Gardening and sewing

 Monday is gardening group day followed by the knit and natter group. I walked into Dunkeld early enough to get a drink at Corbenic and get some cash before going to St Ninians garden. Two of the other ladies hd started clearing at the top of some steps so I cleaned the steps of weed and got them swept then went off to remove some gone over plants and weeds. We had our drink quite late today so it was just a C-section of clearing away before I went for a fairly short walk towards the cathedral. I found a bench in the shed as it had been getting hotter s the day went on. A black headed gull was ner me for a while, it was swearing at me hoping for a titbit I think but I had nothing anyway and the town don’t want them encouraged. It the stopped being noisy and just sat hopefully for a while before flying off.

I think they are such pretty gulls fter living with the herring gulls for so long. I loved them too but you couldn’t really call them pretty.

The sketch too me a bit longer today but I was reasonably pleased with the result.

I had carried the framed play picture with me to give to June not the afternoon group. She liked it but wanted me to keep it as the show isn’t until August, so I had to carry it home again. I did a bit more of the embroidery whilst listening to them relive their younger days as some of the ladies have lived in the are all their lives.

I was quite tired by the time I had walked home. I realised that I had missed the first episode of a new series of The Piano, so after dinner I watched it on catch up. It was very good again, I really love this program.

I am waiting for the sun to go down a bit before I go out and do the watering.

Greet and meet for Darren, nice short walk and tennis.

 The clouds on the hill disappeared yesterday evening and the water on the plants first thing this morning was lovely.

Bugs always like biting me but the Scottish ones are really making a meal of it on my leg!

I did a bit of jigsaw this morning before I went round to the church with Darren as Tina had organised a welcome home lunch in his honour. Quite a few of the congregation were there and it was a very nice buffet.

This afternoon I went for a short walk, just down to the river and a wander along a couple of smaller paths and did a quick sketch.

After the sketch I went along a narrow path lower than the main one that I hadn’t been along before and there were a lot of wild flowers.

Saved the best to last, this bug was very tiny.

I walked to the small wooden bridge before I came home, I have taken several pictures from it but not one of it, it is quite plain but a lovely spot to look at the burn.

and the burn from where I took that photo.

The afternoon has been taken up with the very good men’s final at Wimbledon. 

Reading and painting

 Having read and enjoyed The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett I ordered some more books by him from the library. I have started The Uncommon Reader and I am really enjoying it, it is quit a short book and I will probably finish it tomorrow.

I have a hollyhock in a container, it needs a lot of watering but it has started to flower and it is very pretty. It is also a single one which are easier for the pollinators.

I also have foxgloves in containers that are very small, so they need daily watering, but again they are beginning to flower.

I went and trimmed back some beech tree branches from along the church path as they had suddenly sprouted so it was difficult to get past them.This afternoon I sorted out the edge pieces of the new jigsaw and got it done except for one piece. It will be a challenge even though it is a smaller one. As I had been asked to do a ‘yellow’ sketch for a show the WI are entering so I went out today to draw some pansies. I have managed to get it into a suitable frame as well.

Anya and family have been travelling home today, they should arrive there shortly. They stopped at a farm shop nd sent me a couple of photos.

I will finish with a collage made by Google photos, I think it is quite clever to have gathered all those rabbit images from over the years!

Dog sitting and pizza

 I will start with mentioning the jigsaw which was finished yesterday and we bought another one in. Charity shop in Blairgowrie, only a five hundred piece but will be another tricky one.

I walked into Dunkeld this morning to sit with Aurora while Anya, Louis and Isobel had a day out in Perth. I had never really looked at the centre of the statue in Cathedral square, it seems to be fishes.

Aurora was unsettled and whined for a bit but soon calmed down, although her ears pricked up if people passed the house.

Then she spent a lot of time on the sofa.

I tried to sketch her but she kept moving!

They had a good time in Perth and went along the path next to the train line that crossed the river and they went down onto the island, seeing the allotments and golf course! I really must go and check it out, looks lovely.

They got back in time for us all to meet in Birnam and have pizza from the mobile pizza van. We ate them on a bench outside the art centre.

The family went for a walk after tea and found a bit of beach for Aurora to enjoy.

To finish I ordered some bee water flowers, so cute, just a teaspoon of water in each!

A lovely final day for Anya and family, they have te long journey home tomorrow.

Humid trip to Blairgowrie

 Walking into Dunkeld on the way to see Anya and family I took a photo of some yellow antirrhinums as I have been asked to do a yellow painting! It is for a show that the WI are entering in Aberfeldy.

Sat with the family for a while before we set off for Blairgowrie. It is a pretty journey but very bendy roads and quite near lochs in some places. Sadly the noise and traffic really freaked Aurora so we headed for a small grassed square which was quiet and away from the hustle and bustle.

Louis took Aurora for a walk alongside the river, and we went and spent some time in The Nest that has lots of donated art and craft material and sells them at very low prices. We met up with Darren and Tina and went for something to eat. No dog friendly eateries so Louis stayed by the river with the dog.

We went to the dome restaurant and sat beneath the dome. Anya took a picture of us deciding what to eat and of Tina’s all day breakfast!

We met Louis at the green again and Anya went and got him some lunch then we went to look at a craft shop that does classes, but sadly on a Sunday so Tina can’t go with me.

We looked in some charity shops but no dogs allowed except guide dogs so Louis remained on dog duty. The temperature up here is not as high, but the humidity is much higher, so we were all feeling pretty washed out.

I came back with Darren and Tina and Anya and family headed back to their holiday home.

It was still a nice day and Louis and Aurora did enjoy the walk and found a spot where the dog could paddle, and it was quiet.