Disappointing morning and gardening

 Tina has been holding some sessions this week around loss and grief and today it was at The Dutchess Anne. I went along to take care of the refreshments. Tina was joined by a celebrant and a funeral director,but sadly no one attended the session which was very disappointing for Tina who has done a lot of preparation and advertising. We had driven there but the room was very cold and I decided to walk home to warm up, although it wa a chilly day.

After lunch I decided to go out into the garden. To prepare the bed ner the new fence and reduce the number of plants that I have in pots. The bed doesn’t look too bad but it was very impacted and had had large tiles on top of it, and of course plenty of roots and stones.

I didn’t of course mention the amounted of impacted bulbs!

And I was very pleased that I spotted this knife before I started pulling roots out!

So, and area about as ready as it is going to be!

I had to cut this roots s try as I might I could not find where they led!

Got some of the plants in, so not a bad afternoons work. I was out there about two and a half hours.

This evening I had another try at using the pastels. Could have done with a darker green but I enjoyed trying something different.

Just relaxing now.

Into Perth and garden tidying

 Tina gave me a lift into Perth this morning, she had a meeting and I wanted to make an eye test appointment and find out where I have to go for my Covid injection. I went to SpecSavers first and talked to a charming young man who made an appointment for me on the same day I go for the injection. He also told me where I needed to go and it is actually next to where I catch and get on the bus! I did go there and check it out. Then I walked down to the river, so finding my way around.

Took a couple of photos on the way back into the centre.

I passed this pub, loved its name.

Sat with Darren and Tina for a bit when I got home then went out and tidied the garden up. A lot of stuff got moved while the fencer was working

I bought some soft pastels today and this evening had a little play.

I also bought a knitting pattern and wool for a hot, hopefully this one I will be able to manage!

Pretty walk and a finished fence

 This morning I decided to try and walk to Dunkeld house, a hotel a little way out of the actual village. My right, not my left hip was really twinging as I set out and I thought I wouldn’t make it, but I kept talking myself into keeping going. When I got to the cathedral I decided to take the tree walk rather than the river path, but the foliage was lovely despite the fact that the sun wasn’t shining. I must have taken about fifty photos while I was put, but I have deleted a lot more than I have kept. At this point I will apologise to Pat in America as I realise these pics are not a patch on what you will have been seeing. Scan through quickly!

I had made it to Dunkeld house, I went in to see if your u could call in for a drink and scone. I think I took them by surprise, but they were very charming. The lady on reception said she was sure that would be fine and directed me to the bar. A lady came through and I asked her where to go and she said she would go and check. She said I could sit in the bar and the waiter would come to me. He was a delightful and I had a lovely pot of tea and I scone, which I think had been made that morning.

I was pretty achy so wasn’t looking forward to the walk back a lot, I walked long the river path this time a it is shorter. The sun threatened to come out a couple of times, but it was lovely anyway.

When I was nearly home Tina texted to see if I was okay because Darren had said that I wasn’t home yet. She came along to meet me but she didn’t have to come too far. 

Another Darren has been making our new fence and today he has finished. Here is the fence behind the hydrangea I pruned.

The rest of the back fence, he had to chop back a tree and other growth there.

The new gate, now at an angle from the shed.

And the extra fence a a back for the plastic greenhouse to stand against.

The spiders web and my trees are covered in sawdust!

I did get dinner but haven’t done much else, the pain hasn’t been good, but it is settling now I am sitting with my feet up.

Getting ready and Monday afternoon group meal

 This morning I had to go to the post office and then to Birnam Arts to book my ticket for the next life drawing class. I had tried to book on line but the link they sent me didn’t open and their website said my post code wasn’t correct and it was! Then I came home and sorted out my spider jewellery and coloured my hair! There was going to be a Halloween theme!

I walked into Dunkeld, I had the hat in a bag! We had a room to ourselves on the pub and it was a lovely three hours. Not everyone got into the spirit and hair ht and especially the hair caused some interest! One of the ladies really liked one of my vintage brooches so I gave it to her as it rarely sees daylight,

Took this photo on the way home.

And this one from the steps by Tina’s office.

Indoors the second flower on the cactus is opening before the frost one dies which is good.

And the hyacinth that I bought a few week is showing growth so have moved it to a lighter position.

Tina came back from Dunkeld later than me so managed to catch the setting sun.

As I haven’t got a model I tried to draw a sitting figure, feeling a bit inspired to draw people!

Have listened to a couple of cds this evening rather than have the tv on. I worry about it being too loud for Darren and Tin, so turned the hearing aids up! Must do it more often.

Pruning and traffic jam

 This morning I went out to prune the hydrangea which is enormous. The fence man needs two feet between the hydrangea and the metal fence. I wasn’t sure the base of the plant was two feet away and although it is hard to tell from the photos there was as much of the plnt on the other side of the metal fence as there was this side.

When I was getting the tools out I noticed that the tiny spider I re-homes by the shed had built a really large web.

When I had finished I couldn’t take an after one of the first photo and the pile of branches was in the way!

There was bramble in the hydrangea which made it more tricky and the bramble root probably needs digging out, but not by me!

After lunch I did a bit of jigsaw and some prep for this evenings dinner. Then Darren and I went to Dobbies, had a drink and I bought some bits. An amaryllis, as I don’t have enough plants, some recycled wrapping paper, a diary and some bulbs for St Ninians.

On the way back we got stuck in traffic as there was yet another bad accident on the A9. The road was closed nd traffic was being diverted through Birnam in both directions. It was chaos!

We had dinner late, so I managed to see the Strictly results show while it was cooking. Neely bed time now.

Life drawing and walk

 Firstly I will add the photo of the new sign to go outside the church which I forgot to post yesterday.

I was feeling a bit better today, not right but getting there. Had a quick trip with Tina to the shops before making my way over to Birnam Arts for the tutored life drawing workshop. About a dozen of us I think. First of all the tutor got us to put the pencil on the paper and not look at what we were doing but to draw the movements she was making with a ball in her hand. Quite difficult to not look down but it was interesting. Then we had to do thirty second sketches! Yes, so:the images are very feint.

Then we spent a lot of time measuring at arms length and marking places on the paper for the sketch which wa bout twenty minutes.

Then to finish we did some thing completely different, the model, Dave, stood in front of a black sheet and we had to draw the shape of the black area.

It was an enjoyable session and I will try to get a place on the next one in a months time.

I bought the drawings home and then went to have a look round the market in the grounds of the Birnam hotel.

Then I spotted that the art gallery was open so went and had a cuppa there and a chat to the owner. She said it has been closed this year but hopes to be open regularly now. She does do workshops or said that I could take my own stuff to do if I wanted. So that may be good.

I had a message to syzygy my prescription was ready so I walked into Dunkeld. Took a couple of quite different photos.

Watching Strictly now!