Alberto's Hutte

  31st October 2020 (Saturday)       11.00 ....The horrid weather, that has been forecast for our area, has either, yet to arrive.... or is going to   miss us altogether;   hopefully the latter.   My word.... I enjoyed myself on the beach this morning.     It was windy, in fact the wind freshened noticeably, from F3 up to F5, while I was on the beach, but it wasn’t cold     Anyway I was happy and wouldn’t notice if it had been cold;   we had a busy sky; 160 ‘clicks’ worth of busy sky. The fireplace has been painted (finished) and will be allowed to harden for a week before the fire (yet to be bought) is put in place.    The fastest I do things,   nowadays, is when I’m on the bike and that’s because it has a battery!    Oh and I move fairly fast when the kettle has boiled.... which it will have done.    I’m orf to make a cuppa.      Have an enjoyable day. 14.00    It’s turning out to be a bonnie afternoon;  yes we had a wee bit o’ rain earlier, but right now we have sunny spells and

  30th October 2020 (Friday)      09.00 .... it’s a beautiful, bright and breezy Elie Kirk. morning.... and it’s isn’t that cold.    The wind factoring a in a bit of wind chill spoils it a wee bit.     I’ve been for the paper, and checked out the harbour etc...... all is well and looking good.    ‘Today’ is the good day for this week so we’d better make the best of it. My ‘plan’ is to do the painting, then go out on the bike after lunch.      Both the bike and camera batteries are being charged right now.    And the phone.     The plan is to make for Balcarres;   depending on how I get on work the ‘work’ of course. 18.30      I set off to go to Balcarres in the afternoon, but got as far as Kinneuchar then changed my ‘plan’;     I’d forgotten that the clocks changed last weekend and it now gets dark an hour earlier .... and the sun wasn’t shining on Balcarres at the time anyway.    On the way home I noticed that the sun had finally hit Balcarres so I did get a few photos.     I went b

  29th October 2020 (Thursday)      13.30 .... Those of out early certainly got the best of the day so far;    it began to rain about 10.15 (in Anstruther) just when I came out of ‘The Store’ .... in time to get wet putting the messages into the boot.     I’d made late decision to go to Anstruther and do a shopping before starting to ‘work’.    It has been a dreich day ever since;   but the sky is beginning to show signs of turning lighter.    Tomorrow is going to be the good day this week. 6.00    My goodness it has been a bleak afternoon;  I must have been hallucinatin’ when I thought the sky was getting lighter.    The weather may have been  cr .... awful, but I have had a busy day.  Having filled and sanded where necessary, the fireplace is ready for painting.... after the sealing coat of oil paint is hard, so that I can coat it with the emulsion.   I should get that done first thing tomorrow morning;  in fact the fireplace will be ready for the new fire by the end of tomorrow. 19

  28th October 2020 (Wednesday)      09.00 .... It’s a bonnie morning, albeit cauld because there is a brisk South-Westerly breeze;    but we also had a gorgeous sunrise sky.    It was really cold on the beach .... so I went down to the harbour and sheltered in the lee of the Beach Cafe.      Yes I had an enjoyable ‘paper run’;   now I’d better think about doing some work now that I have the materials to finish the job.     Today I intend making a small shelf;   a sort of subsidiary mantel shelf.    You will see what I’ mean when I take a photo of the finished fireplace .... with the new fire in situ. 7.30    I have been busy.... the fireplace shelf etc. has been fitted and everything primed ready to be filled where required, sanded then given a couple of coats of ‘Exterior Quality Satin’, water based paint (emulsion).   The primer may have dried enough for me to do the Polyfilla tonight.   The primer had to be oil based (slow drying) so that the screw heads don’t rust when you apply t

  27th October 2020 (Tuesday)    08.30 .... what an absolute cracker o’ a mornin’;   one of those quiet peaceful mornings when even the birds were calm and quiet.    I’m going to Leven to get the stuff I need to finish the fireplace job;   when that jobs done I can get back to sorting out the postcards. 14.00    The Leven mission went to ‘plan’ and I came home with everything I went for;   and no goodies.   The paint was a rip off ..... £20 for 0.75 litre;  the shelf above had the exact same tin (Black) at £22.59 so it pays to ‘shop around’ .... even in one shop.    It’s a bonnie tin.   The brakes will totally come off ROB (Rip Off Britain) after the 1st January. I went down to Leven Prom to take   few photos;   a lot of folks were out walking their dogs.... little dogs mostly.    I asked one lady why so many little dogs and she said;   “because the people with the big dogs are out earlier, little dogs are taken out later, and can enjoy their time on the beach without fear of being

  26th October 2020 (Monday)      09.00 .... My word we did have a bonnie sunrise to start the day;   the “red sky in the morning”   must be ‘warning’ us of   the ‘light rain showers’ mentioned in the forecast.      Of course it could mean the rain that’s forecast to come our way later tomorrow.     No matter, it was a bonnie sunrise.     I plan to go out again in the afternoon. 18.00    The morning was the best part of the day;   unfortunately the afternoon was plagued with heavy squally showers.    I did manage to go out later in the afternoon (at sunset time), in between showers, because squally showers always mean lovely clouds.   It was spitting rain all the time I was on the beach....  but the sky made the effort well worthwhile.    The beach was quiet which was hardly surprising. considering the weather. The dirty work around the fireplace has been completed;   all I need to do now is add a shelf, then paint the lot.   I might have paint in the shed but I suspect I’ll have to

  25th October 2020 (Sunday)    07.30 ....We had a touch of red in the sky this morning .... unfortunately it was raining at the time so I couldn’t go to the beach to photograph it, but I did get a couple from the ‘Ferry Corner’.    At the moment we don’t have a ‘bonnie day’;   but I’m hoping that the rain will clear away quickly so that I can get out.... the forecast isn’t ghastly.   The showers should be lighter, and not so wild, by mid morning. 16.00   Setting my watch is a finicky job, and, with my hands not being as able as they were it took me about 20 minutes.  The main problem is the fact that the ‘button’ has three positions;  more than one and I’m in trouble.   The three positions are distance out from the body of the watch.... the furthest out being ‘C’ and it is only 1.5 millimetres, so hitting the right position is a bit hit or miss.   This morning it was more miss than hit!   It you get the wrong position and turn the button .... oops .... that alters something that you

  24th October 2020 (Saturday)     08.30 .... There’s a frisky wind (F5),  with occasional spits and spot o’ rain in it, so not a morning for being out on the bike.   But it’s not 'doom and gloom', the sky is already beginning to brighten towards the West, and should start to break up soon, bringing sunny spells, .... and the wind should moderate, to bring us a quieter afternoon:    That said, any showers we do get will be squally ones. 18.30     I have been ‘working’ for most of today;  not particularly hard, but steadily;  cleaning out the ‘hole’ left by the removal of the old gas fire.    The ‘hole’ was where the original coal fire was and there was a lot of soot etc that had to be removed;   and I cut away two long out of use water pipes.   The ‘hole’ is respectable looking now having been emptied of rubbish and ‘hoovered.   Not a pleasant job but one with a lot of satisfaction at the end of it. The 'Ferry Corner'. I have a piece of plywood, cut to size, to fit ov

  23rd October 2020 (Friday)        09.00 .... The rain is going to leave us by   midday, with an afternoon of sunny spells to follow.     At the moment it isn’t very pleasant;    I took the car along to Elie for the paper, but I might get out on the bike later in the afternoon .... after Charlie has been. 21.00     The gas fire has gone...but only as far as the garden .... ready to go the re-cycling Depot.     I will try to dismantle it to as small bits as possible and it may then fit into the ‘bloo’ bucket.    Apparently we still have to book a time to go to the re-cycling Depot so I’m hoping that the ‘bucket’ alternative can be achieved.     The next plan is to organise a bit of plywood, to cover the hole where the back plate of the gas fire was, then paint it and the hearth.      I then need to order a new electric fire to stand on the hearth.    After Charlie had gone orf to his next job I had a cuppa, then cleaned out some of the soot etc that had fallen from the lum:     befor

  22nd October 2020   (Thursday)      08.30 .... It is not the bonniest kind of  morning;     the sky is overcast,   and we get spells of light rain now and again, however it is forecast to be better in the afternoon.     The fact that it’s dark in the mornings just now makes it harder to get motivated first thing:   the clocks go back one hour on Sunday morning (BST ends), so the mornings will be lighter an hour earlier.      11.30    There was a ‘window of opporchancity’ between showers, so I went for the paper and a had a quick run to the harbour.    I was on the bike so had to keep an eye on the weather;   I got back home just as it was starting to spit rain.    There’s a ‘low chance of precipitation’ all afternoon so it will be a case of keeping my eye on the weather if I do go out on the bike.... which is unlikely because I want to do a bit of writing and once I get absorbed into that... well “I’m gone man, solid gone”. 21.00      The afternoon was a bit of a disappointment reall

  21st October 2020 (Wednesday)       08.30 ..... It’s a nice, quiet, still kind of morning but there’s not much of a breeze to dry the washing that’s on the line.    It’s doubtful if it will dry very much at all, but at least it will get an airing.      Sunny spells, with rain showers later, is the weather forecast.     I’ll have another cuppa before going   for the paper.    17.00     What an absolutely cracker of a day this has been;   yes, the sky has  clouded over in the past couple of hours, and it is probably going to rain.... but... hey ho .... wasn’t it a gorgeous day before the clouds came over. It took me nearly an hour and a half to get the paper this morning... and I never left the villages.     The villages look good all the time, but this morning there was something ( I don’t know what) that made everywhere look even bonnier than usual.    I went round the villages in 201 clicks, and only ‘dumped’ 11 that were slight OOF.    Oh I really enjoyed myself.    The villages

  20th October 2020 (Tuesday) ....There’s been a lot of overnight rain but it’s nearly fair just now, and sunny spells are forecast for the middle of the day..... followed by more rain.    The wind has gone to the East again.    I’ll take advantage of the sunny spells and go out on the bike then;    before that I'll finish putting the books back on the   shelves. That will be a big job done.      09.00      I decided to have a quick trip along to ‘The Store’ for some weekly shopping;   this is the best time for older folk to do their shopping.     I got everything that I wanted and will now have breakfast and a cuppa.     Oh .... it’s raining just now but the sky is beginning to clear so I will get out later;  'ever so slight flap on' .... I want to get the 'work' (books) done before going out to play. 19.00   The rain was there, first thing, went away and came back again, ‘iggzactly’ as per forecast.    I went out on the bike, in the long sunny spell in the middle

  19th October 2020 (Monday)       08.30 .... it is raining but not heavily ..... but wet just the same.     I’ve been for the paper (in the car), now I am ready for   a day of action.      I am wondering if I ought to chance a short walk on the beach before the rain gets heavier .... as is forecast.    Right now it would almost qualify to be ‘fair’;     by normal Scottish standards of rain intensity.... and it is warm. 09.30    Even on a grey morning, with spits and spots of rain in the breeze, a walk on the beach always motivates me;   I saw photographs all around me and I clicked 56 times before I had to put the camera in its bag because the spits and spots were   closer together.    I’m happy .... and well ready to tackle the ‘work plan’ for today.     I have loads of photographs to ‘play’ with when I’m having a 'tea break'.   The kettle is 'on'! 16.00    I’ve been busy;  now I’m thinking, that  a couple of sunny spells would be handy for a wee break to the beach.  

  18th October 2020 (Sunday)       08.00 .... it’s 8c on the garden thermometer .... the same as it was yesterday morning but, there’s nae wind this   morning so it feels warmer;    however it’s overcast.     Sunny spells? .... yes we might have a few of those later, but they are usually ’there’ and not ‘here’, as far as I am concerned. When the villages were empty I would weave along the road to Elie on the bike, avoiding all the bumps and hollows (and there’s a lot of those), and even now, early in the morning I tend to think that the road is all mine, and wind my way along, but of course the villages are back to normal with cars, and I’m slowly getting used to that, but, ...’lockdown’ was a nuisance but it did give us quiet roads!        Yes .... things are definitely back to ‘old normal’. 20.00      I’ve had a busy day sorting out the books and shelves;   however I did manage to go for the paper later in the morning..... going up to Kinneuchar then home by way of the estate.