The Hutte

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	Hutte News... 3^rd September….08.00 we do seem to be having an ‘Indian Summer’ as this morning is bright and sunny. It’s a bit ‘hazy’ towards the south but mostly it looks good. The wind, what little there is, is from the east. ‘JB’ has yet to come up with a ‘plan’ for today and until he does I’ll mess about in the garden. First it’s the papers and a cup o’ tea with Chris and Jems. We could go sailing but the tides are at awkward times this week. 2^nd September…08.30 we have a brighter morning with less any cloud….it’s almost like summer should have been! The light breeze (F2-3) is still from the Northeast t and cool. The forecast is good so we should get over to Shell Bay for a ‘plowter aboot’ later. I’m orf for the papers….JB is still sleepin’. 21.00 Shell Bay was great. We biked round to Shooters Point where JB drained the beach…the tide was out….and I wandered around with the camera. Shooters Point gets it name because that is where the auld ‘Ferry’ men (like Maggie’s Uncle ‘Blot’ and his friend Tom Reekie) would go to shoot a duck ‘for the pot’. In those days you did that, ‘shot something for the pot’... now its big business and called 'sport'. Until the early 1970’s there was a Tern colony out on Shooters Point but with the coming of the caravan site and with that people, the terns moved on. ( As the human footprint on the planet gets bigger the natural footprint gets smaller. That’s called ‘progress’). Thankfully there are charities that fight hard to keep places for wildlife to survive. The weather was perfect and ‘JB’ and I had Ruddons Point to ourselves near enough so it was quiet. It’s a relaxing place but it is sad when you think of what it was 40 years ago. I learnt to swim out at Shell Bay back in 1952. Near enough every decent evening over the summer half a dozen of us would bike down to Shell bay from Balcarres/Colinsburgh for ‘a dook’. Once we’d got the hang of the swimming we ventured round to Kincraig Point to get the thrill of diving off the rocks. That ended for me in 1958 when I went off to do my National Service. End of reminisce. Dorothy came round in the afternoon so I went over to the Courtyard and had a cup of tea with her while she waited on some tradesman, who hadn’t turned up when I left after nearly an hour. ‘JB’, who was on ‘patrol’, never even noticed I’d slipped out! I suspect he may be ‘in love’. 22.00 Nae ‘plans’ made yet for tomorrow apart from me making a couple of banana and walnut breads....got some spare squishy bananas. I might even get the shed painted....the weather is supposed to be fine! There’s nae connection between the bananas and the shed...it’s the way I think! Photographs : Top - having a banana and coffee before heading off home....and Bottom – Largo Law from Shooters Point. 1^st September…..07.30 generally cloudy with the clouds being ‘underlit’ by the rising sun making them look soft and harmless….looks like being another nice day after the sun gets going. The wind, F2 or so, is from the northeast so quite cool. A good day for biking. 20.00 It turned out a “whether or no” kind of day today. We’d intended biking over to Shell Bay in the morning, and the weather looked good for that up till about 10.30 when it began to cloud over. We postponed the Shell Bay trip and went over to St Andrews because ‘JB’ wanted to buy the ‘TB’ book (I’m not allowed... “The Boss’s” orders...to mention T... B...r) at Waterstones. They were being sold at half price i.e. £12.50. We thought we might go over to Shell Bay after lunch but I fell asleep in the ‘Hutte’ and woke up in an ‘I’ll finish the shed’ mood while JB had computer stuff to attend to. When I was out in the morning for the paper I met Jock who was ‘fired up’ and ‘on the move’....and so was Honor. Jock was out on his bike lookin’ for ‘Krooshe’ .......and while he was gallivantin’ Honor was going to be doing ‘housewifely things’ ......like making fudge! Tae make a long story longer, when I was painting bits o’ the shed this afternoon Honor turned up with some of her fudge. Oh ...nae wonder Jock is always so happy and contented..... Honor’s fudge is the birthplace of dreams! ‘JB’ is i/c fudge “ dishin oot”.... ! “Should I be concerned” I ask myself? The short answer is ... “Yes”! ‘JB’ has that dreamy look....a bit like the cat that got the cream! According to ‘JB’ “auld folk shouldn’t eat too much fudge”...! 22.30 Today I thought St Andrews looked....’worn’ would be the best way to describe it. It might have been the dullness of the day but something was lacking. When the students come back in a couple of weeks they might brighten/liven the auld place up. St Andrews is one of my favourite towns but today....it just looked like any other town of similar size! Apart from the Fisher and Donaldson shop! It’s Shell Bay for us tomorrow should the weather turn out fine. JB will drain a beach and I’ll get some insect photographs! Today’s photographs : Top - cormorant in Elie harbour. The fish looks a bit of a mouthful...and spiny! Bottom – Market St in St Andrews. 31^st August....19.30 At last I have managed to find time to update the ‘Hutte’. It’s been another bonnie day....wall to wall sunshine though we have high wispy white clouds daring to make an appearance...what they portend we have yet to find out. We’re at the end of a busy day. First we went to Kirkcaldy to buy shoes....JB got two pair and I got my annual pair of Clarkes casuals. Being as we were in a state of excitement, (having spent money) we came straight home to get ‘tore intae’ re- felting the shed. But first we’d need food as our calorie intake was way down. That lack we fixed in ‘nae time’ and were soon ready for some action....but only after ‘fifty winks’ to get our weary brains ready for the task ahead. As I have only one hammer suitable for removing nails I did that while ‘JB’ planned and schemed the next moves...and provided advice and tea, both in copious quantities. Soon, well after a bit we were ready to cut the felt into the right lengths...this was the tricky bit....but we did that with equal measures of ‘jiggery pokery’ and ‘guid luck’. The shed roof is now wind and water tight and all I have to do tomorrow morning is trim the edges. ‘JB’ has just finished the ‘ooverin’ and dustin’ which task we elbowed aside this morning in our hurry to go to Kirkcaldy. I am off to have a hot bath after the strenuous day we’ve had. Tomorrow we are going to have to relax...you know ‘fall apart’ somewhere quiet....this ‘workin’ is not good for the nerves! 22.00 That’s better! I’ve had a nice long hot bath and I’m ready tae face anything ‘JB’ can ‘hit me’ with tomorrow. I think we may be bike out to Shell Bay….the forecast is good. JB has never been out there and would like to drain a beach! Photographs : Top - work…and Bottom- Tortoiseshell butterfly, the only thing I got a picture of today! PS the next time I re-felt the shed I will be 87 as the felt is guaranteed for 15 years! 30^th August….10.30 I’ve been ‘out and about’ since 07.30 trying to recreate old pictures of the villages. In most cases it’s possible to stand in the original position (or near enough) but in one case I need a pair of step ladders to gain about two feet in height. There are big changes from most of the old pictures, mostly new buildings and cars. It’s a beautiful morning though cold….we had frost in the Scottish glens last night and in Ivy garden in was down to 3c. I think I hear ‘JB’ on the move so I’d better go and put the kettle on. 21.00 we’ve had a ‘cracker’ o’ a day in the East Neuk....wall to wall sunshine all day, and more of the same tomorrow. In the morning we went to Leven to buy felt and stuff to re-felt the roof of my shed.....’stuff’ being clout nails and an aluminium pair of steps. We had lunch in Sainsbury’s cafe.....because we felt hungry with the thought of all this work we might be doing! Back in Earlsferry we decided to go down to Elie harbour where ‘JB’ hired a canoe for an hour and I ‘lazed’ around with the camera....being retired you can do that...’laze’ i.e. However ‘The Boss’ wisnae far away and I started tae think ‘shed roof’ which kinda brought me back to earth. We got back to Ivy, ‘JB’ with a wet ‘butt’ ‘cos the canoe had that facility incorporated intae the design....water came in via a hollow bit in the stern. Neither of us could work out why it was so designed....but when it came tae ‘butt wettin’ it did that remarkably efficiently! So far the only efforts made re ‘re-felting’ the shed roof had been removing the felt from the car boot! We needed a cup o’ tea and some ‘rubbage’ by now so we set about replenishing the few calories we’d lost biking down tae the harbour and back. After that I fell asleep in the ‘hutte’ but not before I’d taken twa’ bits of wood off the shed roof and extracted (with great difficulty) about half a dozen felt nails! Tomorrow we shall hit the shed roof at speed....though ‘JB’ wants to go to Kirkcaldy sometime....might do that tomorrow and drop intae Dysart on the way home! No! No! We will do the shed roof tomorrow then Kirkcaldy/Dysart on Wednesday! You know how Word has the dictionary and the facility tae add yer ain words intae it? Well my dictionary is loaded with umpteen ‘Owlbert’ words. I can write most ‘Hutte English’ without a red line appearing under any of it! It’s brilliant....nae spellin’ mistakes! ‘JB’ and I have been in discussion re ‘work’ (Oh dear that’s a horrible word) on the shed tomorrow. We may, at some point take orf for Kirkcaldy....if we make some progress in the morning! Photographs : Top – JB resting and Bottom – why JB is resting it was uphill! 29^th August….10.30 Windy F6N) and cool with dark grey clouds rolling threateningly down from the NE….could be showers along towards Crail. It’s really autumn now from the feel of the wind! We didn’t go to the kirk…I had a stuffy head which would have affected my ‘singing’. Apart from the JB was still in bed! I dug another Pendulous Sedge out of the garden this morning….they are decorative but spread like …well sedges I guess. The 'broon' bucket is full! JB is ‘up’ and having a shower before we go somewhere. I wonder if we should head west this morning ? I’ll see what JB has ‘planned, as he is i/c ‘plans’. 21.00 We’re settling down after a day ‘pottering about’. First we went shopping for tablet making ingredients then made tablet but that was a complete disaster.....oh it tastes fine but the recipe was not the normal one and once more it turned out too grainy. I’ve found what looks like the ‘normal’ one on a website so we’ll have a go at that sometime later in the week. In the afternoon we went for a walk along the beach and ‘roond the Chapel’...it was a nice day though a bit breezy and cool. Everything seems quiet now after the past 5 weeks or so. Julie, Chris and ‘Troops’ have gone from next door....it’s them always I miss the most. ‘JB’ is still here and i/c ‘Plans’, though ‘The Bumbil’ and Rory are coming up for a few days next week, so that may change!. ‘JB’ insisted we go down to the harbour on the bikes tae ‘burn off a couple of calories’. It was a nice evening, but even down there things were quiet. I guess summer is over. There were two big Plymouth trawlers sheltering off Elie this afternoon so it must have been rough out in the North Sea. They resembled big ‘predator’ looking things which, to fish, they probably were. One of them had gone by the time we biked down to the harbour.... in the evening. Photographs : Top – this guy was really enjoying the wind and Bottom – the evening sun on South Street Elie. Tomorrow we’re gardening.....in between ‘pottering’ about. 28^th August....11.30 Another bright and breezy morning with F3-4 NW wind so it’s not exactly warm. I went up to Elie for the paper, helped Jim put a new bulb in the light at the kirk gate, then we went to the RNLI coffee morning. It was a busy busy place so we came out to let some folks get seats.....after a guid blether, and two cups of coffee. While I did that ‘JB’ made plans for the remainder of the day. We’re going along to Cellardyke for a wander and to the Store for some vital necessities .....before the rain that everybody says is due by mid afternoon! “Catch you later”.... with some pictures of Cellardyke! 14.30 the tide was out when we got to Cellardyke so we went down onto the beach and got a few photographs from that viewpoint. We didn’t get very far along before it began to spit with rain so we aborted the mission and went back to the car. The tide is ‘in’ at 16.30 and I’d like to go along then to get one picture that I think might look fairly interesting. That depends on the weather......which is a bit grey and threatening just now. 19.30 John and I went along to Enster but we couldn’t get parked anywhere 'doon the ‘shore’ so we abandoned that idea and headed for Crail. The picture I wanted in Enster wouldn’t have looked that guid as it is only a 4.9 high tide and I’d like a 5.9 one which should happen next month. Crail was fine for parking and we wandered down the ‘Hen’s Ladder’ to the harbour. It had everything you’d expect of Crail harbour.....artist painting a picture, creel boats moving in and out, and tourists ‘browsing’ their way around. A popular place. When we got home I had a phone call to tell me I’d won something in the RNLI raffle....a model of the RNLB “Lizzie Porter”. I’ll get a photo of her tomorrow, she’s an absolute beauty. 22.00 Tomorrow we are going to the kirk then a visit to Jems and Chris’. In the afternoon we may do some gardening....Monday is ‘broon bucket’ day......but that depends on the weather. Photographs today are ....Top ‘JB’ on Cellardyke beach just before we turned back because of the rain....and Bottom – Crail harbour from the Hen’s Ladder.

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