OMG its WOYWW 210 ....must say thank you.

There I was just sitting playing one of those Farm games that I have avoided for years .... when it struck me ....its Wednesday.
I did manage to create a few ATC's and these are the three I received in exchange and PIF.

Margaret sent me the gorgeous 'Colours of Snowdonia'...next to which is BJ's pretty ballerina and below In one of Annie's(Stich in Time) little works of art....they are all so amazing and I send hugs and so much thanks ladies.

I am making this short so I can link quickly
Take Care xx

Anstruther ....sun, sea and history

  The  sun was stronger than I expected … the air was so still …there was a calmness I had never before experienced when sitting watching the harbour  and its boats at Anstruther …
….and then I realized what the difference was …no seagulls.
                                             (Click on the collage strips for a better look)

 Whether it was too early for them or that they had already got used to visitors obeying the notices not to feed them …I really do not know but there was not one in the sky or on the paths around the waters edge.
The stillness was unbelievable …the few marshmallowy clouds  that sat suspended against the bright blue background, appeared to be static. I intently stared at them, with markers in my vision, not believing that they were actually still…but they were.

 I had come out on this glorious day to enjoy Anstruthers renowned Fish and Chips but it was far too hot …I had stopped for a coffee and scone at the Boat house (last in the row of the photos).... and wondered what to do about lunch  as I watched some men at work….but I felt it would definitely include ice cream …preferably lots.

 I wandered up and down the harbour and noticed a sculpture I had not seen before….but I cant find any information about it …I assume it represents the nets that were used by the Drifters that caught the herrings.

 Here is a herring boat that belongs to the Fife Fisheries Museum …and a little about it.

 ‘The Reaper’ was a herring Drifter built in 1902.… the name coming from the nets that were used. The boom in herring fishing was around 1907, when they had become a delicacy in Europe. They could be caught off the east coast of Scotland during winter and spring months …. and the west and northern waters during the summer. The size of the boats were important as over a certain size there was a tax levied  on the owner. The boats eventually followed the shoals  even down to Yarmouth in England …and the Herring lasses followed the boats to the ports at which they would dock. The herring is a fatty fish and need to be gutted and cured faster than  white fish. These girls came from fishing villages all over Scotland …starting to learn the trade around the age of 15.
While the fishing on the whole was suspended in most waters during WWI, the seamen’s knowledge of the waters was used by the government, against enemy shipping.

Lastly a memorial …  previously missed by me…..to commemorate those who lost their lives in ‘The Battle of May Island’. This I had to read up on when I got home ….yet another  wartime secret.
 

 Most of the facts of this tragedy were only released in the 1990’s as it was a series of catastrophic accidents which had no enemy involvement….not even the relatives of those who perished knew anything …. they were told that their loved ones had been lost in active service.
Most of those who perished were the crews of K-class submarines …these were steam powered vessels with funnels to enable them to move at the speed of  surface ships but the funnel then had to be dismantled and stored, when they needed to submerge .

The account of the disaster is as  follows ….
On the evening of 31st January 1918, nine Submarines, accompanied by Battleships, Cruisers and Destroyers, left their winter base at Rosyth to rendezvous with Admiral Beatty’s fleet . Blackout regulations were in force as was radio silence.
Near the Isle of May, just across the water  from Anstruther, mine sweeping trawlers were patrolling , unaware of the movements of the submarines and their convoy….the scene was now set for the ensuing disaster.
The mine sweepers crossed in front of the fleet and the confusion began. ….K22 collided with K14 causing serious damage  ….then K22 was struck by a battle cruiser ….another cruiser hit K17 which then sank but her crew escaped into the water ….K3 and K4 stopped ... but K6 ploughed into K4  ….K4 was also struck by K7 which resulted in K4 sinking with no survivors. The last cruel blow was that some of the surface ships ploughed through those who had survived the K17 sinking, as they could not be seen.

 On that night over 100 died a few miles off Anstruther but at the time few, if any, who lived along that stretch of coast knew of what happened ...and it was kept a secret for a very long time. The final toll was higher…. closer to 200 …due to deaths from injuries.
The memorial was erected 84 years after the event  ….honouring those who perished in what was eventually known as ‘The Battle of May Island’.

On a lighter note ….the gulls appeared as if from no where ….early in the  afternoon.

Hope you enjoyed my day out in the sun ....rare up here I have to say ... and the little bit of history thrown in .... hope you found it interesting .
Take Care. xx

Friday Smiles ….Cats have their boxes but Holly has her loo roll !!!.

 …well the cardboard inner bit …

 She has so much fun with it….and it makes me smile….maybe I’ll try for a video one week.

An interesting fact for you about Pygmy hedgehogs …not only do they like cats but they have the same time clock as cats. At first we thought Holly was nocturnal but after Vicki reading even more about them, we discovered they are not actually nocturnal. Like cats, they tend to be  alert at dawn and  sleep heavily from late morning ‘til late afternoon and even on until dusk, in the summer. They will sleep again until the early hours and then have a mad hour or so …those of you who have several cats  will be used to the thunder of paws and the insect hunting that goes on around 1am.
 Ever since we discovered this and organized play time around the time slots, she is much happier. She still gets up for a run on her wheel at about 1am so we have to remember to pop  it back into her sleeping quarters and as she now sleeps downstairs she no longer disturbs any ones sleep with the continuous rattling of the apparatus….unless I have fallen a sleep on the sofa.!!!

                                                                       ********

 The sun also makes me smile and we have had a week of it …I rather feel that this is our summer ..it has actually been over 60F …they say around 65F …. but I think it has actually been higher and may have reached 70F or more at midday or when the air is still.
This is a shot from my day out on Tuesday... look at that glorious blue sky …watch this space for some more photos over the weekend …and a little history maybe.

Hope Holly …. or the view ….made you smile today.

Now you just need to drop by  'A Stich In Time' for more smiles

Take Care xx

A Catty Friday Smiles

Nearly forgot it was Friday ...not sure where the  week has gone. ...but I had to join in with Annies Smiles on 'A Stitch In Time'
I quickly raided some shots I took a few weeks ago ... hope they make you smile .. well, the cat lovers will I think.

 KRIS and ROSIE in deep conversation

 RUSTY loves his mummy Vicki

 WANDA steeling Smudge's shot ...wish I could have got the expression on Smudge's face ...but I will leave you to imagine.

Sorry its so short this week ...but maybe thats a good thing.!!
For those who were part of WOYWW4 ...wasn't it  a great blogging get together on Wednesday.

Take Care xx.

Week 208.... Happy Anniversary … WOYWW is 4 Today

I have been a rubbish member of the Woyww family this year ….so little actual crafting as Mojo packed its bags and went off on a gap year. Instead you have suffered  me cooking cakes , showing off the grand kids and loads of photos of places and animals ….not forgetting the wedding.
Mojo still is not actually back …it has sent some postcards to my brain …but I just had to join in this week.
I cant believe it is four years since JD had the idea and a little band of us started to link up….now look how many there are …who would have thought. It has been amazing seeing what everyone has created over the years …or not in my case this year….but most of all I love visiting my friends and hearing a little about their lives, as well as their crafting. Learning techniques and being inspired by others is something I also gain from being part of this family …and knowing that if I want to vent or moan …or share a problem…there are a select group that are there at the end of an email …thank you ladies …you know who you are.

This is where I tried to encourage Mojo to return …

   You may see the beginning of an ATC in the right hand corner….
I have to make at least  two, ASAP, one for the swap and one for dear Annie (A Stitch in Time) …who sent me one and said I could swap when ready. I was good and only opened it as the clock struck midnight...as instructed.
 It is so you Annie …I love it and the poem too …so clever …I will photograph the ATC and share it next week. Thank you so much …it is really appreciated … no one else could have made it ... I will always know who sent it, with out even turning it over.

I have however been messing around with an experimental sort of tea bread containing apple and other unusual  dried fruits, and it was not bad …and as usual Kris and Robbie eagerly ate the spoils, as  after school snacks.
 Here’s your slice  ……

So glad to be part of this …even if I only just manage one  swap…. I will visit as many as my ankles and back allow … sitting without moving, is the problem…..hopefully at least 50 will be visited but I hope more over a few days .
A big thank you to those who leave  comments here…it means so much.

Take Care xx

Jake and Ben

I seem not to be able to leave anything alone ...I need to fiddle ...especially photos.
This is the twins last Nursery photo ...they are 5 in June ....so proper school beckons.
I cropped it, gave it a halo and turned it into black and white ...and I quite like it ....so I thought I'd share it with you.

Take Care xx

Friday Smile …not that it was at the time.

This is a smile with no photo…..sorry

Just imagine …I was sitting  at the computer, having a browse through on line shops …that I really should not go near, as they make me spend money I don’t have ( thanks Carmen for the sale link!!!). …. when I heard DD’s key in the door, followed by ….
“What the ????….. Why are  there bits of ?….”
“Bits of what???? ….where???…..” I retorted with irritation
“Broccoli ??? Raw broccoli?? ….in a line …no …a  trail leading towards the kitchen “
“OMG ….the broccoli thief has struck again.”
Sadly the camera was not at hand …and I was too angry to think about it any way….hence me asking you to imagine the sight that DD was  met with.

Never thinking that Barnaby the cat, would decide to go fishing ….I had prepared the broccoli ready for supper, and covered it with  water, in a deep bowl. It had not crossed my mind that…even if he had been tempted to fish, that he would carry off the spoils ….only to find it was actually raw. Obviously, he had kept going back ….just in case any of it was edible…..every last piece had been removed from the bowl…..ah bless him…..Grrrr …
You may wonder how I knew who the culprit was ….his  paw was wet ….and he has a record!!.
 Hope this made you smile ...it did me ...in the end.

 Many have remarked on hedgehogs and swimming ….those native to this country do, but if they cant get out or get tired ,they will drown. This is why wildlife and hedgehog societies ask that a small plank of wood is kept in ponds and pools …especially at night …for the hog to climb up on and rest … and something too, at the edge of the water, to allow an escape .
Our pygmy hedgehog Holly, loves water but they have no sense of self survival ….they can not be left in the bath, even for a minute, as they could just stop swimming and sink…
 Sorry could not resist some shots of Holly on her wheel .(click to enlarge)

So ….‘til next weeks Friday’s Smiles, over at ‘A Stitch in Time‘.
Take Care xx