Little Surprise

I've been filling the days with little jobs I have been meaning to do. I've been dusting the house - even getting behind the radiators. I am appalled at the amount of dust that gets built up behind radiators.

I've also been going through the dive photos from July and identifying the little fishies in the pictures. I've been deleting the photos that are way too out of focus. I was all set to delete this out-of-focus photo of a nudibranch, the Varicose wart slug (a really unpleasant name) Phyllidia varicosa when something else in the photo caught my eye.I blew the photo up and discovered that what I had was a more in-focus photo of a Sebree's pygmy goby Eviota sebreei !!I was so delighted that I literally bounced in my chair! This is a photo of a 3 cm adult. They are actually quite common but so tiny that nobody ever notices them.

I'm not a good nature photographer, but I am keen. If you want to see the other photos, here's the link. Peggy's Photos

This photo was taken on the 14th of July at a dive site called Marsa Shouni Soroya near Port Ghalib in Egypt.

Chimney Fire

Relax! It is out now and the house is still standing.

Boy it was scary though!

With the cold snap we've been having, it was thought that lighting the old range would be a good idea. This range is connected to the chimney we ended up capping in 2008 as we had jackdaws trying to nest there. Since the extension was completed and we use our lovely oil fired boiler to heat the house, this range has been out of a job. This is the first winter in a few years we have thought about lighting it.

It turns out that we weren't fast enough with the chimney cap and there was a half-built nest in the chimney. We were wondering why the fire wasn't drawing as it should. I just assumed that the chimney was cold and that when it warmed up, it would draw better. . . . .

Well it warmed right up The room this range is in started to fill with smoke. I thought perhaps the wind had changed and the smoke was being blown in. I shut the doors to this room and cracked the window open to let some of the smoke escape. Then I heard the fire roar inside the range. I mean louder than normal. To make things even more dramatic, burning twigs started to fall down the chimney and onto the range. Yikes! Chimney fire!

I put a call into the fire department and then went to the kitchen and got a dishpan full of water.

I was flinging burning twigs back onto the range if they bounced onto the carpet. The water was there to manage any embers that I couldn't get.Where the burning sticks were coming from.

By the time the fire department arrived, the chimney fire had burnt itself out. It turns out that the flu to the range isn't as attached to the chimney as we had once thought. This is why I had the scary rain of fire. A call to our pal Kevin the builder/plasterer is in order I think!

The room this range is in is quite kippered. I'm trying to get rid of the smell of smoke. I've cleaned the windows, and dusted. I remembered that we had a bottle of Febreze in the kitchen. With this cold weather (and it is probably old) the product has sort of set into a jell. The bottle of fabric deodorizer is soaking in warm water for a bit to see if that makes it fluid once again.

So, that was yesterday - bonus for getting to see firemen! Lesson for the day: Have ALL the chimneys checked and cleaned every spring, not just the ones you use regularly.

Winter Eases

It didn't snow today. The temperature got up to a balmy 4 C.

This first picture was taken yesterday. We've had snow since the 19th of December and none of the snow has yet to melt off the roof. All the extra insulation that The Man of the Place put up there has really paid off!

While going out to the chicken run with the water, I heard the sound of running water just as I was going out the kitchen door. The running water was from the drain!! The pipes had thawed enough for the water to drain! The bathroom is back in working order.

Meanwhile the colder winter temperatures mean that from time to time the cat and the dog will share space in front of the fire.

Cold Problems

I don't want to always be moaning about the weather. I don't mind snow and I can deal with much colder temperatures than we have at the moment. As I have mentioned before, any condition that freezes the mud is fine by me. However, not everything around here is as hardy as this northern gal.Our drains have frozen. I'm pleased it isn't water pipes that have frozen, but I fear those could be next if we're not careful.

I went into the bathroom just before dinner and noticed that the bathtub had a bit of standing water in it from a drippy tap (faucet) and the bath plug was not in. That is not good. I hoped for a hairball or some other non-frozen clog problem but I feared the worst. I ran some hot water into the tub and got the plunger out. Plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge plunge and . . . . nothing. Just lots of grit coming up - eventually a leaf came up as well. I had plunged as far as I could plunge. As illustrated above, the drains to this bathroom are external - and there is a big old freeze in them somewhere.
This is the tub full of warm, dirty water after the failed effort to plunge the clog away. I have put a call in to the plumber, but I suspect his time is at a premium with burst pipes and frozen drains.

Meanwhile, George and I saw an actual snowplow come by the house! Twice!!! Sadly the plow's blades were set too high and it looks as though nothing was actually plowed up and there was no grit or sand sprinkled on our little lane. *sigh* Why is nobody prepared for this weather? Is it such a big surprise that we've got snow in the winter? Sheesh! We haven't even had a full foot of snow!

Polly and I continue to enjoy the weather. Polly should have sound effects when going for a walk in the snow. The sound effect would be a *boing boing boing* sort of sound. I cheer up just watching her.

Warm Memories

The mercury has plummeted. Walking out the chicken run to fetch the waterer in for the night, the snow squeaks underfoot. That old familiar squeak alone can make me feel cold.
Circular batfish
Platax orbicularis

This is the sort of weather for indoor things. As I have loads of time on my hands over the holidays, I have finally begun to upload some diving photos onto Flickr. I am trying to do this systematically. I am uploading them in the order that they were taken. I then am adding in the name of the fish in the picture (including the Latin name as I am a bit of a nerd) and the dive site.
Banded Snake Eel
Myrichthys colubrinus

We had ten days of diving during our holiday in Egypt. The first day out I did not bring my camera. I wanted to "get my chops back" before adding in the additional distraction of a camera. Having a camera is a distraction to diving and one becomes less aware of things. Ones discipline has to be sharpened and you have to know to look up and look around between shots and not get to involved in photography or something bad could happen.Network pipefish
Corythoichthys flavofasciatus

I took the camera on the second day's diving. It was a trip to Abu Dahab, a wonderful shore dive that was a short drive from our hotel. Imagine a little sandy bay with a coral reef to the right with a gentle slope into a vast area of sea grass in the centre. The temperature was in the mid 40's C, not a cloud to be seen and only a gentle breeze to stir the beach towels on the shore.

Sea turtles are the big and most reliable draw to this dive site. For me, once I've seen a turtle, I was much more interested in getting back to the reef where life and colour was almost exploding.

Hawksbill turle with 2 remora
Eretmochelys imbricata - turtle
Echeneis naucrates - remora

We had two dives that day with a lovely break for pizza and a nap between dives. The sun was scorching hot and naps were had under umbrellas. Where's a time machine when you really want one?

Lined butterflyfish
Chaetodon lineolatus with
lovely orange Anthias
Pseudanthias squamipinnis

The hawksbill turtle is rare and critically endangered. Having said that, most of the turtles we saw on this holiday were hawksbill turtles with the occasional green turtle thrown in for good measure.

We had an excellent day with no accidents and no sunburn!

Happy New Year!

All the best for 2010!
Me and the Man of the Place, George and the assorted pets hope you have a wonderful year ahead with nothing but nice things.

I am finally uploading the photographs I took in July when we were diving in the Red Sea. That particular holiday was the highlight of our year. They'll be up on Flickr. The Flickr badge is on the right side of the blog here. Click it and have a look for yourself. It is nice when it is all cold and snowy outside to sort through photos of a particularly lovely HOT holiday.

We had more snow today. As it is the first of the year, we thought we would go for a walk to see a local and ancient spot, King Schaw's Grave. Sadly the unplowed state of our little lane meant that we didn't make it. We walked the dog up to the frozen duck ponds instead.

Winter Wonderland!

The tree was cut yesterday. We didn't get around to pulling it inside and placing it in the stand until this morning. As it had snowed last night - indeed it is snowing still - the branches were stuck with frozen snow that wouldn't brush off. Cold puddles on the tiles were a major feature of today's activity.

The Man of the Place went off to visit assorted aunts and cousins near Sunderland today. George and I shopped closer to home. When we returned, the snow looked so pretty that it was required that we go and have a romp in it. Naturally as I am a grown woman, I called it "walking the dog".The chickens are in there somewhere . . . . but where?
Ah, I see them!

Poor things - huddled out of the snow. Don't worry about them though. They still have food and water. I bring the water can in each night and place it by the kitchen door. This way, the hens don't have to try to peck at ice. I check for eggs twice a day in the coldest parts of winter as a frozen egg is of no use to anybody. The shell cracks as the egg expands and must be thrown out.
The lane looking north from our place. Notice Polly having a romp. She bloody LOVES snow!A view of our place in the snow. I love the blue light that one gets in the snow at twighlight.
The lane up to the (now frozen) duck ponds. We saw loads of pheasant tracks in the snow, but little else. Polly smells something in there - it is so exciting!

Photo of yours trulyand fair George


Now that the tree has had the day to drip dry, we're going to set about decorating it!

Snow!

First thing - I FOUND my camera! Edinburgh at night - I think if you click on the photo, you can see Edinburgh Castle in the distance, up on the hill.

The camera was in a little and seldom used side pocket of my handbag. See? Proves my point that smaller handbags are better. The handbag I am using at the moment is much large than ones I have used in the past and I'm not liking it. In addition, if one is going into town for a boozy night with your pals, you really shouldn't take a camera as you may lose it.
This is at my friend Nina's place in Livingston on Thursday night. The roads were not plowed and I was so glad that we were taking the train into Edinburgh instead of driving.
Merry bunch of work colleagues - before the copious amounts of wine set in . . . .

Then more snow yesterday . . . . The road in front of our house.Another merry bunch! - the Dive Club Christmas party - We had squeaky balloons that we used to launch at other tables at the hotel.
Alex - in stylish Christmas cracker hat - Our drive - Doesn't it look so Christmassy?

Rats!

I've been laid off.

I went out last night in Edinburgh with my now former colleagues to say farewell. I got a bit squiffy and left my camera somewhere. It's a shame as there were some nice photos of all the snow in Edinburgh.

I've known about the impending layoff for a while. I was hoping that with my glowing record of success in the pharmaceutical industry, I'd have a new job in moments. *sigh*

Now it seems that companies have stopped interviewing in the run up to Christmas. I'll have to wait until January to continue my hunt.

Old Favourites!

This is my favourite view of our place, tucked into a Scottish hillside.

This weekend is all about comfort for me. I made comforting foods for my family to eat, onion soup and lasagne. I served the food up on the most robust plates ever made, Corelle by Corning. The plates were wedding presents when The Man of the Place and I were married over 17 years ago. Sure there are a few that are showing signs of wear, but there are few broken. The plates lived through a lively family with kids who resented having to wash the dishes. Sometimes the dishes took the brunt of their resentment. Lesser plates are no longer in service. Though the pattern has dimmed over time, the Corelle plates are still plugging away. I think the pattern is no longer available so I can't buy the few items to replace the ones that did manage to break, but there are still plenty of plates to set the table, plus occasional guests.

We have had a rare, dry weekend. My family and I have been enjoying the fact that there is less mud in our lives these days. When the rain starts again tomorrow - naturally we can't have more than three dry days together, I won't be inundated with mud at the back door because the finishing layer of gravel is down. I wish we had done this YEARS ago! It looks so much better around here and (forgive me for repeating myself) there is LESS MUD!

New Gravel!

We've had a LOT of rain. It is official. This is the wettest year since records began. There has been flooding in the area as well. Our house is on a hill so we are in no danger of rising water but that doesn't mean that the ground hasn't been completely saturated!

The Man of the Place and I were sick to the back teeth of rain and mud. We can't stop the rain, but perhaps we can manage the mud a bit better. The drive and yard are getting new gravel.

First the ancient and crumbling concrete was scraped up and hauled away. Bits of the old cobbled yard, from the days when Whitelees Cottage used to be the location of a lumber mill (between the wars) Then a new sub-base of scrapings from our local quarry was dumped and leveled. Later on we will get nice finished gravel to make it all look lovelier.

Meanwhile in the house, the pets compete for the best spot in front of the fire.Polly has won this round.

I love having friends that own heavy machinery. Stuart has a JCB, Innes has a heavy duty trailer. Gamekeeper Mike doesn't own any heavy machinery that I know of, but he did bring me a couple brace of pheasants that were shot yesterday. I couldn't take Polly out for a walk yesterday as there was a pheasant shoot on. This little gift makes up for it!!

As I write this, our cat Julio is out in the tunnel, yowling at the pheasants. I think he wants to eat them . . . . sorry Julio.

Double Yolker!!

The girls have been in high production lately. We can't move for eggs!
I sell the surplus. In addition to selling the odd dozen, I give eggs to neighbours and friends. Fresh eggs always grease the skids. Our neighbours have been very good to us in the past. It is always nice to be able to return the favour.

The chicken run has turned into a quagmire lately. On the weekends when we are around to keep foxes away, I will let them out. The garden is resting and there isn't anything they can destroy this time of year.
Sometimes these chickens will jump up onto the window ledges. I love this picture. It looks as though the hens are saying, "Look they've got popcorn"!
One of the eggs I collected this week was considerably larger than the others. I knew that cracking this puppy open would reveal the elusive double yolker.
Yup a double yolker. It was a weird one though. The yolks were conjoined!

The Man of the Place's Moment of Stardom

I thought I'd do this whilst he is away for the weekend at a banjo playing course. . ..

Here is footage of my dear husband singing A Boy Named Sue during the karaoke night at the Marina Lodge, Marsa Alam. Thankfully footage of me singing Like a Virgin and Waterloo and a group effort of Blame it on the Boogie were not filmed. We (and "we" means me) were lamentable.

Watching the footage makes me laugh all over again. I will state that I am not laughing AT The Man of the Place, I am laughing because we had so much FUN on that holiday.
It is the mark of a good vacation when you smile and laugh as one goes through the pictures, wishing yourself back again.Me and The Man of the Place - both wearing great hats!

Looking through a window in the office, all I can see is dark. I know that on the other side of the glass it is raining and about 4 degrees. I can remember what the sun and heat of Egypt felt like and I miss it