31 August 2019

August 2019




Hello, welcome to our August 2019 blog posting,
 enjoy the photos.




Janette and I have been swimming together every Sunday since August 2014,
 so we have clocked up over 250 swims together
 and we still love it !

Thank you Janette for being such a great mermaid-friend !





Our gang always tries to be colourful





and fashionable !







Steve believes that he is in the Bahamas,
maybe that's what keeps him warm !




Action Man !!
he didn't need much prompting






meanwhile Stan looks after all our four-legged friends









~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Around the croft


some vibrant colours











and looking a bit wild in places





Beautiful red shiny apples almost ready for picking







Mr Cockerel sheltering in the shade of the gunnera





new little chick learning the ropes










little chick has 2 mums looking after her 24/7






cooling down






ah, that's better !





we like our weeds








Bank holiday rest day






when even eating the grass is too strenuous












a galloping horse ? not many of them around here !


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Our barn workshop looking very atmospheric !





thank you Frank Burden for the great photo



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Leah has been giving me a masterclass in felting fabric...





I'll show you the end results in next month's blog





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Did you know ....




(courtesy of Green Renaissance)

Ahh



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Idea of the month


On a day trip to Brora on the east coast of the Highlands, where it's not so windy, not so wet but a little colder and where the beaches are just as beautiful,
we came across some delightfully friendly locals.


They have a wonderful community there 
and obviously enjoy making their village 
bright, colourful, welcoming and fun !







































Bicycles and scarecrows pop up all over the place
and just make you smile 
😄









An idea for where you live ?




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Books of the month











thank you Peter and Janet for this beautiful book





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~














~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
















~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~














~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Quote of the month







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Poem of the month


My lovely Dad used to recite many poems by heart 
with vigour and passion, it was one of his greatest pleasures.





Over time I have become to appreciate this skill and now understand the pleasure that it gives and one of my favourite poems committed to memory is "Desiderata".


Give it a go and start with a favourite poem but perhaps start with a short one and gradually progress.

Enjoy the challenge.






Desiderata


Go placidly amid the noise and haste
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble,
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery,
but do not let this blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture a strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune,
but do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here,
and whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




A thought on plastics








If we stop buying food and drinks packaged in plastic
we won't have the costs of recycling it or 
have to pick it out of our oceans and rivers and roadsides.

Find another way, stop it at source.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Date for your diary


FRIDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 

EARTH STRIKE UK

~~~~~~~






check it out



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




A bit of fun


Rock alphabet, upper and lower case

(work of  Mark Richard Beaulieu)




thank you Joanna for sending this to me, love it !




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Pause for thought













with love and compassion 
to you all

💛💚💛💚💛

from Malcolm and June

💙💜💙💜💙

1 August 2019

July 2019





Welcome to our July blog, enjoy.









There have been some really hot days this month
 and some exceedingly calm days







With hot days and a fair amount of rain everything has been bursting forth...










peaches from Malcolm's favourite tree in the little greenhouse, now in it's 4th year, along with a continuing  abundance of strawberries and raspberries








strawberries with their seeds on the outside are such beautiful fruits






and the edible flowers of borage plants make wonderfully posh ice cubes !!








sweet peas in all their glorious colour keep on coming,
the more you pick the more they produce !






This year for the first time
 I have got hooked on saving seeds;
 these little organza bags are great for putting around the seed heads as they let in the light and air until they are dried and the seeds fall to the bottom of the bag ready to dry and save for next year.




The bags are available on the internet 
(if you happen to be a long way from the shops like us)



Separating seeds from the dried seed pods



just remember to label them !


On the croft ....





the chickens just hanging around, taking it easy





and the proud father







of this year's first chick !








sitting with two mums waiting for some more to arrive !








The geese must be attached by a piece of string as they never leave each other's sides

and always looking for mischief







The young birds are still fluttering their wings to get the attention of their mothers





and wait to be fed






I have been meaning for weeks to pull up these very sharp thistles but these colourful gold finches just love them for their seeds;
 so instead of pulling them up I shall continue to leave them for the birds and enjoy watching them feed.








Zara relishing a treat of a willow branch








On a warm evening we watched the antics of an otter climbing aboard our neighbour's boat




running about and generally having a great time.







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Idea of the month



What a lovely idea !
this has been built on one of the crofts nearby,
 the Scottish version of a shepherd's hut.








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Sunday morning swims took on a new dimension.
This is my first go at paddle boarding
 and I managed to stay upright ! 

Thank you Pat for letting us all share your board






Miss Pig the pug came along with Steve and took to the paddle board like a duck to water






Miss Pig decided that jellyfish are almost as good
 as an ice lolly  !
don't worry, these are the non-stinging kind !









~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~






off to see Malc's Mum on a hot day










It's been so warm even Malcolm wanted to cool off !





The wetsuit was for protection from the jellyfish not the temperature of the water.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Innovation in Inverness !



Beating the climate crisis with an innovative taxi rank










 






great idea






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Book of the month








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Quote of the month







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



With the recent heatwave and thoughts of climate change
this seemed appropriate ~~






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Wishing you joy for the coming month

from Malcolm and June and the Gang


☯☯