This and That

Sometimes the light is so sharp and intense. There is definitely a sign that spring is in the air (although they are forecasting more bad weather to come!)

Time to do the repairs after the winter storms and to knit a "simple summer top down v-neck" raglan pullover. I challenge the description! As far as I can see there is absolutely nothing simple about it! This is the second attempt.....the pattern simply seems to be written in code! It's here if you like a challenge!

Away

We went to London last week. We had to go to the funeral for the daughter of some very good friends of ours. It was tragic and very sad. The young woman who died was only thirty five just a couple of years older than Jo seen here with her Dad. She died of cancer after a long battle. On the plus side it meant we got to see family and friends. We spent two days with Jo in London.

We went to the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum and afterwards a funny little pub tucked away underneath The Arches near the river Thames. You could hear the trains rumbling along nearby and you hit your head on the ceiling every time you stood up....perfect! 

We met Jo's new boyfriend. We followed their bobble hats to the restaurant. Jo seems so happy and it's good to see her well again. She loves her job as a midwife but finds night shifts and long long hours exhausting at times

I find London exhausting all of the time. I love it, it's the best city. But wandering around museums and galleries and walking everywhere because we feel it's good for us can be very tiring. I spent a lot of time looking for somewhere to sit down!

We arrived back home late on Saturday night and  couldn't wait to get out and blow away the grime and dust from the city

And what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than up a hill in the wind and rain and mist and cold! I left the rain water on the lens......it added to the mood somehow! It's good to be home.

I must, I must......

.......get back to my blog..!
There wasn't much in early December to blog about and then when there was we had weeks without phone or internet. We never did find out quite what the problem was. When that was fixed a massive gale blew down trees onto the power cables and we were without power for four days. In between times we've had colds, that felt like flu, and chest infections. We had Christmas too in between phones not working and no internet, which meant Anna couldn't chat to her family in Canada. We've had lots of snow and gales that have caused minor damage. All jobs to be done as we and the weather improve! Today the snow has nearly all gone and the sun has shone, and it's good to be back here again. If you're still there thank you for your patience. I love having a bit of a blog and I love reading other blogs too. A belated Happy New Year to you.

Thin Shadows, Bright Sun and the Car Park...

It's the time of year for long thin shadows. The sun rises lower and lower each day and as it does so it highlights the dust and fluff on the floor, and shows off the dirty windows. The road in to Inverness is relatively free of vehicle traffic but the sun is blinding and sunglasses are a necessity to avoid driving off the road. Niels is waiting for a cataract operation. He has been advised not to drive. I'm his driver and lately have spent a number of evenings parked in various car parks while he goes for band practice. You don't need good sight for playing the drums apparently....and I can add that you don't need good light for drawing badly in dimly lit car parks either!

Making Light Work...

In spite of the red sky in the morning warning, the day stayed dry though breezy. We did the morning keep fit trot along the lane - I think we'd seize up if we didn't!  Later Al came round with the best ever toy to keep us happy and amused for the afternoon. A Truck barrow borrowed from a friend. A motorised wheel barrow on caterpillar tracks. It loves carrying logs up the hill more than we do especially since the hill seems to get steeper every day. Work done and time for a beer....or two.