The Borders Rocks!

Quite tired now. Had a very busy day doing a forest recce with H & L and their good pals. We were looking for suitably testing routes for off road vehicles for an event later in the year. I got to chase about through the trees and clock up many miles in pursuit of nothing very much. My dangerously low energy reserves were then totally overlooked by the callous four who proceeded to devour freshly made bacon rolls and then cake in front of my nose! I was presented with a couple of dog biscuits but they were a poor substitute.
The 'boys' kept spotting mountain bike routes that they want to go back and do. L snapped some of the stunning views - the Scottish Borders are damned impressive!

Spring is sprung

I was home alone this morning but spent a busy afternoon in the garden searching for mice and chewing more prunings. H was out with the chainsaw lopping branches off the willows and L trimmed some of them so she would have a further supply of cuttings to plant. Then she took it into her head to prune the brambles down to the ground so it looks like there won't be much blackberry jam this autumn. Ho hum.
There's an adventure planned for tomorrow - two Land Rovers, two pairs of adults (?) and little me, off to check out a new forest with permission of the Forestry Commission. Better still, the other party will have a stove and a supply of bacon for butties at lunchtime - happy day! Pics to follow...

Fuss over Felt

Enjoying some peace today after the comings and goings of the last week. Hugh's been fixing various off road vehicles and helping out friends in between his painting, hen and log duties. Lindsay's been on paperwork, Village Hall duties and manic felting sessions...

Yesterday they spent helping to run a jumble sale across at the Hall. Made a very respectable sum from other folks' cast offs although I notice a suspiciously large pile of 'essential' old clothes and other stuff which I think L has salvaged for her rag rug workshop later in the year.

L's handspun handknit bag was felted in the washing machine and she was over the moon with the result. The inevitable outcome was that a little brother bag got made and now there's a blue stripey 'book bag' drying out as well. Further bags and baglets will follow until the stash of handspun is no more!

H is out with the Wee Beastie today so there will be more shots on here before long of man and machine in perfect harmony...

whipup.net

Lindsay's been zooming about the net again tonight and found Whip Up which is jam packed with other folks' creative stuff - nothing sordid in the name after all... whipup.net
And she's found a blogger in Wisconsin who keeps hens, does lots of spinning and knitting and looks to have a pretty cool dog as well - seems there may be more long suffering hounds sharing house space with textile crazed women than I had realised (check my Links - I think I have cracked how to do them)

Here's proof that the Wee Beastie was off road last weekend. Hugh and Dave (sound man, remembers to make a fuss of me...) came third in the competition on the Beastie's first outing. Now H has the bit between his teeth and will be out at every opportunity, hail rain or shine, sporting his very fetching 'air crew' overalls purchased on ebay, bless him.

Suspicions Confirmed

Yip, I was right. There was a plot. It involved me being dumped with complete strangers for three, yes THREE, days and nights while they headed north to Dunkeld to enjoy themselves. Actually, the kennels was OK and I had the company of two black retrievers who are staying there till April so maybe I wasn't so badly treated by H and L after all. Not that they need to know that....
They met lots of like minded folk at the Scottish Off Road Club AGM and Hugh got himself on to the committee so there will be yet more talk about events around Scotland involving Land Rovers but not involving ME. I can see the flaw in this so why can't they?

Life since I was rescued on Tuesday morning has been pretty fine - First stop was the forest where there was a sprinkling of snow - made for better quality sniffs.
Second stop was beside the stove.

Hugh has been scheming to get more metal for his impending sculptures and sorting out work to go to Conundrum Farm near Berwick - a wonderful place (so I am told...) full of hens and sheep and goats and rare breed pigs and excellent cakes and coffee. Lindsay has stopped knitting baby socks for the minute and stitched a big bag from handspun yarns. It is currently in the washing machine with a pair of jeans, getting felted. Here's a before pic.