Day 5 - Surprisingly photogenic after all

Day started well, with another glorious sunrise but the road North was wet and rather dreary, and very windy..

...and it's remarkably hard to find places to stop where the scenery is worth looking at - it seems that all the lay-bys are in boring bits. I did get to stop at the Border and say Hello Scotland! My first foreign country since early 2019

This from the same stopping-place

And this

And this

And this - that looks like the sea but I think it's plastic

Now I'm at Markinch, a delightful Fife village, on a seriously woody campsite

Here's Blue Bicycle lurking

Lovely (and huge) trees, just turning nicely autumnal

Big trees!

And places for small bugs, I think

This is the Tent Place (not occupied at present)

The gate house - I'm on a part of the Balbirnie Hall land here. The park looks interesting; has a stone circle and a Craft Centre, and, I suspect, teas. I plan to get Blue Bike out tomorrow as it's perfect cycling country

Some of the woods have lost something

This on a nearby church

Local War Memorial has this lovely George-and-Dragon on the 1914-1919 side

Two benches which are delightful as well as useful

And a saint, much worn, on the 1939-1945 side

The biggest Araucaria (Monkey Puzzle Tree) I have ever seen

And a mysterious carving

And, not least, some roadkill - sad sock

and sad sack...

Day 4, a pilgimage and amusements while it rains gently

Lots of images, in randomised-blogger-style

Sunrise this morning, about 7:30, soft and beautiful

I cycled across to Holy Island - here is my Blue Bicycle enjoying the  Causeway - the hut is for people too silly to read tide-tables. Apparently only 40 cars have been lost in the last 6 years, so maybe that hut isn't needed too much

Afternoon tea, with home-made chocolate cake kindly provided by Irene yesterday

Hedges and the lovely distance - I'm out of practice with the bike and ran out of gears on the hills

But this meant I could lean on gates and enjoy the spectacular view

Brent geese on the mudflats. I also saw several huge skeins heading North

Pilgrim Path - the posts mark a barefoot path which cuts a fair lump off the distance to the Island. I saw several people walking it, but they were too far away to photograph. The Island was very busy and the car park was full

So nice to see the blue hills

Brownery - this is what you get later in the year, after greenery

And more brownery

Later, it rained gently, so I set up the radio and the sewing machine and am watching the day dimming gently as I write this. I brought various ready-cut quilt blocks, unfortunately, the first set has a lot missing, as I obviously cannot count when preparing a long journey.. Not a problem I will either find more fabric or they can wait till I get home...

Like so...

And I have a bunch of postcards ready to send out tomorrow, all written and stamped.

Tomorrow I'm going to do "vanwork" (like housework but smaller and more toilet-and-water-emptying) and am driving into a Foreign Country (Scotland), much of which will involve the Edinburgh ring road...

 

Day three, the sun shines...

 So, I had to re-install everything, turn it all off and on again. Maybe my phone has agoraphobia. Yesterday was mostly pretty wet and wild and windy, and the van shook like a jelly all night, not that this stopped me from being cosy and warm and feeling like the world was no bad place. I had a wonderful cod-and-chips with Jackie, and a really jolly evening catching up, dealing scandal, and much laughing..

Then this morning we drove together to Middlesborough, where she wanted to shop, had a nice coffee in Sainsburys, and I went to Spennymoor to meet Irene, who had a whole lot od sewing-machine stuff to sell to me, including this beautiful Boye case - I saw these in the US and would have brought one back if it had been at all feasible

I also got home-made chocolate cake, tea, and much hospitality, in this lovely suburbanity

Both much taken with the big beastie, I think they are going to look at buying one..

So I'm here on the edge of the world, looking out over towards Holy Island, with big skeins of geese calling, and the last of the sunshine

This has got to be one of the most beautiful places in these islands...

This, by the level crossing on the road in, some variety of ruins, I may walk down and look tomorrow. If the tides permit I may go over to the Island as well..

All, this, and supper, hot showers and a sewing-machine on the table. Happiness...

Day 2

 It rained. I can't download my images, I'll try again later
Here we go!

Second breakfast at the OK Diner

First sight of the sea

High beacon...

Day One - Not Much To See

 Lots of rather familiar roads taken at a stately 50 mph, the big wagon is fun to drive but the stereo is not working!  Pitched up at a terrifically tidy and conventional campsite just off the A1, all modern conveniences which I will take advantage of in the morning. I'm exhausted, it's been a hard couple of days. And, I'm really cross with myself, I didn't remember to bring the New Map Book!

At the Farm Cafe for a spot of lunch - I stopped at the Highway Nursery for breakfast and to purchase seeds as a gift

Tidy tree, may not escape

Halo?

Tropicality

Not very wildlife. It was nice when I got here but now it's raining hard, so I suspect a quiet evening with a book beckons

Here I am!

And, the big beastie turns out to be called Bumble...

More tomorrow

Day Zero, Lock and Load...

 Actually Unlock and Unload too, as there was much in there, most of it not my idea of useful, and as the beast has more doors than a ghost train. Food, tools, amusements, sewing machines, books, crockery, cutlery, water, electricity, and all manner of Stuff is loaded and I'm pretty much ready to go in the morning. I may even be able to work most of it...

Jo's lovely quilts on the seats

Cushions

Bike uploaded too

Here he is. Getting back out of my teeny car park will be fun...

Bed is made, apart from the pillows - the quilt is my first bed quilt - City Of Lights

And here was the post-rain moment this morning, after a dark and windy and exceedingly rattly night...

Off to supper, then an early night, I think. I'm all excited!!

Still Getting Ready To Gallivant

Almost cleared the Post Backlog, and finally have just about all the books-for-sale uploaded and captioned and ready to go - if you need one, please ask I may be close enough to deliver or I can always reserve anything till I get back... 

Lots of books on Nelson, of course...And this little delight from 1941 - despite the "austerity" edition it has a mosr delightful cover...

Here they are   http://www.helenhowes-sewingmachines.co.uk/mbooksforsale.html

So, tidied up (I had to do it, they were on top of the shoe chest and my winter boots are in there...)

Collecting the Big Buggy tomorrow, images then...

Plenty

 Season of plenty - jam is made and beans are picked and stored, damsons frozen, clafoutis made...

Gooseberry

Damson

Clafoutis*

Damsons...

And a good crop of gulls

*Line a dish with butter, and layer any stone fruits (cherries are the usual, but damsons, small plums, apricots are nice.)

In a bowl, beat two eggs, add flour, a bit, (I use almond flour, but wheat is OK if you tolerate it), a little spice or ginger (optional) a tad of light olive oil, maybe a little milk, to make a runny batter. Sugar only if you must...
Bake for at least 30-40 minutes in a medium oven until all bubbly and brown and slightly crusty and delicious; eat with thick cream while still a bit warm...