Fun and freebies

Owen Alfie and Mouse, all tacked up and ready for a trip to the woods!

The Boys helping to clear the tracks of wind damaged wood.

Secateurs for path tidying and a nice pot of wild garlic!!

Ready to go home with our stash.

Owen liberates some thick black plastic from a field, on the way home.   

The freebie haul. fallen wood for the log burner, plant poy found on the way home,

the black plastic, perfect for the garden and the wild garlic!

The shed we got for FREE!!!!

Nice to have a designated space for the gardening stuff :)

Lunch for the hungry gatherers. Tomato and veg soup with wild garlic.

Looking for Badgers

Some of you will have already seen this but for those that I don't see elswhere online heres the

Great Badger Mystery!!

Garden pics and windy mornings!

March is a sneaky month, especially in the North East of Scotland.
Some days can be beautiful, spring like. The ground feels warm to the touch, I start itching to plant something, ANYTHING.

But then within hours it can change.
A couple of foot of snow over Easter isn't unknown.

So March is a month were one has to sit on ones hands, metaphorically speaking.

Its all the harder cause I have started a job.
Only a few hours a week but its fantastic! Gardening so yeah, I'm happy.
Hoping this will lead to a little more but for now its all fitting in well.

But today is WIIIIIINNNNDDDYYYYY!!!!!
So windy in fact that today's work was cancelled. As most if it is raking up leaves and twigs at the moment, it would be foolish to waste two hours chasing the same few leaves!

Can  you hear the wind!!!!!????

So anyway, today the dogs are on super high alert and barking at every bang and knock and naturally the ships bell outside keeps ringing, not happy doggies!

I'd better finish this before the wind cuts the power! So heres some recent pics :)

The North west facing windowsill full of early planting. 

So far so good, Herbs, salad leaves, tomato. In the back we have pumpkin and sunflower, all now come through since this pic was taken.

The new herb garden!

Bird boxes made by the boys at the Bennachie centre.

Ollie's.

Owens

Alfie's.

Dusting off the bike for 2011!

My poor bike hasn't had a good winter.
For a start winter came early, stopping her from feeling the wind in her spokes and THEN some careless person left her outside and it snowed.... and snowed.....and snowed ....AND snowed some more.

Luckily she is a well made bike and a little tlc and grease and shes up and about again.

I've been out 3 times in the last 5 days and GOD have I missed it!

A bit like doing anything that involves effort, I put it off and off until I really DID have to use the bike because I had a job interview.
Of course it doesn't hurt that the last few days have been very spring like, blue skies, light breeze, lots of bird song, weather like this after the horror show of winter can't help but raise the spirits.

The reason I love riding  the bike is because its exercise with a purpose.

I'm not a huge fan of just going for a bike ride, but I do love using two wheels to get somewhere, to run errands or go to work. I feel the same about walking, I need a dog to walk with otherwise I don't see the point.
This is why I can't do anything in the gym.
Cycling or running on the spot? With no purpose?

Some may argue that the purpose is to loose weight or get fit but maybe I just see it as a waste of time. I mean come on... most people drive to the gym, you could style there and back for FREE and not have to go in.

What I love about cycling in real life is the fact that if you reach a hill you have to get to the top. Even if you can't cycle all the way you still HAVE to physically get there, even if you get off and walk, its still exercise. In a gym, on a stationary bike I would give up as soon as I got a bit puffed.

So shoot me, I'm weak.

Also you have to love the fact that every slog up a hill is rewarded with a fee wheel down hill to get your breath back!

This year though I am going to treat myself to a new saddle.
Mine is a fairly bog standard saddle and although I own a ladies bike its not really a ladies saddle. In fact my seat bones sit snugly either side of the saddle... not comfy.
So a nice new WIDE seat is the way forwards I think.

I also want to kit the bike out better for carrying stuff.
I use a backpack but its limiting and makes your back sweat on hot days.
Last year I tried a basket on the front, although it was better it wasn't very stable, only being attached to the handle bars, I really need something like a front parcel rack to keep the basket steady.
Panniers might also be a way to go as well.

Anyway.

Here comes spring :)