Summer is over ... Autumn is here! (and my usual weekend ramblings!)

Well, been trying to get around to typing up my blog for a wee while, but as many of you may know, I've been busy, busy, busy decluttering.  Now, this is good news cos I can now actually use the end bedroom (Ken has been down to stay, and then the following weekend Laura came to stay for the weekend and Lily will be staying over sometime in the near future). So, it'll still be busy, busy, busy.  I've also got the home office sorted now and for the first time in probably 6 - 12 months I can actually use the desktop PC! YAY! It's so much easier to type using the desktop and keyboard than it is using the laptop (or even my phone!).  So my first task has been to update the blog.

Clearing the rooms has been a bit of a mammoth task, however, it's all done and dusted now.  We've dumped lots of stuff up at the recycling centre, I've got one box of videos and four boxes of books for the charity shop, two boxes of papers for shredding (in addition to what's already been shredded) one box of papers for the recycling bin (two bins going out tomorrow, absolutely stacked full of papers, shredded papers and ordinary household recycling stuff). My work here is done, as the lady on the PaddyBingo (!?!) ... (who invented that name?!?)  advert says. That said, my work here is done, but poor Mike still has some stuff to look at in his filing cabinet and four boxes of folders and stuff which he needs to find somewhere to 'file'. But, as I said, my work here is done .......................

We're hoping to go away sometime in the near future, so we went to see another petsitter. We bumped into Caroline when we were walking up at Linhouse Circular walk and her dog ended up walking with us and Lucy simply raced between Caroline (who was walking faster than Mike and I) and us. Back at the cars we struck up a conversation and as a result Lucy will be going to stay with her sometime for her autumn holidays.  I didn't have problems with the previous petsitter, but some people I'd chatted to had heard various stories etc (including one dog going awal), so I decided that I'd start looking for another sitter. Caroline visited us here at home yesterday and clearly Lucy thought she was just simply wonderful! So, today we visited Caroline at her home and Lucy just made her wee self right at home ... has decided on her seat, and even talked the petsitter into putting her bed (Lucy's bed, that is!) beside the livingroom window (and radiator) so that she can look out the window as and when she wants to. 

So, all we need to do now is sort out when we want to go away, hopefully sometime before Christmas would be useful. But that's Mike's  task ... sorting out suitable dates, locations, etc, etc. I'm also hoping he picks a week when the weather is ok, cos I understand that it's supposed to turn wintery around mid-October. We could be going away with our winter clothes, snow boots, parka etc, not an ideal situation.

Cos I'm on the desktop PC, I now have access to some old photos.   

Here are a couple of photos of our Wee Holly.  These were taken down at Yellowcraigs a few years ago. That's Holly sprinting along the sand, through the muddy bits and some seeweed and stuff.  She didn't actually go into the water ... those who knew Holly will know that she didn't do water!

 This photo was taken when we were down at Exmouth a few years ago. The weather was beautiful (as it usually is when we're down there).  When we're down there, Mike tries to get a chance to meet up with some of his extended family. More often than not when we're down there, we use the caravan, or nowadays when we don't tow the van any more, we use our motorvan.  Over the years we've stayed in the van, occasionally at the travel inn at Exeter services (only a few miles from Exmouth, and right beside Harry Ramsdens (which suits Mike just fine), sometimes at an old cob farmhouse at Woodbury, along with a herd of dairy cattle.

One a couple of occasions, however, Nigel has kindly put us up at his hotel, The Ashton Court Hotel, on the seafront.  The room we were in had a fantastic view over the estuary and in the moonlight it was a pretty amazing sight. Being a true Glaswegian lass, I felt that I was in somewhere exotic like Costa Del Sol. (Apologies to anyone who likes Costa Del Sol ... I've never been there, so I can only imagine it looks like Exmouth at night. The view was amazing, and it was lovely to get up early in the morning, watch scene with early morning joggers, dog walkers etc. All good fun.

Now these two photos of our Lucy were taken at Nairn when we had our first motorvan. Lucy loved it there as the site was right beside a wood, and she loved walking through the woods, with all the smells, sounds and stuff that little puppy doggies like.

 Of course, whilst on holiday Lucy had to try to find exciting ways of passing her time. She would sometimes just look around watching what was happening, hoping that a passing camper would toss her a slice of bacon, or an odd sausage (or pizza, or anything eatable ... anything, except for dry dog food). So she'd sit or stand around just waiting for things to happen.  Then when nothing exciting happened, she made her own excitement.  In these two "diggin' it" photos, our lucy is wearing a very snazzy and fetching blue collar.  It was a new collar, just bought for her shortly before we went off on holiday.

Well, Lucy being Lucy, shortly after these two photos were taken, she broke her lovely blue collar (clearly she actually wanted a pink one, and was making a point that Mummy had got the wrong collar!). Anyway, to cut a long story short, Lucy made her own amusement. She's a very intelligent and industrious wee doggie, and clearly in these photos she had decided that she'd had enough of Nairn and was, in fact, going to try to dig her way to Australia.  Or perhaps she was trying to dig up the tree that her wire rope is fastened too.  I'm not sure which, but suffice to say, she didn't succeed with either reaching Australia, or digging up the tree!

In contrast to Lucy being a rascal and getting up to all sorts of mischief.  Our wee Holly is showing just what a wee angel she was by lying quietly just minding her own business and watching the world go by.  She was a good wee lamb (unlike Rascal Lucy!), and she just spent her days lazing around, occasionally allowing passing campers to give her a pat or a cuddle (now sweeties please!), going for short strolls to sniff around the trees, blades of grass. Eat an occasional sweetie (only if given to her by either Daddy or Mummy please ... don't take sweeties from strangers, thank you very much!). She just lazed arouond and when the going got tough, or when it got to hot / cold / windy / wet, well then, she just headed back into the van and got herself comfy on one of the seats, with her superior and "I'm an old lady and I can do as I like" look. 
Oh, and of course, she had to have her daily weetabox to keep her strength up!

And finally, here are a couple of photos of Mike and myself. These were taken by Ken up around the Aviemore area, so far as I recall. I think that this was the day we went up the funicular railway.  And yes, this was summer and it looks like we're off camping in winter. You'll notice that Mike is holding down the motorvan and also holding me just is case we were to get blown away. It was a good day, and it was nice to get a chance to meet up with Ken and Kath. And as I recall we had a meal at the restaurant.  I think I even bought a couple of souviners until Mike took my purse off me!

Fortunately for Lucy and Holly, they were both cuddled up in the van, and so didn't have to brave the wild summer weather. 
That said, it had been a good day, and it was really good to get to spend some time with Ken and Kath, even if the weather was dreadful. It could have been worse, I'm sure it could have been.
In case anyone is interested, that's our old Roller Team van, and we traded that in last year for the Chausson(sp?)Welcome 72 that we now have. Better van, better layout, more space etc, etc. And we no longer have to make up the bed on account of the Chausson having an island bed! Yay!

Well, clearly I'd better go and get the dinner on, or Mike and Lucy will starve! But before I go, for those who're doing the Pay if Forward 2011 Project, I have started on my gifts (Perfectly Pink or Pretty Purple) and I do hope that you're not disappointed.  Suffice to say, there's a lot of work going into the gifts, but I plan on having them ready for my Christmas Cards / Jewellery party at the end of October / beginning of November.  Failing that, if they're not ready by then, they'll be ready by Christmas!

Anyway, grumbly tummy calling ... and as Forrest Gump says ... that's all I've got to say about that!