Flowers, apples, berries, birds and bees.

More random things from the week gone by...

Blue sky - a mirror reflecting a sunny day. Both gone now...

...finally, this mirror has been finished and posted. I'd forgotten how much work was involved in making this one - it's really two mirrors in one with both a border and flower features.

I took some shots while I was making it...
My templates for the three mirrors I've been working on, the other two are still in progress.

Prior to applying the lead.

Completed flowery detail.

While the warm sunny weather lasted...
... I picked the crab apples.

N seemed to be enjoying them so I tried one, yeuch! Very tart, definitely needs cooked with lots of sugar. I've 2lbs of them, will have a look at crab apple jelly recipes I think.

After my harvesting I checked on some of the other plants in the garden...

Holly berries ripening nicely, note interesting beetle on the leaf.

Busy bee.

Roses thriving despite almost complete neglect of the front garden.

We have lots of house sparrows living in our hedge.
They're generally considered a little brown and ordinary but I like them. They are much more polite than the many jackdaws (who fight a little) and starlings (who fight a lot!) who also visit our garden in quite large numbers.

I photographed tea one evening...
Tomato and butterbean soup - very easy:
Fry a chopped onion in some butter till soft, add 2 tins chopped tomatoes and 1 tin butterbeans (drained), and a little water/stock. Simmer gently for about 15 mins, whizz with a blender than serve, cream swirl optional.

Strawberry and plum crumble with Mackies ice cream. I basically chuck any fruit that's lying around into my crumbles (except bananas or citric fruit!) this combo was rather tasty, mmm, wish there was some left now!

Mirrors, tablecloths, stew and shadows.

This Mackintosh inspired mirror is now on its way to its new owner. I like the autumnal colours, very suitable for this time of year! I've another one in a completely different design almost ready to post and orders in for four more different ones so I'm keeping busy at the moment.

As you can see from the reflection in the mirror the lovely sunny weather continues. We even had a barbeque on Sunday night - the first one this summer.

And, a chance to get all my recent linen bargains washed and out on the line to dry. I don't know what I'm going to do with them all but when I see them languishing at the bottom of a box in a charity shop I feel the need to give them a new home. With the exception of the orange tablecloth on the right they were all 49p or less - so little when you consider the many hours of embroidery involved.

This is a detail from my most recent find, beautiful bright colours on a good sized tablecloth (25p!)

I think this one is still my favourite though.

At the end of last week we were visited by a sparrow hawk. After taking the above photo I tried to creep up even closer but scared the sparrow hawk away. Fortunately she took her prey with her so all we were left with was a pile of feathers.

We've started pulling up the carrots. We didn't get round to thinning them out hence why they're probably a little on the small side, but still very tasty and not bad for a first attempt (beginner's luck perhaps). The runner beans are still cropping too.

I cleaned and chopped them them all up to make a stew with some lamb and sausage chunks and dough balls. Dough balls have become an essential ingredient for our stews. They're very easy to make (I just use the recipe that's on the suet packet - 2oz suet, 4oz SR flour, and enough water to mix to a dough to form balls, makes 8), in fact it involves less effort and is quicker than peeling, boiling and mashing some tatties. Often we still have mashed tatties too - no wonder I have to get out on my bike every week or I'd be even bigger than I am already!

We also have our first ever sunflower. There are another two which look as though they may manage to flower successfully if the warm sunny weather continues just a little longer.

The bright sunshine reflecting off neighbouring windows gave us an unusual shadow display (on my "tidy" shelves)


Now I'm away out to enjoy the sunshine while it's still here - I've bags of bulbs waiting to be planted, somewhere - goodness knows where I'll find enough ground that is not already chock-a-block with plants but is also soft enough and sufficiently stone-free that the task is not too much of a chore.

I finish off this rather random collection of photos with one of the heart-shaped stone A collected from our holiday in Ireland, just because I like it!

Saturday Morning Bike Ride

A beautiful sunny September morning, I set off early again at just after 7am.

I begin by following my favourite route out of the village. An early morning mist lies in the valley. I like the way the pylon wires line the sky in the photo above.

I think these are pheasant hens sunning themselves on the road and verge.

The folly rises above the mist as though it's on an island.

First cow photo for this trip, they're ignoring me today.

Cows and folly and mist

The big stone , I turn right.

This farm sign has always caught my eye. The sheep in the field behind were posing beautifully for a photograph I couldn't resist.

Dewy cobwebs in the hedgerows.

An early Autumn view.

The first view of Ben Lomond (the mountain on the left with the "shoulders") .

Whenever I've been this way recently the distant mountains have been hidden by cloud. It was lovely to see them again.

Ben Lomond getting a little closer!

On a normal two hour run I would usually turn off fairly soon after this point. This morning though I have the luxury of four hours cycling time and can just keep going; a good feeling!

After here I have a long descent, too enjoyable to break for photos especially when I know I will be seeing more impressive views soon.

I pass through one of the local villages and stop to buy a mars bar for breakfast.

After another climb out of the village this is the view I am rewarded with.

A close-up of the houses peeping over the hill with the mountains behind.

Wheee, down again! It's quite a hilly route but I'm not as unfit as I feared I would be after failing to do any serious exercise in the last four years since having children. Climbing the hills doesn't bother me; I just drop down to the lowest gear I find comfortable. The downhills which follow are a just reward. We are very lucky to have such an excellent network of minor roads within easy cycling distance.

Looking back over the Firth of Clyde and the mountains of Argyll after making another climb.

The bike shot (not a very good one)

A last look at the view.

Eventually I reach the entrance to the cyclepath and follow it home for the final few miles. I don't have it to myself today; it's later in the morning than normal and people have been encouraged out by the fine weather. Many "Good Mornings" are exchanged -we're all so happy that it's stopped raining (in August 2009 we had over twice our normal rainfall for the month (interesting weather summary here!)) and the sun is shining!

At last, two cows pay me some attention on the final climb from the cycle path up to our village.

Home for just after 11am.

A good day.

Yesterday; endless pouring rain. Today; gorgeous warming sunshine, at last!

Making the most of the weather we continued with our recently discovered pastime of visiting playparks in scenic locations and this morning we went to Battery Park. It's in Greenock (not New York!), just a little bit further north from Largs (which was our first stop on our playpark tour) and still close enough to make it home for lunch.

The ferry from Gourock to Dunoon can be seen in the centre of the picture above.

Looking through the spiderweb at Gourock.

N, seeming to know never to smile at a crocodile.

N embarking, A already on board.

The play area is covered in pristine sand, ideal for N to crawl about on.

A view of Gourock and some fantastic blue sky.

We then rounded the coast to visit Lunderston Bay, a lovely little pebbley sandy beach with beautiful views across to the Cowal Peninsula.

Then home again. We stopped to admire the view from the top of the hill...

...and a bit of fence post!

Yesterday's soggy Autumn finds.