Munchkins

When my neighbour rang to ask if I knew we had a garden full of sheep I came to my senses. I looked out of the window. Eleven sheep were munching the grass the shrubs the heathers the lovely camellia and any other over priced garden-centre delicacy they could sink their teeth in to. I knew it would never really work. We let the sheep in the garden for one week, they make the best grass cutters. 'The Lawn' is now lovely and short - but so is everything else. Those of you who have followed this blog for a while will know that sheep in the garden are not a new thing. Here  here and of course here as dear Lamb Chop showed off her table manners!
We have decided to fence off the top part of the garden for ourselves and let the sheep graze on the lower section. Strimming the grass last year was a struggle. Of course, we should have fenced off  a safe sheep free section first!

This evenings performance

Sometimes when you look out of the window you see something that wasn't there the moment before. The setting sun covered the top of the hill in deep orange lighting up the distant snow. The intense colour faded almost as quickly as it came and then it was gone. 

That time of year

I thought my marmalade hadn't worked. It took ages before it would set. I think I added too much water for the amount of oranges. Eventually at around midnight, after the rest of the house (Niels) had gone to bed, a tiny little hint of a wrinkle appeared on the saucer when I tested for a set.  Hurrah, we shall have marmalade for another year. It tastes delicious, even if I do say so myself! And, for those marmalade makers among you, the oranges I used were left over from last year. I put them  into the freezer whole and they did their marmalade thing perfectly -  if a little slowly, and I  think that was because my measuring wasn't quite right.

Where to begin?

The lochside when it isn't stormy

The Christmas card that wasn't sent

Olek was the best snowflake on the block, even if he did have a bit of a problem keeping his tights up. 

After the play Olek showed me his class. The 'knitivity' scene and baby Jesus looking a bit like a peanut

He showed me the thinking area, which I think every home needs.

Christmas was lovely

And after Christmas I set about making a New Year card  to replace the not needed Christmas card.

At the beginning of December just as we were getting ready to journey south to visit family and friends, we had a storm on the lochside. Gale force winds in the early hours of the morning arrived with violent flashes of lightning and ominous crashes of thunder. One blinding flash of lightning struck a nearby telegraph pole ripping out cables and bringing down phones and internet connections along the lochside. The phone sockets exploded out of the walls leaving trailing wires and blackened plugs discarded on the floor. Unfortunately my computer and the printer were also effected.
Luckily no other damage was done and the house and surrounds remained in tact. It was a pretty violent storm and locals can't remember thunder and lightning like it. It was ferocious.
We left the stormy lochside and headed south. We saw so many friends on our visit. Thank you to everyone for making us so welcome. I do miss you all. On our homeward journey we went to see Olek's Christmas play at his school in west Yorkshire. It was wonderful.
We enjoyed a family Christmas.
 And now, after nearly six weeks, I have my computer back and a new printer. I realise how dependent on the computer I am. My Christmas cards and all address labels were on there. I'd managed to print a few off the day before the storm, but not enough. Yesterday I sent out a New Year card to friends who might wonder where we've been!
I've missed my blog. This year I want to try and  blog a little and often. I get 'blogger's block' when I leave too many long gaps!
A belated Happy New Year - and thank you to those of you who haven't quite given up on 'Brookwood Letters!'

Views, messes, and a finished waistcoat

The thing is I get behind with blogging  because I can't keep up with all the blogging things I want to blog about. Then I end up with a mishmash of bits and pieces. The mishmash keeps growing and I feel defeated by it.  So I shall make a start and post some of the mishmash but there is no connection or link between any of it. Just a few old bits of this and that
I'll start with the view - as always!  Glen Affric is beautiful. You must come and walk here. I have found the perfect place to have Christmas with family and friends. The distance and expense may well be the two reasons why it won't happen - but I can dream on

The walking on this estate is good. Friends who don't want to clamber up slippery steep mountain sides can walk here instead

and just soak up the loveliness of it all

I like drawing from photographs. It's neat and it's tidy, though it does feel like cheating sometimes even if the photos are my own and I put my own interpretation into the drawing

But a while ago I went to see a 'proper' artist's studio and recognise that I'm not nearly messy enough to be a real artist

this artist even paints his washing machine. I'd have to feel very liberated ( messy even) to do that

I went on a 'Dare to Draw' drawing course a month ago here at Bridge House Art in Ullapool I loved it. Eleanor encouraged us to be as messy as possible.  I drew this mug using coloured pastels and chalk and finished it off with a good splashing of strong black ink using bits of stick out of the garden. I  felt very liberated and artistic and even quite a bit messy as I drew off the edge of the paper and onto the wall - fortunately not my wall and - covered in lining paper. I still haven't painted the washing machine, but I like to think I'm getting just a bit messier.

I finished knitting my waistcoat. I'm rather partial to it, complete with leather buttons that I'll have to remove I expect should I ever decide to wash it. I often have the great idea and the practical application follows later - in this case a bit too late.

And lastly Ullapool Hill at the weekend. Winter is here the nights are pulling in. We've had our first snow and the leaves are off the trees.