Alberto's Hutte

30th June 2018 (Saturday) .... 08.00     We have the makings of a nice day;    .... we have a lovely morning!    though there is a cool breeze.     Of course, that was earlier, and the sun is starting to burn off   the clouds so it could be warm(er) today.     The beach was tranquil .... and a few walkers were out enjoying this, the best time of the day.    I could have easily fallen asleep on “Nana’s” seat.... where I was having a ‘general contemplate’ after my bumble along the beach. 14.00     My word .... it is 22c in Ivy garden;   it will be cooler on the beach, (which will be busy), because there is a brisk easterly wind.       I’ll have a walk down to the beach later.... after it quietens.    I’m feeling ‘shy’ today.     Actually my knee is bothering me slightly, so I’m resting it.     Right enough, the garden work I did the other day agitated the knee, because I was climbing and twisting.    The problem is that I still think I can do things the way I did them 10 years

29th June 2018 (Friday) .... 08.30     My morning walk on the beach was Misty morning ...  and cold. short this morning;   we have misty (as in wet Scotch), breezy (F3 East wind) and cool, so not a bonnie start to Friday.     The sun should break through later, but even then it will be cool in the wind.     Jings, I was just beginning to get the hang of ‘summer’ weather.     I might walk along for the paper   and morning coffee in Harbour House;   but, if the Scotch mist hasn’t cleared away it will be the car. 18.00     I got a pleasant surprise when I went for the paper this morning .... no, the sun wasn’t shining at Elie:   I met Neil who told me that there was artistic activity on Elie Harbour beach.      This I had to see.    The weather was dour, and I needed something to brighten me up.       When I arrived at The Terrace (the best viewpoint) I sat and Johann Sebastian Bach - Elie Harbour beach. watched as the artists produced a head drawing of Johann Sebastian Bach

28th June 2018 (Thursday) .... 09.30     Oh my word .... this boy is an excited Kincraig cliffs - Earlsferry. boy this morning.    First of all we have a gorgeous morning;   which was made even brighter when I met three blonde ladies out for their early morning stroll.     I might be ‘in love’!      You might think that meeting a trio girls out walking was   enough ‘excitement’ for one morning, but another ‘excitement’ is caused by the heavy lifting vessel “Albatross” arriving back in the Firth.... presumably to remove another of the redundant oil rigs in Largo Bay.    She (Albatross) has been busy since she took the first rig out to Turkey to be scrapped.    Since then she has been back and forth across the Atlantic several times.     Right now she is moored up somewhere in the middle of the fog bank that is lying on the south side of the Firth.    This has been an exciting morning;   I’ll need a coffee in Harbour Fog bank along the south side of the Firth. House to brin

27th June 2018 (Wednesday) .... 09.30       Although misty and overcast, it is a nice morning at the Centre of the Universe.     I’ve been on the beach:    the tide was Earlsferry.    Welll .... a wee bit if Earlsferry from the rocks. way out so I enjoyed an hour pottering along the edge of the tide.       There is a light easterly breeze, but not enough to make any noticeable difference to the temperature.     It’s warm.... and ... when the sun breaks through it will be hot.      Anyway I’ve had a decent walk... albeit a slow one.     21.30     I’ve had a reasonably busy day;   not ‘working’ I hasten to add.... more your sort of “playing, and finding out about things” sort of day.    The sun did eventually burn the haar back to give us a bonnie summer’s day. Unfortunately the easterly breeze became frisky and it was cool on the beach.     Having said that as long as you were out of the wind;   such as a wind break.... you’d be fine.    Afternoon on the beach. After

26th June 2018 (Tuesday) ... 08.00     Hmmmm .... unfortunately the easterly Misty morning. breeze has brought fog in from the North Sea;   hopefully, the sun should burn it (the fog) back leaving us with a summer weather day.... albeit with   cool easterly breeze.     The beach was quieter this morning;    Neil was cleaning rubbish off the beach.... as he does every morning when he walks his dogs;     and there was one other dog walker .... and me.       17.30     My word .... I have been a busy boy today.    My appointment at St Andrews (11.00) was soon over with, and I don’t have to go back for another six months.    That’s good.   From St Andrews I went straight to Leven  to get my haircut and visit the ‘Local Office’ (situated in the Library).     Neither haircut, nor local office involved any waiting time so I was on my way home by midday.    I've done more driving in the past few days than I've done in along time.  By the time I’d reached the Blacketyside en

25th June 2019 (Monday) ..... 09.00      I’m thinkin’ that summer is upon Our beach this morning. us:      we have a lovely, sunny and warm with a light WNW breeze morning.     There were a few holiday makers enjoying an early stroll along the beach... and three Heron catching their breakfast.    That reminds me;   I’d better have my breakfast.    I haven’t made my mind up what I’m going to do today;   it’s a bonnie day for getting some stuff done.    Oh .... I have a washing to hang out. 20.00     Yes .... this is summer weather right enough:   let’s hope it stays with us ....   for a few weeks at least.     After ‘morning coffee’ in Harbour House with the ‘troops’ I went to Leven and got all the things done that I needed done;   including a wee bit of shopping in Sainsbury’s.     It was hot in the car;   and that was with the windows This morning. slightly open.     I see that this car has air conditioning, but I have yet to find out how it works.     I suspect it’s mo

24th June 2018 (Sunday) .... 09.00     It’s ‘bright and sunny’ with a light NW Backhill of Inkhorn. breeze .... a nice morning though still rather cool.     I had a lie in, as did Super Pussy, who joined me in the middle of the night;   now I’m ready for breakfast, and a cuppa.     Then I’ll pack the gear into the car. 20.00     I had an enjoyable run from Auchnagatt;    if anything it was too ‘warm’.    Not a complaint that we Scots have cause to use very often!     I left ‘Backhill’ just after lunch,   and, twenty minutes later I joined ‘Cone Alley’ which stretches from Ellon to Aberdeen,     Even I had no problem with this.     Aberdeen was, reasonably busy, but the traffic was moving steadily.     There are more cones on the south side of Aberdeen.     All this is to do with the new bye-pass connections to the present road Secluded corner of the garden. network:   i.e. where it leaves the old A90 south of Aberdeen, and rejoins it (the old A90), on the north side of Ab

23rd June 2018 (Saturday) .... 09.00    There’s a brisk breeze adding a bit of wind chill to the air;   that said it’s a bonnie morning, but cool.     Iain has Stock Dove Hazel in Airdlin Croft garden. coming to the feeders.... in fact there are three of them around.     We must have Stock Doves in Fife, but I haven’t seen one in the Royal Burgh.     They look like small Wood Pigeons, without white marks on their necks. 20.00     Hazel and I went to the Airdlin Croft garden (Scottish Gardens) this morning.     This is a former croft converted into a woodland garden;    and it is stunning;   an oasis in a desert of fields, because this part of Scotland is exceptional farming country.     It   takes about an hour to bumble round the well marked paths, and for the keen gardener there are loads of different shrubs and plants to admire.     Unfortunately it has been a, mostly, grey day here, and when we were leaving Airdlin, it was spitting rain;   but the car park was busy.... an

22nd June 2018 (Friday) .... 07.30      We have a bonnie morning;    not Edzell arch. quite ‘wall to wall’ bloo, but not far orf it..... a nice day for travelling.    I’ll take the scenic route over the Cairn o’ Mount, that way I can stop here and there and get a few photos on the way north.    Right now I’m going down to the beach for a pre breakfast daunder. 21.00        I had a really enjoyable trip up to Auchnagatt.   On the way I had breakfast at Peggy Scott’s.... which took an hour.      My next stop was at Edzell to photograph the arch, though it wasn’t the best of light for doing that.      I then visited Balbegno Farm, to get a photo of the bungalow that has replaced the two ‘cottar’ houses, one of which I was born in.     I met and talked to the farmer, who is a grandson of the farmer that my ‘Dad’ worked for, as a horseman, in 1938:    this was a really interesting stop.     From there I went too Fettercairn arch. Fettercairn to photograph their arch.... the li

21st June 2018 (Thursday) ... 09.00     “Bright, breezy’... and cauld”; Brian (with the flag) on the third.    that’s our weather this morning.    It’s a lovely morning, but the wind suddenly increased from F2 up to F4 and, being that it is coming from the North West, there was a sudden increase in wind chill.    When I went up to the ‘Pony Field’ for my morning walk there was very little wind, and I was enjoying a walk in warm sunshine.     We still have the sunshine, but, exposed to the wind, it is no longer warm.    It’s a good drying wind so I’ve got a washing out.     Actually there are clouds beginning to scuttle across the sky;    we could have showers later.    This must be the coldest Summer Solstice we've had in a long time. 21.00     We are coming to the end of a glorious day;   albeit on the cool side when exposed to the wind.      There were loads of fair-weather clouds bumbling across the sky, but they have all gone, leaving us with ‘wall to wall’ bloo.     

20th June 2018 (Wednesday) ....08.30   Hmmmmm ...everything is wet after Overcast ... but dry. overnight rain, and, although not raining at present, the sky is overcast and it looks like there could be more rain to come.     I haven’t been anywhere, having had ‘lie in’, and not exiting my Burrow until 08.00.     I’ll take the car up to Elie for the papers after breakfast;     and have coffee in Harbour House.     This looks like being a good ‘ousework day. 13.30      I’ve been for the papers, and had an enjoyable three quarters of an hour in Harbour House,....   but I’m not feeling sparkly this morning.     I feel a couple of degrees under the weather.     I’m blaming the weather! I did go down to the beach after I got back from Elie;     even on a dull day the beach is inspirational.      There is an interesting sky so I came off the beach feeling less ‘flat’ than when I went down.     However, today is going to be a ‘rest day’;    I’ll find something to watch on the tel

19th June 2018 (Tuesday) ....   09.30      It’s a lovely morning, but there is a Earlsferry. chilly wind:   that said, when sitting on Maggie’s Seat, sheltered from the wind, it was really warm.     I wish I’d taken a flask of coffee with me.      I might do that tomorrow morning.     The second Interpretation Board on Chapel Green shows the history of the village:   the three of them give the reader a good, and interesting, ‘potted history’ of our corner of the planet.     22.30     Oh my word .... it seems ‘forever ago’ since I crawled out of my ‘Royal Burrow’;   now I’m well ready to crawl back into it after a busy day.    Nor a buys ‘working’ day I hasten to add;  no.... this has been mostly a ‘play’ day.  Balniel Farm cottage. After going for the paper, and having coffee in Harbour House with the ‘Troops’ I went to Leven to buy paint and other bits and pieces.     I actually enjoyed a couple of hours of ‘retail therapy’.... welll .... mostly retail browsing, but