Did I say summer was on it's way?

In my post on 21st April I did end it thinking that summer was on its way, but boy was I wrong. The 24th was a scorcher of a day and I was out gardening wearing a vest top and thinking 'yes this is great I will get the garden sorted over the weekend'.................unfortunately this was not to be, Saturday was cold and wet so we lazed about the house in front of a fire and watched a few episodes of Game of Thrones.

On Sunday it was still cold but we decided to drive to Lochty Adventure Centre to see if we could see the Osprey.

The osprey were both there and I think the female is sitting on eggs, to get a better view of them we went into the cafe for a coffee and a heat where we could watch the osprey on a big screen.

We had our cameras with us and had planned to just go for a drive and take photos, but because it was so cold..... and we are turning into wimps..... we decided just to head home.

As we drove the sky got darker and it began to rain

Then .....is that snow?

Yes! thats snow starting to lay in the feilds!

So glad we got home in the warm and got the kettle on because the snow just kept falling. Has Mother Nature forgot this is suposed to be Spring?

Then on Monday the sun came out and there wasn't a cloud in the big beautiful blue sky. By late afternoon all the snow had melted and the road surface was bone dry again.

It's crazy how the weather can change so much in Scotland........... I forgot to mention the hail stones we had too.

My daughter's birthday was this week and as she love giraffes I quickly made her a giraffe pop-up card, which she said made her laugh

 Hand drew a cartoon giraffe and coloured it in with my Pro Markers

I've also found time to have a wee sort out of my craft stash and as usual have found things I forgot I had and really must use soon.

A wee lampshade make-over

I've had this lamp for a good few years now, bought it from Asda for about £5.  The original base was ceramic but this accidently got smashed so my OH turned a new base out of yew, which I love. The cream lampshade was looking a little grubby and tired so I was going to look out for a new one to buy......

 .... but then I thought why buy a new one, I've got emulsion let's try a thin coat of paint on it.

I unscrewed the lid off a bottle, popped the lampshade onto the bottle neck and screwed the top back on, this gave me something to hold onto and turn the lampshade while painting but it also was a good place to leave the lampsheade while the paint dried.

Time to start painting............

While the paint was drying I cut a strip of the wallpaper I used in the guestroom, because this is where the lamp is going.

Using wallpaper paste I carefully stuck the wallpaper around the lampshade. 

Voila! a wee lampshade make-over that hasn't cost me a penny :)

A week of bargain finds

Everyone loves a bargain and everyone that knows me knows I really really love a bargain. This has been a great week of bargains for me.

It all started when our neighbour needed some rubbish taken to our local Recycling Depot, so he and my OH loaded the pick up and off they went. They returned with a garden bench that matches the one we have already, it just needs a clean, a lick of paint and some Danish oil, which we already have, so cost = 0

As decorating of the guestroom is just about complete a trip to one of my favourite local charity shops was called for in the search for a chest of drawers. I couldn't believe my luck when I walked in and there was this lovely big old pine chest of drawers that just needed a good clean and a coat of wax. It couldn't fit into the room any better, I just love it, even though this cost £50 it's still a bargain, it's solid and has a lot of life left in it and I couldn't buy a new chest of drawers like this for that price :)

At the same charity shop I saw a pair of cream lined curtains for £6, but as we were going to do some shopping and pick the chest of drawers up on our way home I thought I'd wait and buy them then. 

When we went back to pick up the chest of drawers the curtains were gone!

Lesson learned here - if you see a bargain buy it there and then!

While the Chest of drawers was being loaded onto the pick up I dug a little deeper in the corner of the charity shop, then realised I wasn't meant to get the cream curtains because I'd just found brand new, still in packaging, lilac lined curtains for £10, I instantly knew these would go perfectly with the wallpaper in the guestroom.

Lesson learned here - dig deeper and you may find an even better bargain!

I also picked up 3 feather filled cushions with cream textured fabric covers for a £1 each

The room is really starting to come together now. I found tie back hooks in a box where we just keep stuff that we might need one day, so I'm on the look out now for bargain tie-backs for the curtains or I might make them. I'm also on the look out for a purple cushion and at last the bed is built.

Then to round off the bargain week, we popped into another charity shop yesterday as we were passing, where I got a telescopic monopod for my camera for £1 and 2 little ducks (which I wasn't really needing, but I liked them) to sit on the little shelf on my dresser for 50p

All in all its been a great week of bargains, a few sunny days, even had our first bbq and the swallows are starting to come back so summer is definitely on its way :)

How has your week been?

Doon by the river

Been so busy lately decorating and trying to tidy up around the croft that a well deserved wee day off was called for.
Armed with my camera and Scottish countryside essentials, wellies, fleece and waterproof jacket, I headed off to the River Dee for some peace and quiet, fresh air, to just relax for an hour or so.

The gulls entertained me for quite a while swooping down to drink from the river and gliding just above it and twisting and turning.

Looking up the River Dee towards Banchory and down the river too, on a beautiful sunny day with a lovely blue sky but unfortunately there was a cold icey wind blowing down the river. The water was running quite fast but was beautifully clear. I heard a couple of fish jump but never saw them, there was also some ducks but these were to far away to get a good photo of.

There is an old seat under a tree, which was a lovely place to sit where I was sheltered a little from the icey cold wind. Next time I come here I will bring a flask of coffee and something to eat, as I really could of done with a warm drink.

The March Burn runs into the Dee and where it does the water was full of tiny little fish, so peaceful to just sit and watch. I was glad I was wearing my wellies as I could stand in the burn to get these photos

Feeling refreshed it was time to head back home with a quick stop off at Morrisons in Banchory for some essential supplies, Peach Tea and a bottle of Chardonnay.