The Curious Guest in the Conservatory

Grey is November

It's been like this pretty much ever since we returned from our trip ten days ago.

(Mountains?  What mountains?)

I really don't mind.  When I had tinies at home, dreich days were a challenge -- but now I'm happy to cuddle up with a cuppa and a good read.

Still, I'm getting a bit anxious about fulfilling my 1,000-mile 2015 walking resolution.

Wait!  Are those some clear skies off to the southwest?

Off I go, for a muddy squelchy downright hazardous brisk, refreshing hike on the trails.  See ya!

He Wasn't One Bit Pleased to See Me

Salad Days

It might seem counterintuitive to gravitate toward salad -- instead of, say, soup -- on a day when it's chilly, wet and cut-it-with-a-knife foggy.  But there you go.

Of course...

{pretty picture while you wait for the full disclosure}

{the red dot is an intrepid soul who was walking FIVE dogs simultaneously}

...the salad precedes an obligatory ginger cookie(s) and coffee experience.*


*Little Lad has a new hand mixer and isn't afraid to use it.

P.S.  The fella passed his theory test with flying colours -- that's the good news.  The bad news:  he can't take the on-the-road portion of the test until the first week of January.  This means that unless something magical happens, we will spend the month of December getting to know the bus system and calling upon the kindness of friends and acquaintances.  Never a dull moment...

Snapshots from Over There

It is a good thing that the small boy's teacher gave him homework.  Otherwise, our pace was so feverish and jam-packed that we might not have taken in the scenery.  (Feverish literally:  after a breathless-but-lovely week of lunches, dinners and coffees with dear friends, I succumbed to something yucky and had to crawl under the covers for a bit.  At least it wasn't the explosive tummy version that afflicted my poor wee lad.)

The homework assignment:  create an album to show your classmates what life is/was like where you lived before.  Here you see the results of the lad's brainstorming.

I like how this photo manages to include Papa's former place of employment, Grandma's Halloween decorations (arranged by guess who), and...a pickup truck.  Although really this is a Scotland-sized pickup and not a Missouri one!

Ah, now here is a proper Missouri pickup truck.  "Super Duty!"

To be continued...I need to take the Mister to Berwick for his (written) driving test (speaking of vehicles).  Hold a good thought!
 

Yep

Just a few alterations, and he'll be ready for the Christmas dance.

P.S.  Full permission granted by the lad for my use of these photos, of course.
P.P.S.  It's a church rummage sale find that magically turns out to be one of our auld ancestral tartans -- how cool is that?


 

A Bit of a Tizzy

The lads and I are leaving in three days' time for our first trip back to America.

Nearly every day I make a scrawly mess of my to-do list and have to (choose to) chuck it into the recycling and start afresh.

It seems a good time to meditate on some pictures of my autumnal garden and village.

Especially now that winter has arrived (right now, at lunchtime, it is 50F -- a damp 50F).

See you soon!

Beauty Where We Were

I was in the mood for a bit of a Thursday throwback...

West Street, Berwick

Yesterday I was taking pictures of a pile of old toilets and bathtubs when a very old, very stylish woman stopped to chuckle at me and say, "Is that something interesting to photograph?"

Please note that she would have had to walk up that hill to do her shopping...

I think I know who I want to be when I grow up.

After-school Ritual

A snack and Scooby Doo.

A Dry Sunny Day in Edinburgh

A Gift

Treasure

No Ordin'ry Day

What I want to remember about today is that on my way to the garden centre for firewood and kindling...

 ...I was required to stop at the Mount Pleasant Farm intersection, where all roads were closed to traffic, and people were standing on the verges...

Because, lo and behold, the Tour de (okay, of) Britain was passing through.  And suddenly a mundane errand became a festive event, as I watched the cyclists whiz by.

But this wasn't the only festive event today in my neighborhood.  As it happens, a couple of hours from now, Queen Elizabeth will become the longest-reigning monarch in British history.  And she chose to celebrate in my own back yard (more or less), taking a ride on (and officially opening) the brand-new Borders Railway.

Click here if you'd like to see some photos and a video (there are Men in Kilts, if you fancy such things).

Meanwhile...in slightly humbler and more personal transportation news, these arrived today:

The mister and I have got some studying to do.


(Full disclosure:  I took all of the photos except the last one three years ago in England, during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.  It was loads of fun to have an excuse to take a trip down Memory Lane!)