Alberto's Hutte

31st October 2017 (Tuesday) .... 07.30     As per weather forecast we have a grey sky with rain... but it is warmer.   This is not a day for walking;  that said Elie Bay at sunset time.. the sun was setting behind me ... behind clouds. the rain should peter out soon, leaving us with a ‘grey day’ .... and it, the weather, might even brighten up in the afternoon.          22.30    This afternoon I made my best Wholemeal scones so far;  the texture is good, and the flavour just right, especially with raspberry jam.    Today I added one of the ‘girls’ eggs to the mix ....I think that is what has made the difference!      Unfortunately I can’t give the ‘girls’ one of ‘their’ scones  .... that, would be cannibalism. The weather remained dull up until about 14.00, when the sky broke up and we have a few short spells of sunshine.     At the end of the afternoon I went down to the beach, to find it busier than I’d expected at this time of year.    I think Elie and Earlsferry are E

30th October 2017 (Monday) ....12.00     Hmmmm .... it was bright, sunny and cold first thing this morning .... I had to scrape the car windscreen .... the Gordonshall Cottage. sky began to cloud over at 10.30 and it’s is now spitting rain. The ‘girls’ are a happy bunch .... I always get a warm, welcoming clucking from them.   This is the first morning I’ve been able to relax with the ‘girls’ ....not having to be somewhere else in an hour or so.    Wednesday is the next day that will have me in ‘slight flap on’ mode;  we have the Lite Lunch at Colinsburgh at 12.30.     This morning, after conversing with the ‘girls’, and with the sun beginning to warm the air, I walked over to Carnbee kirk;  it’s only about 600 metres or so along the road.    This is a bonnie road to walk, or bike, apart from the bit around the farm;   having said East entrance gate to Carnbee kirk yard. that, there is a huge shed full of cattle beasts;   there could be some good close up photos there.

29th October 2017 (Sunday) .... 07.30     “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight” ... wellll .... we have a nice bright, breezy and cold, morning (I've been down on the beach);  it looks like being a nice enough day, but there are clouds about, and Elie Bay at 06.35. the wind  will take a few degrees off  an already fairly low temperature.    Must go .... got lots to do this morning .... and the ‘girls’ will be waiting.    I should be up there about 08.00.... which will give me loads of time to get back to Ivy, and get ready for the Harvest Service at Colinsburgh. 20.30    This has been a bonnie, busy, and very enjoyable day.    I have been on the go since 05.30 when I got up to shower etc.    I then went down to the beach at 06.30.   The first view of the bay, from the top of the dunes, always takes my breath away.... it doesn’t have to be a spectacular sunrise, it’s the miracle of the changing sky, as the sun comes up from way down below the horizon, that is awesome. I

28th October 2017 (Saturday)    08.30  .... Mmmmmm .... it isn’t as cold as I expected it to be this morning,.... in spite of the weather being overcast and Tomorrows breakfast! breezy.    It is rather grey and dour looking. I am ready to go and give the ‘girls’ their breakfast;   I imagine they will be looking for something happening soon.... I’m planning to be at their residence about 09.00 hours.    On paper, feeding looks complicated, but it’s straightforward really;  breakfast first thing.... then main meal after lunch.    Must ‘go’ (after I have a cuppa) .... ‘very slight flap on’ mode has kicked in. 13.00     The ‘girls’ were waiting for me .... well they weren’t looking for me in particular .... anyone with their sweet corn was going to be welcomed.    I was ‘on station’ at 09.03.   After feeding, and doing a couple of the water dishes, I went for a walk along the Carnbee road:  Maggie and I once drove this road, oh ... that would be twenty years ago.     I’d only g

27th October 2017 (Friday) ....  09.30      we have an absolute cracker of a morning;  there is a really lovely autumn  feel to the air, quite chilly in fact, with a 35 minutes before sunrise. light northwest breeze.... one of those mornings when you will want to do things.    It was cold on the beach, but of course that was before the sun got ‘up’ to warm the air up.... having said that the wind will keep the temperature down a few degrees anyway.    I don’t have a ‘plan’ for today, but I feel like pruning a tree.... and I know the tree I want to prune;  the lilac tree in the front garden.  20.30    Strangely enough I actually did some pruning, but not as much as I intended doing:   this was due to the fact that I had a catastrophe in the kitchen.   I dropped 1 litre container of milk.... and the cork sprung off!     I was able to pick the container off the floor before too much of the contents had escaped.... but the cleanup of the spillage took a while.    No doubt the kitche

26th October 2017 (Thursday) .....  08.30    There’s a cold wind, but that apart, it’s a nice morning... with some bonnie clouds around;   and plenty of blue sky.  Jim, Monica, the birthday boy and Janice.   I didn’t go down to the beach this morning;    I’m going to Kirkcaldy  to have browse around ASDA, then down to ‘Rejects’ to buy net curtains... and visit their Cafe!    Must ‘go’ .... slight ‘flap on’... I want to be in ASDA’s before it gets busy.  21.00     ASDA’s was less crowded this morning ..... than it was when I was there a couple of weeks ago....  so I had a good browse around.... and bought some bits and pieces, though not too much as I’m going down to Sussex for Christmas and want the freezer empty.    However I couldn’t resist buying a huge box of ‘grass’, sometimes called Shredded Wheat’....and  a cod in parsley sauce, ready meal.    They do have a good choice of fish ready meals;   but not salmon and prawn fish pie..... which I’ve only ever seen in Tesco’s.   

25th October 2017 (Wednesday) .... 13.00    This ‘Boy’ has had a busy morning... which began with sunrise down on the beach.    Well not actually on the Five minutes before sunrise. beach... in the lee of the bents, because there was, still is, a brisk wind blowing.... and it was cold.    Sunrise this morning was at 08.06;    sunrise  time will change after the clocks ‘fall back’ on Sunday morning.... and I’ll have to be up, and out by 06.30.     We had a bonnie, if not spectacular, sunrise today, with quite  few folks walking the beach. Since then I have been up to Balmonth to meet Sandy and M’s hens... then back to Ivy, to pick up a camera, before going along to Pittenweem, to Elizabeth’s Coffee Morning.    Pittenweem Kirk Hall was full, , but I was able to find a seat beside Jimmy McBain, his sister Linda and wife Anne.  I also met, and spoke to, Isobel Paton, now Elie Lighthouse. Marr, from Colinsburgh... who I haven’t seen for years.    I couldn’t stay too long as I

24th October 2017 (Tuesday) .... 09.00    We have dreich start to the morning, .... but .... the rain is forecast to clear away by midday leaving us with ‘sunny Nice front door. spells’.    I went down to the harbour (in the car) for a change of scene, but had to abort the mission;  the rain became serious... and there was never going to be a visible sunrise this morning;   not here anyway. The delivery I’m waiting ‘in’ for isn’t going to happen until tomorrow;  which is awkward because I have things on tomorrow morning.    Of course the delivery might not be until the afternoon;   DPD, the delivery company, send an e-mail giving a time (between 13.00 and 14.00 would be fine), when the delivery should happen. ‘Atlantic Kestrel’, the tug/supply ship that’s heading for Aberdeen, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar overnight, and is now bumbling along at 8.6 knots. 19.00     Wellll ... the weather hasn’t been the bonniest today, but... having said that it has been dry, a

23rd October 2017 (Monday) ... 09.30    We had a ‘red sky in the morning sunrise’..... and spits and spots o’ rain when I was on the beach;   now it is Red sky in the morning .... and it's now raining! raining ‘properly’.    The baking kit will be coming out, as it looks like we could be in for a wet and windy couple of hours.    We did have a beautiful sunrise this morning ..... it’s actually the half hour before sunrise that I like best;   the sky changes dramatically at first, then the subtle colours spread across the sky.    My preferred spot is to be on the beach because I then have the sky reflected on the wet sand .... providing the tide is out.    I’m a contented boy! 20.00    The Plain Wholemeal Flour scones turned out a spectacular disaster;   the round looked like a big soft digestive biscuit... and that was after adding baking Earlsferry High Street..... East end. powder.    However there is one connoisseur of Digestive Biscuits that loves the them, (the ‘ne

22nd October 2017 (Sunday) .... 09.00    It’s a beautiful morning... and it looks like being a nice, mostly bright and sunny day, albeit cool in the brisk westerly Elie Bay - five minutes before sunrise time. wind.    There were a few dog walkers out  on the beach.... and the Breakwater Coffee buggy was opening... but I didn’t go along as far as the breakwater.... I might have yielded to temptation and had a coffee.    Now that the sun’s up I’m going to go for a daunder. 20.00    I did go for a ‘daunder’... in the afternoon, on Balcarres estate.   Jimmy arrived in the mornin desperate for a cuppa, and a scone;  by the time we’d finished the blathering it was nigh on lunch time.    I decided to have a bit of fruit for lunch, as I was making a beef casserole for dinner.... “Puku” is definitely on a diet! Balcarres Estate The reason I ended up on Balcarres was;  the car needed to be topped up with fuel at the BP Garage (Colinsburgh), and, being that Balcarres Crag stands

21st October 2017 (Saturday) .... We have a brisk south-easterly breeze so it was colder down on the beach this morning.... and it is mostly overcast.   The sun Naughty threatening cloud over the Royal Burgh. should break through, but I don’t think we’re going to have an Indian Summer kind of day like we had yesterday... having said that,....in spite of the cold wind the beach was busy with early dog walkers, including Elaine .... but, no joggers.       20.00   It has been a mixed, but busy enough, day for me;   I was in a baking mood after breakfast, and did a double batch o’ Wholemeal scones.    This time I pranged them with that roond thing to make well... roond scones .... they turned out fine;  but I prefer the big round cut into six triangles.   They, the roond ones, taste the same but for some reason they look like they should be triangles!    Jimmy appeared about three minutes after the second batch came out so we had one with a cuppa.  After Jimmy left, and before lunch

20th October 2017 (Friday) .... 09.00    Mmmmmm ....it is overcast, as was forecast, and there’s a light southwest breeze;  but... although grey, it’s a bonnie Elie pier. morning.    We had a few early dog walkers, and one dog jogger, on the beach at sunrise time... sunrise was at 07.55 ... but the sun has yet to burn its way through a thick blanket of cloud.   We may get a few bright spells later.   For some inexplicable reason, I’m feeling impish this morning;    I’ve no doubt that will wear orf.    I’ll put the kettle on. News ...  regarding ‘Albert’s Hutte’, Streamline version.    I am closing the Streamline version of ‘The Hutte’, it is becoming too expensive to keep .... and will close on the 16th November.     Instead of Streamline ‘The Hutte’ will be on Google (Google provides the web space free) ...and can be found here  Alberto’s Hutte on Goog .    I have been using Google, alongside Streamline for more than a year now.... and find it easier to use ... and consid

19th October 2017 (Drop in Cafe- day) .... 09.30    what a gorgeous morning .... definitely a day for being out.     It looks overcast towards the West, but Elie Bay .... 20 minutes after sunrise. right now we have bright sunshine, and not much in the way of wind .... and what little there is, is from the SSE.    I spent a happy hour, with the camera, around the rocks, at the edge of the tide ... which was near enough full out.    Sunrise was hidden behind low cloud,...  nevertheless, the sky was a kaleidoscope of pastel colours.   I’m a contented bunny ... now I must feed ‘Puku’.   20.00     Mostly we’ve been under a layer of cloud today .... grey and uninspiring after the initial promise at sunrise time;  and it began to rain at 16.45 so we have a dreich evening... but not cold. Elie bay 10 minutes after sunrise time. The ‘Drop in Cafe’ was quiet at first but soon filled up, and was buzzin’ like a bumble bee’s nest by 15.00.    My only activities today has been the be