WOYWW Week 845 - A Busy Week

Hello WOYWWers, Followers, Everyone

I hope this finds you all well and that you've found the time to be more creative than I have these last few weeks. That's not to say I haven't been busy. I really have. There's just no scrap pages to show for all the busy-ness! Instead, I've forced myself to tackle the black hole that is the shed at the top of the garden. There's boxes in that shed, the contents of which haven't seen the light of day since October 2022. Contents like the file of stencils and box of shimmer mists that can be seen on my desk this morning. I can't tell you how delighted I was to find them again!

I've been tackling the emptying of one box at a time with the aim to clear the shed completely by the end of August. It's been quite the eye-opener too. The shed is leaky, not to mention crawling with spiders, and far from the ideal place to store anything, let alone my lovely crafty stash! The plan is to replace it with a new, clean and dry, shed once everything has been sorted and cleared. 

Rain, rain, go away. 

Come again another day.

Storm Floris and the generally bad weather that followed has meant there's been very little gardening done. Everything got a thorough drenching and was looking bedraggled following the high winds. 

But, now the sun is out again and the garden is getting over the damage, flowers like these sweet peas and cornflowers have perked up again. 

Here's a photo taken from Saltcoats this week.

I'm not sure what the RNLI were doing up our way but it's always concerning to see the lifeboat out. There's been no news report, so I think this time all was well. 

What with storms, fires and the frequent appearance of the rescue services, there's rarely a dull moment here in The Three Towns.

But on a quiet summer's day there's nothing lovelier than the South Beach, Ardrossan.

Silver hated the stormy weather.

She's over it now and off out chasing butterflies. 

And finally, 

This mirrors exactly how we both felt during the horrible weather.

Silver has perfected the above!

That's enough from me today, I'm sure. To see more creative workdesks pop over to Sarah's blog, Sarah's Craft Shed. If you don't already do so, feel free to join in the fun and show us what's on your workdesk this Wednesday. You'll be made most welcome.

Have a great WOYWW day and a fabulous week everyone,

Take care everyone,

Elizabeth

WOYWW Week 843 : A Quiet Week

Hello WOYWWers, Followers, Everyone,

On the desk this morning is the February introduction page for this year's album. As usual, I've chosen a few photos that serve as a reminder of just some of what happened that month.  Scattered about are some bits and bobs I might add to the pockets, There's a pack of photos waiting to be dated and filed away until I'm ready to make pages with them. The book that can be seen just off to the right is one I've just finished reading. More about it later.

I've been able to not just work in the garden now but spend time relaxing in the summerhouse. I use the spotty bag to transport the memoir I've been struggling to finish since January, notebooks I jot stuff in, pencils, one of my favourite mugs and the flask containing a latte until I'm ready to drink it. 

Silver takes up residence in the spotty bag whenever it's empty. She's not fussy. Anywhere will do, even when it's been left on the ironing board. Oh, and those towels - I spotted them in Asda and just could not resist that gorgeous peach colour!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney. I love a good mystery. A couple living a normal, happy, almost idyllic life in a house on a beach in a friendly little Scottish village, Fairlie, with their much loved seven year old son and a dog. Sounds perfect until one day the son, while playing on the beach, disappears! From there the story takes us through the aftermath with some unexpected twists and turns that I certainly didn't expect. What made it all the more interesting to me is that Fairlie is just up the coast from where I am now. The villages & towns, landscape and places mentioned are familiar to me. Even the village my daughter lives in gets a mention. Although the author now lives in New Zealand, he was born and grew up in Ayrshire so he knows the area well. If, like me, you enjoy a gripping good read then I'd recommend this book.

Finally, a few of the funnies I've collected this week.

To see more creative workdesks pop over to Sarah's blog, Sarah's Craft Shed. If you don't already do so, feel free to join in the fun and show us what's on your workdesk this Wednesday. You'll be made most welcome.

Have a great WOYWW day and a fabulous week everyone,

Take care everyone,

Elizabeth

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