How we blogged in the 60's

We were watching Butch Cassidy last night and trying to figure out when we saw it for the first time, when I remembered my diaries. In 1969 I was 15, and kept a diary of the most detailed drivel. Lists of films I saw, books I read, music I liked... So a quick look in the back of the wardrobe and there was the box of diaries.

It didn't take long to find, thanks to my lists - Saturday 16th May 1970, at the Gaumont in Dundee, with my then boyfriend!
Many years before computers and the internet, I recorded everything in my diaries, and it turns out they were just about as public as a blog. Unknown to me at the time ( and only confessed to fairly recently!) my little sister read them all, incriminating evidence too. She probably used them as blackmail, although I don't remember.
Years later, married and living in our first house, the box of diaries was stored in the attic which was only accessed by anyone over 5'10" in height. My darling husband would clamber up and entertain himself leafing through the pages accompanied by raucous laughter, knowing that I was powerless to stop him, and that it would drive me bananas - PIG!!!!
Tonight, I've just spent a pleasant hour or two delving back 40 odd years to when life was simple - going to school, Youth Club dances, Saturday job, spending your money on the latest fashions and make up - PVC coats, mini dresses and pale lipstick, Top of the Pops, homework, boys.........ah happy days.
I deliberately blurred this photo in case any secrets slipped out - hope you can't read it!!!! But let me know if any other child of the sixties is interested, and I might publish some carefully selected extracts!

Walk in the Woods

We took ourselves to Ladybank woods today - the sun was shining but the wind was still cold, so we reckoned on a sheltered walk in the woods. Lots of reminiscing of picnics and gang huts built in the woods when the kids were wee. I haven't been back there for such a long time.

Blue sky above the trees.

Then home via a route we've never been on before, although it's only a few miles from our house. We came over the hill and got a view of the Lomond hills from a direction we've not seen before. You learn something new every day!

Just watching Butch Cassidy at the moment - one of the all time greats.

And I HAVE started the website revamp - on paper at least. Another day or two should see changes being made.

Too windy for wimps

Leven beach as we didn't see it this morning

Our walk this morning only took us as far as the FarmShop. The wind was fierce, blowing from the North and we were a couple of wimps not wanting to get cold. Pity really, because the beach would probably have been spectacular with the waves. Normally we do this walk every morning before work.

Anyway, we removed the unsold Mother's Day cards from the display to make way for some fresh designs and did the the usual weekly count of sales. The Farm Shop has never been quiet since it opened last year, and the sales are always healthy.
A scurry back up the farm road to the warmth of the house, but I braved the weather again to get four loads of washing hung out and dried in double quick time.

The rest of the working day passed in a blur of packing orders, punctuated with coffe breaks, apple break ( healthy) and blogging break.

This weekend is going to be a website-updating one, I think!

Marching through March

Certain people (!) are expecting a daily blog here - a difficult task to fulfil sometimes. A few lines tonight Linda, but no photos.
What's happened today? To be honest, not a lot. A quiet day in the workshop, a few shop orders finished off tonight ready for dispatch tomorrow - a new one in ( thank you Drymen Village Store).
We're marching through March - soon be time to start thinking about Christmas cards..... just kidding., a couple of weeks yet!

Spring Colour

The weather may have turned a bit colder today, but I thought some pretty florals would remind us that it's nearly April. These are the Floral Patchwork cards which are going on to the website soon. They are available singly or in sets of six ( for only the price of five!) We have great fun making them and there are never any two the same. Full details will be on the website.

We 'll be adding a lot more to the website for the new season, including the Triple pictures below. The first is for a birthday - it can be any age - and there will be a choice of colour schemes.

Then a new addition to the baby range. It's already proving popular here in the shop, and there will be a little girl equivalent too.

And for today's job, a large card for a granddaughter's Christening. I hand stitched the garland of flowers which the dove is trailing with pink french knots interspersed with mother of pearl sequins and appliqued the white satin dove on to a beautiful old fabric in the palest shell pink.

It has also been a "wedding" day, as we regularly do a batch of cards for a hotel near Gretna Green. They always take a selection of different designs and colours and I've been painting them tonight. Another job in the bag.
A close up

Finally, today's guilty pleasures - an Eccles cake ( when did I last have one of those) with my coffee, a browse through some celeb type magazines while waiting for my Mum at the dentist -( I always pooh-pooh these rags and never buy them, but devour them at the dentist or the hairdresser!) and spending more time than I should have tweeting on Twitter - never thought I'd see the day.......

Day Off

Monday is our (supposed) day off. That means the workshop is closed to the public, and we can go anywhere or do anything we like. In reality most of the morning is taken up with office work, packing orders that sort of thing. Then we head off for a swim, lunch and usually home, unless there's a film worth seeing and we grab a quiet matinee.

Today...we had our swim, lunch as usual..then home to do a spot of work in the garden. Bob whiled away an hour or three chopping down a tree (see before picture), managing to fall off a ladder while holding a saw - I was only sorry I didn't have the video camera handy for "You've Been Framed". No lasting damage, thankfully not a repeat of my career threatening accident last summer. I pottered around trying to tame a neglected flower bed, and gave up when the rose thorn penetrated my thumb so deeply it gushed.

So we've used up all the elastoplast between us and it was a relief to get back to some safe work tonight.