A sorting day

 I wasn’t feeling overly energetic today so decided not to go in the garden this morning. It had been very frosty but ws a lovely day. I love my two French style armchairs but  having both of them in my sitting room mens that I have to move one of I want to get to the cupboard and squeeze past the other one to get to my desk, so I decided to move one of them to the bedroom. That really wasn’t going to work as I had very little space in there anyway, so made the decision that the work box and a little cabinet I have had to go. All then tents of the work box went into this plastic box, and some of that I didn’t need.

This little cabinet didn’t have a great deal in it so it will be easily rehomed.

I moved my sitting room around a little and am much happier with it now.

Pandora was up on the windowsill while I was working. She does jump down from them when they are open now.

Idid go in the garden for a short while this afternoon just cutting back the hedge so that I can reach the next bit of soil. Quite a lot but nowhere to put it until the bins have been emptied next week.

When I was out there Pandora was sitting under the bird feeder and we were both telling her to move away. She kept in through Tina’s lounge window complete with live mouse! That mouse is still in there, near the fire we think when Pandora was sitting there, but not the born hunter she got fed up and is now asleep in her basket!

I have started to sort through the sewing stuff, it was a bit like a mini version of ‘Sort Your Life Out’ on tv.

9 tape measures, 6 stitch rippers, hundreds of pins and needles and SO many reels of cotton!

A nice tin of sewing bits for the charity shop!

That will do for today. Maybe I will get into the garden tomorrow, before the promised next storm arrives.

Feeling a bit off colour.

 I haven’t really felt on top form today, nothing particular, felt a bit sick this morning and am a bit heady. I walked into Dunkeld after getting some ingredients for a cake in the local shop. More of that in a bit. I had been going to look in one of the shops that sells plants, but they didn’t have much choice and what they did have were overpriced. I had a drink before coming back. Took a couple of photos while out.

This table with benches, the biggest I have ever seen, was a new addition in St Ninians garden.

Back home a good part of the day was taken up with making a cake with some of Tina’s left over kefir. It was quite an involved recipe with lots of pretty unhealthy amounts of sugar, butter and chocolate! I used my colourful bowls for getting everything ready before I started.

While I was getting the cake mixed the plants I was expecting arrived, eight heathers in really lovely condition. I got them planted while the cake was cooking, four in the square bed and four in the area I prepared yesterday.

Took a photo of the lupin with raindrop while I was there!

The cake turned out pretty well, the first time I have made a cake in this oven.

That wasn’t the end of it though, the covering was melted chocolate, butter and water, and it took forever to reach a spreading consistency! Then extra chocolate decoration too! It does taste good but I won’t be in a hurry to make one again!

This evening I have been helping clean the brass candlesticks for church, don’t think they have seen polish in quite some time.

I am now sitting with my furry friend who is sleeping contentedly.

Garden and the Hermitage

 I went out fairly early today to carry on where I left off yesterday. It was more clearing of ground elder and ivy roots from under the bushes and to get the area as root free as possible.

Pandora was out with me for some of the time, Tina snapped this when I had been to empty the pot of roots.

I made a reasonable clearance, but no more plants to put on. I was out for almost two hours.

Quite a few stones to add to the collection today!

We had an early lunch and I asked Tina to give me a lift to the Hermitage and I could walk back. When there I made my way up to a bench that we had discovered the other evening, I looked t the view and hd my doubts, but decided to do a sketch anyway.

I just took a couple of picture at the Hermitage, not the view I was sketching though!

Then a couple on the way down to Inver.

I love the river when going down the underpass.

No, they are not upside down! Instead of going up the other side I decided to take the Birnam path along by the river. Hadn’t been along there before, it mad a longer walk, but I was tired so going slowly!

Went across this and took a pic from it.

Found this tree interesting.

I path, I could see a fork in the river from here.

ST on this bench and could see the cathedral on the other side.

Another interesting tree.

Then at last, the bridge.

I carried on along the Birnam path rather than walk through the village.

I wondered if the thin tree here was a sappling from the huge tree trunk.

Some pretty white flowers on the way.

I was glad to get home but had enjoyed trying a different path.

Not going to be much more to add today, will finish practice shading drawing I did yesterday evening.

Short outing and some gardening

 I was sitting doing my morning puzzles and saw a wood pigeon on a cross in the churchyard.

After Tina had finished morning prayer and caught up with emails we had a trip out to a printer in Perth as she had some leaflets to collect. There is a very good stationary store attached to it which we enjoyed looking round. We were going to get some groceries and there was a bakers shop which hd some tables and chairs. We had a very nice sandwich and drink at a r ally good price and got a couple of cakes to bring home.

It has been a day of sunshine and sudden showers, it was raining when we had a cuppa and our cake but was bright and sunny again when I was ready to get outside. I went back to the small prt I had begun and cleared a bit further and got lots more root out.

The stone collection before I started.

A few more when I was finished for today. Small rockery somewhere maybe?

I cannot do the hard work for as long as I used to, got the area levelled and planted the last of the plants we had bought.

Regular hoeing will be needed as it is still root central under there!

I was quite pooped when I came in so sat with th cat who couldn’t have stretched out any more today!

I took another photo from the chair, very different to this mornings and no wood pigeon.

Not planning to do much this evening.

Not gardening weather

 It rained overnight and on and off during the day. We did have bright, dry spells but the Earth was too wet for root extraction! I did do some repotting indoors, I had some rooting powder and am hoping that the two twigs I have had in water that were knocked off during the move will take. Also  cutting from the runes poinsettia but not too hopeful on that one! Then I put the twigs of twisted willow into soil with rooting powder, have had them in water for a while. Maybe none will actually take, but worth a try.

Took a photo of the Victorian planter while I was outside.

I had sewn three sections of patchwork together yesterday evening. This afternoon I started cutting out material for cushion comer and stitched the patchwork on the front. After dinner I finished it off and have picked ll the sewing stuff away.

Watching ‘Grace’ now.

Walk by the river and pencil shading class

 This morning I did go out in the garden for a short time, I put some plants into the Victorian planter and then made a small start on the ground elder under the bushes.

This pile of root was literally just from the corner! Do you think this is a battle I might not win?

Tina and I walked up to Dunkeld as there was craft sale in the Drill Hall. We had a good look round and all I bought was a card, although I was tempted by some beautiful framed photographs!

Tina suggested we walk back along the river, it was a lovely day but a very cold wind.

That photo is next to the large sycamore next to the Birnam Oak. The next two are of the oak, Tina is under one of the branches, and I am inside it, we hadn’t been at the back of the tree before.

Just before we got to the trees we had found a stretch of beach!

Soon after we got home I got ready to go to the pencil shading class. A lot of instruction on using pencils nd charcoal and blenders and brushes. Then we all had a go at shading apples! We just started with circles and worked through stages. It was interesting, but a lot of information on other sorts of shading as well.

One was started with an HB pencil for the base, one with grated graphite and one with grated charcoal.

Family call when I got home, then tea, and now feet up time without a cat at the moment.