Friday Evening Smiles

Hello Everyone, 

I know it's a bit late to add this to Annie's Friday Smiles, Week 425, over on A Stitch In Time, but I've had a busy few days that has stopped me posting until now. I even had to skip Wednesday's WOYWW, No. 842, post over on Sarah's Craft Shed, but what kept me so busy gave me a lot to smile about. 

Here's why.

Finally, the makeover of my front garden is done. Well, almost. All I have to do now is freshen up the pots, plant up and add a few more and place them in groups to provide colour for next year. 

My daughter and son-in-law, Juli & Graeme, took me to the local building supplies merchants on Tuesday where we choose the material that is replacing the grass that was there before. It had to be removed because the surface beneath was very uneven and difficult to both walk on and to mow. I decided that as I'm getting on a bit now, it was time to go for something that needed less maintenance. 

The delivery was exciting to watch. 

The man who delivered the bags of pebbles very kindly slit the sack bottoms for the contents to spill to the ground. Much easier than emptying them from the top. Juli & Graeme came over yesterday  afternoon and finished spreading the pebbles after Graeme made a wooden edging to prevent them spreading to under the privet hedge. 

Before the day of delivery we had to cut the hedge and clear the trimmings from both the garden and the pavement. While Graeme used his electric shears, I concentrated on trimming round the clematis that had climbed its way upwards through the hedge to bloom at the top. 

It's one that I brought in a pot from our last house. I'd forgotten the name but, after a search on Google, I was reminded that it is C. Niobe. Isn't it a beauty? Well worth moving with me. 

That's only a little of what's made me smile this week but I think it's enough for this post. I hope you all have had much to brighten your week too. 

Have a wonderful weekend and take care.

Elizabeth 

Friday Smiles - Week 424

Hello Everyone,

This has been a week in which I have had much to smile about so I thought I'd join in with Annie's Friday Smile weekly meme over on A Stitch In Time. 

What stood out for me this week was a trip my daughter and son-in-law took me on last Saturday. We went north of Glasgow to Balloch Castle Country Park on the shores of Loch Lomond. We took a circular trail around the estate through the grounds, along the shore of the loch and into the walled garden on one  of the hottest days of the year. Here's a selection of the photos from the walk.

There are a lot of huge old trees as can be seen from this photo of Juli standing in front of one of the biggest.

And here's the daftest photo taken on the day. 

I was gesturing to my son-in-law to join me just as Juli took the pic! 

It was a lovely place to walk round but we have had to admit we really overdid it in the extreme heat. We will keep to shorter walks there in future but that's easily done as there is still much more to see around the estate including the Fairy Trail, Chinese Garden, Pleasure Grounds, Quarry Pond, Kitchen Garden, Secret Garden, Woodlands and Parklands. Well worth a visit. 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Take care,

Elizabeth

Friday Smiles

Hello Everyone,

I haven't joined in with Annie's Friday Smiles in forever! It's been a hard six months with not a lot to smile about since the last time, but finally things are looking better, and once again I can see I have much to be grateful for and plenty to make me smile. 

For example:

I think there is nothing better than being able to line dry the washing. I just love that fresh air scent on my bedding. It dried in no time at all today, which is just as well because it was so gusty I had to rush out and bring it in before it took off and ended up in the Clyde Estuary! 

If you have seen my last post, that's this week's WOYWW post, you will know that I am in the process of making over my very neglected back garden. It's too windy to work in the garden today but I did nip out to check all is well and was delighted to see the pansies are blooming beautifully.

 

Also the auricula, brought here from our previous garden when we moved in 2022, have not only survived but are beginning to flower again.

Admittedly, they do need to be split and re-potted, but that hasn't stopped them looking just lovely.

What else has made me smile? Oh, yes, this little visitor to the summerhouse.

Silver is fascinated by bees and had to be shooed away from this one that had got itself a bit confused. I was able to waft it back out to continue it's pollen gathering mission. 

Talking of Silver:

She's absolutely loving spending time outside with me. As long as I'm pottering around, she's there. It's her self-imposed task to guard against intruders, i.e. other cats! She's very territorial.

And finally, a few images that made me smile.

Substitute comments on blogs for texts and that's my problem in a nutshell!

 

I'll leave you with this last one. I hope it makes you laugh, like it did me. 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Take care, 

Elizabeth

Friday Smiles - It's the Little Things

 I've been intending to join in with Annie's meme, This Week's Smiles, on her blog, A Stitch in Time, for weeks now but somehow never quite got there until today. 

I'll try to keep it as brief as possible because it's been a week of appreciating the little things.

I'm finally, after two years of living without, able to set up my sewing machine. After the move I couldn't find the power lead so I finally phoned a sewing machine repair service based in Glasgow for help. Help they did! Even though they don't usually post spare parts out. So thanks to Sewing Machines Direct for service above and beyond expectation. 

To celebrate, I took a trip up to the black hole, aka the shed, where the packing boxes have lain unopened for just as long as the sewing machine has been untouched and found these. Fat quarters. Just the thing for rusty old me to practice on. 

More little things. The October issues of my two favourite magazines - The Simple Things & Happiful - have been delivered. They go so nicely with a cuppa! Happiful has a recipe for Blackberry Banana Bread which, as I have blackberries growing at the top of the garden, I had to try.

Not quite as illustrated but baking is another thing I'm out of practice in. I haven't mastered the new fan oven too. It's all trial and error.

My 'staff of tasters' reported it was delicious and I enjoyed this slice smothered in butter. It will look better next time.

Finally, it's my lovely son-in-law's 60th birthday today. Graeme's had a tough year having lost both his father-in-law and, just a few weeks ago, his own much loved father. Here's wishing him a a less traumatic and happier year to come. 

Hope you've had a lovely week, with much to smile about, and that next week is good too.

Take care Everyone
Elizabeth 

This Week's Smiles - Week 373

Hello Everyone,

It's been forever since I shared a smiley post. Blame life - it got in the way! I've started going for walks again. Just short walks as I'm still feeling weak from my recent fight with horrid side affects from antibiotics. Me and antibiotics just don't agree. Anyway, today I went out early for a wee walk around the neighbourhood. and the blue, blue sky over Ardrossan had me smiling from ear to ear. 

As did the sight of these Welsh Poppies growing in someone's front garden. They're such a cheerful sight. 

When is a park not a park? When it's called the Holm Plantation. The plantation is very near the street where I live and it is lovely. There's a burn (stream) running through it and in early spring it's a mass of daffodils. Sadly, they've all gone over now. 

What it looked like in March. 

Discovered this blue plaque as I passed Ardrossan Academy. Edith MacArthur was a noted Scottish actress born here in Ardrossan in 1926. She had a long and varied acting career, appearing on stage, in film and in many very popular TV series. She is also credited with discovering David Tennant, he of Dr Who fame, when he was only ten years old!

And finally:

Silver, sitting on the compendium of games on the piano stool. I think I was being challenged to a game of draughts with her! There never was a piano but there was the keyboard - long gone but not forgotten.  I played the piano, Alan the keyboard, and very good he was too. 

That's it for today. A very quick and photo heavy post but hopefully you enjoyed the insight they give into what it's like living here in beautiful Ardrossan by the Sea. 

Take care, everyone,

Elizabeth

Friday Smiles

Afternoon Everyone,

I'm a tad late in joining in with Annie's  Smile meme but that's because I've been emptying boxes this morning. I'm happy to report I've finally cleared all those that were on my desk! 

And given that I'm keeping on battling my way through the unpacking, opportunities for smiley moments are still few and far between. However, there's been a few moments.

Firstly, my daughter made a hair appointment for the two of us at her usual hairdresser, Kathleen's Hair Salon. 

Not a pretty sight! My daughter couldn't resist taking a couple of pics.

Better! I'm loving my new bob. 

And just this morning.

Silver helping me to unpack my Mind The Scrap kit! Like most cats, she finds boxes irresistible. 

Finally, if you didn't see yesterday's post here's another shot of me in my favourite hat. 

Guaranteed to make me smile. Unpacking isn't so bad when forgotten treasures, like this hat, are rediscovered. It's much too windy today, in fact it's been blowing a hooley here for days, to venture out with a hat like this one! 

We still have no internet and no sign of Openreach fixing the 'fault on the line', so posting anything at all is a bit hit and miss until it's all sorted. 

I hope you've all had a lovely week with much to smile about. 

Take care,

Elizabeth

Friday Smiles

Hello Friday Smilers

Joining in with Annie's weekly smile meme over on the A Stitch In Time. 

This last week has been a bit of a mixed bag, blighted by illness for the three of us on the one hand and, on the other hand, our garden has simply burst into flower and looks amazing. So, I'm sure you know what's coming - loads of photos. 

We had a new patio built just outside the kitchen door. to make it safer and easier for Alan to get access to his mobility scooter. 

My granddaughter's partner, Kyle, has done a great job in what was a very uneven surface. There's still some finishing off to do but first he had a wee accident to sort out which delayed the work.

Oops!!! Great-granddaughter Lacie stepped into her dad's beautifully smoothed cement work. It was getting late too so dad doesn't look at all happy. Much to my shame, I couldn't stop laughing. 

Later, after they had gone home, this happened. 

Silver left her mark too. We've decided to keep those paw prints for posterity. 

Before I move on to the garden, I just have to share these pics of our Callum. 

It was mad hair day at school and he opted for green ... I think he looks fabulous. 

And now a trip round our garden. 

I think that's enough for today. We have more changes planned for the garden, all intended to make it easier for me to manage in future. As it is now, it's very labour intensive and good gardeners are hard to find, so changes need to be made. We're very fortunate to have a handyman like Kyle in the family, able and willing to help with what needs to be done. 

I hope you've all had a lovely week with plenty to smile about.  And for more reasons to smile do pop over to Annie's and check out both her's and other Smilers posts. 

Bye for now

Elizabeth