Gorgeous morning ....

10th April 2021 (Saturday)      07.30 .... we have a bright and sunny, wall to

wall blue sky, start to the morning ... with only a light breeze so very little wind chill.    The garden thermometer is reading -1C, so there is a light frost, but the sun should quickly warm the air and we will have a gorgeous morning.

09.30    The breeze has freshened since 07.00 and there’s a chilly air, but it’s a beautiful morning.    I had a walk to the beach and I meant to go further than Nana’s Seat, but the camera battery went, after I’d taken seven photos, and I didn’t have the camera bag on me;  so I came back to Ivy and put the kettle ‘on’.  

There’s a big operation going to take place in the Firth this weekend.   The barge (Iron Lady) we see being towed by ‘En Avant’ is going to be loaded with a topside platform:  this platform is coming into the mouth of the Firth just now, aboard Pioneering Spirit (the largest construction vessel in the world).    The platform, having been transferred to the barge Iron Lady, is then going to be towed to Rosyth, where it will moor for six weeks, before being finally towed to Methil for de-commissioning.

18.30    Online shopping is marvellous.   I ordered shoes from Clarks (Somerset) at 06.50 on Friday morning and they were delivered (by DPD) today at 15.53.   Normally I would have gone to the Clarks shop in Kirkcaldy High Street.   I guess the shop will always have customers walking in, but the service from the HQ at Street (Somerset) is good alternative;  and saves the hassle of parking etc.  The ‘Clarks Village Outlet Shopping’ outlet (Somerset) is huge.   I managed to get separated from Janice there;  luckily she found me!    I think she was contemplating attaching one of those extending dog leads to me after that!

I have been reading Kinneuchar Kirk Session records (1736);  my word being on the kirk session in those days was a serious business.   Fornication was one of the main subjects they had to consider;  oh.. Kirk Elders were all men;  and probably experts on the subject.    There were different levels of fornication:  ante nuptial fornication was the least ‘naughty’ (because you were going to get married);  even then (with pre nuptials) they had problems.   In one case the Minister reported, to the Session, that he a husband wanting to have his son baptised... the problem was the son had been born only six months after the marriage ceremony.   I tell you being on the Kirk Session was hard work.   The husband and wife had to appear before the Session and admit their ‘crime’ and in front of the congregation.    This all started when I began looking at the Kinneuchar records to find out about Maggie’s ancestors.   Maggie’s Great x5 grandparents were married in Kinneuchar on the 13th December 1782.... so I wanted to find out more about the Webster’s.   I found a William Webster married to a Margaret Bishop in Earlsferry (1736).   She was pregnant and he had gone to Newcastle to work (probably by boat – the Webster males were fishermen at that time while the wives were weavers).  I suspect the Session was interested in the date of conception!   I can see where Rabbie Burns got Holy Willie from!   It’s been a fascinating day while waiting for a delivery;  and it was too cold for me to go out later.

21.30    Welll... the after effects of the second ‘jab’ have been minimal compared to the

first one;  and the first one wasn’t bad.   I was tired this afternoon but not as sleepy as I was yesterday.

‘Hail showers and a gentle breeze’ is our weather forecast for Sunday.... hopefully the showers will be few and far between.   It’s not going to be warm so I’ll have to stay in and warm;  but I have plenty to do and we have the kirk service.