Goodbye 2008

 

Good evening, sorry to be so late with this post but all the family arrived just as we got home from our day out and stayed to tea and have just left. Would have left this until tomorrow but I had been preparing this photo entry all day and wanted to get it in this year. It is a very cold night here as I think it is all over the UK today we have -3 c here that's 27f which is cold for here and it is still only 9pm. 

This is the last sunrise of the year from my bedroom window it was not spectacular but it was very pretty. As we would be away all day and we would be travelling back into the sunset I thought I may just be lucky enough to record sunrise and sunset on the 31st of December.  We had a lovely day out a nice run in the car to St Andrews (I think I should move there) had a picnic watching the tide come in stopped off at Birnie Loch on the way home will show pictures of that later maybe tomorrow. As we travelled home again the sunset got better and better until finally I thought this was the best I would be able to get.

When we arrived home I was in the kitchen making a nice hot drink after a cold day out and this is what I saw out of my Kitchenette window.

If you look very carefully in the left hand corner you will just make out Venus it looked a lot closer than it does in the picture it was very spectacular to see I have never seen it like this before the sky was so clear.

 

Finally this is the way it looked after dark no other stars were visible it looked strange just The New Moon and Venus.

So now it just leaves my to wish you all a Very Happy New Year. 

                         Love

Only Two Days Left.

Another Erte.

Good Evening, not been out much today as it has been very cold never getting above freezing all day.  I walked round for a paper this morning for Stuart but that was it and  Stuart walked to the post box this afternoon and that was plenty for him. 

We we at the hospital yesterday to see about Stuart's leg that has been giving him so much pain these last few years so at last they are going to do something about it.  The blood flow is not not good at all in his right leg and his left is not much better so after some other tests the doctor recons it will be angioplasty for both legs, I think it is also called Stints. Hopefully it will take all the pain away as he is a great walker as you know and this has become so much worse in the last few months it is restricting him so much.  So now we wait for another appointment for the scan of his arteries.

We still have not seen the rest of the family over Christmas just a phone call last night to enquire about Stuart's hospital visit. I feel bad about this as we still have our only grand daughter parcels here waiting for all to be well.

It has been very quiet on my dashboard today wondering where everybody is maybe it will be busier after tea. That said better go and make a start on ours. till next time. Love ,

                        

Sugar made this for me.

Another of Erte's Paintings.

Have had a very quiet day today not an out and about day at all as it has been dull cold an dark not nice at all after all the sunshine of yesterday. Stuart did the cooking today so that was nice always enjoy his cooking.
As I have nothing to tell you about today thought I would post some of the other photographs I took yesterday when we managed to get out for a while.

This is the opposite end of the loch from where we live. You can still see the frost.

Love the reflection on the water.

This is untouched it's bit pale but that was the way it was. The Whooper Swans were

calling all the time were there it is such a melancholy sound.

Thats about it for tonight so till next time Love Joan.

Nearly at Year End.

Good Evening, the lady above is the Queen of The Night a painting by Erte and I put her up there because she is on the cover of my new diary and I thought she was lovely. Stuart always puts a diary in my Christmas stocking every year and this is the 2009 edition.

Today was a much nicer day than it has been since Monday cold bright and sunny so after our usual coffee at our usual coffee shop we decided to go for a walk, just local but the air was cool and crisp just what you need after all the lethargy of the last few days. We headed to the to the side of the loch today to walk a bit more of the new path around our loch. The first picture below is of the Lock Keepers house where the sluice gates are.


As you can see the water flows right under the building. Today there was a lot of water being run off from the loch. It is these sluices that regulate the height of the water in the loch, the next picture is one of carved seats that are placed around the path it has a lovely inscription on it ..


WHERE ONCE SARGASSO EELS CAME BACK TO BREED,
SLUICE GATES CLOSE TO STEM THE WATER SPEED.

We really enjoyed our walk it blew away all the cobwebs and made us feel much more alert and not so tired, I find when I am in for a few days I get so tired and feel so cooped up I just have to get out. Never mind another week and all will be back to normal thank goodness. Off now to watch Foyle's War I know it's a repeat but it is a favourite of ours so till next time Love. Joan.

Boxing Day Roundup.

Good Afternoon, I hope you are all having a peaceful Boxing Day, after all the activity of the last few days.
This was Stuart and I's 49th Christmas together and believe it or not it is the first time we have have spent it alone just the two of us. With our one and only son and his family all in bed in varying stages of the flu as I said in my Christmas eve entry we were not going up for our usual Christmas Day visit. We had a lovely day very quiet and peaceful did not have to be up too early. After we opened our pressies which were all very nice we watched the Watchnight Service I recorded from Inverness it was lovely. Then got stuck into doing the lunch which I did not expect to have to do but have done it so often it was not any bother. Everything turned out just fine and we really enjoyed it. We phoned the flu victims and chatted to them, Ellen as in good spirits must be hard for her with Mum and Dad not well. Hopefully they will be better soon.
Today we managed to get out this morning for a bit of a walk but it has not been a very nice day here very cloudy and dark hoping it will be better tomorrow with bit of sunshine. Just off now to make a meal guess what, left over chicken from yesterday like everybody else I suppose. Stuart is watching Madagascar and doing a lot of laughing so it must be funny. Till net time, Love

Our Christmas has been Cancelled

Good afternoon, as you can see from my title today our Christmas is cancelled well our Christmas dinner with the family is cancelled everybody that would be there with the exception of Ellen is down with flu. So Richard, Lisa and Lisa's Mum and Dad are all ill. Stuart and I are OK (we had our flu jags ) and we are not going to chance going up to our sons for Christmas Day. Stuart has not been at his best lately as I have said and he does had a heart condition too so we are going to give it a miss. We are all going to reconvene next week for our Christmas Day festivities. I always have the makings of a special lunch in the fridge for Boxing Day so I will bring it forward to tomorrow all I had to run out for was Christmas pudding as the one I had ready to take with us tomorrow is a very large one and I did not want to start it.

Have been out for odds and ends this morning and had a coffee in our local garden centre, lovely. I think that it from me only to say to all of you from Stuart and I we hope you all have a lovely Christmas and stay clear of this awful flu.

Love Joan.

Post has just arrived one last Christmas card + Gas and Electric bills wow what a Christmas Eve post. Happy Christmas.

Three More Sleeps

Good evening, this is a very late evening entry for me but have just been doing a quick catch up as I have been busy tonight doing with every bodies favourite job cleaning the oven I hate it with a vengeance but tonight out came the oven cleaner and the rubber gloves and I got stuck in it is now sparkling well almost. At this time of year there always seem to be just one more job to do you do it and there is something else still as I said before it will all get done.
We had some bad news last week, after Stuart's test last week he was told he has type 2 Diabetes worring how my sweet toothed husband is going to deal with this and am not sure what I can do to help him. He is waiting now to see the doctor who does the Diabetic clinic at the surgery should get some info from that. Don't think we will get an appointment before the turn of the year as our surgery is closed four days this week and four the next for the New Year holidays.


We had a good day out today to our usual Monday haunt of St Andrews it was mild and sunny and we had a grand day out. Camera let me down badly there was this shop window I wanted to share with you but my ......batteries were flat and did not have my spares with me and then on the way home the lighting effect with black clouds and sunshine was spectacular sorry I missed it. Batteries are a bit scarce just now as I have a mini tree out in the vestibule that takes three batteries and needs changing every couple of days so my spares were charging.
I think thats about it for tonight so till next time Love,

Joan.

Oh No Its Friday.

I just don't know what has happened to the days this week they seem of have disappeared like magic. With being in bed yesterday and not getting our weekly shop done on Wednesday I am like the cows tail all behind. Its one of those weeks when you wake up in the morning you have not got a clue what day it is. Hopefully tomorrow I will remember its Saturday and go for a coffee. I did get my shopping done today so we will not starve this weekend. Its been a dreadful day here heavy driving rain and strong winds with more forecast for tonight. We did not linger long when we were out today as I am not quite right yet but a lot better than yesterday and the wonderful weather people said it was going to snow by lunch time as usual they were wrong but whats new.
Wanted to say thank you to everybody who sent us all of those lovely Christmas cards they brighter up my lounge just lovely. Think I managed to get all the presents bought now will get them all sorted out this weekend, then it will just be finishing touches I hope. Not much else to tell tonight so till next time. Love,

Thank you Sugar for the siggy.

Thursday

Good evening,Even after all my precautions yesterday trying to avoid the flu I have been in bed all day with some kind of tummy but feeling a bit better now after some lovely nursing from hubby. The reason I did not want wo miss another posting is because I have collected all these lovely Christmas Graphics and I wanted to use them before time runs out for Christmas. All our graphic makers do such lovely work would like to thank them all our journals would be a drab place without them. So to Sugar, Chris, Missy, Donna and anyone I may have missed I thank you. thats about it for tonight so till next time Love .
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Good Evening it seems ages since I did an entry between one thing and another and the time of year too. First I lost my connection on Sunday morning until Monday night we did try everything as we don't like to phone as they are so hard to understand but we were forced to in the end but it was a simple thing and we managed to get back on line within a a few minutes. When you have been offline for a couple of days when you look in on dashboard and see how far behind you are it panics you. If I missed you our I am sorry I will get back up to date soon. Today I have had Ellen all day, she came off school last Friday. We have been baking we made Shortbread and gingerbread men and biscuits all turned out well and she really enjoyed herself. Richard our son usually calls for her on his way home but unfortunately his is laid low with flu. He has been fighting it for a week but today the flu won and he had to go back to bed. We took Ellen home but did the enter the flu infested house lol don't really want to be ill for Christmas.
So I am sitting here feet up and I am absolutely exhausted my back is killing me. I knew there was a reason I stopped baking more than one thing at a time the reason my back, standing for a long time definitely effects it. I have taken a couple of my back pills and I have a hot water bottle on it and it is easing off. Can't believe it so near to Christmas cards are done and away but the wrapping is still to be done I suppose it will all get done it always does. Off now to watch a film and relax so till next time. Love

















Can't believe it so near Christmas at least cards are away but have not started to wrap anything yet but ther is still plenty of time yet, famous last words. I suppose we will all get there we always do. Think thats about it for tonight

The Moon.

Good Evening, just a normal quiet Friday here in Tayside, cold and damp. I have updated my book journal at last its been five weeks since I managed to finish a book have been very slow of late always very sleepy just now so don't get many pages read.

Why is it every time there is anything happening in the heavens it is thick cloud and we see nothing. Whither it be a sun eclipse or a moon eclipse the cloud always has to spoil everything. Today our Moon is at its nearest for the year it is going to be much bigger than usual it would have been quite spectacular but I don't think we are going to see a thing. I have been very interested in the heavenly bodies since I was a little girl and Dad and I used to watch the phenomena together. I think I mentioned this before, if my wonky memory recalls.You know these pictures you see on the telly of these great big sunrises or sunsets oh how I would love to see a great big sun like that.

Oh I nearly forgot to tell you about a film Stuart and watched yesterday afternoon. We had been for our walk came home frozen and a it miserable so we made a pot of coffee and put on a film we recorded a week or so ago. It was 'Ladies in Lavender' with Maggie Smith and Dame Judy Dench. What a lovely film it is very gentle no bad language a good story lovely scenery it is staged in Cornwall by the sea. It was a great film for a winters afternoon. Later last night I noticed a coincidence it was on Channel 4 yesterday afternoon at the same time as we were watching it. I thought that was very funny although we did not have to watch all the adverts. If you get the chance watch this it is worth your time.

Before I go could I take the liberty to remind you all to order your repeat prescriptions to see you over the festive season as surgeries will be closed for four days both weeks and I would not want you to be without your meds.

Till next time Love

Thursday's Troubles

Thank you Donna for this one I know its an older one but it is lovely.
Good Afternoon, Thursday already can hardly believe it. Its been a busy week trying to get ahead before Christmas even having all this retirement time on my hands I still can get behind. I have tried to catch up a bit this morning reading you entries got way behind as I have been having computer problems. Think its nearly better now fingers crossed.
What a morning Stuart has had he had a double blood test this morning to test his sugar level his first appointment was at 9-45 fasting of course blood taken a ECG then a sugary drink came home waited till 11-45 still fasting then off for a second blood test. He came home starving so have fed him with scrambled eggs on toast so he is a happy bunny now but I think he has just nodded off watching the news.
We were out yesterday and did a bit of the non perishable food shopping armed with a years worth of vouchers it was great as my shopping hardly cost me anything. I always save my Tesco's vouchers from one year to the next and it makes it more worth while that way.
I think that's about it for now so till next time. Love

Tuesday Tit Bits.

Good Evening,its been a lovely winters day here but the pavements are still very bad and it is making walking difficult. We usually don't take the car out to go for a walk but today we did, we took it down to the lochside to see if walking would be easier there. It was great, underfoot was fine as it is rougher ground and paths. We had a lovely view of the resident Kingfisher as an added bonus.It was very cold but we are both lucky as we have feather flled jackets that are so cosy. We had a look at the finishing touches that have been made to the trail around he loch. It must have been hard to chose what to make as a theme.The loch is famous for fishing the world championships are held here so one of the small pillars are carved with fishing flies.



On another stone is a lovely carving of two curling stones, again the loch is famous for holding Bon Speil (outdoor curling) but with our warmer winters (I wish someone had told the weather that this afternoon) the loch does not freeze thickly enough to hold the big events as hundred of curlers from all over Scotland come to curl. The way this winter is going we may be lucky come January.


We really enjoyed being out and about this afternoon after not getting out for our walks for the past few weeks. Have a nice evening.
Love Joan

Saturday Musings

 

 Good evening still reeling a bit after last nights news about dear Sylvia it came as such a shock. The last I heard from her was just before Christmas last year just after she moved to a smaller house in a nice location and she was very pleased about it.  She stopped writing in her lovely journal just after that and I wrongly assumed she had just stopped writing as she was so busy with her husband how wrong can I have been. She was such a lovely person and I loved reading her journal and seeing the pictures of the countryside around her we had a lot in common.It is sad we have not been able to salvage here journal from AOL as it would have been something lasting of her complete with all her poems.

I think that's it for tonight.Till next time Love Joan.

A little helper for you!

Good morning, sorry to be mumping yesterday was feeling a bit down as I had been worrying a lot about Stuart's x-ray but as it turned out ok things are looking better. Alone this morning it being Friday Stuart off painting something nice I hope.

I have been reading you all saying you will have to get you Christmas cards written out so I thought this morning I would share with you the way I do it and hope it may help you and save you a lot of time and bother.

First of all you get on you computer now that's not hard to us that spend so much time on here. Put up a blank document on Word or whatever program you use. Type the name and address add a little Christmas graphic on one side save then move on down your address book keep saving as you go just in case. When you have all your names and address done, its a great job for a bad day but you only have to do it once as it is saved and you can use it year on year. Print off all the sheets on plain paper trim, some Pritt the none sticky sticky stuff or any paper glue to stick them on the envelopes and that's you done all you have to do is sign the cards and the Christmassy labels look great nice and clear for Mr Postman.

Let me know what your think I love it and I have been using it for the last five years had to redo it last year as I changed my PC but otherwise it has been great.

Love Joan

Hope the Pheasant can escape Christmas dinner.

Thank you so much

Good afternoon, first of all I would like to thank you all for all your good wishes on my birthday on Tuesday it was appreciated very much. I was a bit upset on Tuesday as my only son and his family forgot my birthday so I just had a lonely solitary birthday card on the mantle. I did not expect to see him till Wednesday when he comes to pick up our granddaughter after her tea with us as we pick her up from school on Wednesdays. All I needed was a wee phone call or even a email would have been enough. Must admit it did upset me, he did arrive last night full of apologies. I said I may have forgiven him by next week.

We were promised a good deal of snow overnight but none came well one flake deep and you can hardly call that a significant fall can you. There have been lots of complaints against the weather forecasters as they have made such a big mistake I know some part of the country have had a few inches of snow but nothing like they forecast yesterday. With all the wonderful equipment you would think they could do a little better. I think many people had taken a days holiday so not to get caught up with all the bad weather so they have wasted a precious days holiday for nothing. Me you can tell I am disappointed we did not get any. Just a kid at heart age 66.

Our favourite winter sport started yesterday so we recorded it. It's biathlon time again great so off to watch yesterdays' Till next time. If you think you have read this earlier I had to delete my entry as something went wrong and I could no access my journal again so it' fixed now and I have rewritten it I hope. Till next time Love Joan.

It's my Birthday.

Sugar made this lovely tag.

This is the first time I can remember when I have looked out of the window of the morning of my birthday and was looking at a wonderful white world. Yes it had snowed overnight and it is the most beautiful day blue sky and snow what more could you ask for. Stuart bought me a new mobile phone as my old one was not holding its charge this one is all singing and dancing and has a camera too so there is no excuse now for now having my camera with me as I always have my phone in by handbag.

Stuart had a doctors appointment at the surgery this morning so he was up with the lark this was for the results of an chest x-ray he had for his breathlessness, must admit I have been very worried about it but all is well there, but more test will follow as his blood sugar is a tad high so he is having glucose controlled blood test next week so we will see what that tells us.

We always have a laugh on my birthday as for the next month I am only 2 years younger than Stuart until he has his birthday on the 3rd of January. Well I think that's it for today so till next time. Love Joan

Lindores. Tayside.

Monday Monday.

Sugar made this snowman, thank you.

Good Evening, Everybody has been so busy making their journals special for the festive season and you have all done a wonderful job. I have been trying to put in a new Christmas layout but have been having difficulty not today but for the last few weeks in my practice journal any help would be gratefully received.

We have been out and about today after our frozen weekend, it was a bit warmer today at least we got up to above zero. I had to take a pair of trousers back to M&S I picked up medium length and I need short, so that done we did a bit of Christmas shopping then headed to the hospital where I had a new ear mould fitted to one of my hearing aids so I am hearing well again much clearer. By this time it was getting colder so after a quick bit of food shopping we headed back home. Heading home for us means traverling west and today it was in to a beautiful sunset the sky was pink and yellow at the same time I was sure I had put my camera in my bag this morning but I must have done the usual and le ft it sitting on the table so annoying when you see such a magnificent sight. Have not been round all your journals yet tonight but I will get there if not now tomorrow morning. Till next time Love Joan.