Alberto's Hutte

31st December 2021 (Friday)   07.30 .... It may be warm in ‘Sunny Sussex’, but it is not very warm here; it’s wet and cold .... not a bonnie morning.   The rain should move away by the afternoon and it will be much warmer.   I might hibernate for 12 hours;  ‘the boy’ certainly won’t be going far in the morning.    It’s breakfast time. 11.00     Yessss .... the sun is breaking through and it’s warm.    I’d go out but I have a delivery coming sometime before 21.00.     Unless I get a more accurate ‘delivery time’ I’d better hang around Ivy.    The van has left Dundee that I do know.    Must ‘go’... slight flap on now;   it’s morrrrrrrrrrrning coffee time. 17.00    The sun tried hard to break through after the rain stopped, but we only had a few short sunny spells;  at least it was dry.  The beach was my choice of place to take my last photos of 2021 (nae surprise there),.... and will be where I take my first photos of 2022.    Loads of people were on the beaches, and loads of happy dogs

30th December 2021 (Thursday)    09.30 .... my word .... we have absolute cracker of a morning;  hardly any wind (not a handy for anyone wanting to dry a washing), warm for the time of year, with the occasional light shower.   The showers should fade away by 10.00, the wind freshen .... and I will hang out the washing. The beach is busy with dog walkers and joggers this morning;   they bring    my photographs to ‘life’.     I never left ‘The Seat’ this morning;   in fact I wish I’d taken a mug o’ coffee with me;   it was a perfect   morning for dreaming.    I did. I’m feeling ‘back to normal’ this morning.... I even remembered to take my pills.    When I say ‘back to normal’ I mean ‘Planet Alberto’ normal.     I’m orf to hang out the washing. 11.00    One of my Christmas presents was a jar of ‘Queen Catherine’s Honey’, from Emily (my Granddaughter) and John in Somerset.   Last night I had a teaspoonful in my bedtime chocolate; and I had a really deep sleep.   I didn’t wake up unti

29th December 2021 (Wednesday)   10.00....I decided to go to ‘The Store’ first thing this morning, then be back home in time to go to the beach for sunrise.... and before the rain came.   There was never going to be a visible ‘sunrise’ due to low cloud, but we had a bonnie pre sunrise sky.   There was/is a brisk breeze blowin’ and it was good to see the beach busy with dog walkers and joggers.   Since then the rain has arrived, as was forecast, so we now have a grey and wet day.   The wind is going to freshen in the afternoon, and the rain clear away overnight. 15.00    Jings..... the sun had broken through so I thought I’d go for a walk to the beach;  by the time I got organised it was raining again.   I think it’s only a shower so I’ll stay on ‘alert’ mode.    That means I’ll try to not fall asleep. After the rain. 20.30    I did eventually get to the beach in the afternoon..... and it was busy with folk glad to get out after the rain.   Barbara and Chris came down with ‘Skye’, so I

28th December 2021 (Tuesday)     14.00 .... I arrived back in the ‘Centre of Aberdeen harbour at 07.30. the Universe’ at 10.00, after a quiet trip down from Auchnagatt.   We dropped Catriona off at Aberdeen Railway Station well in time to get the London train, then went out the Girdleness Road to allow the sky to lighten before setting off on the road to Ivy.    We were overlooking the harbour (Aberdeen) so that was well photographed even though it was dark.    Jackie had a break at Ivy, taking a walk to the beach, and having a cuppa before making for her Mum and Dad’s in Glasgow. I had been ‘worrying’ about the car starting but it started first time;   I have ‘Home Start’ with the RAC anyway..... and I went up for milk and the paper.    I had thought of going shopping but I am too tired to do that just now:   that will be tomorrow’s mission.    The unpacking has been done, and the washing is ready to go;   once I find a good ‘drying day’.    Right now it’s ‘rest time’:   I might ha

  27th December 2021 (Monday)     08.30 .... it’s dark, and sunrise isn’t until 08.51, so I can’t see very much outside at the moment.    No   spots of rain on the window so it’s dry, but light rain is forecast to come over by mid morning;   a good day for packing up, and making ready for the journey home tomorrow. 10.45    Welll .... I’ve been to the end of the driveway, but it isn’t the kind of day to be out and about just now,;  it may brighten up, for a wee while, later, but I’ll be busy packing, ready for an early start tomorrow.   Catriona is travelling to Brighton, via London Kings X, tomorrow and the London train departs Aberdeen at 07.45, hence the early start.   Jackie and I leave Aberdeen, after seeing Catriona on her way:  I should be home by midday.   Jackie is travelling on to Glasgow (Bearsden), to stay with her Mum and Dad for a few days. 15.30   It’s going to be dark early tonight at Auchnagatt;  after a dull, but dry, day.   The sun nearly broke through in the middle

  26th December 2021 (Sunday)     09.00 .... Auchnagatt is down for ‘strong winds and rain’ today;   it’s windy and dry just now, with the rain due to arrive in the afternoon.     I see there’s a yellow warning for ‘snow’ in the South of Scotland and North of England... and Fife for today.   It isn’t a ‘bonnie day’, North or South.    We all have puzzle books to work our way through.... and I am going to find sunny photographs for the blog;   no matter where they were taken as long as they’re bright and sunny. 10.30     We had a visit from a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the bird feeders;    not the brightest of days for getting photographs, and it certainly wasn’t posing for one, because it spent most of the time at the other side of the tree. The sky to the North has a few blue patches in it;   we might get a sunny spell or two before the rain arrives.    It’s too cold and windy for me to venture out. 12.30     All through the COVID pandemic I have been following what HM The Queen h

25th December 2021 (Saturday)      09.30 .... “Merry Christmas” to Light touch of snow on roof of conservatory. everyone.... enjoy being with family and friends again, but ‘stay safe’. We have a lovely day   in Aberdeenshire, cold after a touch of overnight frost , and there’s a   bunch of sun touched cotton wool clouds dotted all over the sky;   I’d go out to the end of the drive but it’s icy so I’ll do that later. 11.00    We have a 'white Christmas', having had a flurry of snow at Auchnagatt overnight..... (it takes one snowflake to fall somewhere in the UK to make it a 'white Christmas').... and we have had a lot of snowflakes in Aberdeenshire;  especially up Deeside at Braemar etc. 17.00    We’ve had a really enjoyable and restful Christmas Day.    The weather has been perfect, though cold;  the ice never lifted in the shade.   I walked a couple of times to the end of the drive but didn’t venture onto the road ‘cos it looked icy.  Jackie and Catriona went for a

24th December 2021 (Friday)      10.00 .... We had our first sunny spell of the day at 09.37.... and the forecast is good for more, in the afternoon.   I’ll go for a short walk after my morrrrrrrning cuppa;  there’s field being ploughed just up the road, so I’ll walk as far as that ‘action’.   It’s the only activity I can see from the garden, though there will be loads of other work being done around the farms. 12.30     I wandered up the road and met Andy (local farmer) who was ploughing the field that had been fertilised (Spread with dung) a couple of days ago.     Andy is 82 and still does a day’s work on the farm(s);   one of three brothers who have three farms in the area (680 plus acres).   New Aberdour beach. 19.00    This being a ‘bright and sunny’ day, we went up to New Aberdour Beach for a wander around.   The beach reminded me of some of the beaches on the Pacific Coast of New Zealand, where huge rollers come in from the Ocean and thump onto a pebbly shore.   Although the r

23rd December 2021 (Thursday)      09.00 .... It’s a dreich, cold morning 'Boris'. here .... not a day for bumbling about outside.   It’s raining.  Jackie and Iain have been to the shop (Tesco in Ellon).  It’s a day for settling down  with a good book.... or, in my case, sorting out photos on the computer. 11.30     My word .... we do have a bleak day now.     The sky has a long term glowering look, and the rain is heavier.   It’s definitely not a day for walking. 14.00     Jackie was going for a walk along the railway line, so, not being so adventurous, I took a lift in the car (the railway line is a couple of miles away) to the top of the hill and walked back.   It wisnae the best of weather for being out, the rain has stopped but we have Scotch Mist, so, although wet, it wisnae as wet as it had been, and I enjoyed a downhill daunder back to the house.   I managed to take a few wet look photos on the way.                                                                       

22nd December 2021 (Wednesday)    09.00 .... This morning,  at Jackie photographing Collieston. Auchnagatt, looking south we have bank of low loud with a clear sky above it, and a heavily overcast sky to the North.    Unfortunately the Northern sky appears to be slowly moving south so it looks like we’re in for a dull day:  light rain is forecast for later in the afternoon.     I’m hoping for a sunny spell, once the sun rises above a bank of low cloud, so that I can have a daunder to the end of the drive. 14.00     Iain had to go to Ellon to put fuel in the car so we, Jackie, Iain and me, had a run out to Collieston to take a few photographs.   The sky had clouded over by this time and, being at the seaside, it was cauld.   We didn’t go into the village, choosing instead to photograph Collieston from the Cransdale Viewpoint... adjacent to the visitor’s car park.   We have ‘done’ Collieston on sunny days, when the beach was busy.    It wasn’t busy today... in fact I only saw two other

21st December 2021 (Tuesday)    10.00 .... we have a heavily overcast (but dry) morning here at Auchnagatt;  I think the weather is much the same right up the East coast.    Never mind;  today is the Winter Solstice... the shortest day, presumably between the two longest nights.  It’s only 181 days until the Summer Solstice 2022 (longest day) on 21st June.    Happy days. 15.30      I haven’t seen the tractor-men working in the fields today;   then again I haven’t been further than round the garden .... there’s a rawness in the air that has had us staying in and, in my case, working on the computer.     The troops are loupin' aboot on the Wii machine. I see that new COVID ‘rools’ are being introduced after the 26th December;   nothing surprising about that.    The new ‘rools’ should make a difference, but they’re probably too late;   we’ve just had a ‘super – spreader’ week.   At least some funds have been made available for business’s hit by the ‘rools’;   but, thinking about th

20th December 2021 (Monday)   10.00....We have a brighter, drier day; Lunchtime.    might even have sunny spells, as there is some blue patches in the, mostly overcast, sky.    There’s nae wind–chill, ‘cos there’s nae wind. Jings, .... I can sleep up here; this is the second morning I haven’t woken up until 08.45.     e played Wii golf last night, but, oh dear;   I’m going to have to find away to overcome my arthritic hand.... especially at the putting. 17.30     I went out for a walk this morning and ended up chatting to two tractor-men sitting in their tractors having lunch;   attached to each tractor was a modern dung spreader.     That brought memories back of, what are now, 'the good old days’ of a farm when the byre midden was spread over the fields by ‘hand’;   i.e with farm servants, wielding a graip (large farming fork), spreading dung heaps;  heaps that had been raked from the back of a horse drawn cart, (there was a special graip for doing this).    I remember my Dad

19th December 2021 (Sunday)    10.00 ....My first morning at Auchnagatt Badger path to Sett... entrance bottom left. .... and I slept ‘in’;   didn’t get up until 08.45.    It’s a grey morning; good ‘rest day’ weather.   The sky does have some promising pale bits in it so I’ll have a wander out to the end of the drive later.... once the sun breaks through.    I have things to do on the computer until then.    Everyone is fine here:  the cat and I have ‘clicked’.    I, inadvertently, let it out of its own sleeping quarters in the middle of the night, and he went straight to my bed.  12.00    Iain and I had a wander to the end of the drive, then up the road a wee bit but .... my word it’s chilly;  there’s a raw feel to the air, so we didn’t stay out for long.   Long enough to get a few photos, but it’s not a day for ‘bonnie’ photographs.   15.00    We had a fleeting glimpse of ‘bloo sky’ a few minutes ago, but not long enough for me to go out; on what is a raw cauld afternoon.     I did

18th December 2021 (Saturday)    06.30 ..... Hmmmmm .... we’re under a New 'Four Winds'. blanket of thick fog just now;   which should lift fairly rapidly once the sun gets going....but sunrise isn’t until 08.40.    I hope it’s only a local, East Neuk fog, and not across the whole Central Belt of Scotland:   it’s not pleasant driving in fog.   However, it should be a bonnie day, once the fog does lift; which, it is forecast to do before midday. 20.30    We arrived at Auchnagatt about 14.00;  travelling through various thickness of fog most of the way; although it was clear from Largoward to the other side of Strathkinness, and a bit north of Dundee.   Every river valley was fogbound...the Forth, Earn, Tay, Esk, Dee, Don, Ythan.. and even the Ebrie burn at Auchnagatt.  The Dee and Don valleys were really bad.   I never had the camera out of the bag.  Tomorrow is a rest day;  in fact I might even have a lie in.     ‘Strictly’ is on the tele just now;  that’s a programme that

17th December 2021 (Friday)   10.00 .... my word... what an absolutely stunning morning on the beach:  I think I know how Alice felt when she stepped through the mirror into Wonderland;  it was magical.   Lucky for me I had the camera with me!   Elie and Earlsferry beach at its bonniest.   I have to thank the travel industry for the sky;   the vapour (pollution) trails certainly brightened up what would have been a plain(but healthier) sky.    They brought the sky to ‘life’ albeit in a ‘naughty’ kind of way.    From a camera point of view I loved it. 19.00     The pre Christmas Lunch (Kirsty’s treat) at the 19th Hole was superb;   the food always is at the 19th.... but there was a Christmassy atmosphere, and, although the pub wasn’t busy.... apart from Fraser, who was busy putting up the outside Christmas lights, and singing like a lintie (linnet) (that last bit might be ‘fake news’).... so social distancing was never a problem.    The happy atmosphere made us forget all about the p