A Ghost Story for Halloween.

Charcoal drawing by permission of my hubby.

Good Afternoon,Stuart has just come in from his art class and I thought the charcoal drawing he did was a bit spooky for today, being Halloween.

I have not had time to look for a new ghost story for you with all the trials and tribulations we have all had over the past few weeks so I hope you will for give me for posting the one I did a few years ago. So without more ado here we

A Ghost Story for Halloween.
In Scotland , among hill walkers there is a story of 'The Old man of The Mountains'. Many people hear him but none see him. Today for Halloween I am going to tell you a true story of 'The Old Man of the Mountains'.
The story begins many years ,a young couple were on a weekend camping trip to Glen Lyon with the girls parents. They were very keen hill walkers and usually did this together but on this particular day the guy went to the mountains on has own. He was a very brisk walker and used to walk all his companions off their feet, maybe that is why he was on has own that day.
He set off at usual pace to climb the mountain nearest to the campsite, it was a lovely summer day with sun shining brightly and he made good progress up the mountain, we are not talking Ben Nevis here, but around the 3000ft mark, just a stroll in the park for this guy. Up he went enjoying the beautiful scenery all the way. On reaching the top he had a few minutes rest in the afternoon sunshine. He then set off down the mountain but as he walked a bank of fog rolled in and it turned cold. As he continued he thought he heard someone behind him so he turned to look but there was nobody there. On he went again but he could still hear the footsteps behind him. For a few minutes he kept turning round as he kept hearing the footsteps very close behind him. This really started to get to the him and he started to get the feeling of a presence as well. He kept turning round but could not see anyone there. He started to walk quicker and quicker. Now this guy was a seasoned hill walker, climbed many mountains and was not easily fazed but this was really getting to him. At last the fog was behind him and the sun was out again so he thought all would be well. The footsteps were still there and seemed even closer. He was close to the foot of the mountain now but the presence and the footsteps were still there. At last he crossed the bridge over the River Lyon to the side the campsite and the road were on and he could see the people, but the footsteps were still there . He kept on walking quickly towards the tents. He then saw his girlfriend walk out to meet him and as she approached the footsteps stopped as quickly as they had started and the presence was gone.
I don't know if you have realised it or not but the guy in this story in my Stuart and it was me the walked out to meet hem and he stands by this story to this day and it must have happened nearly 50 years ago. Talking about it today I could see that it still gives him the shivers even after all those years.

I hope you enjoyed reading our story and I apologise for repeating myself. Have a great Halloween if you are going to a party or such like and if you are staying in enjoy.

Picture of the day..................

Flat calm on Loch Leven.

Sunny Thursday.

Thank you Sugar for this one its great and the animation is fab.


Good Afternoon, It has been a lovely sunny day here very cold still, but nice and dry. We took the chance this morning and went for a walk over the other side of the loch today as the footpath has just been finished. What a wonderful job they have made of it nice and firm and dry underfoot with lots to see all around and on the loch itself. Many of our wintering duck and geese are now in from their breeding grounds so it is busy with lots of comings and goings as the geese fly out to the fields to feed for the day. We really had a great walk had coffee and toast in the RSPB visitors centre, it was just a lovely way to spend the morning. We were going to wait and go after lunch but we are glad we didn't as it has clouded up now and is not so nice and I think the wind has become a bit stronger.
Was not feeling very well last night when I wrote my entry don't know what it was but glad to say I am fine again now.
Have been over to J-land and deleted all my journals and although I have them transfered over here I was amazed how sad I felt in fact I was quite emotional about the whole thing however now it's done and that's it, no more.
Time for todays picture this one is a little different, I took this one on a bank, the Fungi was growing on a old tree stump and the sun was shining on it and I just liked it. Meant to say all the Pictures of the day are my own work' So till next time. Love Joan

It's Wednesday (Over the Hump Day).

Good Evening,I feel that I have not sat down all day we seem to have been on the go all day up until now. This morning we had a brisk walk again, doing well this week, have not missed a day. After lunch we headed to Perth for our weekly shopping and to collect Ellen from school that done we headed home got stuck in a traffic jam again, because of roadworks again, on the same bit of road again, what else will they do to this bit of motorway, today they were laying chippy stones by the barrier in between the carriageways. Once we got home Stuart helped with Ellen's (aged 7 only) pile of homework while I made her tea. Daddy arrives to collect Ellen and chat to us (his parents). Around 6-30pm they head off we se them off wave etc.back in to cook our tea tidy up the kitchen and collapse into chair, another Wednesday done and dusted. I really enjoy having her but she is exhausting and very demanding. Love her to bits. How would I manage if I had any more grandchildren.
I really am not complaining just a bit overwrought tonight will soon be my old self again after a wee whisky and ginger.
Stuart is watching some football at the moment and I am watching over the top of my laptop Television Awards until 9 and them I will watch Silent Witness. I do love a thriller as anybody who read my book journal will tell you that. Will be off now journals to read hate the word blog (very common) am not comfortable with it at all do we have to use it? So till next time here today's My Picture of the Day.
Love Joan.



Autumn Comes to Loch Leven Kinrosshire Scotland.

Is It Winter?

Wow has winter arrived or has winter arrived. The wind today was going straight through you, we have not had any snow yet but we did get the low temperatures it has hardly been above freezing point all day. I had to break the ice off the bird bath this morning thats the first time the Autumn or should I say winter. We did verture out for a little brisk walk round to the bank for some pennies and back about 20 minuties in all long enough in that cold. Later in the afternoon watched a film we had recorded so that was nice and cosy with the coffee and the bar of chocolate we shared. I do not really like watching the telly during the day but when the weather keeps us in its a fine way to pass an afternoon.

Watched 'Spooks' last night it was the start of a new series and I rally enjoyed it, part two tonight. I like 'Holby' but Stuart does not so he will do his own thing for a while. So with that in mind I will leave you with my picture of the day saying thank you again Jeannette for helping me with Photobucket what would we do without her. Till next time Love Joan.

Loch of the Lowes.

Monday Monday

               

Good Evening, I don't really have very much to say today not a lot been happening have been out and about today a trip to the coast in the sunshine and a bit of food shopping. Missed out our big shop last week so the cupboard was a bit bare. It's strange the things you run out of first. Decaf coffee for one yogurt and fizzy water.   I also needed a new tin opener my last one died a death last week. The one I had prior to that one was my Dad's electric one I brought it home after we lost him and it strangely meant a lot to me I used it all the time for over ten years the one I bought to replace it was a manual one and that one only lasted about six months. Wonder how long this one will last.

With photographs being so slow to load on here I thought I would start putting in one every day just for the fun of it.

So with that in mind

             Today's Picture of the Day.

                              

                                  The Kilt Rocks Isle of Skye.

Till next time. Love        Joan.

                       

Stormy Saturday.

Good Evening, what can I say about today, we have had such a storm up here wind and very heavy rain. Ferries have been cancelled trees are down and there is a lot of flooding. Hopefully it is going to ease overnight. It has been raining almost constantly since Wednesday evening just after we got home for our run in the car. I have not been out into the countryside around here but I am sure the fields must be underwater by now.

I have spent most of the afternoon putting my pictures back into Picasa, it is some job and I am not finished yet. Still on a day like this it has passed the time away just fine.

In our village tonight there was to be an end of summer fair but I think it will have been cancelled just incase someone get swallow up in the mud lol.  Our yearly agricultural show in the summer was cancelled to so it has not been a good year for my village at all.

Stuart has been spending the afternoon watching Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea with Micheal Caine think its yet another new version of this great story. Stu said there were a lot of different bits in it away from the Jules Verne story but as long as he enjoyed it that's the main thing.

I think I have stretched this entry out as much as I can so till next time.

                           Love,

                           Joan.

Rain Whisky and Photographs.

Good afternoon, after a dreadful morning of very heavy rain it did brighten up this afternoon with a bit of sunshine, and not too cold. Last night I was trying to sort through my photographs in Picasa and I deleted the whole lot by mistake well you can imagine the panic.  I tried system restore but that did not work. Later after I had resigned myself that I would have to start again I discovered that could download them from my hard drive back onto Picasa.  I have not done them all yet it is a slow process but I will get there in the end.

I was reading the the paper today that the Isle of Skye had 3 inches of rain yesterday.  When we were there last month the lady that owned the house we rented told us they had had a very dry summer and when we visited the Talisker Whisky distillery the guide told us they had to close down in May due to lack of water in the spring they use to make the whisky well I don't think they will have anymore bother this year after yesterdays rainfall.

I was messing about yesterday on Blogger Buzz and went into a section called blogger in draft it gives you a slightly different box to write your entry but the way you put pictures in is much easier you select them into a box then you can choose the order you put them in your blog hope this makes sense I certainly thought it was better than working backwards as I had been doing.

Will go not and see whats for dinner. Till next time.

                                                 

Yet Another Grand Day Out

Good Afternoon, I have just managed to get my head around the new blogging system and today it is all change again oh well what will be will be.

Yesterday being a beautiful day we decided as we did not have to pick up our grandaughter from school this week, we would have a run out in the car for a picnic and a look at all the lovely autumn colours. Our first stop was Dunkeld where we had  a coffee and then a walk up the River Tay towards Dunkeld Cathedral.

It was a very cold day but it was worth getting wrapped up for as the river was looking beautiful.  The river Tay is the longest river in Scotland and flows out to sea rear Dundee.

                                    

I loved this picture of the old message bike which had the basket planted up with herbs.

                          

Back in the car we continued to The Loch of the Lowes. I have already shown pictures of this loch as we visited here in June after Ellen's birthday party. It does look different today with its autumn coat on.  This is a very special place for me I have been coming here since I was five in other words over 60 years. I remember clearly as a child swimming here and in the winter walking out on the ice which would have been very thick. I am sure I have a photo somewhere taken on one such day.              

The loch itself has now become a nature reserve and it too has a pair of breeding ospreys.

All in all we had a lovely day out, so glad we went yesterday and not today as we are blowing a gale and pouring rain.

Had a short trip out this morning down the village for some errands but don't think we will get a walk today.  Till next time.    Love Joan.

Bookcase has a new book see sidebar.

Monday/Tuesday.

Here we are Tuesday already. Yesterday we had our usual trip to a very stormy St Andrews I just love it when it is like this unfortunately the tide was just turning when we were there and we did not get the real effect of the wind which was onshore . The tops of the wave were blowing off and the sand was blowing along the beach but I think it would have been better around five in the evening once the tide was farther in.

Today it is bitterly cold I think the wind is coming out of the north and is holding the temperature down a good few degrees it has been so bad we have not been out for our walk today. We did do our recycling of glass this morning and this afternoon I had an appointment at he hypertension clinic for my checkup all the news was good blood pressure was normal which for me is fantastic. Stuart is now finishing a painting he started last week and I will potter on here and maybe finish my book have only got about ten pages to read, that way I will get to start a new one tonight when I climb the stairs to bed, hot water bottle under arm for cold feet.

All seems very quiet here today no more new entries to read everybody must be busy. More and more of our AOL friends are joining us soon we will all be together again.So I will say goodbye till next time and go an finish my book. Love

Joan.

Weekend Catchup.

Good Afternoon it is horrible here today heavy rain and wind now, it was fair for a while this morning so we managed our walk, glad we decided to do it before the chores or we would not have been able to go.
Thought I would put up a Halloween Graphic today, all our lovely ladies that make our graphics have been so busy so if I start showing them now I will get more examples of their great work in my blog. Today it was Missie that made this one, thank you letting me use it.
We were up visiting our son his wife and Ellen yesterday and she is getting excited about Halloween and getting to go out trick or treating (with a chaperon). Yesterday she was running about dressed as a bat just trying her costume out that her mum had made for her.
We managed out into their garden for a while we had to admire their new patio they have had laid recently 100 labs what a size but it looks great all ready for a barbie now, pity the weather is not.
We started watching Cranford last week on Watch a new channel on Satellite we missed it last time for some reason that I cannot remember and we really enjoyed it last week and looking forward to part 2 tonight. The Program had great reviews last winter when it was on so I have been watching out for a repeat showing.
Off for a coffee and a bit of cake that Stuart has just made (the coffee not the cake) so till next time. For news of Nethy see my Bird Watching Diary, Link on the sidebar.

Joan.

A Continuation of Yesterday.

Good afternoon today's entry is really a continuation of yesterday, it was such a glorious afternoon and with the petrol now being 99p per litre haha we thought we would take a little run in the car to the high ground behind where we live.

As we gained height the temperature dropped like a stone and the wind got up. It is very open and windswept but worth it for the views you get from the top

I like this picture of the rolling hills in the distance and the straw bails, which I call Dougals after the Magic Roundabout character, at the bottom of the hill.

In this distance you can see towards a hill called Benarty it has lovely crags when you see it up close.

This last picture is of Castle Island on Loch Leven this is castle in which Mary Queen Of Scots was incarcerated in 1567 and was forced to abdicate in favour of her brother James v1 and was later executed in the Tower of London on the orders of Elizabeth 1. This week there has been murmurings about the Scottish Parliament trying to bring back her remains which now lies in Westminster Abbey to Scotland to be bury her in Stirling Castle. We shall wait and see the outcome of that one. Till next time, Love

Joan.

Come Walk With Me Again.

Good Afternoon,this morning Stuart had an appointment at the hairdresser to have his hair cut at 9-45am. It was a lovely morning so I decided to tag along do a few errands in the village them meet up with Stuart again and we would have a walk down the Loch Side. When we arrived there it was very cold the thermometer in the car was reading 5c that's about 40f. and a brisk north westerly wind was blowing..

I think I have mentioned before that the council are building a cycle/walking tail right around the loch side. We are just about there now only about three miles to go it is going to be wonderful once it is finish. It is fine for us walking just now as we would not be able to get right round as it is going to be twelve and a half miles, what a day out it will be for the good walkers and the cyclists.

As we walked it was very encouraging to see even at that time of the morning a good few people we out walking with and without dogs mother and daughter on bikes and a couple on a tandem. We had a tail wind this morning which helped us along our way. We turned in at a side turning that takes you right down to the side of the loch where they have built a state of the art bird watching hide. On that path there is the remnants of an old fishing boat I took a photograph the last time we were down but it did not turn out as the light was not good that day but today I was pleased with the result today.

We had a few minutes sitting in the hide it was all very tranquil this morning with the ducks and swans swimming and diving in front of us.


After our short rest we headed back to the car and home to a nice pot of coffee and a read of the paper for Stu and a read of some blogs for me. Till next time I hope you enjoyed walking with me where I live. Love Joan.

Good Evening, not been very nice here today a bit dull the sun tried really hard but did not make it. We had a little walk this morning trying to get the old legs working. Stuart was painting this afternoon he is doing a watercolour of the graveyard we were visiting yesterday if Stuart is happy with it when it's finished I will scan it and let you see it. Sorry the pictures were so small last night I tried to blog them from Picasa and that was the size they came over so its back to the drawing board for me. Not very much else happening this afternoon all is quiet here in the street, most people are away all day at work as we were once think we are the lucky ones though.

Blogger has been very quiet too today think everybody must be having a wee rest after all the activity of the last couple of weeks. I decided to import my old bookcase journal today it came over OK it's not very big as it only one entry per book I have read in the last year or so. I wasn't going to bother with it but it is handy if I need to check up if I have read something already I was surprised there are over 50 entries so that's 50 books and that's not counting the ones I gave up on.

I think that enough of my waffling for tonight so I will close now wishing you Goodnight and God Bless. Love,

Monday Monday

Good Evening, have been out and about today we went up to Perth. What a difference a week makes, the trees are turning into all the lovely warm colours of Autumn. We did a bit of shopping spent too much, drank too many coffees but had a lovely day just the same. I bought a new Sudoku puzzle book so that will keep me busy, a new calendar and desk diary for next year (matching) to keep all our important appointments in haha and a new peg bag how exciting . On the way back to the car we strolled through Greyfriers Cemetary in Perth it was originally started by Franciscan Monks in the 13th century. There are some very old headstones there some even with the scull and crossbones carved on them. You will notice that the grass is very long in places this is deliberate as it is grown as a meadow to encourage bees, butterflies etc and gets cut down later in the year when all the seeds are ready. The big Sycamore trees were looking superb today they looked a lot brighter than they look in the photo's. I think that's about it for tonight off to watch the second half of Corrie. till next time. love

Joan.

Saturday Sojourn

Hello, it is a fine sunny day here on Tayside. Stuart and I were up smartish this morning to get our flu jabs and that done our usual coffee and read of the papers at our usual coffee shop. Our coffee shop has this lovely conservatory and this morning the sun was shining in and it was so cosy I could have stayed all day. That is the one thing I would love a Conservatory I am not someone that wants things this is the only thing. The shop is attached to our local garden centre, after our coffees and lovely home made scones we went through and I bought some new Daffodils for a part of the garden that has just been cleared of some old finished plants. When we got home the weather still being nice we managed to get them all planted so now all we to do is sit and wait and see the results.

Have not got anything else planned for today I might have a potter on my Trial and Error blog and see if I can work out where to put these html codes have been trying this for days don't seem to have the window I need. Looking forward to Strictly Come Dancing Tonight it's one of my favourite programs just now. Off now for a potter in my other journal so Till next time. Love

Joan.

Usual Friday.

Good Evening, what can I say about today, it has been raining all day with big black clouds looming to the west. It did try a bit to brighten up this afternoon but it was to no avail the rain just kept on falling. I had a little run down the village this afternoon just to get out of the house for a little while bought a new book in our local hospice shop to add to my every increasing pile. An old friend of mine who is a very cheerful soul says and I quote"I worry that I am not going to live long enough to all the book I want to read" it sounds so sad but she laughs so loudly when she says it you have to laugh with her.

Tomorrow Stuart and I will have to be up with the larks as we have an exciting appointment at the doctors for our annual Flu jab. Wonder how I will react this year sometime I don't feel any ill effects other years I'm not so good.

I did count how many entries I had in my journal over on AOL and I had 498.It's easy to count them now. I think that's about it for today so till next time.

Love,

I Did It Too.

Good Afternoon, so after all our worrying and fretting a few clicks and it was done our J-land journal was uploaded onto blog spot just as easy as that. I have brought over my Birdwatching Journal as well and I think I will start doing more entries in there. I was not going to manually transfer my old journal but when I discovered just how easy it was, it was a dawdle, I say that because usually when I get to the last click something goes wrong so you can see how delighted I was, I am going to leave it as is, I am not going to try to join it to this one it will just be archived, as long as it is there I will still be able to pop in from time time if I want to check on anything. When it was uploading and I saw all the titles going by it was amazing how many I remembered proves my memory is not as bad as I thought.

Stuart and I were out this morning for a walk just to the bank (oh should I mention that word this week) and the paper shop it was a lovely morning not sunny but very mild and no wind.The photograph below is of a big Chestnut Tree that grow outside our bank it is just starting the change colour and would have looked better if the sun was shining. How things have changed it is now raining and is very windy glad we did our errands this morning. Did have a gardening job planned for this afternoon but that will have to wait for another day. I have two round big bowls and I wanted to plant them up with mini Daffs for the spring thankfully we still have time to do this little job.

Stuart is upstairs trying to get his new laptop to accept our printer but it does not want to know don't know why, my laptop is on

Vista Home Premium too and it went on mine no bother at all.

Yesterday when we were out shopping I managed to get ball point ink all over the peach skin shirt I had on as it is one of my favourites I was really upset. Last night before we went to bed I tried the old, soak it in milk trick. When I came down this morning I gave it a little rub with a nailbrush and hey presto it was gone so I think that is one remedy that works well. I think that's about it for today so till next time Love

Joan.

Good morning, just wanted to post some of the other photographs I took when we were on The Isle Of Skye last month not so easy on here to show a lot of pictures it takes ages doing it one at a time still it's better than nothing and I can alway use the rest one at a time at the top of my blog. Off for lunch as this is shopping day and we collect Ellen from school too then back here for tea and homework. Bye just now. Love Joan.