New shop in town, bad timing!

I went to post a letter and collect my new prescription for my blood pressure. Noticed that the gift shop has opened today in the place where the sewing shop was. I took the picture on the way to the post box and called in on the way back.

It is lovely inside and I bought a few bits and wished the guy well. A picture of a couple of items.

Tina put the painted pumpkins on the church step to sunbathe!

I started a bit of colouring this afternoon, still using my lovely pencils from America. I had a large delivery of wild bird food, and fox food! So had a while in the greenhouse getting it into containers.

Blue moon tonight, it is very bright. I tried zooming more and more, had difficulty keeping the camera still!

Tina was manning the pumpkin trail at the church and took this picture when I took her a cup of tea.

First voting night for Strictly this evening,

Quieter day

We haven’t done a great deal today, we did go up to Freeport for lunch, have done a lot of washing and went to the hall to get the pumpkins out for groups going in to carve them tomorrow. We brought some back here as Tina had sent for some glow in the dark paints for us to decorate rather than cut some. We had to put a vase coat on first, we used acrylic white and it took a long time to dry.the first picture today is a memory Tina had pop up n her phone, me having a rest as we were cleaning the house here getting ready to move in, it is three years ago.

I had forgotten what the flooring was like!

I haven’t really taken pictures today but have a couple of trip purchase ones. Got a selection of materials (need them like a need a hole in the head!) and a pattern and special material to make a shrink clutch bag! Then there is my book about The Kelpies which I have been looking through and is very interesting, and a really pretty pair of earrings.

Back to the pumpkins, we have been using the paints this evening but will need to do the second coat in the morning!

A couple of butternut squashes there as the local shops had run out of pumpkins!

I was supposed to be visiting Sarah and David this evening, would have been the first time for a while as we are entering a high risk level tomorrow. But Sarah has a sore throat and as I am due to have surgery soon we decided it is best to be safe than sorry.

That reminds me about this morning as my blood pressure is still not right and I tried to speak to the prescribing pharmacist this morning to see if I should up my medication and he isn’t at work until next Tuesday. Got myself worked up then and decided to take my blood pressure when I was stressed and it was sky high! Managed to get a telephone appointment with a doctor who was absolutely lovely. He has said to take a higher dosage and ordered a prescription for me. He phoned me back again to tell me to take my readings and blood pressure machine with me to the appointment to prove that my high readings are due to White Coat Syndrome! That was so kind of him. So fingers crossed.

Goodbye Kelpies

I will put one more photo from yesterday and then one caught at speed as we sped past on the start of our journey home. I certainly thought seeing them was a great experience.

I took some photos of the outside of the barn that we were staying in, the accommodation was at the top. Got the one with Tina in a bit blurred which is a shame. Also took a couple in their grounds as the weather was okay first thing. They have chickens and ducks and we had some eggs from both in our welcome pack.

And the dragon on the steps!

It started to rain soon after we were on our way and some of the time it was pretty awful again, luckily Tina just carries on regardless. We stopped at Gretna Green and then went on to a shopping outlet close by.

Couldn’t look happy without a partner!

We had one more stop for lunch and were back home bu five. Felt like we had been away longer as we did pack a lot in yesterday.

Two more pics, these geese were the petrol station when Tina filled up.

I forgot yesterday to mention the fantastic gathering of geese outside the garden centre we stopped at. It was difficult to catch them on the phone, this was the best I could manage, but there were hundreds, more like watch starlings.

What a day!

Today we were out before nine and headed off to see the Kelpies, the first of three visits to see them today! The weather was kind and it was so worth it to come all this way to see them first hand, so to speak.

There were two smaller ones by the visitors centre and that photo has them in the front with one of the large ones between.

After a wander around there and lots of pics we went to a lovely little town called Linlithgow and I will put a some pics, a lovely little church and a dog statue and description, we did some shopping there, and have coffee and cake!

Then we went to see the Forth Bridge, well, the three of them, quite a sight.

We called in on the Kelpies again of the way to the Falkirk Wheel. We were booked on the hour trip but found it a little disappointing. You couldn’t see a lot although the mechanism for moving the boat up onto the viaduct was fascinating we could have seen it better watching from outside! The children on the boat were bored very quickly.

Then to round the day off we went back to the Kelpies to see them lit up, before heading tiredly back to the accommodation.

The moon was bright and low so tried to catch it with a kelpie!

Greetings from Scotland!

A long journey today and pretty awful weather a lot of the way, well done Tina! We had a couple of stops, one inEngland and one in Scotland. We came within half a mile of our destination without a hitch and then the road to turn right as we were about to arrive was closed! Tina phoned the host and she gave directions for getting here a different way. That entailed going along a very narrow and twisted country road, and going through two puddles that were more like ponds! I took some pictures while travelling, as you can imagine a lot were blurred or more of windscreen wipers that view! There were some lovely autumn colours but difficult to get any shots. We had one dryish spell so managed a shot of the scenery.

The accommodation is a converted barn, absolutely lovely inside and we got a mice welcome pack to.

It was still raining when we arrived and we were pretty tired, especially Tina, so we have stayed put this evening. We did pass the Kelpies on the way, looking forward to seeing them close up tomorrow.

Filey Bird Park, last visit this year :-(

This morning I did some general sorting in the house as Tina and I are off to Scotland for a couple of days tomorrow. I got dinner on the go and did go out to the post box for a change. There is a bush in the front garden which has white berries and is quite stunning, don’t know what it is!

I told Darren I would make a cake, so did!

When Tina has finished a few last minute work chores we set off for Filey Bird Garden, we love it there but they had a new exhibit which we were keen to see.

Those pics taken through glass and it was wet but you can see he is a beautiful cat.

Lots of fun Halloween displays around the park!

We fed some animals, the donkeys are delightful and so gentle!

Tina spent a while talking to this lovely bird who was responding with purring type noises.

And this is just a nice picture of another bird!

The last two pics from the park and a bit silly!

No more to be said there!

We had some delicious soup at Eastfield garden centre for lunch and took a couple of shots of Christmas displays.

Lovely sky on the drive home, these were taken from the moving car.

The bird park closes for the winter this coming weekend and opens again next Easter. We intend to get season tickets next year as we both really love going there.

I had put a stew in the slow cooker this morning and we all enjoyed it this evening,

Almost packed and ready for out adventure tomorrow.