9^th March....09.00 nice bright morning with a mixture of 50/50 white fluffy clouds and blue bits.    Very little wind and what there is looks like from the south.    

    Nae real ‘plans’ for today....I’ll go for the paper and my cup o’ coffee up the Chapel before I make a ‘plan’.   I will ‘hit’ the tree stump at some point.    

    15.30    When having my coffee on the ‘Boss’ seat I received a ‘message’,.... I was going to say from ‘above’  but I was sitting on the seat so it might have been from below!     “That tree stump must go ...today”  was the message!     So ...I’ve spent all day cutting and sawing at roots till I finally got into the ‘tap’ root.      .     One thing I have been gifted wi’ is infinite patience.    I first dug wi’ a big spade then a trowel...I would have made a guid archaeologist!     When I cut the ‘tap’ root...that was the job done!      I now need tae have a hot bath ‘cos I’ve got a sair back!    It’s been a braw day for gardening and I’m off to do some more before I have the hot bath.    I’m along at Jems’ tonight for a ‘play’ on his computer.    Jim (Bell) is going along too so we’ll have loads of ‘photies’ tae look at!    

     8^th March....11.00 overcast but dry and very little wind.    A nice day for Balcarres methinks.     I’ve been up for the paper and had my coffee on The Bosses sea.    Jock came by walking ‘Bracken’ the  dawg so I got him to take a picture of me in action.   I look a bit cauld but the coffee was good.    I dry the seat and sit on my gloves so my ‘nether regions’  (Irene speak)  dinnae get cauld.     Bracken seems tae want a biscuit....which I didnae have!   

     I did a bit of scraping and digging at the tree stump but that is going to be  a long slow job...and sair on the back I suspect.    I’ve also got a meeting tonight so I’d better get a move on if I want to ‘do’ a trip to Balcarres.   The stump can wait!   Orf tae Balcarres.    

     14.00 I had a braw bike up tae Balcarres.    It’s still overcast, but with nae or very little wind bikin’ is easy.    I can still manage to ‘do’ the Double Dykes without getting aff....but I am in the lowest gear.

       The Balcarres equivalent of the oak tree of Sussex has to be the Chestnut tree.    I went along a path we used 60 years ago...it was a bit rough now as it’s used by the lassies on their horses,  however I did manage to get through and back onto ‘solid’ biking ground again.    I took a lot of pictures of trees then I found this Chestnut and photographed it ‘to bits’.    What a cracker o' a tree.    (see photograph)    As I was taking the pictures a woodpecker was ‘drumming’ about 100 yards or so away and what sounded like a Long Tailed Tit family were ‘messin’aboot’ at the top o’ the ‘chessie’ tree.    Oh yes....you would have liked it.   Balcarres is the place tae really get rid of stress etc.    If only I could ‘write bonnier’ you could be there!
     23.00    The SWT meeting at Coaltown of Burnturk lasted a fair old time and I got home about 22.40.    It was a good meeting and it’s good to meet the guys from SWT Headquarters (Cramond), and to have a blether wi’ the conveners from other reserves.

7^th March.....08.00 another grey morning but there are a few lighter bits in the cloud base.    There is a very light (F2) NW breeze.

     It’s Communion and the First Anniversary of the three kirks amalgamating (Kilconquhar, Elie and Colinsburgh..in chronological order). We’re having “soup and sandwiches” in the kirk hall after...and good old natter.   I’m taking the camera for a few pictures as a record.   “Catch you later”!   Take care!    Remember, always make a wee bit of time for ‘yourself’ everyday.    Sort of “Owlbert” time if you like!

      6^th March....09.00 a grey start to the day but dry.   It looks like we may get bits of sunshine.    There is a light NW wind so I’ve got a washing on.     
       I’ve been out  lookin’ at the garden, where I have a lot of work to get on with.....I may make a start this morning.....it’s a nice enough mornin’ for a bit of tidying  up oot there.    At this moment now I’m sittin’ in front of the computer havin’ a cup o’ tea and doin' a  bit o' "Owlbert" type contemplatin',  before I go for the paper.    
11.00  Another telephone engineer turned up to check the line and ‘sign the job out’ just as I was getting ready to go out.     He did all the checks etc and all that remains to be done is the cable raised where it crosses the 19th Hole.    That’s a job for a different department.    As the engineer said ...”that’s a job for the heavy brigade”.   

     20.00 There has been a lot of heavy work done in the garden today.    I dug out the big buddleia bush, roots an’ all.    I then set aboot removing the plum tree stump.    That’s gaun tae take a bit o’ time as the roots are thick.    Still, if our ancestors  could build Stonehenge 4,000 years ago I’m sure “Owlbert” can remove one tree stump.    Efter aw’ that work I had to have a long hot bath to ease the aching muscles (use imagination).

    Just had some good news.......Emily, Rory and ‘JB’ are coming up around Easter.     I’d better get the garden intae some kind o’ shape by then!    

   5^th March....16.00 At last!    The phone is ‘fixed’ but the root cause has not.     The cable that my line is part of crosses, and rubs against, the roof ridge of the 19th Hole (Golf Tavern).    A different ‘department’ will have to heighten the cable at some future date.    At least I know just what the problem has been for all those years of having a  crackly phone.      The ‘first’ engineer,of two, turned up at 09.30.    He was called away to an emergency so left after 20 minutes.    Another engineer arrived at 10.30 and eventually left at 13.30.    I’ll now update the ‘hutte’.

     After the telephone engineer left I bumbled up to the marsh to have a browse.    Surprisingly I ‘raised’ 20+ snipe.    The ground is still part frozen and I didn’t expect to see any.    All were Common Snipe.    I have yet to see a Jack Snipe though someone said he’d seen six Jack snipe earlier in the winter.

     My next ‘mission’ was to Enster to arrange appointments for a Dental check up and an Eye Test.    When there I took a few pictures but didn’t go Into the Museum for coffee as I thought I’d visit Chris and Jems on the way home.    They were out so I came home to Ivy and here I am!   drinkin' tea!    

22.00  off to bed in a wee while....after I have a toddy.    I have a slight touch of a cauld, and I think a guid night’s sleep would help.    It’s been a long day but I have managed to do the things I set out to do...and needed to do.      
        I’ve had a message from BT who are going to heighten the telephone cable so that it no longer ‘rubs’ on the 19th's  roof  ridge, next Monday...the 8th March.
     
The top picture is of a creel boat in Enster harbour and the bottom one is the new boardwalk on Barnyards Marsh.
4^th March.....09.00 I’ve been up at Chapel Green ‘conversin’ wi’ “The Boss” and havin’ a cup o’  coffee.     We have another braw mornin’ here and the forecast is fine for the whole day.    I may try Balcarres later but I have a  bit of shopping to do at Enster first.    I’m not going  to take the car to Leven yet as I don’t think the problem is the cooling system.    The phone is awfie crackly...probably the same problem as last year.

       15.00 I think I might get the next train doon tae Sussex.    The phone has gone wonky noo.     I have a maintenance engineer coming tomorrow morning so that ought to solve the problem for another year.    It happens every time we have cold, the warm sun then condensation.    At least I may be able to point the engineer in the right direction.    In the meantime I cannot stay ‘online’ long enough to update the ‘hutte’.    I’ll try later in the evening.

    The car problem is not the cooling system which is now bung foo o’ everything.   I think it’s just ice meltin’ ‘cos the the passenger well has water in it...which was ice until yesterday.    I know how the water gets into the well.    The car has a plastic ‘sun roof’ which, when snow lies on it and freezes the ice expands and ‘opens’ the roof a wee bit.    When the sun melts the ice it ends up in the well.    Aptly named place in my car!    It’s OK if ye’ dinnae mind wet feet.    It’s disnae happen on my side.    So I dinnae get my feet weet!

     Being as I was in the mood for playin’ wi’ water I have started tae defrost the freezer.    I take it the idea is tae get all the ice aff the wire looking shelves.    I’ve got Maggie’s hair dryer on the job so I’m making headway......there’s water everywhere.    The next job will be to do a ‘freezer’ shopping.    Janice has been pointing me in the right direction so I should manage that OK.
    

    Better off and have my bath.    I want to go to bed ‘earlyish’ in case the telephone engineer turns up at 08.00  

     3^rd March....17.00 it’s been a bonnie day but cool.   Some might even say cauld. 

      I’ve been a ‘busy boy’ (use imagination.)     First I visited Maggie’s seat, and had my coffee and checked out the East Fife Mail.    It was really nice but I must remember tae put a ‘cushion’ intae the pannier bag ‘cos it was cauld on the ‘butt’...even though I have my fair share of ‘lagging’ in that area.    It is a nice place  to find a bit of ‘peace’ time.   Especially on a day like this.

      Next I visited Chris and Jems and had a cup o’tea before heading to Jems’ to get the car.    It required a jump start because,  as I had suspected, the courtesy light had ‘flattened’ the battery.    Anyway the car started first time and I took it for  a 20 mile run to charge the aforementioned battery before returning to Ivy.     The bike was still up at Chris’ so after a bite to eat I daundered along the beach, talking to various people, finally ending up at Chris’ where I had another cup o’ tea, with Chris, Jems and Lexie.

     In the afternoon I went up to Colinsburgh for fuel, and Maggie’s lottery ticket which..... I’ve kept ‘going’.   I also had to buy stuff tae put intae the radiator ‘cos it has a wee leak.    It’s aw go!    Right now I’m going for a ‘potter’ down the beach ‘cos it’s a bonnie evening.    

2^nd March.....20.00 “Owlbert” bless his little cotton socks, is back home in Ivy.    It’s freezin’ as the heatin’ had switched itself off due to lack of water.   I had noticed the water was low but forgot tae top it up so Ivy is taking a long time to get warm again.   It has reached 15 degrees or so now!

    The train journey up was braw...I’m getting mair used tae travelling....and my companion who joined the train at Peterborough was nice.    Janice had made me up a lunch box with food and a note from  Janice and Michael,and the Sooper Dogs!      I swathe white thing  but didn’t actually recognise it for what it was.   I actually ate the biscuits that were covering it!    I have to thank Janice, Michael and the Sooper dawgs for putting up with me for so long, I really enjoyed my time is Sussex...there’s so much to see and do.   And I’ll miss Lee-Ann.... and her coffee!

    Apart from taking a long time tae heat up (the radiators are hot) not much has changed in Ivy.    The wintry weather means that the garden has hardly changed though the crocuses and snowdrops are in bloom.

    Tomorrow morning I want to get up early, and along to Elie for my paper then up to the Chapel Green to sit on Maggie’s seat for the first time with a flask of coffee and my paper.   After that  I’ll  go along and get the car...if it’ll start efter all this time.   It’s along at Jems and he’ll tell me what I need tae dae tae get it going.
    I’m off to hang up my clothes etc and I’ll probably have an early night.    I’ve put up a couple of (old) local photographs mostly to remind me of where I am!
     21.30 Ivy is slowly warming up...now 18c and rising.    My nose is frozen so I’m off to have a ‘shot’ o’ the exercise bike tae warm up!    After that I’m going to have a ‘Janice’ toddy.... which makes  a ‘depth charge’ seem like a drink o’water....then orf tae bed!  

1^st March…..   “ St David’s Day” and a bonnie one  it is with cloudless sky, no wind but frosty with a heavy rime.    I’m up early….I thought it 08.00 when it was in fact only 07.00.     I see someone having a hard job scraping their car windscreen so it is a hard frost.   

       I’m having a daunder ‘doon the toon’ this morning.     Drop ito Lee-Anns to say goodbye then into Tesco’s to top up my phone.

     12.30 Lee-Ann’s was “busy busy” this morning….”Owlbert” heaven in fact as the restaurant was full of ladies, each one  a potential ‘girlfriend’.    The WI has an annual day long meeting, with talks by various Crafts people, on the first Monday in March.    Bein’ a shy kind o’person I hastily drank my coffee and ‘abandoned ship’…..but not before I’d ‘chatted’ tae the ‘girls’ at the adjacent table.

        I walked to the DIY store and got some gloss to finish off a wee bit then photographed my way up the High street.
     

     28^th February….09.00 well it’s wet and windy right enough, in fact it’s very wet but not as windy as I expected.    It is supposed to improve in the afternoon.

     We’re going to the Dorset Arms near Hartfield for lunch.    I fell in love wi’ the lassie behind the bar the last time, so I’ll rekindle ‘the romance’ today.     

      It’s amazing but I feel like I am ‘pittin roots doon’ in Uckfield.    Dancin’ alongside and speakin’ to the local folks of my own age makes me feel part of the community.     I like the feeling of ‘belonging’ just like I do at home in the ‘Royal Burgh’.    I’m travelling up on Tuesday and  lookin’ forward tae catching up with my ‘girlfriends’ ….and  the local ‘news’.….but, most of all, I want to have a cup o’ coffee sittin’ on Maggie’s seat.    I hope Wednesday is a braw day!    

20.00 we had a braw lunch at the Dorset Arms in Withyham near Hartfield.     It’s a braw place and the food is reasonably priced.    On the journey over the roads were really wet as it was still raining heavily with rainwater draining off Ashdown Forest tracks  onto the roads which were more or less burns in a lot of places.    By the time we set off home the rain had eased and things were a bit better.

      Janice, who was driving, took us down to the bottom of Uckfield to have a look at the river.   It was high and not far from overflowing in places.    Luckily the rain has stopped so the rivers will slowly subside, though there is water lying everywhere, on  fields etc. so that could take a wee while.