its a big field, how often do you wave, once? every time? So I will just ignore.
The heron is out there again, and four buzzards.
Smoky Robinson, our drake, is now becoming more adventurous.
He loves the pond. Now Jemima is showing him the other parts of 'their' garden and hopefully widening his diet to slugs. But he still panics when he hears a tractor.
Looking at houses at the weekend.
I wonder how many houses they actually show to the people on Location, Location, Location. I bet its more than the three or four that make it to the screen. I imagine there will be some where they go in and walk straight out again. Well, that would be rude. But I really dont think that Phil and Kirstie narrow it down to just a few properties before showing the purchasers.
Having said that, I know I am terrible at viewing properties as I immediately start transforming the place in my mind. I then spend a long time poring over the schedule and writing stuff on it like, 'paint this cream', and the favourite 'REMOVE'. Till we view another and I am at it again, this drives Mike mad!
He only sees major drawbacks, such as sloping gardens, how does he mow the lawn. There are stairs - which I struggle with. Only if I am talking at the same time as climbing them. He can't walk to the shop for the paper, we can get it with the postie! When you try to establish how he FEELS in the house all you receive is a blank stare. Men v Women I guess.
But as this is probably our last move, before I am placed in the septic tank, I am being particularly picky. Plus my failing health rather stymies me on getting the sledge hammer out as I have done in the past. Dont think I told you, but I was once featured in the Sun comic (you cant really call it a newspaper) when I removed tiles from a wall and it fell down. Well, ok, slight exaggeration, the plaster came off. (It did mean we had to totally refit the kitchen, in itself, not a bad thing!)
This has caused some arguments. He wants to, as always, buy something cheap and fails to see why it is cheap, needs new kitchen, new bathroom, another bathroom, electric heating (this from a man who is so conscious of his carbon footprint he could draw a picture in charcoal with his big toe), small windows, no access to garden, backs onto a main road = dead cats, and so on. And its a boxy bungalow, no way.
Whereas I have now fine tuned what I want in my next abode. The amount of work we have done here, all I want is to be able to change the decor, and make some new cushions. End of story! But I still have to like it.
Strangely, as I was typing this, a man came to the door whose company have taken aerial photographs of Greenbrae over the years. The one at the top of this blog is the first one, just after we moved in. The one that was taken last year is amazing. From the one at the top to the one we were shown today it is clear just how much we have done here. Greenbrae looks fantastic to what it was. I wish we could have had that picture on our schedules! Sadly, we had to decline the purchase of the photo this time around.
So! On with the search for a new home. Fingers crossed we dont have to join the rooks. I am not good with heights.

Ploughing a straight furrow.

You can't quite see how many birds follow the plough on this picture. As often happens here there is also a heron in the band of followers. To the right of the picture is the River Ugie down in the valley, in between us and the strawberry fields, where the heron hangs out. There are often, also, a couple of buzzards looking for the worms turned up by the plough.
Last year this field was oats. Just guessing, but I expect this year it will be barley.
We havent had rape seed for a while, so it could be that.
I prefer the barley as it moves in the wind, and looks like the sea.
Rape seed looks very cheerful when in flower. Bright yellow as far as the eye can see. But then the flowers fade and it all looks very sad until they harvest it.
On the other side of the house are the carrots. Covered over with black plastic and straw. When it comes to harvesting the carrots there is a real hive of activity. Specialist machines for digging them up, loading them onto the back of great lorries. But as far as we are concerned, (and most of the villagers),we do not have to buy any carrots! A plus is that we have never observed any chemical fertiliser or weed killer applied to the crop - and they taste wonderful. I should point out here that when the seeds are planted for the carrots many grow outwith the covers and those are the ones we take. That is they would not be harvested by the specialist machines. Having said all that we have been told to help ourselves.
Just wish the farmer would get on with grape vines!
We have strawberries across the valley and watch the polytunnels advance. Surely they could be used for grapes! There are Scottish Wines - sold in Asda, and very tasty too. So why not from Aberdeenshire?
We have guests in tonight. They have been here many times. A great compliment when guests return.
I have been in a bit of a daze all day. Possibly moving on and having a different view to these fields.
Will I still get a photography award like my Strawberry Fields Forever? Where I just stepped outside of the house and there it all was?
You bet I can.

Just to make you smile - and me!

Only thing missing, the glass of wine.

Ditto!

February must be the month of anticipation. Snowdrops just showing now, and green shoots coming up everywhere. The rhodedendrons are smothered in tight buds, and will remain so for a couple more months. Then it will really go to town along with so much more.

I wonder if I will still be here to see it all again this year?

But first there will be the daffodills, all the way up the drive way, and in the spinney, and all over the garden. Then the blue bells, masses and masses of blue bells. Tulips, the great big opium poppies, delphiniums. Better stop I am drooling.

We did have some sunshine today. But a reminder it is still winter, was snow, wet snow so did not settle, yesterday.

I was going to bath the parrot this morning but we had another house viewing. Thats three in the last two weeks.

What do they say about buses? They all come at once. Same as viewings.

Back to the day job starting Thursday, fully booked till the end of March. (Starting with a lovely couple who stay with us about three times a year.}

In March the daffs will be up and there are so many different ones here, including some that are scented. Just imagine a vase crammed with them. Keep you going through February. Just the thought of it, and the glass of wine can be drunk in any season. Cheers.

Up the ladder again..

Our hallway.
In my healthier days I painted the whole thing. I said then I would never do it again. Of course it has had to be redecorated since then, but Mike has taken it on. Today I went up the ladder and did the ceiling.
Just before Christmas some of the roof tiles were dislodged in the wind. By the time our roofer turned up to replace them there had been some water come in and the ceiling had stains on it.
There are always things to do in the house and the job got left. Imagine our horror when we had the viewing and they wanted to come 'that day'. And they were back for the second viewing before we had chance to get the ladders out!
When we received the 'silly' offer on Thursday, there was also talk about us redoing the Home Report.
Do they still have them in England? We are stuck with them. It was supposed to save purchasers money. As they did not have to have their own survey done on every house viewed, then put in their offer, only to lose out when the sealed bids were opened, and had to start all over again. But home reports do have a shelf life, also some mortgage providers still insist on having their own surveyor do them, so there is still cost to the purchaser. Daft.
We refused to do this - and the silly offer.
Next, we have been asked to list all the things we have done as a result of the Home Report, and when, as 'they are still interested'.
Well, it costs nothing but time to do that. So we did.
It was quite interesting for us to see just how much we had done! Everything we could and afford. Some of the things on the Home Report one could treat with contempt to be honest, and any sane person would do so. F'rinstance, "There is evidence of mice." We live in the middle of the countryside, and despite three cats, come the cold weather the mice move in. They do contain themselves in the loft. Come the Summer , they move out (and, hopefully, get eaten. Well quite a lot do.)
The only things outstanding for us to do were the results of the recent weather attacks.
So Mike was outside replacing a guttering that had come down. Me up the ladder. Jobs done.
Our For Sale sign got ripped off in the winds on Thursday night. Our solicitor may want to put up a new one, if only so she can put UNDER OFFER on it. I wish.

I hate the wind!

Probably the only drawback of living in the North East of Scotland.
I find myself eyeing up the trees that are around the house. One huge pine tree, that if it came down, would take half the house with it.
Our ancient roof on the 'old' house could well lose a few tiles and then if it rains...... Thinking positively, there is little rain at the moment. Our outdoor wooden chairs are all now gone over, strangely the light aluminium chairs are still upright. No! One has just gone. I am a bit worried about my wee body. I have to go outside and put the ducks to bed soon. Could end up in Moray.
When we had our four children aged 6 down to 2 all we could afford for holidays was in a tent. (It was actually very enjoyable.) Until we went to Whitby and camped on the cliff edge. And along came a wind, turned out to be the tail end of a hurricane. I kept saying to Mike, its getting worse, and he kept saying, shut up and go to sleep.
Then we heard, "This is the coast guard, evacuate, evacuate."
How do you evacuate four kids and a nappy bucket? Easy. The nappy bucket disappeared, along with my only pair of real gold earrings. The kids were thrown in the back of the estate car, and I drove it down to the site's pub. Only just stopping myself from driving over the cliff. I had the lights on inside the car to reassure the kids so couldnt see a thing outside!
Mike was very proud of the fact that our tent was the last to go.
Even the static caravans blew over on to their sides.
And the roof of the pub went too.
But we survived.
The next morning we loaded up a very soggy tent and as much as we could rescue, into the trailer.
Came home and for a few days had very steamy windows while we dried out the tent and everything else, draped round the house.
The tent poles were twisted and bent from the wind, but we did have them repaired and we did go camping again.
But since then I go on high alert when I hear the wind become more than normal.
And just an interesting note to all you who support wind farms. They switch them off when its like this!
Well, me - also feeling a bit battered.
"Do you want the good news or the bad?" from our solicitor.
Yes, there is an offer, whooo, bad news stupid offer- told them to put it where the sun dont shine.
On a positive note we are told by our solicitor (remember that in Scotland the solicitors are also the estate agents) that "This is just the start of negotiations."
Right - the ducks are now in bed. I didnt blow away, though very nearly.
No negotiations there. They were just relieved that someone higher up in the food chain (?) master race(?) was telling them what to do. They dont like the wind either.
I suppose that the lesson of today is no-one, or no duck, is completely in charge of their future.

Snowdrops.

Late this year. Just seen only one clump at the bottom of our drive. So, not long now before we should see 'carpets' of them. Nature is the one reliable provider of the lifting of the spirits.
I spent the morning back on the day job, ironing, washing and sorting out guest bedrooms.
As one of the things I am being tested for is Coeliac Disease, I decided, this morning to forgo my usual breakfast of a slice of toast with Mike's homemade marmalade. And had a banana instead.
I had two boiled eggs for lunch without the two Ryvitas.
It can't be as simple as that can it?
I had no stomach noises to register on the Richter scale, no bloating, no churning. Hmm.
Apparently they have now discovered that 1 in a hundred has Coeliac Disease. It was always thought to be a childhood thing, but recently further investigations have come up with this that 10 per cent of the adults have it.
Well, god help them in Peterhead.
I decided to go to Morrisons and Asda to see if I could purchase stuff that was gluten free and that I would enjoy eating. This after googling (of course) and getting quite excited at all the goodies that were available. Sadly, not in Peterhead.
I did find bread flour for bread, always state the obvious, and pizza bases. But only white.
I eventually found in Asda, not in Morrisons, some crispbreads which look better than cardboard, yet to see if that is genuine. Morrisons just had some puffed rice which was so none appetising looking I thought it was some sort of house insulation.
And some gluten free muesli. If I am coeliac I would make my own. You could make a ton of it for what they were charging for a small packet. Perhaps it cost something to have the gluten free tick on your product?
No wonder you can get foodstuffs on prescription, if you are diagnosed, as the price for all of this was totally extortionate.
What I also found amazing was the amount of foods that does use flour, bulking agent, whatever.
All of the prepared, ready meals, especially those which claim to be HEALTHY. Presumably the HEALTH part of it is you dont cut yourself preparing the vegetables, or burn yourself browning the meat. And stand well back from the microwave.
It takes six months (might have got that wrong) for the body to recover from having gluten if it doesnt like it.
There is no way I could say hand on heart, "Well, I feel fine now." But there is an improvement.
The sad thing is I can no longer drink beer, lager.....
BUT I can drink wine. Cheers!

Scrambled eggs and smoked salmon...

My sister in law had to be at Aberdeen train station for 8.40.this morning.
We had a guest in.
I just could not face driving in to Aberdeen yet again, so Mike went. He who is the breakfast chef..
First he asked me what he should take off the menu we provide, my reply of everything but toast didnt go down too well.
So I went to bed last night going over and over again in my brain everything that a full Scottish consists of.
Then the guest asked for scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. My look would have stopped the flowers growing.
My mind went completely blank.
Thank God for Delia.
Can't be many bed and breakfast providers with recipe book propped up and preparing scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.

I will lift up mine eyes....

unto the hills...
I am not religious but I do like this psalm.
It was buildings that surrounded me yesterday. Great blocks of granite, built into great edifices, of all ages.
I had to go to Aberdeen to the Royal Infirmary to see a consultant. Parking fees are no longer required in most hospitals in Scotland. Which, of course, leads to there being nowhere to park.
Having consulted my map of the hospital I parked the car in a car park where I thought the clinic I was to go to was. There were no signs other than one pointing down an alley to a stone wall...
I espyed a girl in nurses uniform and asked for directions. "Oh, I think I know were that is, come with me." So we set off. After about a quarter of a mile and quite a few puffs on my 'emergency inhaler', we arrived at the Maternity Hospital.
"Its my first day, " she said. "I think you want to be down there."
Now we had walked downhill to get this far. After she disappeared I looked at my map and saw I was in totally the wrong direction. How I got back to the car, back up the bloody hill,without collapsing - at least I was in the right place for that - but I did.
I then decided to drive round and not walk again until I was sure of where I was going. Good job I had allowed plenty time.
Round and round, up and down, stopping to look at the map and try and fix where I was.
I eventually started to head for the original car park, but this time there was a man operating a barrier.
"Can you tell me where this clinic is?"
"Give us your letter."
He then handed me a parking permit, telling me it was the building with the revolving doors. The previous car park was now full. Time was running out and I could not see a building with revolving doors. I just ditched the car down an alley. There was scaffolding everywhere and I just hoped it wasnt where the builders were returning to or leave all their big machinery and I wouldnt be able to get out.
I then saw a young man who had a label hanging round his neck, "Do you know where anywhere is?"
"It's taken me three years, " he replied. He was a medical student. ARI is also a university for potential doctors.
He took me to the doors of a building, ordinary doors. "I was told there would be revolving doors." Me thinking, here we go again.
"Oh, there are, they are inside."
Needless to say my blood pressure was through the roof.
Not only was I physically ready to collapse but I did wonder whether to ask him where the psychiatric unit was, and get it over with. Seeing as I was there.
This did all take my mind off the sale of the house. Or not as the case may be.
The 'buyers' are still keen. So now we are back in the waiting game of them getting finance and then putting in an offer.
I really think I should have checked the wherabouts of the psychiatric clinic..