Cozy

No matter where you let Charlie lay, her favourite spot seems to be in the shoe crates under the bench. It's a bit scary to go shut doors and turn off lights at night (in the winter anyway as its not dark now until midnight) and have her rustle!

(Yes, our new ritual after tea is having everyone find their shoes, coat and bag for the next day...the organisational tools that make our life easier when mum works. I used to stress about it and stay up until midnight getting everything together but then realised they are all old enough to help!)

Panoramic

Third time's the charm

A bittersweet walk today. I finally made it up to the windmills (a goal since we moved here and I'd tried several times but never taken the right hill path).  Today, without Cassie, I did it. She would have loved it, but she would have hated me picking her up over barbed wire fences!

My watch says I did more steps on Friday at the highland show, but I don't believe it. It was a good five miles Atleast though.   Typical Charlie found every spring on the hill to lay in and Murphy was fine, until we headed downhill and found some sheep (he wasn't let off the lead the whole time).  

The rain is just coming in so we made it back just in time to repot some plants and get in. 

A good stretch of the legs!

Mud, sand, mud and heather---four things that give you a workout to climb up!

(You can see our roof if you look close!)

King of the bog cotton

Windmills are scary that close!!

'Bloom where you fall' I suppose! (Mushrooms in cow dung) :)

Oh!  A spring to lay in...

Looking north 

The marker at the top. 

Clouds and blue sky 

Wet shoes from the marsh on the tops of the hill 

Back down to civilisation. 

The Highland Show

For the first time in three years we've been here for the Highland Show.  I surprised the girls by calling them in to school and we headed off early with Grannie. (Having been up at 1, 4 and the being up since 4:30 to see Brexit results).

Baby ducks first in the poultry tent.

The bee tent second.

And while taking this picture.....

Grannie took Fergus (who was having a fit about not wanting to make a candle), over to see a centrifuge...she brought him back crying because he'd pinched his hand in it. I took him outside to pour some cold water on it, but when I opened it he'd gashed his palm and nipped the pad of his right hand.  I was panicked thinking 'here goes a trip to the A&E' but thankful Grannie was around to help.  The tent staff called the first aid folk..but he was still howling and one had the brilliant epiphany that one of the door stewards was actually a doctor (not just a doctor mind you, I discovered later, but a hand surgeon! 

So about 20 minutes later we were off to the show again....his hand was  bandanged, tested for tendon damage, checked for mobility and an incident report was filed (he had refused all the biscuits and chocolates the kind ladies were offering him).....how's that for luck??!!)

He was a moody little Madame for awhile but we found the Co op tent where he ate his body weight in free strawberries and free peppermint chocolate sweeties and he was fine (until 3 when they all complained their feet hurt but we had been walking since 8am so it was expected). 

We got bags of free stuff, paid for magic hair combs, squishy heads to play with and fudge and tablet, and ice cream and got to listen to some fun Scottish musicians.

Arbroath smokies 

Who doesn't love big machinery??!

But then we stopped for lunch and had another blood crisis....the loose tooth came out.

The lovely (self bought) butterfly magic clip 

We visited A LOT of stands!!

A very cool idea for the back garden with all our toys. 

Ice cream and music.

We took Grannie home, then stopped for compost and hand dressing at the chemists on our way home. And....if you hadn't noticed), after four days, we have internet again!  Hooray!!

(And I got a conditional acceptance at a local university to continue my studies in Inclusive Education/Supporting Bilingual Learners in the Mainstream classroom---they just are waiting for my reference)---who knows how many non English speaking kids will be here in the future?!)

Car selfies of the injury 

Wildlife watching

This week we've gotten a picture of our favourite lamb, 'Black bottom' and a BIG hedgehog on our road. In 21st century parenting, I had to get a picture of Ferg taking a picture of it. Haha. 

Midsummer.

I suppose the bright side of midsummers when you are still in school is mum can go out at 11 pm and it's still light enough to pick up abandoned school shoes, discarded muddy school socks and random bits of jam and toast (true Story tonight, honest!) in time for the morning. 

Lovely big full moon tonight too! (Cloudy too so it would be brighter longer otherwise)

Nursery outings

In the school year that just won't die, today was nursery school field trip to the safari park and mum went as a helper. 

It was a rainy, cold day but we survived. 

The birds of prey show was the highlight especially after our visitors on Tuesday who shared their birds with the kids. 

The boat to ape island 

Harris Hawks 

Cool Father's Day cards handmade in nursery for Sunday. 

Cassie

Cassie has been out of sorts for awhile, but only very rarely not coming for our walks. Sunday she went out and although slow was okay but Monday wouldn't get out of bed. I assumed it was back pain again but phoned the vet to get her seen. (When we'd gone for her check up in April they'd found some lumps but said to just keep and eye on them and I made an appointment for July to have them reassessed). 

Ali took her to work today with him as her appointment was at 6pm. I got a text at 6:20 that they'd put her to sleep and did I want to prepare the kids? I sat them down and told them before dad got  home without her. It was really unexpected. It was aggressive, inoperable cancer. We all cried for a good hour and shared our favourite memories of her. The kids want to 'buy another Cassie,' but we talked about dogs have personalities and there will never be another Cassie. We looked it up and she was 11--we got her in October 2007 and she was 2 and fully trained. No matter what we did to her (ie no training and no discipline) she never went back to disobedient ways. She wouldn't ever look at you during a meal, she would always walk at heel, she would smile and be SO pleased with herself if she ever flushed a pheasant out of undergrowth, she learned to curve her back to walk behind and keep the kids from falling down the three steps in the old house's garden, she let Charlie and Murphy chew on her as puppies and she would lay for hours and let the kids cuddle her in horrible children type ways. She was my constant partner in walking and in 11 years I can't count the thousands of miles we did together. I'd talk to her as if she could make decisions with me  when we were exploring new ground (the terriers always seemed daft but Cassie had a wise was to her) and she was actually an amazing hunting dog (not that she got out very often to do that).  

It's pouring tonight and the kids say it's because The rain is crying because she is gone.  We only hope she's met up in doggie heaven with Kiwi to chase pheasants and run thru fields. 

Ailsa has taken it the hardest. I think tomorrow might be a rough day for everyone. 

Busy weekends

Friday we had the house all cleaned and tidied for a photo shoot from a company who wanted pictures (they'd done the heating system) for their website. They photographer arrived About 90 minutes late, with no phone call so I told them I had other plans as they were so late. I was so annoyed at their rudeness but on the plus side the house was spotless for the weekend!

I bought daddy a pair of PJ trousers and as his current ones are 15 years old and seen better days, I gave them to him yesterday. The kids loved them. 

Our Spate of lovely weather is over but my allergies are horrible so I don't mind the rain (except to walk the dogs in)

Animal funnies

On our way to school we passed a lamb who found a tree down in his field and had situated himself under a branch just enough he could wiggle his bum for a scratch. 

Then we went to the golf club to see this waddling across the lawn by the bar. So cute! 

Plants

Nursery lets you take your sunflower home once it is 20 Lego blocks high!

Been fighting horrible hay fever all weekend and got new medicine this morning from the chemist (and I'm still being the hair model for the trainee girl at my salon--week 4 of free blow outs!)

My eyes are exceptionally itchy!! (And I clearly have a weird eyebrow in this picture)

Heat!!

Properly warm days. I wasn't bothered when the kids said they'd rather stay home and play in the Costco pool than go to the school concert in the sticky village hall last night. 

Allergies are unbearable but I'll take the warmth. 

The fun begins

So once the sheep where in we had the shed set up and the shearer came. It was a quick job with so many of us and everyone remembered their job from last year. (Plus uncle basil was here so mum didn't have to man handle the sheep) 

Gloves for poo picking up. 

Riding a sheep while the shearer sets up 

Picking off the yucky bits from the fleeces. 

Grabbing the fleece quickly to take to Grannie. 

Watching daddy vaccinate, and do feet 

Mental maths--keeping a count on how many left in the pen and how many tups were left in the trailer.

Making their own bean bag at the eng

Playing on the quad bike while the sheep were put back out in the fields. 

Then lunch, the unloading the trailer full of wood and giving Uncle Basil some help moving the tractor. 

No rest for the wicked. Home now for some chores in the lovey sunshine before a great weekend is over. 

'Busy children are happy children' afterall!!