My Silent Sunday Photo

    

Happy Blue Monday...snow is on the way!

So what time do you call this, do I hear you say....? 

Well, we've been so busy preparing for the arctic blast that is going to have us snow bound from Thursday onwards, according to the weather experts! 

I'm not sure I like to know in advance of what's to come, especially when it shows most of the UK in a blue colour!

Not a beautiful tropical azure blue...more a freezing frosticle blue.

I suppose it's only to be expected as we are now officially in our winter months.

So it's time to get busy and prepared! 

Here's my son helping to get yet more wood stored into the woodshed before the snow arrives. Last time it took US seven hours to move the pile of 'lady logs' into the woodshed. If you'd like to check it out and the fantastic game of Jenga we played...then click here

This time I decided that it would be a good tactic not to order delicate beautifully sized lady logs...more huge dude dobbers! 

That way I wouldn't be able to lift them and therefore not have to stack 

(hehe...or should that be more of a MMMmmmmmhhhhhaaaaaa?)

I'd like to just let you know that he wasn't wearing his hoodie until I produced the camera. He knows I don't like him wearing it, so it could have been a little silent protest or more just to wind me up! 

He also had his music blasting out...(possibly scaring all living things within a 50 mile radius) Well like me he can't do much without music but it wasn't of my choice. 

Thankfully he'd make a quick dash to the ipod to change the track when an inappropriate track or lyrics resonated out of the woodshed! 

My son's had a busy day today really, because he's now having to write a report and earlier he took McMuffy for her walk. He'll sleep well tonight! 

(not that he doesn't usually) 

As you can see McMuffy is wearing her blue tartan coat.

I've got so much to catch up on your blogs and I apologies profusely if I haven't left a comment. I sometimes nip in to take a peek...because basically I'm nosy and I don't want to miss anything. I'll try to let you know that I've been next time, but please forgive me just for these few crazy weeks! 

Why not nip over to Sally over at Smiling Sally's blog to see more Happy Blue Monday entrants...you'll have a great time hoping all over the globe and you never know what will appear! 

Have a wonderful week everyone...and I'll hopefully see you soon 

 xoxo

Happy Blue Monday...Blue Sky, Sea and there's Sunshine!

I feel I need to shout this from the rooftops!

We have had a fantastic weekend with the warmest temperatures in the UK.

I know...I can't believe it either but it was true.
We captured the end of the summer (the equinox) in a very special way!
I know we're on limited time to enjoy the warmth of the sun, with winter lurking just around the corner, but we certainly made the most of it over the weekend. 

Look here's the proof...

Can you feel that warmth?

It's incredible because we've had quite chilly weather over last week and I nearly succumbed to my thermals. Call me a woos, but at the risk of repeating myself 
I DON'T LIKE TO BE COLD!

Anyway...I digress (what's new I hear you say...) 

So we all jumped into the car, hubby, daughter, son, McMuffy and I and headed to the coast.

The boot of the car was decidedly lower than the front and it wasn't just because the girls were in the back! It was heavily laiden with various garbs of clothing from fleeces to duck down filled jackets...well you never know what to expect especially when you are heading off to the beach and a coastal walk in the East of Scotland. 

Be prepared is my motto :D

This cove is situated in the historic fishing village of Catterline. 
Perched on cliff tops overlooking the bay and harbour are fantastic little fishing cottages. There's lots of history here.

We'd just finished walking along the cliff top to the RSPB Fowlsheugh nature reserve where we reminisced about the last time we had been there...many years ago. 

I remember that the noise was deafening from all the nesting birds accommpanied with a powerful pong! 

I remember my ears nearly dropping off with the freezing wind that whipped around the cliffs, but that was then and this is now...beautifully calm, fresh crisp sea air and warming sun. 

We were obviously not in the nesting season at this time of year, but we did have the privilege of seeing and hearing all the geese flying overhead trying desperately to work out whether to fly south or not? Their constant vocal call seemed to say "Do we go or do we stay? I thought it was cold enough didn't you? But actually I'm really rather warm now...maybe we should stay awhile? 

It's amazing just how far away their calls can be heard. You normally hear them long before you see them in their ever changing formation V.

Upon walking back along the cliff tops we were so thrilled because there below was a large pod of dolphins. Another amazing spectacle :D

I tried desperately to capture them on camera but failed miserably. 

Here's one of the better photos which gives you some idea of what a task I had. 
See how near I am to that cliff edge? 

One sneeze and I'd have been a goner!

You can see the dolphin if you zoom in...promise! 

Who could resist a little toe dipping on a day like this, although my son took it to a whole new level...stripping off and diving in! 
I've never seen him move so quick once the water hit him...then there was the scramble to get back into his clothes to hide his modesty! Hehe ;D

And so as you can imagine we'd worked up quite an appetite but help was at hand because can you believe it...The Creel Inn was just where we'd parked our car...
fancy that!

(photo courtesy of The Creel Inn website...I was too busy eating)

We actually sat out on these tables to devour our fantastic seafood platter fresh from the boat. The white paintwork was actually painful on the eyes due to the terrific sun light...but we weren't complaining. 

I couldn't resist snapping these lobster pots stacked along the rear wall as we were leaving. 

So have you detected that there's a theme here today?

I couldn't possibly be blue on this beautiful Monday...but it appears I am.

So after visited Little Wandering Wren earlier today for my Aussie fix and seeing her blue post, I wanted to join in too with a happy Blue Monday.

I'm a sucker for blue, so if you are too or just nosy interested then why not pop across to see Sally and the other Blue Monday posts.

Happy Blue Monday and have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by...I've got so many bloggy bits scrambling to get posted, so I'll probably be back soon. 
(In a hushed voice)...I hear that rain is coming this way on Wednesday for who knows how long, so I'll stay indoors then...right now I'm getting out there to enjoy it! 

I hope you have a Happy Monday too 

xoxo

Blorange...Blue and Orange blended!

If anyone was to ask me what my favourite colour was, I'd instantly say 'cobalt blue'...but that's not strictly true because if I think about it a little more, I realise I like a wide range of blues such as aqua, turquoise, robin egg, sky, royal blue, sapphire, indigo, teal, baby blue, Persian blue, navy, peacock, electric blue...hmm the list grows the more I think about it. So maybe I should answer the question by just saying my favourite colour is 'blue'! 

On the other hand one of my least favourite colours happens to be orange. Now I really feel for orange because it's never done anything wrong or ever offended me...it's just we don't have that same connection that I have with blue. 

I'm afraid it's not only the colour...I don't like to eat oranges or drink orange juice!

Why? I cannot say...I just don't! Never have....

So when Jenn over at Just Add Water Silly chose 'BLORANGE' for this week's Artist Play Room  

I had mixed feeling. I mean my favourite colour mixed with my least?!?! 

How was this going to work?  

It's like asking my son to become friends with the hoover (vacuum)! It's a tough ask!

But who's going to refuse Jenn? Certainly not me...

So after a little procrastinating (I'm a natural) I dived right in to see where it would lead....

I'm aware I'm probably playing with your mind here (Mmmmwwwaaaahhhhhhaaaa) but I have to admit it it was rather fun. I thought I'd make the orange blue perhaps just a twist on the 'blood oranges' (with their red flesh) which by the way just happen to be my hubby's favourite.

I also took it one step further by mixing the blue actually with orange, for the leaves and the shadow. 

I'm not sure why but this photo is nothing like the original. 

The original has such an intensity that I prefer, but the above looks rather anaemic. :-( 

Maybe it's orange getting its own back on me for being so unkind.

I thought I might feel differently if an orange happened to be a blue colour, but I'm afraid I still don't like oranges no matter what colour they are....oh now I feel I've got a personal vendetta against the poor defenceless fruit. Shame on me!

Have a great day everyone and I hope to see you again soon...I'd miss you if you didn't pop by

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I wanted to quickly mention Featuring magazine to you all...

It's a great mag for Mixed Media artists and it is starting a subscription service with the next issue... head on over to some of these links if you are interested in checking it out...

website

 http://www.featuringmagazine.com

you can buy issue 3 here

 http://www.featuringmagazine.com/archives/product/featuring-magazine-issue-3

or read what people have to say about it...

 http://www.featuringmagazine.com/testimonials

Artist Play Room ~ Favourite Colour

Phewph...here I am again...'Tail-End Charlie'...(apologies Jenn)

All my good intentions to be ahead of the game this week seemed to disappear around Tuesday! 

Hopefully Jenn at the Artist Play Room  will be her usual wonderful, lovely host and let me nip into the room to join in the fun....even at this late stage.

 

Jenn decided for this week's theme we were to create a piece of art that celebrates our very favourite colour. This you would think might be an easy challenge, but once you really have to knuckle down and chose one particular colour it becomes very difficult....so I went with my initial first thought. 

The colour that I would usually chose would be 'blue'.....

but then which blue to choose? 

 

Oh my...but there are an infinite number of possible shades. Each shade of blue can be modified slightly by adding a new colour, the possibilities are endless. As far as we know, there are more than fifty thousand shades of blue. Air Force Blue, Celeste, Egyptian blue, Maya Blue, Royal Blue, and Ultramarine are a few.

So which to choose?...I did have a beautiful electric blue dress that was my absolute favourite years ago...I thought I looked the 'bees knees' in it (heaven knows where that statement comes from...'the bees knees'?) and was heartbroken when finally I couldn't wear it anymore...so whilst walking last week I came across the tiny Australian Fairy Wren who obviously feels the same about his plumage and rightly so...he struts his stuff on tiny, tiny legs in his spectacular blue outfit and is so cute that I thought I'd chose him to celebrate my favourite colour.

It seems right that I not only use the colour but also a beautiful little delicate bird too. 

So here is my entry....I hope you like him....I also thought I'd add just a touch of a 'tangle in the tail ;D

I couldn't resist...plus he's in my journal...so hey ticked a few boxes at once!

(apologies for the photograph...unfortunately I couldn't take the photo in good light) 

Then a friend (who knew that I was drawing the blue wren) brought me this photo from a magazine...

now let me tell you I haven't been able to snap a shot of this tiny wren myself because basically I'm hopeless...my camera just doesn't have a fast enough shutter speed...and this little chap doesn't sit still...ever!!!

But look at this shot!

I'd have been apoplectic if I'd managed to take this photo...I'd have been hyperventilating and shaking so much that it would have been a blur.

 I can imagine how the photographer Barb Leopald must have felt knowing she had that shot in the bag!

So that's it for this week folks...I hope you've enjoyed visiting me...I know I've loved having you pop into my place. So why not nip over to Jenn's place to see all the stunning colours and amazing art work.

I'm sure you'll be inspired by what you see...they're such a brilliantly talented lot!

That's where I'm off to now...see you there