Mirror mirror on the wall

I've spent the weekend, stripping, and sanding and wire wooling. This was my granny's mirror. I remember standing in front of it when I was a little girl. I used to tie a cardigan round my head and pretend it was long hair. I used to spend hours looking at myself, not seeing the cardigan, only long flowing tresses thinking I looked liked a fairy princess. I obviously needed to get out more even then!
I've wanted to hang the mirror in the bathroom, but haven't liked the dark colour as a result of years of varnishing and I didn't think it would go with the wood we already have in there.

But, now I love it again.  The varnish has been  stripped away and the wood sanded with a fine sandpaper. The real difference came after hours of buffing up the frame with wire wool. It's now taken on a sheen and a mellowness that won't look out of place in the bathroom.
When I've finished painting round the door frame and a bit of skirting board I will put some pictures on here of the finished bathroom as promised back in the summer

To the lighthouse

It's been a big beautiful blowsy day, and this morning we walked out to the lighthouse at Rhue just north of Ullapool. I posted pictures a couple of years ago, here

Luckily, the weather hadn't paid attention to the forecast, and  it didn't rain,

although it was windy

Big skies, and big bold brashy clouds like ships with no time to slow down, scudded over the mountain tops

Would it be fun to climb up the ladder? We never found out. It was padlocked.. Probably to prevent old people from misbehaving, doing something silly, and toppling off  the top!

 Ben mor Coigach where we recently walked the 'postie path' with Helen

We left the lighthouse and walked up the hill to look down on Isle of St. Martin sheltered in the bay. There is a house on the island you can rent and I think sometimes what an adventure that would be in the winter with the gales and rain lashing at the windows. Or snow. Christmas with family and friends, marooned on your very own island.

From our vantage point we could see over to Ardmair point and the road in the distance winding ever further north. There is less and less habitation the further north you go. In some parts the only road the A838  is reduced to single track. It really is a long way from anywhere. But it's so good to be out in it.

The state of Marriage!

I had a comment on my blog recently from a friend saying in some countries it was said  you could tell the state of a marriage by the state of the woodpile outside their house!

I went out this morning to look at ours

Oh dear! There can be no doubt, it's a bit wobbly and up and down!

While I was comparing my marriage to the woodpile, I noticed that one of us still hadn't quite completed the painting of the house - I expect that would be me then!  We ran out of paint towards the end of our 'House Painting Party' in May. Now a new tin of paint has arrived and the last bit of painting under the eaves can be finished.

I think you can tell the state of a marriage by the neat and tidy way the sawdust is collected in the wheelbarrow after all the sawing and chopping has finished! I'm not quite sure whose job it is to move it - although I think I can guess!

Good morning

By the time I'd rushed outside it had almost faded, but an early morning canter round the garden in my pyjamas is a great start to the day I think!

The colours of autumn

The snow is still here, but only on the high tops. Meanwhile the landscape continues to look more autumnal by the day. I used to think it was the bracken turning golden that gave the hills their  autumn coating  of russets, ochres, deep oranges and browns, which indeed  it does,

but the tips of the grasses take on a fiery tinge too adding to the saturation of colour

The ginger look starts in September and continues through the winter. On an afternoon such as  we've had today  it gives a  wonderfully warm glow to the surrounding hills.

Meanwhile, on a footnote. Old fatso in the garden has got to make way for a copper beech hedge we're hoping to plant before the start of winter - at least, that's the plan!
Don't be silly, of course she doesn't look appealing - she's only a sheep for goodness sake, with a slightly trembling lower lip!