Alberto's Hutte

31st March 2017 (Friday) .... 10.00    Mmmmmmm .... it is not a ‘pretty’ morning as far as the weather goes;   overcast and damp after recent rain, but it is not Elie Harbour. cold.     Because there’s hardly any wind I’ve got the bike out;   I’ll bike up to Elie for the paper, and perhaps go up through the Estate.... no, cancel Elie estate, that road will be muddy;  I’ll just bike up for the paper and get back to Ivy in time to get the kettle ‘on’ for Jimmy.    Got to ‘go’ ... ‘slight flap on’ mode has kicked in. 21.00    Hey the auld villages look like being busy this weekend, I saw cars, with bikes on the roof, going down Ferry Road:    they must be getting into ‘holiday’ mood.    It’s good to see the villages come alive again after the winter;  that said nigh on every weekend has been busy.... busier than they used to be.    That reminds me;   we’re going to have a, I don’t know what you’d call it?.... a kiosk I guess,... selling Frogurt (frozen Yogurt ), teas and coffees e

30th March 2017 (‘Drop in Cafe Day’ .... formerly ‘Thursday’) .... 08.30 .... we have a ‘cloudy with sunny spells’ morning;   and could get light showers by the The Crookit Skellie  look of the clouds, but it it’s a good morning for going to the beach..... I’ll take my chance with any showers.     10.55 is low tide;  I’ll go and have a look for my wellies, though I’m not keen on wearing them, but they would get me onto some  of the more remote ‘beaches’ that are uncovered at Spring tides.     Must ‘go’ ... slight flap on;   need to find the ‘orrible wellies! 12.30     I might not enjoy wearing ‘wellies’, but they got me out to where I wanted to be;   the ‘Ferry Bank’ and a wee beach at the end of the ‘Crookit Skellie’... it, the ‘Crookit Skellie’, is at Chapel Ness.    Most of the time was spent on the ‘Crookit Skellie beach’:   I got there 50 minutes before low tide, and enjoyed myself ‘being there’, taking photos.    I took a load (of photographs) because it’s not a place I’

29th March 2017 (Wednesday)  .... 08.30     Hmmmmm .... we have a disappointing start to this morning.... damp and grey;   and it’s a Spring tide.   I’d Elie  hoped to be down on the beach by now but we have drizzle at this time;  low tide isn’t until 10.15 so it might be bonnier by then.    Having said that it disnae look like it will be!   There is a slightly ‘bigger’ tide tomorrow, but only by a centimetre!    Unfortunately ‘smirr’ of the wind that we have is from the East, bringing ‘stuff’ in from the North sea;   we have a slightly ‘unhappy bunny’ this morning. 21.00     The fog, because that’s what the ‘grey’ was, lasted most of the day;  at times in the morning, when I was walking over the beach to Elie harbour, the sun nearly broke through.... but never quite managed.     I left Ivy at 09.30, by which time the drizzle had stopped and it was pleasantly warm;    the wind being very light.     I had a great walk, a distance of 3.03 kilometres (1.8 miles), all on the beac

28th March 2017 (Tuesday) .... 12.45     Thank goodness that the ‘warm and sunny’ days are past;   I was beginning to worry about my delicate skin becoming Activity on Elie pier this morning. sun-burnt!    There’s no fear of the sunburn today;  we have an overcast and cold day .... the wind is from the East! I had a quick look outside this morning and decided that I’d go to Leven:   I needed a haircut, and a wiper blade for ‘Sooper Buggy’.    I’d also go to Sainsbury’s and get some ‘food’.    This has all been done;   I arrived back at Ivy in time to get the kettle on for Jimmy. After our cuppa we went down to Elie Harbour;   the pontoon was ‘going in’ today.    That had been done by the time we got there.   The tide was out, so we went along to St Monans harbour to see the result of all the dredging activities:   there is a big difference from where they have been, and where they have yet to 'be' .... there is no doubt about it ... they have removed a lot of silt etc

27th March 2017 (Monday) .... “Happy Birthday Michael .... have a great day!”    How old?    No that can’t be I’m only 63! 09.30(BST)    The weather forecast was for us to have cloud moving in from the North Earlsferry High Street Sea;   but no sign of that happening, so far.   In fact we have a gorgeous, ‘sunny and warm’ morning after a light touch of early frost.    I have been out for a pre-breakfast walk... and walked/meandered exactly 3 kilometres (1.86 mile) over the beach, Chapel Green and the golf course.   I was ready for my porridge when I got back to Ivy.     21.30     This has been another beautiful day, in spite of there being a cool breeze from the East;  however it all changed by evening time:  the cloud moved in, the wind became stronger ... it’s now overcast and cauld. Elie (bit of) from Chapel Green. This morning I oiled the bike, adjusted the seat and did the ‘Elie Estate’ circuit after lunch.    It was great being out on the bike again;  and it w

26th March 2017 (Sunday).... 12.00     We have a ‘bright, sunny and warm’ day here, though there is a light breeze from the East, which will keep the The Cockstail rocks Earlsferry. temperature down a wee bit.    I began the day in ‘working’ mode by putting a washing on .... and then went down to the beach for a pre-breakfast walk.     It was one of those really quiet and peaceful mornings, with  not even floppy waves falling onto the sand... the water was quietly, almost furtively, creeping up the beach.   I wandered along the tide line rocks to the Cockstail, and pottered around there, where the desire to have breakfast suddenly hit me.    I got back to Ivy at 08.45 .... only to discover, when I switched on the computer, that it was in fact nearly 10.00;   I’d forgotten to change the clocks.     Oh .... the ‘Ferry Clock’ is at the correct time.... and like, Ivy Cottage, is now working....  on BST.     Peaceful Elie Bay. Jimmy has been ‘in’ for ‘Morning coffee’ ... my was

25th March 2017 (Saturday) .... 07.30   It is absolutely gorgeous at “The Centre of The Universe” this morning:   sunny and warm with a light breeze from the Elie sunrise. West:   a perfect ‘drying day .... and ... my washing is on the line.   I’ve been down on the beach to watch the sunrise;  it was superb, and I felt the warmth of the sun as soon as it appeared above The Toft:  I might need the sun cream later. I’m organised for the ‘Troops’... well I was doing fine, until I sat down at the computer.    Not that I’m doing much but it’s a good day for doing the lobby floors, ... that is the next task.... that and a run roond wi’ the ‘oover;  somebody came in from the beach with sand on their shoes! 21.00    What glorious weather we’ve had today .... it was 17c in Ivy garden at one point!    The ‘Troops’ arrived about 11.00 and wanted to go down to the beach before having lunch.    Iain had just got here when he spotted a butterfly flying over Ivy My first butterfly sighti

24th March 2017 (Friday) .... 09.30    We have a glorious, “bright, sunny and warm” morning ... after a light early morning frost:  it’s a perfect day for working Our 'main' beach -- from the 'Black Wa' at Earlsferry to The Breakwater, Elie. in the garden.     I could do ‘gardening things’ today, as I have been out for a 2.58 kilometre (1.6 mile) walk earlier;   mostly pottering around the Chapel Green area.   I’ve just noticed that, a thin layer of high cloud has drifted over since I was out .... this cloud might filter some of the warmth out of the sun;  with a bit of luck the sun might burn it off!       21.30    I’ve had a ‘lazy’ kind of day... though I did do a bit of ‘ousework;  the Auchnagatt ‘Troops’ are coming down tomorrow, and I  thought I’d better make an effort.   The weather forecast for tomorrow is ‘excellent’.... sunny and warm, so we should get out for a walk.    I did do a wee bit in the garden, but not as much as I really should have ....  Blo

23rd March 2107 (Drop in Cafe Day)    09.30   .... if we didn’t have the greyness, and wetness, we’d have a nice morning;   however the prognosis for the afternoon is better.... raging sunshine and multiple degrees of heat:  the sun cream has Elie Bay this morning. been shaken!     The wind, still from that nasty Easterly direction, has less velocity than yesterday... therefore it, the temperature, feels warmer .... welllll? ... not so much ‘warmer’ it’s just not as cold as of late.    That’s the weather sorted , now I need a ‘plan’.    I’ll have meander along the beach;  the rain is of the intermittent variety and I’m feeling lucky! 21.30    The rain never did come to ‘much’ today, but it was overcast for most of the time.... though it did ‘brighten up’ for a while in the afternoon.   By ‘brighten’ up I mean the general greyness of the sky got a bit paler in patches.    I didn’t stay long on the beach long when I was down there this morning .... I felt that, being exposed to t

22nd March 2017 (Wednesday)....11.30     Blimey .... It is cold this morning;   Sooper Buggy was covered in frost, and it’s only 3c in Ivy garden at present, A Few of the EKC Guild members this afternoon. and there’s an Easterly breeze so it feels colder.    I haven’t been out walking yet... but I’ll walk along to the Kirk Hall in the afternoon;   I’m hoping the sun will have broken through the cloud by then.... but I doubt it. I’m organised for EKC presentation afternoon... a bit nervous, (I always am) but should be OK when I get going, and start to relax.    Why I should be nervous I don’t know;   the members of the EKC Guild are my friends ... (and critics?)!   I’m looking forward to seeing my photos on a big screen. Ferry Road Earlsferry. 21.30    The sun was seen, as around disc trying to break through the cloud.... but the cloud won;   I took the car along to Elie because it looked like it might rain.    It was raining by the time we left the Hall.    I enjoye

21st March 2017 (Tuesday) ....  08.30    “Happy Birthday Iain” .... who will be .... what?    How old?    That cannae be;   52 ..?     Mmmmm .... does this mean that I am a tad older than I’ve been admitting too?    Have a great day ..... eat cake ‘n stuff!    We have a bright, breezy, and cold morning..... not a morning for ladder work.   That said ... I remember working over at Livingstone one hard winter, and we did ‘ladder Maggie's name  on the Memorial Stone at Elie Kirk. work’ in the snow .... yon was a miserable place to be.   I’ve never been back to Livingstone! 12.00    I got an e-mail from Olive this morning, telling me that Maggie’s name had been inscribed on the Memorial stone at Elie;   this made me decide to walk along to the kirk, to see, and take a picture, of the inscription.  We have had  a few blustery showers this morning but I was lucky and managed to get ‘there and back’ dry.    At Park Place, Elie. Telfer’s Wynd I went down to the beach

20th March 2017 (Monday) .... 07.00     I got ‘up’ to go for a pre-breakfast walk, only to discover a heavy rain shower rattling over.   I thought ... KIncraig Cliffs, Earlsferry “Albert, my boy this is not good”.      I’ll go walking’ after breakfast ... when there is less dampness around.... at the moment it looks like we could have rain showers, of the heavy variety, for the next hour or so.      21.00 ..... The ‘East Neuk’ did catch a few heavy showers over the day, but the intervals in between them were decent, so I was able to do things;  with today being  ‘International Happiness Day’ being able to do things made me happy.   My state of ‘being happy’ began when I went out for my morning walk;  I did ‘the Chapel Green’ walk, which meant I could keep an eye out for approaching showers, and take evasive action to avoid them;  and get back to Ivy fast.    As it was I caught up with Jimmy up Pittenweem at Chapel Green:  Jimmy ‘moors up’ the car at the Chapel Green turning

19th March 2017 (Sunday)   ....  20.00    We have had a lovely, ‘bright and breezy’ day;  a perfect day for Jimmy and I visiting Dysart Harbour.    Not only did we The Rumlin' Gut - Earlsferry.   The village 'coup'. visit Dysart, we went down to East and West Wemyss harbours too;  making a complete morning of it. I started my morning by doing the Chapel Green walk, during which I visited the original Earlsferry ‘coup’ .... the ‘Rumlin Gut’.   This is an inlet to the south of the Chapel ruin, into which the  village ‘scaffies’ tipped the rubbish which was then washed out to sea on the outgoing tide;   and probably much of it would end up on the local beaches.    Jimmy and Sydney used to go into the inlet at low tide, looking for any money that may have been dumped with the rubbish:  they were doing their bit for re-cycling!    This practice, of dumping rubbish into the sea stopped when the ‘coup’ East Wemyss fisherman's huts etc.  was moved inland, to the area