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..