Alberto's Hutte

  30th September 2020 (Wednesday)      07.30 .... It is raining (as per weather  Ferry Road. forecast) and has been most of the night by the look of the garden.     It is a good morrrrrning for going to ‘The Store’;    I don’t need very much but ‘retail therapy’ (and the odd goodie) will help on a dull, wet morning.   09.00     I’ve been to  Anstruther (‘The Store’ )so that’s the ‘retail therapy’ done for the day.    There’s a lot of water on the roads but the sky was clearing towards the south so we might get a few sunny spells later.    I noticed a section of empty shelves in the shop;  the family sized toilet roll section..... empty because of people panic buying.    (I bought a pack of four!).   We live in strange times.   Anyway I’ve done the shopping .... and bought a varied selection of ‘goodies’.   Today looks like being a good day for working in the kitchen so I'm going to make apple crumble.  One of my proper food 'buys'  was two packets of crumble mix. Elie Bay t

  29th September 2020 (Tuesday)     08.00 ....we haven’t had rain for a while;  to be honest I haven’t missed it, but, that is all going to change tomorrow.    There was a touch of ‘red sky in the morning’ but I didn’t go to the beach and I haven’t been for the paper, but will go after this update.   It’s a nice morning for going exploring, but the bike battery will need to be charged before I do that.   Right now, at this very moment, I think another cuppa would be a good idea before going ‘roond the villages’, and picking up the paper.   11.00    The villages have been checked out, and all is as it should be .   The bike battery is on charge, so I should get out after lunch.....it’s a really nice morning for being out, and there was a fair number of folk enjoying an early morning stroll. Kinneuchar Kirk. My mission this morning is to pick the apples   .... before the blackbird has them all on the ground.     They are really tasty this year;   well they are for me.     I like crisp,

  28th September 2020 (Monday)     08.00 ... . It’s not as cold this morning but it is cloudier;    it is in fact a nice, quiet morning.... and the sun may well break through by lunchtime.     I had a good night’s sleep and am ready to go out to pla .... oops work in the garden.     I’ve yet to go for the paper but I’m fancying a wander down to the beach.... a place I haven’t been  for a few days.    That will be after breakfast. 17.30      It’s been a nondescript kind of day as far as the weather went;   the sun tried to break through but never really managed, so it has been mostly overcast all day.     Myra invited me up for ‘morning coffee’ so that brightened the morning up;   and I met and chatted to numerous folk so, all thing considered, I’ve had a pleasant day.    There’s no doubt about it;   for us ‘singles, finding someone to talk to is very important.    It’s going to be a long winter. 'She' should have been here 10 minutes ago! I read in the paper today that the

27th September 2020 (Sunday)     09.30 .... after the first frost of the season we are going to have a really lovely day.... almost wall to wall ‘bloo’ sky, hardly a breath of wind so a good day for a wee adventure methinks.    The bike is being charged up as I type. I went for the paper early, and down to the harbour .... the villages were busy, even at that time of the morning, but it is a holiday weekend.     Right now I’m thinking that I won’t get out on the bike until the battery is charged (11.00 ish), so I’ll have another cuppa and a gentle potter about in the garden. 18.30     The battery was fully charged by 11.00 so I took off at 11.20, heading for Arncroach by way of Kinneuchar and the Colinsburgh Strait;  this would be the longest trip on the bike to date:  19.69 kilometres (12.23 miles).   The whole trip was done on less than half the battery.   Most of the road is level when I just use No 1 power assist, Alpacas - near Arncroach. and I rarely had to use No 4 (for steep

  26th September 2020 (Saturday)       07.00 .... The garden thermometer is Mike and Billy on the third tee. showing 5.5C so it’s cool.... but there isn’t much of a wind chill factor (not that we need it to make it feel cold this morning).     I’ll go for the paper later in the morning, if the streets aren’t too busy;   and   when the temperature is forecast to rocket up to 12C.     It’s going to be a nice day, albeit cool. 18.30     Going for the paper later in the morning was a mistake;   it’s the ‘Glasgow weekend’ so Elie High Street was buzzin’    I nearly went for the paper then chickened out and came home by way of the estate to miss all the traffic. I pottered around in the afternoon while waiting for a Tesco delivery:   it duly arrive on time, which slightly surprised me, because I thought the driver would have difficulty getting through Elie;   she said it was fine and that her next stop was Anstruther.    I might be ‘in love’ with a Tesco driver. Golfers on the first tee.

  25th September 2020 (Friday)    07.00 ....There’s a cool Northeast breeze (as was forecast for this weekend) but, once the sun rises above the clouds on the horizon, we will have a bonnie day.    I’ll go for the paper later in the morning;   once the air warms up:   I might have a walk to the beach   in a wee while (the time it takes to drink a cup of tea). 09.00     Instead of going to the beach I got the bike out and went for the paper ;   and down to the harbour.     It is a bonnie morning but noticeably cool.    The bike is being charged up and when that is done I’ll pop up to Elie to pick up a prescription, and a ‘morning coffee’ carry out at ‘arbour ‘ouse. 18.00     I enjoyed my ‘morning coffee’...  the coffee aroma when I went into ‘arbour ‘ouse had me drooling ... so I bought an Empire Biscuit to go with the coffee!     In had my coffee at the bus shelter, where I ended up chatting to a gentleman from Edinburgh (who is staying at Monturpie Caravan site) so a very successful,

  24th September 2020 (Thursday)      08.00 .... It’s a chilly (5c) but fresh Elie in early sunshine. feeling autumnal morning:   if I wasn’t going to Leven I’d be orf up to Balcarres, or somewhere, on the bike.... once the sun (and the temperature) was higher.    I haven’t been further than the front gate, so far, but will go to the beach after I have another cuppa.      15.30    My word it’s turned much colder.... especially the back of my neck since I got my hair cut.    It’s actually a bonnie afternoon but the wind is colder than it was this morning. I went to Leven in the middle of the morning and did the shopping that I wanted;    I got everything that I went for, plus a few books out of the charity shop.    On the way out of Leven I had to stop for a blue flashing light, and ambulance, this was followed at intervals by four police cars and finally a fire engine.... all heading along the coast road.     I bumbled along behind a few other cars until we were leaving Lundin Links,

  23rd September 2020 (Wednesday)     08.30 ....it’s a braw ‘tauttie morning’:     well ... it would have been back in historical times (the 1950’s), when the schools got two/three weeks off for the tauttie pickin’ season.    There’s a nip in the morning air.... which is usually followed by a really bonnie day. ... though, with the wind coming from the Northwest, it’s not going to be as warm as I’d like.        There’s a good drying breeze   so the washing machine is ‘on’;   and I am ready to ‘rock ‘n roll’.     16.30       This has been another fantastical day and I have enjoyed it.    After breakfast I decided that I’d bike to Lower Largo via the old railway line, it being a perfect day for being ‘out and about’.   The fact that I’d have to bike through Dumbarnie Links Golf Course to get to Lower Largo, might have played a small part in helping me choose that route for today’s small adventure.   Dumbarnie Links. Apart from getting lost on the golf course (you’d think, having been t

  22nd September 2020 (Tuesday)       06.30 .... The   Autumn Equinox, the ‘official’ start of Autumn;     though nature’s autumn began in August.    It’s going to be mostly overcast today with a brisk breeze;   tomorrow looks like being a better washing day;     sunny spells are forecast.    No real ‘plan’ for today.... it really depends on what happens with the weather.     09.30      I’ve been to The Store to get a few vital ‘odds and ends’... all I need to do now is organise a mission to Ardross Farm Shop.      I’m thinking of actually going into the shop to have a browse ;   I’ll do that one morning this week. At the moment the grey sky is not persuading me to bumble down to the beach:   I’ll have a cuppa and hope that the sky breaks up by lunchtime.    There’s an ironing needing to be done;    it’s a good morning for doing that. 18.30    It’s been dull most of the day, though the sun did try hard around midday and I actually got caught in a fleeting blink of sunshine up at Chap

  21st September 2020 (Monday)      08.00 ....it was overcast, breezy and not ‘iggzactly’ warm at sunrise time (06.56), but the time, nor temperature, did not deter the ladies of the ‘Elie Blue Tits Swimming Club’;   they were swimming.     I was cauld, the sunrise was a non visible event so I came home and had a hot cuppa.     I’ll go for the paper later in the morrrrrrrrrrrrning. 10.30     I had big plans for a ‘small adventure’ today but that has been put on hold:    the overcast sky is still heavily overcast, and, though rain isn’t mentioned in the forecast, I was looking forward to sunshine.    I have been for the paper, and handed in my prescription;   and even remembered to buy milk for my ‘Cornflakes’   (except that I don’t have Cornflakes;   the milk is for Weetabix).    The computer has been fired up to do some writing.... all I need is a mug of coffee. 19.00   The sun broke through about lunch time so I went for the ‘small adventure’ I’d planned;  out to the new golf course

20th September 2020 (Sunday)      07.00 .... We have a bank of Scotch Mist/low cloud so we have a dull wet start to the day.  There’s hardly a breath of wind and we need a bit of wind to shift the cloud;  not a pretty morning at all.    The Fife weather cams all show an overcast sky, with only the Aberdour showing signs of a breaking sky.    Looks like being a computer /television morning.... it’s certainly not a bike day.    The sun could break through in the afternoon. This is another low tide day a good day for pottering around the rocks if it wasn’t for the wetness. 09.00     I’ve been to the beach (it's overcast but dry now);  it’s a nice enough morning for being ‘out', but .... my word the air is bad for me today.   There’s obviously some kind of pollution in the air this morning, I’ve had to take a couple of puffs of the blue inhaler.   Anyway I’m ready to go again;  but not very far. 15.30    After the couple of puffs of the inhaler, followed by a cuppa, I went up to

  19th September 2020 (Sunday)     08.30 .... What a mornin’... and the forecast is good for the whole day.    I started my morning up at Chapel Green to catch the sun coming up, and from there went to Elie for the paper.    I must have been running late because Dod was going for his paper at the time I got there.... in fact there was a mini queue.    Dod may have been early? .... no, I doubt it!      I am feeling playful this morning.... and the bike is being charged (the battery was nigh on empty and take about three hours to fully charge), .....   I might go out later.       I have a chicken casserole   to set up first thing this morning then Myra is having morning coffee;   the tide will be full out at that time so I’ll walk along the beach.... it’s a Spring tide. 10.00   When I was out this morning the  breeze was from the Northwest.... it  has now veered towards the East and from there we get stuff coming in from the North Sea so the day may be spoiled by  spells of haar and low

  18th September 2020 (Friday)      08.00 .... what a cracker o’ a mornin’;    Seats and beach ready for another gorgeous day. hardly a cloud in the sky, and   only a light breeze with a braw autumnal feel to the air .... we have the start of a gorgeous day.    I am going up to Balcarres again.... this time on a fully charged battery (both bike and me) so I’ll get to Rires and other places.     Orf to have breakfast. 18.30     I did the Rires run today (16.35 kilometres there and back –  just over 10 miles);  I got all the photographs I wanted apart from the telephoto ones;  a thick haze prevented that.   I was disappointed to find that the old ‘kirk road pathway’ down from Rires, where it crosses a field before going down the side of the former walled garden wall, has been ploughed in.   I suppose that’s the way of things today:   Other than that I am happy bunny with today’s trip.   Having gone out earlier than I did yesterday, I didn’t stop to look for butterfly’s today, though I’m