tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78743425784311430012024-03-19T05:30:31.703+05:30MY TAKE; doses of Wild YAM It began because it could. It continues because it can.Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.comBlogger3891125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-39092085556997577662024-03-19T05:30:00.001+05:302024-03-19T05:30:00.252+05:30Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Eat....errrrrr... Peek...The food version of van life. Just some of the goodies!<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLCb15xiyV0HIBek427pM9AFlC4XdL3mFg19QX6MzoPeRjXs2mY260krNyjiysrr5kNb3aQUc-5c1FNby9N7M-CvQq3T1DFP4Elsh6iXVoF1IMkna_cgLjMXP7ztgd2OOzoO4nVhwfFeR4TUpANc_NN5gYqzFMPYsdlmpXCJG044skmIMACMNdLYHJZm0/s960/PXL_20240301_180518135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLCb15xiyV0HIBek427pM9AFlC4XdL3mFg19QX6MzoPeRjXs2mY260krNyjiysrr5kNb3aQUc-5c1FNby9N7M-CvQq3T1DFP4Elsh6iXVoF1IMkna_cgLjMXP7ztgd2OOzoO4nVhwfFeR4TUpANc_NN5gYqzFMPYsdlmpXCJG044skmIMACMNdLYHJZm0/s16000/PXL_20240301_180518135.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A vege version of Poutin, or 'dirty fries', done in the air fryer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR_IVYPAc2E9N4MbZ3vHgGivNsle7wyY9Gvl7bgRYybEAWHrdgA386DelABqKROUt-6x6O5ER0SKfTVdFqFTg8PcP9iPFIiYcLJ1RuBQE2lWEGRGjQoVcd3HnK83D1sSEGlcaiM7nt3hXEc3fOyRYqCnnwfIjdV_VirxsXQ04WRnmqc1hYWIzVUTW-Mx4/s960/PXL_20240302_111311373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR_IVYPAc2E9N4MbZ3vHgGivNsle7wyY9Gvl7bgRYybEAWHrdgA386DelABqKROUt-6x6O5ER0SKfTVdFqFTg8PcP9iPFIiYcLJ1RuBQE2lWEGRGjQoVcd3HnK83D1sSEGlcaiM7nt3hXEc3fOyRYqCnnwfIjdV_VirxsXQ04WRnmqc1hYWIzVUTW-Mx4/s16000/PXL_20240302_111311373.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brunch; soy-basted green banana (a bit like plantain) with avocado, beans, and easy-over egg</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocZN9tB1ap1VdmX1dA1ciMDu5_-uOuFsEPHUTTCNWRC2r4v08CuZEHPbh6m9S2NdHaNYARB0XoEwbuUEOaR9IB2wVbuKIle_9NsjoA1Sh3GUdBr3EOPM5bJvhyphenhyphenriLamcdPjMwaf5LePisqTKTJJ0JpcZbI3LEc1XzNHU684hRkz9mi3M6uaTEg-ke41wc/s1280/PXL_20240302_184753545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocZN9tB1ap1VdmX1dA1ciMDu5_-uOuFsEPHUTTCNWRC2r4v08CuZEHPbh6m9S2NdHaNYARB0XoEwbuUEOaR9IB2wVbuKIle_9NsjoA1Sh3GUdBr3EOPM5bJvhyphenhyphenriLamcdPjMwaf5LePisqTKTJJ0JpcZbI3LEc1XzNHU684hRkz9mi3M6uaTEg-ke41wc/s16000/PXL_20240302_184753545.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paneer and Shakarkand (sweet potato) curry with noodles</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHf77d2hp1mTDC5NYDMok_twkZH1tUNwffxePDIPXqizj0sYhfdGjT4fVVDfo5EpDRSdGyUfQCFNDM1NvCIMGv7Vkdud1ku5RnNfiJkdoJF2tET9F2rqMalv6iiinfauOULDLuUkbpFjVCemXbwai2wV0rdm7F84ahyphenhyphenLIw9-VtlTjkBrEJPNqvjzjN-Cgx/s960/PXL_20240305_141543810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHf77d2hp1mTDC5NYDMok_twkZH1tUNwffxePDIPXqizj0sYhfdGjT4fVVDfo5EpDRSdGyUfQCFNDM1NvCIMGv7Vkdud1ku5RnNfiJkdoJF2tET9F2rqMalv6iiinfauOULDLuUkbpFjVCemXbwai2wV0rdm7F84ahyphenhyphenLIw9-VtlTjkBrEJPNqvjzjN-Cgx/s16000/PXL_20240305_141543810.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunches are usually a sandwich or roll with cheese and salad of some sort.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlks9ay1nDPOGay7EAgBgJuf0D9yXHt3XGSPmvxNw19XIvdVa7ATrFyg5xZk6rYB65cAxt7OBlQjnwJdxhcAyXt-t8IDX0navq6pBjYVL1XIgcVfmxBdlxA6Zcdppckh_N_00xlbqV-ItRioQbLz2bBBI8C2cCTwMuiKOZpBm2tVUR2qq_T39z93FyY9B/s960/PXL_20240307_123553519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlks9ay1nDPOGay7EAgBgJuf0D9yXHt3XGSPmvxNw19XIvdVa7ATrFyg5xZk6rYB65cAxt7OBlQjnwJdxhcAyXt-t8IDX0navq6pBjYVL1XIgcVfmxBdlxA6Zcdppckh_N_00xlbqV-ItRioQbLz2bBBI8C2cCTwMuiKOZpBm2tVUR2qq_T39z93FyY9B/s16000/PXL_20240307_123553519.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato and cauliflower chowder</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0L0f2-7Rh-BcOWQSVym_XAsPxaByFv1GNfqrikb2d-tfzWVfMNAawW4GNJU9fiHPhC9u2pI0sn0WZqMKWR_sV_Nen8Z7IJOn03hkpQ9b5HgRpa1wvrLTAsOAbb7nYMjGijYVFYI6_tk7lhphOG7EEUA67M7oA4Kb-VM1anR2EoCB4cAfVG3WpXSZrrPi/s1280/PXL_20240309_133506351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0L0f2-7Rh-BcOWQSVym_XAsPxaByFv1GNfqrikb2d-tfzWVfMNAawW4GNJU9fiHPhC9u2pI0sn0WZqMKWR_sV_Nen8Z7IJOn03hkpQ9b5HgRpa1wvrLTAsOAbb7nYMjGijYVFYI6_tk7lhphOG7EEUA67M7oA4Kb-VM1anR2EoCB4cAfVG3WpXSZrrPi/s16000/PXL_20240309_133506351.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making bread and butter pudding...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdXXNXSjagx9CcKUdFaCO4OuyRZGDk3vm1Lr_GLPcD6U9_F0l8krZ5a6Mb-q5axgp0A-kexWd3gJto88YtcuIYbudKO7MlFBBqEHimrcdH8JnUF8IijL5HwS5gW9JG0CVzCjjIadCU1rYvqlir9kqoAVqAU8UymgiReOlSewiLICPSnn_w-7OWc9vnb1d/s960/PXL_20240309_152048104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdXXNXSjagx9CcKUdFaCO4OuyRZGDk3vm1Lr_GLPcD6U9_F0l8krZ5a6Mb-q5axgp0A-kexWd3gJto88YtcuIYbudKO7MlFBBqEHimrcdH8JnUF8IijL5HwS5gW9JG0CVzCjjIadCU1rYvqlir9kqoAVqAU8UymgiReOlSewiLICPSnn_w-7OWc9vnb1d/s16000/PXL_20240309_152048104.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">End product!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-22532226675404506382024-03-18T05:30:00.002+05:302024-03-18T05:30:00.250+05:30Menootnaboot; Fife, contd.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg5D3MkX8huTHZ_ktBc5nncQzOKAbmxyGwnYjLmGUESbK32UbjhoCthwVHNmlrjBj_NBtI31ncYxuuSmKZmCtfouDuYzm2zSbNuVYnqRlFFnstAvd70SQi3f7moH_NuyjPghJroAncaeSUe0quxXy8X7DYyaFU87q6a90Wm2xQxS4hrSzypvwFNkzb5eo/s960/PXL_20240305_125425515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg5D3MkX8huTHZ_ktBc5nncQzOKAbmxyGwnYjLmGUESbK32UbjhoCthwVHNmlrjBj_NBtI31ncYxuuSmKZmCtfouDuYzm2zSbNuVYnqRlFFnstAvd70SQi3f7moH_NuyjPghJroAncaeSUe0quxXy8X7DYyaFU87q6a90Wm2xQxS4hrSzypvwFNkzb5eo/s16000/PXL_20240305_125425515.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>....ahhhhhhh... Kingsbarns... a few degrees more (at least ten), and I might just dibble my toes... </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyhoo... on the second day, I had to gird my loins to leave and move on again. Only after having lunch and a bit of housework first, though. (On food, tomorrow's 'views' will be various dishes prepared in The Grey Kitchen!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Next stop, St Andrews. Famous for its university - and a certain romance. A most delightful town, no doubt, but by the time I drove in, the sunshine had disappeared, and the rain was back with a fierce wind and a hint of ice. On the plus side, I drove to the harbour with low expectations of getting parked - and bowl me over with a wet fish; I got parked right on the harbour beside the creels!!!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpDlJUuJ_bSVHsB5lNqOiCJi6-Fjw2Qn9KhlGfc-RdcOnmhMe9tsPDblRbjbJ3FqJzL9F_lZonORuH3CHrYHXojZT7NKtlnjB6y0DnwskqP1yUYUCMGu0-I0fRUpXOSX1aIgCLQvqdH9Y3XAFSCwP5dusMLiJzaxVo6Sykef8f2obNlBSZ-CqOsF94CEt/s960/PXL_20240306_144013023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpDlJUuJ_bSVHsB5lNqOiCJi6-Fjw2Qn9KhlGfc-RdcOnmhMe9tsPDblRbjbJ3FqJzL9F_lZonORuH3CHrYHXojZT7NKtlnjB6y0DnwskqP1yUYUCMGu0-I0fRUpXOSX1aIgCLQvqdH9Y3XAFSCwP5dusMLiJzaxVo6Sykef8f2obNlBSZ-CqOsF94CEt/s16000/PXL_20240306_144013023.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>As you see, we were not alone. Both those campers stayed the night on that spot, which I might have done too, had I some levelling blocks. However, the sideways incline for more than just the afternoon was not comfortable, so as soon as I saw a space down by the St Leonard's school wall, we shifted.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2oVOXoBjFLP0i4OamlGe7J1-Isvy1mIAGqw2RAYzlnJmHvjijt5cByOHBE2A8lQnyZsTzEMeBAO0t1-DWimzyndJ6kT3B4OyyitDeOD9jaIjcXKU0NiOGIh9hIDfLUl-kFL8K7Z-TxW4-hRuznyt5W9_w0VxzHc9jCW-o_s2zfOcVgre3FVcKXhnhh3F/s960/PXL_20240307_102424181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2oVOXoBjFLP0i4OamlGe7J1-Isvy1mIAGqw2RAYzlnJmHvjijt5cByOHBE2A8lQnyZsTzEMeBAO0t1-DWimzyndJ6kT3B4OyyitDeOD9jaIjcXKU0NiOGIh9hIDfLUl-kFL8K7Z-TxW4-hRuznyt5W9_w0VxzHc9jCW-o_s2zfOcVgre3FVcKXhnhh3F/s16000/PXL_20240307_102424181.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>While awaiting that availability, though, I got the Rolls-later out, and we went a circuit along this harbour path, out over the Kinness bridge and round onto the East Sands Beach, where a famous shack offers the ultimate toasted sandwiches. Macaroni and cheese like you never had before. I forgot to take a photo of that, but there are plenty available online! Seven pounds for a sanger might be considered steep, but this was a meal, so rich in cheese I almost couldn't finish it. Almost, I said. Mind you, I did have to rush it back to Grey, along the beach-side path, with the wind to my back now, because I couldn't feel my fingers, and I really wouldn't want to drop it. The Gulls wouldn't have given me the chance, anyway. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRgidCo24Vgvc0iImJtTG5plGa8aG9aXhyvFiEnddesSPzmx5f4hVWrC_0EdGZm56I1YtgPvR4V1nFaYUnd57K1UnNxP3BF05rqbP2-X7ksOQzKNZbm_gzKzMc0Yme_uAdDqJpjS5yyk044g52QS0qRI0gMMB3l-PBsCSUI63ePu88nfHRAuTSESNRDSr/s960/PXL_20240306_141813342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRgidCo24Vgvc0iImJtTG5plGa8aG9aXhyvFiEnddesSPzmx5f4hVWrC_0EdGZm56I1YtgPvR4V1nFaYUnd57K1UnNxP3BF05rqbP2-X7ksOQzKNZbm_gzKzMc0Yme_uAdDqJpjS5yyk044g52QS0qRI0gMMB3l-PBsCSUI63ePu88nfHRAuTSESNRDSr/s16000/PXL_20240306_141813342.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>To work off a little of the food glut, I did a short circuit up by the Cathedral ruins—but the light was fading, and my fingers were well-frozen, so photos were a bit limited. Works are ongoing, so access is also restricted. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcckTvU58uQy3lY0Ogig9QG2Gg4RqWb_mXw7ov-ls9CDmS62ZWw89RBVyE3ckuH3qtiqsCJ8TgvXXlytnx49zj6vnFw0HE0F8ovy-btZ1By5TN0t5Dy1iyvYYDBjzE-pIhxRt3Al__HALV1c6hZdOnxlF8iC8lCe54toRRA4H7Oi52VkvPOOCbcGE2Ya_f/s960/PXL_20240306_133149208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcckTvU58uQy3lY0Ogig9QG2Gg4RqWb_mXw7ov-ls9CDmS62ZWw89RBVyE3ckuH3qtiqsCJ8TgvXXlytnx49zj6vnFw0HE0F8ovy-btZ1By5TN0t5Dy1iyvYYDBjzE-pIhxRt3Al__HALV1c6hZdOnxlF8iC8lCe54toRRA4H7Oi52VkvPOOCbcGE2Ya_f/s16000/PXL_20240306_133149208.jpg" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXCrt9t8i4ieWSm4a8i47_7GFiyL4cZ2n02B_QBOVjxp7ub-vfosMV8jlLJ3JsD7u0ls9D6Ek60wF9dbLR6mEwLM_XGOe-5Zb7kAHOrlIl9V6b1jobCXVde9M0w44VIeAnioS5Ta4v-s83QQaQB5kxbOUPwzEUxVyDwTGQlElCruT7Ujb7zp2g3xLapVR/s960/PXL_20240306_133932340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXCrt9t8i4ieWSm4a8i47_7GFiyL4cZ2n02B_QBOVjxp7ub-vfosMV8jlLJ3JsD7u0ls9D6Ek60wF9dbLR6mEwLM_XGOe-5Zb7kAHOrlIl9V6b1jobCXVde9M0w44VIeAnioS5Ta4v-s83QQaQB5kxbOUPwzEUxVyDwTGQlElCruT7Ujb7zp2g3xLapVR/s16000/PXL_20240306_133932340.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Of course, you will see more from here in upcoming 'Me-Now-Views' posts.<br /><div><br /></div><div>The park-up was perfect. Public toilets were nearby, and the bin was right behind me. It was free and unrestricted, and after rush hour, it was perfectly peaceful. I could hear the sea pounding with the wind, but I was slightly sheltered from it. ... deep breaths ... Morning came too soon!</div><div><br /></div><div>The next move was to head for the Tay Bridge and over to Dundee, in the shire of Angus. However, before that, one last charge on the Fife chargers provided at the Tay Bridge Viewing Park.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPCMwNE4od5hsqvC3UADcB3VZ58BrSuXkpOpNUyi8fnD63LdE-qZfMjMaKzvVC_R4WTb3lgsxT2CrcvuWg_jWT_AB4dc3-dr-ckj8FD_mQEMx9sE9j_05rYOpLmORKYhUao7flW1slHimWUiPWozacA-u4woJ9ZT-tVhqNfZPNuIDNlJbXokXaZ4xJ_Jp/s960/PXL_20240307_110748463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPCMwNE4od5hsqvC3UADcB3VZ58BrSuXkpOpNUyi8fnD63LdE-qZfMjMaKzvVC_R4WTb3lgsxT2CrcvuWg_jWT_AB4dc3-dr-ckj8FD_mQEMx9sE9j_05rYOpLmORKYhUao7flW1slHimWUiPWozacA-u4woJ9ZT-tVhqNfZPNuIDNlJbXokXaZ4xJ_Jp/s16000/PXL_20240307_110748463.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiR8-zR2NrS-NXZjn2waTpRmPZh0jO68AcWbpK-q4PNi1WafHnRehKsORVgph_9eME7oe3iQ24et1pD4fXj7G9PyhVYcZPhAw2ovHEwblu8Wa40HmBY7S0XGe3YwjKR56bVVRCmW9R4LRO5yRvg7idVy-zyhFWZqWlg66ckP8F8gj8n2UUP_Je2WVKI92L/s960/PXL_20240307_110707653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiR8-zR2NrS-NXZjn2waTpRmPZh0jO68AcWbpK-q4PNi1WafHnRehKsORVgph_9eME7oe3iQ24et1pD4fXj7G9PyhVYcZPhAw2ovHEwblu8Wa40HmBY7S0XGe3YwjKR56bVVRCmW9R4LRO5yRvg7idVy-zyhFWZqWlg66ckP8F8gj8n2UUP_Je2WVKI92L/s16000/PXL_20240307_110707653.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>That sort of gives a hint of the sort of weather I was driving towards! Across that bridge, it all turned to winter again. That's for the next episode...</div><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-22410812129993859972024-03-17T05:30:00.001+05:302024-03-17T05:30:00.271+05:30MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSa69LELNH2tLqBEL5iVQimbBgsMOiX4eglNWi1MpMFNf0nglmlzYwWZ4fu64r-OfFF-0lH4AkR2hTxhdhGyMAMpOmSWXaH_IPRQhqzP5-cia4zb4-S0PiaYe8n4ZkrTjd1SaDzxI28qV5DHboHh4lgG-MDPJbA_sWBJk5ltjruiKjkjcAHvpy9341NHy7/s435/Thank%20You%20Clipart%20Black%20And%20White%2037114.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="435" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSa69LELNH2tLqBEL5iVQimbBgsMOiX4eglNWi1MpMFNf0nglmlzYwWZ4fu64r-OfFF-0lH4AkR2hTxhdhGyMAMpOmSWXaH_IPRQhqzP5-cia4zb4-S0PiaYe8n4ZkrTjd1SaDzxI28qV5DHboHh4lgG-MDPJbA_sWBJk5ltjruiKjkjcAHvpy9341NHy7/w200-h179/Thank%20You%20Clipart%20Black%20And%20White%2037114.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrXwhrHJm8bS1yqhyoLuFeiLePWCQf3BhLkNQc20TIOm2Jg4DU9P6wJLHbLcMhYRleM6KC5_M9WOjX-dTnuE_78ZOPLprA4phga57An1tWxjzRrGHKYsnn6GKJUjThqWZj8rx6HCQ509SD8ec0Ok2JQW2MDHQZwoiNoDAKX5qwBYMjEqphTT9PGixaP3z/s640/IMG_2756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrXwhrHJm8bS1yqhyoLuFeiLePWCQf3BhLkNQc20TIOm2Jg4DU9P6wJLHbLcMhYRleM6KC5_M9WOjX-dTnuE_78ZOPLprA4phga57An1tWxjzRrGHKYsnn6GKJUjThqWZj8rx6HCQ509SD8ec0Ok2JQW2MDHQZwoiNoDAKX5qwBYMjEqphTT9PGixaP3z/w640-h480/IMG_2756.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-92010120469727851192024-03-16T05:30:00.006+05:302024-03-16T05:30:00.143+05:30Menoturals; Saturday SoundsIt has been a while since I offered a post here, but I was inspired by standing among nature and hearing the twitterings that heralded warmer days to come, yet so much is still closed up and waiting out the chill. It was entirely spontaneous and off the cuff, so it is not a perfect haiku, but it is good enough to share, I feel. What say you?<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='653' height='542' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxuOQq5Nemf4l_8ypNgrm0D5sjqfTSdYPHWa4xpggh-sdaqsoVK9sjQ1h7cKa2D7EEFbyEbpOYvtDlNdAimxw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-22110878728999040432024-03-15T05:30:00.042+05:302024-03-15T05:30:00.139+05:30Menootnaboot; FifeYes, the park-ups in Fife were winners—when I could get to them! A couple defeated me. You saw the first one in yesterday's post. To be fair, it wasn't anything spectacular in the views section, but it served a fine purpose and I was most grateful for it. Particularly as it was entirely free. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLjtMYcyU4PixGuVFkiHY18sFHrvhrzVC3ieF5fHrNryoPRzb77aDrcRw6g5BGQvI8jFB2vOS1cKvzZqnTvETkF4YFnXpQjR60iUFAu3dE6bxIc7A7KFOTh70FWhcSJwLc3CgdVgWmpKG5VLVXV4as_x5O5w8-yZnUHpkRlQQhhxK8zTD9vx4xZM8W7xW/s684/Screenshot%202024-03-09%2022.22.47.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="684" height="794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLjtMYcyU4PixGuVFkiHY18sFHrvhrzVC3ieF5fHrNryoPRzb77aDrcRw6g5BGQvI8jFB2vOS1cKvzZqnTvETkF4YFnXpQjR60iUFAu3dE6bxIc7A7KFOTh70FWhcSJwLc3CgdVgWmpKG5VLVXV4as_x5O5w8-yZnUHpkRlQQhhxK8zTD9vx4xZM8W7xW/w959-h794/Screenshot%202024-03-09%2022.22.47.png" width="959" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Having done my shopping that Monday morning, I wanted to go to Lower Largo for a charge and have lunch. Now, I believe I mentioned yesterday how WEE these fishing ports are. They were built when horses and carts were the transport of choice. They are narrow. I said, N.A.R.R.O.W. With sharp corners. You'll have an idea if you've ever been a model village. Gorgeous. Requiring more than tin foil nerves to negotiate in an elephant masquerading as a van. All good, though, and L/Largo delivered! I mean, look at this:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpJTfePXBRk1nPn4xvC1iqAsD4BOXg_148_jKygo9bAicXr51nivDqEPeOtY38ihWJ8OZZgfNahrmFj86Exfb1c_4NPfVpkSq5iQ2NcPBAAZ8EwTFqMnQhfpdKViHeUDXhecfvFGj0reWktc1KOEBCG0Zs1yHfUH6jnesDvIDb0EBn48j1eCI_IcS5SV_/s960/PXL_20240304_124730235.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpJTfePXBRk1nPn4xvC1iqAsD4BOXg_148_jKygo9bAicXr51nivDqEPeOtY38ihWJ8OZZgfNahrmFj86Exfb1c_4NPfVpkSq5iQ2NcPBAAZ8EwTFqMnQhfpdKViHeUDXhecfvFGj0reWktc1KOEBCG0Zs1yHfUH6jnesDvIDb0EBn48j1eCI_IcS5SV_/s16000/PXL_20240304_124730235.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The wind carried knives of ice, but that sun was out, and I had to don a hat and specs!!! Take another look.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoENwDhuygDlDpkN6AxiHFyQG7MY1Z8e4kPjB7nhtHeulWz0ToPwCDnUJ96lFurs-3xPKJ2DA32nE1JkLbwUOwKAGuPV6gU4GX4MT-rWSaTTvpZtjPexuzEITedmO_Y5cggh8OCdqrtq0HEV5fo7XQc0AS4J9ivoCqLTsxFQRm3BhGbrcg7sPq_5sPMD3i/s960/PXL_20240304_115221432.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoENwDhuygDlDpkN6AxiHFyQG7MY1Z8e4kPjB7nhtHeulWz0ToPwCDnUJ96lFurs-3xPKJ2DA32nE1JkLbwUOwKAGuPV6gU4GX4MT-rWSaTTvpZtjPexuzEITedmO_Y5cggh8OCdqrtq0HEV5fo7XQc0AS4J9ivoCqLTsxFQRm3BhGbrcg7sPq_5sPMD3i/s16000/PXL_20240304_115221432.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, baby!!! While The Grey sucked juice, I utilised the toilet block, accessed water to refill my tank, had my lunch sitting on his back step, spoke with passing locals, loved on a pair of spaniels and chatted with their peeps, chatted with a local bird watcher, chatted with the Robin who seemed to think I had made lunch for him too... (three pics - attitude - and to truly make this post valid for NF with the LLB gang!), and all-in-all had a most pleasant couple of hours.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXY75ZJM5ZkQlKsTKOVz9zvQ8UbkFDT2xlY-M6l3uUFJMbwwcIxb21qtyeZ9yn6hZJ5n1x6HEXr889_p6b-qUCHtMS7J6KIsa8UyDQ1VnpDPpAacv66bVWfltgx3gCHKHJBg1XwRFG4383pC9BVSfWh8kgSlqv5731BWO126-U-vC0v30MFDcvo9hnTq_x/s960/PXL_20240304_114737237.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXY75ZJM5ZkQlKsTKOVz9zvQ8UbkFDT2xlY-M6l3uUFJMbwwcIxb21qtyeZ9yn6hZJ5n1x6HEXr889_p6b-qUCHtMS7J6KIsa8UyDQ1VnpDPpAacv66bVWfltgx3gCHKHJBg1XwRFG4383pC9BVSfWh8kgSlqv5731BWO126-U-vC0v30MFDcvo9hnTq_x/s16000/PXL_20240304_114737237.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocj9WC5iJUkGcdycG6n8SmcFjEWfVEmj6z0E6cUTDeDDGMdHRGQrPKoAFoOPyDEx60pa1YKqc_p9ePxjkle5QLf39ybqbBQUbJT72Bzkzdc911boteeHfrVWwzHoim3JY0YvWQnrD_rmCjRzdWNM_p_aC_arElCMDN4G2_Xzto6MvUNm7EM-tPM2JQydg/s960/PXL_20240304_114744704.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocj9WC5iJUkGcdycG6n8SmcFjEWfVEmj6z0E6cUTDeDDGMdHRGQrPKoAFoOPyDEx60pa1YKqc_p9ePxjkle5QLf39ybqbBQUbJT72Bzkzdc911boteeHfrVWwzHoim3JY0YvWQnrD_rmCjRzdWNM_p_aC_arElCMDN4G2_Xzto6MvUNm7EM-tPM2JQydg/s16000/PXL_20240304_114744704.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8wt5OBZqam2Iv9g9Qtj74XYU_8mu7t5SZNXvyAnqPhVt_RcoJamw1ImESDjdKKCKgYP3GAyqBRvqbP8iVvc68d5yDtyvr3X-Akgo61F0vI1Y4Z6usd4J2t3Z-9CN9nNvHkE73im4L62KdTJhVGWCvfKZfE4biqM0Q7j9IGtZZdKFDAZJZGRTzkI57dNV/s960/PXL_20240304_114746827.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8wt5OBZqam2Iv9g9Qtj74XYU_8mu7t5SZNXvyAnqPhVt_RcoJamw1ImESDjdKKCKgYP3GAyqBRvqbP8iVvc68d5yDtyvr3X-Akgo61F0vI1Y4Z6usd4J2t3Z-9CN9nNvHkE73im4L62KdTJhVGWCvfKZfE4biqM0Q7j9IGtZZdKFDAZJZGRTzkI57dNV/s16000/PXL_20240304_114746827.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Moving eastwards along the coastline, then, I had intended my next park to be at Pittenweem. However, the park had been closed that very day, for the week, in order to be resurfaced. The first of no less than four - FOUR! - multipoint turns were then executed by Grey's six metres in roads only eight metres wide. With big walls and or fences preventing overhang. The next place along, very close to Anstruther, proved impossible for Google to comprehend, and this is where she took me down the path strewn with IEDs in the form of speed bumps, resulting in the damage I showed you yesterday. After the first couple, I did manage them better; however, it wasn't enough to have to face them once, we got to the end of the track to discover it was a dead end, and this was the second multipoint turn of the day, this time with the risk of going down a small cliff on one side and a six-foot high grass bank on the other of the barely eight feet wide track. Sigh. A couple of miles back, at Anstruther, another attempt at a park proved impossible due to the aforementioned NARROW and SHARP and add in EXTREMELY STEEP access... third multipoint turn. The next park with any appeal was the town centre carpark in Crail. It was still narrower and sharper, but this time, it was a little more negotiable, and I did reach the spot, only to find all the spaces taken. Fourth multiturn. By now, it was approaching five in the early evening, and time I had settled and started tea. The teeth were beginning to grind. There may have been growling. And HBO language.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3dIHhtlUfw-wDG_bHI1vmAZ51vEAMBbgGp-ltiwWC6SYTI_gKS33QVXfe0MEkE3a_hPf1pthpnUwcHqd_JOHqTmDYplg701DN5EAemQ7iTA3WAVeKZP7dvLuMZYBDYHohzcjzDy6VEe-ILuvv6EoCez8020AXKfA1b1wBKXC9fuGMqwMtSnIOgwKTLQL/s960/PXL_20240305_121514329.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3dIHhtlUfw-wDG_bHI1vmAZ51vEAMBbgGp-ltiwWC6SYTI_gKS33QVXfe0MEkE3a_hPf1pthpnUwcHqd_JOHqTmDYplg701DN5EAemQ7iTA3WAVeKZP7dvLuMZYBDYHohzcjzDy6VEe-ILuvv6EoCez8020AXKfA1b1wBKXC9fuGMqwMtSnIOgwKTLQL/s16000/PXL_20240305_121514329.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hello Kingsbarns!!! This was a paid parking spot, but golly, it was welcome, and I was happy to give them the ten quid a night for two nights. Although - if I were to be picky - for that money, I might have expected less than a lunar landscape surface and that all the toilets were accessible, rather than one out of the seven being open and all and sundry sharing it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMfhK6w1ZdsBT3B8uzjjscsjz8cdkTqj-69qU3mRRaq2kiTJ8k6SctZW1-GEpeRcxENw9MpSW2QC5Kah9OEBQuWOmvkv3IuHjBP1RODMWOf4SgE8OweMZcDqM3ZlWeew6DSSThPXMQt9qmnya7QT-aundSYKvT303gzscJe0Ki3iyu3xb7gYNBtfq0Qs3/s960/PXL_20240304_170032339.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMfhK6w1ZdsBT3B8uzjjscsjz8cdkTqj-69qU3mRRaq2kiTJ8k6SctZW1-GEpeRcxENw9MpSW2QC5Kah9OEBQuWOmvkv3IuHjBP1RODMWOf4SgE8OweMZcDqM3ZlWeew6DSSThPXMQt9qmnya7QT-aundSYKvT303gzscJe0Ki3iyu3xb7gYNBtfq0Qs3/s16000/PXL_20240304_170032339.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>That's not even showing you the three giant ponds in front of The Grey... However, they actively support van life, and I enjoyed my walks along the beachfront and finding a lovely bit of wood for my shelf fix. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can see some of these places in the <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQRB7AF8Ylw&t=328s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">second video</a></b> of the series for this trip, including my use of a nifty neck hanger for the Gopika at Kingsbarns so that I could try some 'bodycam' filming. Like most of my video work, it needs practice, but there's potential! Oh, and here's a pretty primula, spotted in some beach art garden at L/Largo - you know, Nature Friday and all...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh872sUa42k0oZb0qCV60HmgH_bqnAvgUuyZ5LYiXaAOS3eo3Qto0g_1TalfCEdk4C2NKAECTTCGJzxa6AkWOivwPPmFj6UVjiW3VtIJYHJ4Dw-pgEFBmUfM1pDaPr0voSxXWHuH7HJ5yKuZUfHhL8hw0V35LuianBo6iBQivF1OeftTVql_f_0i3Dsodr-/s960/PXL_20240304_115727396.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh872sUa42k0oZb0qCV60HmgH_bqnAvgUuyZ5LYiXaAOS3eo3Qto0g_1TalfCEdk4C2NKAECTTCGJzxa6AkWOivwPPmFj6UVjiW3VtIJYHJ4Dw-pgEFBmUfM1pDaPr0voSxXWHuH7HJ5yKuZUfHhL8hw0V35LuianBo6iBQivF1OeftTVql_f_0i3Dsodr-/w455-h341/PXL_20240304_115727396.jpg" width="455" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VEDGgnPCr_pM29RMJVMk8VO55uORF5ymdkkHQl8_UGT9hJxMoAawjUVaHXqt_D7O0MuKwfahnIZWuA1nielimlf6fkD3M9iA_EPnCxLoTHNxuVKUwkUFdED_7R4aYIdAKggIHL-YCtXmFHQOGqmylz45MokxtQHH9wcMMzLDcNNgeuFLxK8XJo7CZC9t/s1018/PXL_20240305_135929607.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="960" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VEDGgnPCr_pM29RMJVMk8VO55uORF5ymdkkHQl8_UGT9hJxMoAawjUVaHXqt_D7O0MuKwfahnIZWuA1nielimlf6fkD3M9iA_EPnCxLoTHNxuVKUwkUFdED_7R4aYIdAKggIHL-YCtXmFHQOGqmylz45MokxtQHH9wcMMzLDcNNgeuFLxK8XJo7CZC9t/w445-h472/PXL_20240305_135929607.jpg" width="445" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcdXtZZfd9pwokL2rtdUpkTxWl-YbG046NlsK_Kt_qhAEYk2D9tW2_pYSGJ4SwFcSdupqzA3MAZGWOII0gE7NbtKOIWZLqi0HYqtC43k_nHu3j609akszjjW9VluwDQF5K2QzQZx1s0u1UhTC3uyz0g6dvfsQz_zzuYcCXj97D7OdlvTGV_WfYcN2IySp/s960/PXL_20240304_115642058.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcdXtZZfd9pwokL2rtdUpkTxWl-YbG046NlsK_Kt_qhAEYk2D9tW2_pYSGJ4SwFcSdupqzA3MAZGWOII0gE7NbtKOIWZLqi0HYqtC43k_nHu3j609akszjjW9VluwDQF5K2QzQZx1s0u1UhTC3uyz0g6dvfsQz_zzuYcCXj97D7OdlvTGV_WfYcN2IySp/s16000/PXL_20240304_115642058.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Okay, this is getting long already... the rest of the Fife part of the trip coming up on Monday! </div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-92054555353697793152024-03-14T05:30:00.216+05:302024-03-14T05:30:00.144+05:30Menootnaboot; Finding Faults And FixingOn Monday, you saw my younger sisters and me having a lovely day together. It was fleeting but most enjoyable, and it was well worth the adjustment to my own timetable to be able to share it with them. By lunchtime of the second day, I drove off and headed further north—but only across the Firth of Forth to the fine county of Fife. <div><br /></div><div>There are some excellent inland sights in Fife, but it has to be said it is best known for the beauty of its coastline. Peppered with rugged and interesting geology, fine sandy beaches, good surfing waves, and many wee and delightful fishing ports, it certainly has much to keep the interest of most visitors. But come back tomorrow for the pretty and near-perfect. Today is about settling into the van life routine and The Grey a little more.</div><div><br /></div><div>My first park up was only a little away from being right opposite the capital city, at a spot between the busy commuter town of Dalgety Bay and the smaller, quainter Aberdour.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjSxWgMvfLMaOioBeQxsUsjXracpNyc9dY0rLkxBEtU7bLGDjtLR18vzfNQdlKS3_79LCZx5a1MwGh1xVNS5AJrlNBDDNegT3cSJy8cdBvTalvjoa1srRAOjhkdP58VPIqSNNxSakMyCDVK4fcPXMsU2wBIAwJ_hrrefav8Hx6kBzaPMSaoGz2M4EXriE/s960/PXL_20240301_164909422.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjSxWgMvfLMaOioBeQxsUsjXracpNyc9dY0rLkxBEtU7bLGDjtLR18vzfNQdlKS3_79LCZx5a1MwGh1xVNS5AJrlNBDDNegT3cSJy8cdBvTalvjoa1srRAOjhkdP58VPIqSNNxSakMyCDVK4fcPXMsU2wBIAwJ_hrrefav8Hx6kBzaPMSaoGz2M4EXriE/s16000/PXL_20240301_164909422.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evening</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzoMgBAQFNMguXbGyxjtD2LpXsEncvA5lOgDBXA919bsVtd2a_iYqqLwAtHBrCpwcOEeFGA2-5GEik5yAJsXGKKYmDb9ocjmx7ujCf-VXv-UghBBil5gmD8YCUYSQ7jtc-eVWu7e6k7vhjPzJksK8A9ZX_LCKc7XlvlyqtynoyPAeJPfnzYAV-dIZnMbc2/s960/PXL_20240302_111321951.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzoMgBAQFNMguXbGyxjtD2LpXsEncvA5lOgDBXA919bsVtd2a_iYqqLwAtHBrCpwcOEeFGA2-5GEik5yAJsXGKKYmDb9ocjmx7ujCf-VXv-UghBBil5gmD8YCUYSQ7jtc-eVWu7e6k7vhjPzJksK8A9ZX_LCKc7XlvlyqtynoyPAeJPfnzYAV-dIZnMbc2/s16000/PXL_20240302_111321951.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There were no residences around, and the road was merely an access point for a major oil company; thus, there were no restrictions and no trouble staying the three nights I did. After a week and a half of non-stop go, two full days to rest and recuperate! The place was busy, though, as it was also a hub for cyclists, runners, walkers and dogs. It was a sunny weekend, which helped bring out the numbers. It was quite entertaining, and I got to love on a couple of hounds, which was a plus. I did a short walk away, but I was content just to stay in the van, door open, and utilise the 5G access to work on images and videos and such.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWSjg5EXLeGkeLxvQ382g3cP9LvuLJHKqNs8Qh7hhQspVyQw9r89WFsfBULOHTivho3FSqKIEm2-0pfiJG54gYUcrhLheJwv01B7kElNjg02TGenc3-Oxp_qqBn7AFSTDI1LFmoX-P4hKw4mLzmla80ShJz3LSq2Onk2I_DVZ6bZ_nBca-TYN6gs5tVW0/s960/PXL_20240304_100416300.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWSjg5EXLeGkeLxvQ382g3cP9LvuLJHKqNs8Qh7hhQspVyQw9r89WFsfBULOHTivho3FSqKIEm2-0pfiJG54gYUcrhLheJwv01B7kElNjg02TGenc3-Oxp_qqBn7AFSTDI1LFmoX-P4hKw4mLzmla80ShJz3LSq2Onk2I_DVZ6bZ_nBca-TYN6gs5tVW0/s16000/PXL_20240304_100416300.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Monday rolled around, and I took off again, first briefly back into Dalgety Bay, as I needed fresh groceries. There was also a hardware store, so I popped in and got more Bungie ties and spring clamps. You can never have too many of those on hand! More were needed aboard here because the oil heater did have a habit of rolling about whenever I turned a corner... and a table that I bought at the furniture barn in Hawick when doing walkabout with Aitch, which was anchored by sharing with another from the side shelves, needed to be moved and have its own anchors. The move was good, making the flow of the workspace in The Grey more homely. Suddenly, with that one change, it started to feel very settled here. And now I can work the air fryer on the tabletop instead of the potty!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hCupkSVwht9lypmE35nPHgOZxEZ81X3o6YoOEGgObroM_1y46gfrSI2QWST-G2A7ukCQtcMdqzlUpfYh51RGgL4Wb4UoJVE0awIOQDBALSJ_EXBW1cf4qNl06acVxMs6AZzA_Fx6UW-q4ZKR7hyOUjUuW-hnCwHMgWCGudIl8M7wdGO-_IREY27dCyl-/s960/PXL_20240305_080020051.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hCupkSVwht9lypmE35nPHgOZxEZ81X3o6YoOEGgObroM_1y46gfrSI2QWST-G2A7ukCQtcMdqzlUpfYh51RGgL4Wb4UoJVE0awIOQDBALSJ_EXBW1cf4qNl06acVxMs6AZzA_Fx6UW-q4ZKR7hyOUjUuW-hnCwHMgWCGudIl8M7wdGO-_IREY27dCyl-/w514-h386/PXL_20240305_080020051.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV-H67OIOZpXYN5wRV-AN-mfZ1Hd96QNXaqzkCqn5sCF8gtC6_BDArJHKIpoFHYG2hkWrjapJKSFhoJCU21FyM5bkPkbYNajDLrPdBcyh6HjWbS3wah9YkoQLxK9wLq9oXuTzkA9DzIjAQAty9e9RHIrloq8FPAXfIernco6ERbQl9NXY79oIDUW-VT64/s960/PXL_20240301_175804891.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV-H67OIOZpXYN5wRV-AN-mfZ1Hd96QNXaqzkCqn5sCF8gtC6_BDArJHKIpoFHYG2hkWrjapJKSFhoJCU21FyM5bkPkbYNajDLrPdBcyh6HjWbS3wah9YkoQLxK9wLq9oXuTzkA9DzIjAQAty9e9RHIrloq8FPAXfIernco6ERbQl9NXY79oIDUW-VT64/w400-h400/PXL_20240301_175804891.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The gateleg table is perfect for this corner. It doesn't need to be up during travel and daily use. If parked for more than one night, it can have the leaf up, and I have full utility. I will find a lighter vinyl wrap to recover it, but it is perfectly serviceable as is. The heater is now over by the side shelves, and it feels right.</div><div><br /></div><div>Remember, this is only the second trip out and is as much about finding out what works and what doesn't before I start actually bolting things to walls. </div><div><br /></div><div>One thing that became obvious when traversing yet another blind alley that Google took me down (Grey is proving an excellent war horse, an expert in multi-turn reversals in extremely confined conditions... including farm tracks...), and we went over some IED-style speed humps, was that the cheap metal shelves might actually be made only of tin foil...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivN-bmA4Yopr06HqMbzGWT7VsJQvRZuiNwv1HjmKikMjDgxjQrSyQCKt6CMtuR3ta7FUgNuDmaIH39ONn3G5QheCv6-G6CE6xYOoNx2XnuPAGRCAHrheHsI-2mYJeJUNkSCz0SLkTYiJtZZNfVTiPETH_7-5nIbElp-M68G3LzsJXTMOz5qyOqnVl-jvvx/s960/PXL_20240305_080156176.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivN-bmA4Yopr06HqMbzGWT7VsJQvRZuiNwv1HjmKikMjDgxjQrSyQCKt6CMtuR3ta7FUgNuDmaIH39ONn3G5QheCv6-G6CE6xYOoNx2XnuPAGRCAHrheHsI-2mYJeJUNkSCz0SLkTYiJtZZNfVTiPETH_7-5nIbElp-M68G3LzsJXTMOz5qyOqnVl-jvvx/s16000/PXL_20240305_080156176.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>The weight of battery A, combined with the sharp shock of those humps causing it to jump up and down - heavily - resulted in a reshaping of its tray and, consequently, the whole unit. The strip ties and Bungies held things in place, so no major catastrophe, but the angle of the A when I crawled back there was most disturbing. The initial cardboard prop was not going to cut the mustard. Thankfully, I was parked on a beach, and beaches tend to have detritus. One piece of said flotsam rode back in the Rolls-later from beach to Grey, where - having thought to bring my handsaw with me - I got to work...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLTuNCa7craznI2B9NY85XBzem9ElWg8-2z4nDaTgvNlsirI_i9vWAgWmOmrN4UMuyV7qttADPRNdv0a65bNgdjWMaOrVYskd-Q_lfDpcDfVO7J0rw5N88qj27rmdSvy6LYK_4iss15N5q4bT34vRE5KeuZKt-kkjcpAJg9RDLVMwkRUFES0Yc4qe3D54/s960/PXL_20240305_140004947.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLTuNCa7craznI2B9NY85XBzem9ElWg8-2z4nDaTgvNlsirI_i9vWAgWmOmrN4UMuyV7qttADPRNdv0a65bNgdjWMaOrVYskd-Q_lfDpcDfVO7J0rw5N88qj27rmdSvy6LYK_4iss15N5q4bT34vRE5KeuZKt-kkjcpAJg9RDLVMwkRUFES0Yc4qe3D54/s16000/PXL_20240305_140004947.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>As temporary fixes go, I am rather pleased with this one! The photo doesn't convey it particularly well, but the wedging in of the log has brought the A back to level, and it will work fine like this until I get back to base and can make a better fix—or replace it.</div><div><br /></div><div>As you are all aware by now, The Grey is a BEV that requires refueling by plugging into a source of electricity. The battery not only takes me miles but also provides onboard power with which I can charge the power banks A and B and run the heater or the air fryer if I am not using the power banks for that. For those of you who watched the first video for this trip, you will know that locating chargers can occasionally have its frustrations. Some of that was conveyed in the <b><a href="https://inimaynaelcammeno.blogspot.com/2024/03/menooork-its-monday-post.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">relevant post</a></b>. The costs, as mentioned then, vary considerably. However, the process is mostly fairly smooth, and it must be reported that Fife excels in this regard! There are all the usual money-hungry chargers, but there are also chargers provided by the council and found in most car parks, rail stations, and similar facilities. They have all been in good order and accessible, with bays that hold Grey and are not just for Dinky Toys. What is more, they are well-subsidised, for the costs here have been more than reasonable at a connection fee of £1.75 and then only 15p per consumed kW. Outstanding! I could happily make Fife my "main port" based on that alone.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDpOBqzMAAGZ7cjj9O5TDQOloK3z32ozG9wc_lSBJ5y-bxHyoHjUr5Z5Zkqf-uqEWoH9KUITLw_EvpyaGjvJv-s00jrRofR7-JrJuhnOQTqIV02W0YjQqddrRmg1qiIfzBOSR0mMsQvrH8qmT-drT6nNA9hO5YtuT8bpfS-nQuT5GmAOldSkfTA4WpxOl/s960/PXL_20240307_111058049.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDpOBqzMAAGZ7cjj9O5TDQOloK3z32ozG9wc_lSBJ5y-bxHyoHjUr5Z5Zkqf-uqEWoH9KUITLw_EvpyaGjvJv-s00jrRofR7-JrJuhnOQTqIV02W0YjQqddrRmg1qiIfzBOSR0mMsQvrH8qmT-drT6nNA9hO5YtuT8bpfS-nQuT5GmAOldSkfTA4WpxOl/s16000/PXL_20240307_111058049.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Then there's the park ups... but more on that tomorrow.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>NB: Several spots I've parked have had minimal (or, on one occasion, totally nil) cell reception, ergo, no Wi-Fi. If I seem AWOL from responding to your posts (or any comments that require an answer), it is purely because I am off-air. I'll catch up as and when I can.</b></span></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-24837275461402319272024-03-13T05:30:00.001+05:302024-03-13T05:30:00.131+05:30Menoizikul; Midweek MusicalismsLast week, you heard a traditional raga, played traditional but in the Hindustani (North Indian) style. This week, a modern raga is presented with great verve and joy in the Carnatic (South Indian) style. This is toe-tapping, shoulder-bobbing stuff - and, indeed, Sadhguru-ji himself gets to bopping on the dancefloor!<div><br /></div><iframe width="960" height="515" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V3CrHR4ui5I?si=MWN4WlL3cbJuCl5i" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-32621847203962675802024-03-12T05:30:00.001+05:302024-03-12T05:30:00.141+05:30Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Peek......though a few more words than usual and some threads to follow - think of it like a blogging geocache! <div><br /></div><div>Last Friday, I shared with you the statue of James Thomson, poet songwriter and lover of the words of Burns - here are some brass additions to the monument, sharing some of the words of Thomson himself, which echo the style of his 'idol': followed by an arty-farty shot of part of the statue and the bridge bearing the man's name. The Border Queen is a particular favourite of the town, and I recall my Grandad singing it! <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e4S-oMuGFo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here is a recording</a></b> by The Mosstroopers. For those who can't follow the lingo, here are the <b><a href="https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/sb/public/youthmusicinitiative/uploads/sites/3670/2020/06/04201503/The-Border-Queen.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">written lyrics</a></b>. Who are the Mosstroopers? <b><a href="https://www.mosstroopersclub.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Check this out</a></b>. The mention in that of the CD is where that recording came from. If you are entertained by such as this, you can <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGwmimlNlrE&list=OLAK5uy_ltfV4x7owJgkiV0LuiikcQjSTZb__ZRRI&index=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hear the rest here</a></b>!</div><div><br /></div><div>After that, a view of Hawick's High Street, south end, where it joins Sandbed (just that, not road or street) from the top floor of the Tower Museum: and to end, a quirky little thing. Several of these wee baaaaaaaaad boys dotted around the museum!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvNhusoHkN6ll1Woo1YTRvjnlK7nHjTqNXYFvQwMSul4WL_JtXS4qYbOSrG0hw_2Jx7rwsoAUWJSdwbK-DuDIGhO0OQHkk-L2u_TUClbrb1ZWXmopZUGnRZJ8fetwDO4LKcTkh221VnTH-wbtZVoJG1AbI6EpKDyE2Q0I9f9-31yAVCJs9CXkVOgNPs1m/s960/PXL_20240228_131000162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvNhusoHkN6ll1Woo1YTRvjnlK7nHjTqNXYFvQwMSul4WL_JtXS4qYbOSrG0hw_2Jx7rwsoAUWJSdwbK-DuDIGhO0OQHkk-L2u_TUClbrb1ZWXmopZUGnRZJ8fetwDO4LKcTkh221VnTH-wbtZVoJG1AbI6EpKDyE2Q0I9f9-31yAVCJs9CXkVOgNPs1m/s16000/PXL_20240228_131000162.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9NjHWqEa-whGkYEhqu3fjSloRD6KpUyPfatsg16GuwHGLzlnMm7I07AC7dMayou4XtGF5hPimwmZNmrqsLpGmytBSvuoIiH5ajPgtb52ZABKPodDWP89KvVHtKViXaZ2NZUckvGHVj0Vqw6cqyiKPLjfzvU5pflxTpfED_ewX_nzprIJEbw3VW845Wjt/s960/PXL_20240228_131019389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9NjHWqEa-whGkYEhqu3fjSloRD6KpUyPfatsg16GuwHGLzlnMm7I07AC7dMayou4XtGF5hPimwmZNmrqsLpGmytBSvuoIiH5ajPgtb52ZABKPodDWP89KvVHtKViXaZ2NZUckvGHVj0Vqw6cqyiKPLjfzvU5pflxTpfED_ewX_nzprIJEbw3VW845Wjt/s16000/PXL_20240228_131019389.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjqNoDW2MS_rvvz4QGgKKTMqB-JWnxj7dKR4Ni8NI2u1od-fODlMcNR-IEdO27BQeShTaLwt1Cn3aAkKzKp0X0h9J3KYY3wQO5wXyPBZCVyGalOKetg9vIxS4tVYiYrCyHmaUqzMnI3txU-NGJquD532myPX7vaYGHoMXbvJIYTHQ-9ia7jHUijta4GVF/s960/PXL_20240228_131057532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjqNoDW2MS_rvvz4QGgKKTMqB-JWnxj7dKR4Ni8NI2u1od-fODlMcNR-IEdO27BQeShTaLwt1Cn3aAkKzKp0X0h9J3KYY3wQO5wXyPBZCVyGalOKetg9vIxS4tVYiYrCyHmaUqzMnI3txU-NGJquD532myPX7vaYGHoMXbvJIYTHQ-9ia7jHUijta4GVF/s16000/PXL_20240228_131057532.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PCevCf6oHTkdozzSeOtGdZ6iEFsPQKF3OLRDu0hByxAXRKLbJW661jD4E1UJVyVWPzpycOm_SeuXrWXfLQowemQijeeWOvXCPgYOx_PzEkd6a9aKm71bA2JYVxN9M3SqYew8wojWDrCjvAWEQGYIbAtiVZA5iL7RJBMULzPiGIPWXVCC8_UzkckAenH6/s960/PXL_20240228_131121414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PCevCf6oHTkdozzSeOtGdZ6iEFsPQKF3OLRDu0hByxAXRKLbJW661jD4E1UJVyVWPzpycOm_SeuXrWXfLQowemQijeeWOvXCPgYOx_PzEkd6a9aKm71bA2JYVxN9M3SqYew8wojWDrCjvAWEQGYIbAtiVZA5iL7RJBMULzPiGIPWXVCC8_UzkckAenH6/s16000/PXL_20240228_131121414.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC30MIVZz9J4gIVH7Ib2PYU9lG8ANEymAJHWdBdJTkIOO5gW-tBVtEMdXUIN98RpBg0w4DxXljQ7q_oJB2A5vqHcMc4fRaUY8UlltIbFm0qIvSR46pDKDWgCmLVEu2S3DpyomTKAD3FthBTaUPk2ffhZiy0hiEDWEHpKw0y1c7EjHhqqJ0_kx7sj2CVSWN/s1280/PXL_20240228_131211071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC30MIVZz9J4gIVH7Ib2PYU9lG8ANEymAJHWdBdJTkIOO5gW-tBVtEMdXUIN98RpBg0w4DxXljQ7q_oJB2A5vqHcMc4fRaUY8UlltIbFm0qIvSR46pDKDWgCmLVEu2S3DpyomTKAD3FthBTaUPk2ffhZiy0hiEDWEHpKw0y1c7EjHhqqJ0_kx7sj2CVSWN/s16000/PXL_20240228_131211071.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dakKMoEeCmjb3D6K4X8RgaG6zNIwVaWI-hU_QHgXZTcgOzxgukQL4DyyBRJxJHncEnPfAL69YdRblIrQaQlbejL7z59jsqPIBD0uQV8bH25G4Rpp-vr-ZaGYZTh1j3-fBF-7cymofznytLU1CRhei_wzbyYftQHxkkwhEen6EUHiMfjF0X5slscgBNCu/s1280/PXL_20240228_152740133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dakKMoEeCmjb3D6K4X8RgaG6zNIwVaWI-hU_QHgXZTcgOzxgukQL4DyyBRJxJHncEnPfAL69YdRblIrQaQlbejL7z59jsqPIBD0uQV8bH25G4Rpp-vr-ZaGYZTh1j3-fBF-7cymofznytLU1CRhei_wzbyYftQHxkkwhEen6EUHiMfjF0X5slscgBNCu/s16000/PXL_20240228_152740133.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTHRwxehnNSFBAuj_GxOgkh4DmlBX6p8ZvGGwQso9EyIiIpK_CLNWsuSwhl-mnGQVDJyTEgD5eTrKYr6nU076Y19GIFTt_lKh5hQlkao4CcIgrUn3rpNQkkBdPft26pzY_EHUPp_xp6Kg_9djZWZWwpICFZHYGzuzvgoVdyAMd77njhvBLw1TvBERibHQ/s960/PXL_20240228_154639115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTHRwxehnNSFBAuj_GxOgkh4DmlBX6p8ZvGGwQso9EyIiIpK_CLNWsuSwhl-mnGQVDJyTEgD5eTrKYr6nU076Y19GIFTt_lKh5hQlkao4CcIgrUn3rpNQkkBdPft26pzY_EHUPp_xp6Kg_9djZWZWwpICFZHYGzuzvgoVdyAMd77njhvBLw1TvBERibHQ/s16000/PXL_20240228_154639115.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-109818822075274232024-03-11T05:30:00.061+05:302024-03-11T05:30:00.159+05:30Menootnaboot; EdinburghOriginally, I had intended to visit uncles and an aunt in the Borders before heading to Auld Reekie. However, I'd forgotten this was a leap year. Our late Maestro departed life eight years ago on February 29th. I wanted to be with Mac1 on this day - and anyway, I hadn't visited our parents' markers (in the same cemetery) since moving back to the Hutch in 2021. I left Selkirk Rugby Ground Park a little after nine in the morning and arrived in the city by 1015h. I made a spontaneous dash into the hand washers because The Grey had turned an unhealthy mud colour due to all the atrocious weather and road gritting and salting. Lickety-split, fifteen minutes and fifteen quid later, he was all spruced up!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHvVLCQVzfaNGilzpA6NdoE1AUr0qG7-EWvf-3oxelEVXE2-n34EfTXmA-eZAXTqaScBYCbPxahkGo9jLbzaFmsR1arSmyDOB1p2iU4Ck9eGavSRzK5GIQKQ6DjSbDyyEJYFvs4IZgFHe51xu9vI0STF8r19ktO48EDqUs3W-EPHr7RQj0Hrw8dG0i1er/s960/PXL_20240229_101112006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHvVLCQVzfaNGilzpA6NdoE1AUr0qG7-EWvf-3oxelEVXE2-n34EfTXmA-eZAXTqaScBYCbPxahkGo9jLbzaFmsR1arSmyDOB1p2iU4Ck9eGavSRzK5GIQKQ6DjSbDyyEJYFvs4IZgFHe51xu9vI0STF8r19ktO48EDqUs3W-EPHr7RQj0Hrw8dG0i1er/s16000/PXL_20240229_101112006.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM5CpE30qE9snnKYDIq_b5RPSjTGk68LL6qy098a0nIC9YzcxDp_B6ukTJNEfa4s5Bpzat-ZsqTyeYW0CmB_uJuOhFg0d4jUymAc6HDrgwErmpYFVSYFnraXMvymKb5Z12G0rQOw_CKUjhoJOLEFv56IYmI1cHR2tZb5ArBjMOno3jmUgHUeRwCRAeqWu/s960/PXL_20240229_101246708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM5CpE30qE9snnKYDIq_b5RPSjTGk68LL6qy098a0nIC9YzcxDp_B6ukTJNEfa4s5Bpzat-ZsqTyeYW0CmB_uJuOhFg0d4jUymAc6HDrgwErmpYFVSYFnraXMvymKb5Z12G0rQOw_CKUjhoJOLEFv56IYmI1cHR2tZb5ArBjMOno3jmUgHUeRwCRAeqWu/s16000/PXL_20240229_101246708.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>I was at my sister's place before eleven. Mac2 had also come up for the occasion. The day was bitterly cold, but, as you see, the sun favoured us. Mind you, it took until 1400h to get everyone moving as one, and we took off in Grey, first to the garden centre for some plants, then over to Corstorphine on the other side of the city, where the very fine grounds are that our loved ones rest.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_piUV810Wc40PQeLDrjeVLxn1MLUt5Nmtq-BnnYfmcQCTPJU30AsAZOWequ5eE8zgmBnYAZh9q1OwA9sCKPM80IjB0CCnUy16ewt2bZ0CRBtD3RiopEPahTnQQLa7GJaggCg2cx3uXau3mWyc1DK5rKdpP8PLCcLprwIkthfDqVWOTX18fJj-9GwrRiG/s1280/PXL_20240229_150715286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_piUV810Wc40PQeLDrjeVLxn1MLUt5Nmtq-BnnYfmcQCTPJU30AsAZOWequ5eE8zgmBnYAZh9q1OwA9sCKPM80IjB0CCnUy16ewt2bZ0CRBtD3RiopEPahTnQQLa7GJaggCg2cx3uXau3mWyc1DK5rKdpP8PLCcLprwIkthfDqVWOTX18fJj-9GwrRiG/w480-h640/PXL_20240229_150715286.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10MpZgAUMe4XGuHbn0KUS-73qN-pCKr-ZWiucFz-59Sc6WYFZDYC1mNDeFIVJT7ojvQuLKMe1iU1rwrUctn6fffs7lF1pNND7c7PxNrWQTv7ugw0YywCk7demcympXq5mqsQGFuFn1luJ5-yaoKHSu46fOth6hS_LS90BE3gcBExTZRsjIP33dMKWF8FF/s960/PXL_20240229_150539759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10MpZgAUMe4XGuHbn0KUS-73qN-pCKr-ZWiucFz-59Sc6WYFZDYC1mNDeFIVJT7ojvQuLKMe1iU1rwrUctn6fffs7lF1pNND7c7PxNrWQTv7ugw0YywCk7demcympXq5mqsQGFuFn1luJ5-yaoKHSu46fOth6hS_LS90BE3gcBExTZRsjIP33dMKWF8FF/w436-h327/PXL_20240229_150539759.jpg" width="436" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>Amy's tree is growing strong and straight. She had opted for a natural burial, and a mighty fine forest is forming here. Mac1 did a bit of trimming and pruning, and then we sang her a song. We took an ussie before heading over to the other marker.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnwIuhESQdJZH37jcjhRvdFS3ZADc8CtyXcr0wHE1Ya5nwYKDFRUa8j1fx2S0Q-fgFMXt922mUh_vrZ4HOTbDGnH00qj6YmJlU3ZhxVnFZ9GhKoKNG7YJx1_-VhRYm5W1b-1SiLnmHoVqV2s8aeYmVzbjPBghfbFBq7VEofKf4MzzHgPxYz2763E9VfGx/s960/PXL_20240229_151630271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnwIuhESQdJZH37jcjhRvdFS3ZADc8CtyXcr0wHE1Ya5nwYKDFRUa8j1fx2S0Q-fgFMXt922mUh_vrZ4HOTbDGnH00qj6YmJlU3ZhxVnFZ9GhKoKNG7YJx1_-VhRYm5W1b-1SiLnmHoVqV2s8aeYmVzbjPBghfbFBq7VEofKf4MzzHgPxYz2763E9VfGx/s16000/PXL_20240229_151630271.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>At Mum and Dad's spot, the younger ones started digging and planting the two pots they had bought earlier. Once they were done, we stood and sang them a couple of tunes before taking another ussie to mark the occasion.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdFHUpEUdlAGV0vavCmb3Cg_jo2A_eUmSTMxNFFStDYi64yfqezqHI9fZEDzpgdc0jCxFn-P7bNZmqyMVAWAgah7IMIj6BMDTGoO61c_333ABd8lAFWme3V3U4AZ0C5VaVd9A44Ck_pMr9bw9Pq_1Z_yCIXiwZT4Fq0oV-X-EMvGi4VvNOkYpFI2yaowG/s960/PXL_20240229_152257705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdFHUpEUdlAGV0vavCmb3Cg_jo2A_eUmSTMxNFFStDYi64yfqezqHI9fZEDzpgdc0jCxFn-P7bNZmqyMVAWAgah7IMIj6BMDTGoO61c_333ABd8lAFWme3V3U4AZ0C5VaVd9A44Ck_pMr9bw9Pq_1Z_yCIXiwZT4Fq0oV-X-EMvGi4VvNOkYpFI2yaowG/s16000/PXL_20240229_152257705.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfGFkow8GyPQV0EL7v7CkJOhFhJTssZSFd1r7xVCUezRsFHun2UT29uNLdSeBqRAW62dA1ExiC_VouufRxNlNXUwsdSLUfsFOXuih6jdm5RGgxqQrlZiqmCdsMYukoaw1IOxeU-9b1HAt4hwLVS07d1LhLYpht8vMpNjnBpGjKu2zCowopkbfMBgujpmd/s960/PXL_20240229_153108689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfGFkow8GyPQV0EL7v7CkJOhFhJTssZSFd1r7xVCUezRsFHun2UT29uNLdSeBqRAW62dA1ExiC_VouufRxNlNXUwsdSLUfsFOXuih6jdm5RGgxqQrlZiqmCdsMYukoaw1IOxeU-9b1HAt4hwLVS07d1LhLYpht8vMpNjnBpGjKu2zCowopkbfMBgujpmd/s16000/PXL_20240229_153108689.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25iKwux0xsVDnKbiZgNinMtozt0GKd3SpAvwHfs_esWRXzaTKnC8XjnJLtbzCWEbcr3O0d-vLKONp_3byCBm1X8cwoyA3CX6Hlwof1onf2IVwfUsOic5j7CgQI0eoN2NAr3HT9hxC1Nw_5xfhNrZ0qOJvZ2WZhdzo5puN6rzpzN0x9toFEWe4AgQCiLf1/s1060/PXL_20240229_153638487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25iKwux0xsVDnKbiZgNinMtozt0GKd3SpAvwHfs_esWRXzaTKnC8XjnJLtbzCWEbcr3O0d-vLKONp_3byCBm1X8cwoyA3CX6Hlwof1onf2IVwfUsOic5j7CgQI0eoN2NAr3HT9hxC1Nw_5xfhNrZ0qOJvZ2WZhdzo5puN6rzpzN0x9toFEWe4AgQCiLf1/s16000/PXL_20240229_153638487.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>...and then, well, it's a Mac Clan tradition...<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_yj7RtUa3SCKtPhOJ9fHnDdYNmLgLz_Z28xT-SE53jOKpDyJdgVj5C7VIuVOvevU1LAfWAIemKwZ32-5_HYwrFFX3b95rqq0kl8-PvnKgjeOWJbeurGCksdA6UwAxTpZU9qXdBzQ6oFHEH1nYpyauP6Aqck4jrmTzfNmzUk2Bcqx1eGbms11C7fa_DNg/s960/PXL_20240229_170027245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_yj7RtUa3SCKtPhOJ9fHnDdYNmLgLz_Z28xT-SE53jOKpDyJdgVj5C7VIuVOvevU1LAfWAIemKwZ32-5_HYwrFFX3b95rqq0kl8-PvnKgjeOWJbeurGCksdA6UwAxTpZU9qXdBzQ6oFHEH1nYpyauP6Aqck4jrmTzfNmzUk2Bcqx1eGbms11C7fa_DNg/s16000/PXL_20240229_170027245.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Thank goodness for The Grey because just as we left the cemetery, down came the rain! We had been blessed for the time we needed the dry.</div><div><br /></div><div>On return to Mac1's home, I took the chance of a full shower and washed out some underwear, which she hung by the radiator and which was dry in the 90 minutes we spent nattering into the evening! I drove Grey up the road to get a full charge on, then back to Mac1's to sleep for the night. I had brekky with them in the morning, saw Mac2 off back to London and then drove over to Fife...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-43047679968211439932024-03-10T05:30:00.002+05:302024-03-10T05:30:00.139+05:30MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYjMtOz-2apj1skqV3PAkZFzfGdCG4yHN12yHaU1GNktr6J2lLQ9NNZsqwwovJsAnn09-oUrLEyHkp9nOlEA9_j8BBqTKiSEFZaF-MWukCxbId7pAueDZ3zlbD-QbZRGvUmZSS8hYClZjYX4QrqcKdErrf5apQT9CDUBhTDfe69G0EORRERdCELu9HnRP/s1024/source.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYjMtOz-2apj1skqV3PAkZFzfGdCG4yHN12yHaU1GNktr6J2lLQ9NNZsqwwovJsAnn09-oUrLEyHkp9nOlEA9_j8BBqTKiSEFZaF-MWukCxbId7pAueDZ3zlbD-QbZRGvUmZSS8hYClZjYX4QrqcKdErrf5apQT9CDUBhTDfe69G0EORRERdCELu9HnRP/w320-h320/source.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Dear Readers,</div><div><br /></div><div>Today, I would like you to ponder deeply the matter of truth. For many, the truth, the real truth, and nothing but the truth is just all too hard. For many, it seems easier to live a lie—or at least to avoid looking truth in the eye. </div><div><br /></div><div>I ask you to go and read something. <b><a href="https://gzandco.blogspot.com/2024/03/truth-vs-lies.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reader GZ</a></b> brought it to my attention on her blog. The <b><a href="https://blackmtnbarb.blogspot.com/2024/03/truth-vs-lies.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alchemy of Clay</a></b> blog is where I link you to now. It will only take two or three minutes of your time to read it. Then, perhaps, a little longer to absorb...</div><div><br /></div><div>Capital 'ell' Love is Truth. Many cannot face it. They distrust it. They would rather see it dressed up in all sorts of verbiage and regulation and have it chopped and reshaped, no longer the Whole that it is. Love, the Truth, is undamaged, though. It remains steady in its existence, waiting for any who can bear to do so to turn its way.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-22053850066536703292024-03-08T05:30:00.002+05:302024-03-08T05:34:07.882+05:30Menootnaboot; HawickSome of the things that Aitch and I would have liked to do turned out not to be an option for the one day we had together; the museum, for example, was closed for the winter and only due to open on March 1st... too late for us this trip! Then there are the lovely Wilton Gardens - but the weather really wasn't conducive. Anyhoo, we opted to spend a little more money into the local economy by, first, going across the road from the car park to buy some essentials (for me - hottie bottle, extra wet wipes, pegs...). Next was <b><a href="https://lovatmill.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lovat Mill</a></b> to have a gander at a few artefacts and feel the magnificent cloths produced there. Aitch bought herself a lambswool scarf... and one for me (early b'day pressie). Over the Teviot on one of the many bridges and up to The Horse again, as Aitch wanted to make another cache entry. <div><br /></div><div>The Horse sits fondly in my memory. I mentioned Hawick has a special connection for me. An aunt and uncle farmed very nearby, and whenever we visited, our cousins would take us to different spots in town where we could play. In those days, half a century ago, we were able to climb on the monument to the <b><a href="https://www.townof1000trails.co.uk/points-of-interest/battle-of-hornshole-spring-1514/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1514 defense of Hawick</a></b>! Wouldn't get away with that now - although it is once a year a done thing during the Common Riding (again refer the link just given). Hawick is also where my maternal grandparents spent their final years, in a tiny, one-bedroom flat barely bigger than The Grey, after a lifetime of farming.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEZ6rzE-rY4y9_z766kaUUTF5I0iTt47xEHIlMdlGEx0x9KUKMlYsz8LMjHOoEism4WsyHgdMpgPcdUcnpUjSLZXiyjkRm-fHW0Nf0LkiRdLcaUhnTsLiOvIpgJWt73zX204UPNnpaEkEg_lmd_SF_4HSdyp0wpN1lRXsTRWSebLJfikEJGdsbCnNrNTb/s1280/PXL_20240228_124823060~2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEZ6rzE-rY4y9_z766kaUUTF5I0iTt47xEHIlMdlGEx0x9KUKMlYsz8LMjHOoEism4WsyHgdMpgPcdUcnpUjSLZXiyjkRm-fHW0Nf0LkiRdLcaUhnTsLiOvIpgJWt73zX204UPNnpaEkEg_lmd_SF_4HSdyp0wpN1lRXsTRWSebLJfikEJGdsbCnNrNTb/w480-h640/PXL_20240228_124823060~2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>After the cache was done, we walked up the hill to a church for another cache count and round to check out the chargers in the O'Connell Street car park, where there were two EV chargers. Access would be okay for Grey, so mental note made. Back onto High Street and along to the Town Hall... Aitch was doing well with her cache finds!</div><div><br /></div><div>The building certainly stands out... there had been earlier structures which may well have been a tad more gentle on the eye. But those Victorians, you know, they did like a bit of Gothica... <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawick_Town_Hall" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read more about this place on this link</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>At this point, we were flagging a bit, and it was 1 pm. As we headed back over to the van for a sandwich lunch and hot cuppa, we went via the James Thomson bridge. Built in honour of a local poet and songwriter, who was also the founder of the Hawick Burns Club, which sits on the west side of the water. You can see more of that on the latest video, up on the channel now!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVyC7m-Md_wP9ljK5srpk_ARSXA5Qa5B8VzLG1y40aZaiPW4L4mhJewJ7jMmTxuRuvvHMnXvHwaLBV8WFwMAdXKORGCtI4Vcr4m6JEuuF637Pttcbp5fjmOtMMCcLmvFc6ys7g1YihzXe_KSPRljjuuY10UL5xMNV7_muXjbUbXhMBmdl-XDyeEU244Db/s960/PXL_20240228_130947183.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVyC7m-Md_wP9ljK5srpk_ARSXA5Qa5B8VzLG1y40aZaiPW4L4mhJewJ7jMmTxuRuvvHMnXvHwaLBV8WFwMAdXKORGCtI4Vcr4m6JEuuF637Pttcbp5fjmOtMMCcLmvFc6ys7g1YihzXe_KSPRljjuuY10UL5xMNV7_muXjbUbXhMBmdl-XDyeEU244Db/s16000/PXL_20240228_130947183.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After lunch, we came back to the south end of High Street, where the ancient Tower House still stands, sort of, and there is a newer and more accessible monument to the 1514 Hornshole flag bearing. The Tower now holds display spaces for art and textiles in a museum format.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZfKADr2hPPS2A2-W0I48rDNL3fEcPrm15zhpf4_a52vJH6r9SXCozowFlyAan3ytQAbOUMDOhoYrkecFf0vWiDS94P6yevleVaqlhqB-SG3wmcHYjA1H6jn8Adel5mMTkAQh43dhZXG245b_lZizzLlAnPtFVjRLrABaTSqBHWG3SRnmJiZZM4c-kFdh/s960/PXL_20240228_143555153.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZfKADr2hPPS2A2-W0I48rDNL3fEcPrm15zhpf4_a52vJH6r9SXCozowFlyAan3ytQAbOUMDOhoYrkecFf0vWiDS94P6yevleVaqlhqB-SG3wmcHYjA1H6jn8Adel5mMTkAQh43dhZXG245b_lZizzLlAnPtFVjRLrABaTSqBHWG3SRnmJiZZM4c-kFdh/s16000/PXL_20240228_143555153.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lwCEmF_iI4DmdtR27GALdFkcHuIVV-3if5anQdjbjE9Ag1lceFD8PUOv_feslQToJYIilGs4FfFlUjUHbSIQGeYlvFyjcmLyn_uJUgLOUXtZNO-qZqpvQdCAOwIJ_rIpil6XT-iiqFTEVz7zqDMsFDbDzpMohZUpwV2rU7XQdR_Tg_hWjdb-JW42eGYh/s960/PXL_20240228_154000979.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lwCEmF_iI4DmdtR27GALdFkcHuIVV-3if5anQdjbjE9Ag1lceFD8PUOv_feslQToJYIilGs4FfFlUjUHbSIQGeYlvFyjcmLyn_uJUgLOUXtZNO-qZqpvQdCAOwIJ_rIpil6XT-iiqFTEVz7zqDMsFDbDzpMohZUpwV2rU7XQdR_Tg_hWjdb-JW42eGYh/s16000/PXL_20240228_154000979.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GWmfW3fmG6B8seoSrlCRzoDpXmKhpvWE11u5i66L87u-GukXQYEsWsyByNwVTON-Lp_cCj8vWQRWO2DZD0ErGhPorx95sdpSvusIKk_0Y_HkC7R2ZyYPDhLOLptQVstrgl9aH7d0Eha3hZ1PdSIzBxGb93waIzTJ2mwWYMZr-sAkpd4NrXzf5z7A9S2B/s960/PXL_20240228_155137718.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GWmfW3fmG6B8seoSrlCRzoDpXmKhpvWE11u5i66L87u-GukXQYEsWsyByNwVTON-Lp_cCj8vWQRWO2DZD0ErGhPorx95sdpSvusIKk_0Y_HkC7R2ZyYPDhLOLptQVstrgl9aH7d0Eha3hZ1PdSIzBxGb93waIzTJ2mwWYMZr-sAkpd4NrXzf5z7A9S2B/s16000/PXL_20240228_155137718.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S5kxgMV59OlNpKYcDbAhqVCMPP6N4mIsrID20gv3_iHhRgX6DYYPY2lFa-f1V-05jKgp4EjwwhzLQywet4LkfQNqupj1CVKGaDa9yVRmVUElOwu0e4O116bONoCpZhxxRSpZjWdnJsOXj1PYHzHE5Ngb3Qg896_zPN0tyOkC94_B0YaNjLxmYb1OKefB/s960/PXL_20240228_154701367.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S5kxgMV59OlNpKYcDbAhqVCMPP6N4mIsrID20gv3_iHhRgX6DYYPY2lFa-f1V-05jKgp4EjwwhzLQywet4LkfQNqupj1CVKGaDa9yVRmVUElOwu0e4O116bONoCpZhxxRSpZjWdnJsOXj1PYHzHE5Ngb3Qg896_zPN0tyOkC94_B0YaNjLxmYb1OKefB/s16000/PXL_20240228_154701367.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>I even got to leave a little bit of me in the place - for there were baskets for knitters and crochets to have a go with a few stitches...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0wZxoUUQqpDFzDGZrMSwBt8nAVrWxFlbUSC5XOBHSSKiyK_00R0ZGQ6Ds2NlnN_YkKaLaM0BwgKxQ0blbGdYYAOWjoJA9-53ssJ6gwClfXVAKnm0lpBQpjvckDsyxtRMI9RqPCJCQ_VDyNoMe4EQ_T4ysrSuUyFdiZXWDdYHJCMqAe3P5MyuzLkfQUm8/s960/PXL_20240228_155531316.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0wZxoUUQqpDFzDGZrMSwBt8nAVrWxFlbUSC5XOBHSSKiyK_00R0ZGQ6Ds2NlnN_YkKaLaM0BwgKxQ0blbGdYYAOWjoJA9-53ssJ6gwClfXVAKnm0lpBQpjvckDsyxtRMI9RqPCJCQ_VDyNoMe4EQ_T4ysrSuUyFdiZXWDdYHJCMqAe3P5MyuzLkfQUm8/s16000/PXL_20240228_155531316.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Leaving here, we made the decision to eat out once more - this time at the Heart of Hawick cafe, just beside the Tower Museum. We sat in window seats looking down on the gushing Slitrig Water, which joins the Teviot under the bridge. Baked potatoes that evening, and that was us done. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXpet-t76NFibB1MVOQtIC2royiVm6FmKUFuffdzleVZVe75isoB4R1zHbOaltSyIOVSxtDgYfKxZvrpsbHIjvnKcxfYu1P1aBxrPokBxYY79BIUqiujaPa_yUl53hbOMyeOtYxU9pUhqy6K9lwyRmTW5vy9DEyFi_JymsLrriXO0KuWaaC20WddTNSTL/s960/PXL_20240228_161717376.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXpet-t76NFibB1MVOQtIC2royiVm6FmKUFuffdzleVZVe75isoB4R1zHbOaltSyIOVSxtDgYfKxZvrpsbHIjvnKcxfYu1P1aBxrPokBxYY79BIUqiujaPa_yUl53hbOMyeOtYxU9pUhqy6K9lwyRmTW5vy9DEyFi_JymsLrriXO0KuWaaC20WddTNSTL/s16000/PXL_20240228_161717376.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>We parted ways agreeing that there is much on offer in Hawick and it deserves a lot more attention from us. We will be back! Meanwhile, I had to get a charge and head off to Edinburgh on Thursday morning. The charge proved elusive once again, and I had to drive up to Selkirk to get a boost. Turned out good though, for this was what greeted me in the morning...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWLTc96Rq8ZAX72jGa97e-ImbcB-kv2OwqSHBaaF23Kbz4YoTlltkmXVY8GQxE_kvnHpMv_ftGPzkGD2aG-cAO96JhXoIeYcrRgY2OVXa6Yd1YmlDxBoFqHlws-4LNCTn_IkM9RePHLJg8sVdSOomDdprBQ1dtQ6ZEnIl8JzJCSmmwKvObEROp_bqW5vf/s1280/PXL_20240229_082321506.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWLTc96Rq8ZAX72jGa97e-ImbcB-kv2OwqSHBaaF23Kbz4YoTlltkmXVY8GQxE_kvnHpMv_ftGPzkGD2aG-cAO96JhXoIeYcrRgY2OVXa6Yd1YmlDxBoFqHlws-4LNCTn_IkM9RePHLJg8sVdSOomDdprBQ1dtQ6ZEnIl8JzJCSmmwKvObEROp_bqW5vf/s16000/PXL_20240229_082321506.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-53825716999909306122024-03-07T05:30:00.012+05:302024-03-07T05:30:00.137+05:30Menootnaboot; Meeting My BuddyThe key instigator of getting the Second's Trip underway was that Aitch had a Geocache meeting to attend on Feb 29th in the border town of Hawick - a place that is quite dear to me. <div><br /></div><div>I left you last week, having taken off to the ferry and headed to New Lanark for a staged park-up. Also got a good charge in the town. (40p per unit, for those paying attention to Monday's post!) I arrived late on the Sunday, had Monday to rest, then set off on Tuesday to Hawick. Aitch was coming north from her home just south of the border in Northumberland. I won't regale you with the trials and tribulations caused by road closures and active works and such. Suffice to say that as I drew into the target town, for some reason I opted to drive into the supermarket carpark instead of heading directly to the Victoria Road aire. I was typing a message to Aitch on my phone when I heard a horn beside me. Had I parked erroneously in all those empty spaces? Errrrr no... I had chosen to park right next to none other than my dear friend!!! She was only there a few moments ahead of me and had also chosen that park. I didn't recognise her new car, so it was all a bit spooky. Anyway, that was us, so we went into Sainsbury's to make use of their toilets and for me to purchase a few items, then round to the place of my next park-up. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>In Europe, aires are everywhere. These are local authority provisions for vans and motorhomes to stay; occasionally paid, but many are free and provide water, toilets and/or waste dump facilities. The expectation, naturally, is that users of said facilities will spend money in the town and boost the local economy. Hawick has taken on the concept in the Victoria Road carpark, which is right in the town centre. Free, with a suggested max stay of 48 hrs (but no obvious monitoring). GOOD ON 'EM!!! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnv2vwOpQ5cLzNwRFK9GVqlw-AB2REyi8T2sX7bjCL6D0y7QdtOEc_eiqHZxTPT5JcXyigWkNvW2MZFTK3BbMnIMl33o9VcRR9UqvEq2jXWkDSRyOtG21ZjINL-CAtj7RWe7oCdYF2mQwQuTYhc5cuqqwj7Wh0A1SVVS0g7Xu96q1WXn0ALiSqeojgb9O3/s1280/PXL_20240227_175744996.NIGHT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnv2vwOpQ5cLzNwRFK9GVqlw-AB2REyi8T2sX7bjCL6D0y7QdtOEc_eiqHZxTPT5JcXyigWkNvW2MZFTK3BbMnIMl33o9VcRR9UqvEq2jXWkDSRyOtG21ZjINL-CAtj7RWe7oCdYF2mQwQuTYhc5cuqqwj7Wh0A1SVVS0g7Xu96q1WXn0ALiSqeojgb9O3/w300-h400/PXL_20240227_175744996.NIGHT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div>Aitch went and booked into her accoms, then returned by early evening so that we could take a wander over the bridge and along High Street to the Horse - mainly because there was a place I thought might be nice to eat, but turned out to be only a take away now. So back along to 'our' end and into the Italian which was also appealing (and really the only other choice, much of Hawick being closed on a Tuesday night!). La Locanda Romana, run by brothers, Fabrizio and Franco Portella turned out to be an absolute winner. Franco, the younger bro, was the maitre dee (that's him on the left of the image below) and saw to it that we were well-seated by the radiator (did I mention the icy conditions outside?) He was lively, loquacious and lovely. I had seen the menu online (*a photo, they don't actually have a website - which is a real shame) so it didn't take me long to reconfirm my dishes. Aitch went for the liver pate starter, followed by Carbonara. For me, it was Arancini with spinach salad, then Ravioli Ricotta Spinaci. Beyond scrumptious! As we departed, the older bro and chef, Fabrizio, came and greeted us. We will definitely be making a return visit there.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzcRC_W7gkJz2uyGOGZbOeWIiSGzVrMKUnOCVxZewRq07kHDS3QWWmj3H4t7ipMOEfvOnp0wSwlWsQbJWB8yX6OM_gfqJfQBFa6KWU70cveyE9LKOpmAJi2fvem55dI98zLOdFwpaQ4dEo3uqyW2DDX2M2eHC-Ecb_BtWPL-7rAzztScELiCJQtpxo9RE/s960/PXL_20240227_184356371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzcRC_W7gkJz2uyGOGZbOeWIiSGzVrMKUnOCVxZewRq07kHDS3QWWmj3H4t7ipMOEfvOnp0wSwlWsQbJWB8yX6OM_gfqJfQBFa6KWU70cveyE9LKOpmAJi2fvem55dI98zLOdFwpaQ4dEo3uqyW2DDX2M2eHC-Ecb_BtWPL-7rAzztScELiCJQtpxo9RE/s16000/PXL_20240227_184356371.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRmBpatWvTHd1XlgOeaiuiGYkbs_G9UwiMCZD52yQfHQ6uK-gEXlU2FJxmNnY-kx9bBYEQCNYL1_GDogYWaU13GuGng05ohL-BL8F7WQs97SCCbqJo1Uv9ucrkNmvCg79FyMvoz6nr_SMHvri6N2DQtklN1bLqqk1ZUjZhec8laLfWK0nARWv2ODT6IAN/s960/PXL_20240227_185252902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRmBpatWvTHd1XlgOeaiuiGYkbs_G9UwiMCZD52yQfHQ6uK-gEXlU2FJxmNnY-kx9bBYEQCNYL1_GDogYWaU13GuGng05ohL-BL8F7WQs97SCCbqJo1Uv9ucrkNmvCg79FyMvoz6nr_SMHvri6N2DQtklN1bLqqk1ZUjZhec8laLfWK0nARWv2ODT6IAN/s16000/PXL_20240227_185252902.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm7eiMdJDa2NhqcatNlvoiTaFztXnO37ASaqyfu-2DlzS_g0EvUWOXAGua1uM2_7enZ6O3vqVJKs16BKKP2qWhx1zq_PdUZs0cKMFNV20echyphenhyphenmQxC2Ue8OubOpo8hNeaxbZm_lXplzys9coaPeC22uWCJg3bTlwzOAMgvVYVQ0z9E_jaXKjzaR9YcObSV/s960/PXL_20240227_192412112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm7eiMdJDa2NhqcatNlvoiTaFztXnO37ASaqyfu-2DlzS_g0EvUWOXAGua1uM2_7enZ6O3vqVJKs16BKKP2qWhx1zq_PdUZs0cKMFNV20echyphenhyphenmQxC2Ue8OubOpo8hNeaxbZm_lXplzys9coaPeC22uWCJg3bTlwzOAMgvVYVQ0z9E_jaXKjzaR9YcObSV/s16000/PXL_20240227_192412112.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>We retired early and met up again on Wednesday morning for a cuppa and buns as we planned out our walking route for the day. Aitch was pleasantly surprised, I think, at how comfortable and cosy it is in The Grey, even on cold days, with the door open. To read what we got up to, come back tomorrow!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2G_7wiyFAAaf-kZsSI_AnghqUR08FlrWJAIHkkAPj0It7Rz3oZnot64a89WUSwjfxxkSO4eZflw-SfZVmcYwGImBWNinMunTAWrqx2zrnidudNIKO1WCff897h0ZTwjlEDaDYTT5iTjawZlnPhN3W3JoHNbsXnbUATFacnXSsUYSozVY0I-82UGLzPWme/s960/PXL_20240228_104811029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2G_7wiyFAAaf-kZsSI_AnghqUR08FlrWJAIHkkAPj0It7Rz3oZnot64a89WUSwjfxxkSO4eZflw-SfZVmcYwGImBWNinMunTAWrqx2zrnidudNIKO1WCff897h0ZTwjlEDaDYTT5iTjawZlnPhN3W3JoHNbsXnbUATFacnXSsUYSozVY0I-82UGLzPWme/s16000/PXL_20240228_104811029.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-48629508640026474352024-03-06T05:30:00.003+05:302024-03-06T21:32:25.677+05:30Menoizikul; Midweek MusicalismsOkay, this month's listenings are coming to you from the sub-continent, India. Each week is a little different and, I hope, refreshing to your ear. <div><br /></div><div>Let us begin with one of the classical ragas, which is learned by all advanced students but equally addressed and adorned by the greatest masters of the various instruments of the classical Indian musical tradition. (Think in terms of Bach's Preludes or Chopin's Etudes...) In this case, we hear Pandit-ji Hariprasad Chaurasia. He is to the bansuri what Sri Ravi Shankar was to the sitar. This is a put-the-earphones-sit-back-relax ten minutes. Close your eyes and be transported to another place, another time...</div><div><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="515" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tLXNNejKhJs?si=ASCRsrJnmJFmwJ2Q" title="YouTube video player" width="960"></iframe>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-21215788765392601882024-03-05T05:30:00.012+05:302024-03-05T05:30:00.242+05:30Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Peek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRMGZpLZHLcpSrKPkXxr6SpNYu6UWl56P0J7H1mM-ADhOjhr5iVlcifgNbmoIymyAbHyDehdgvOuEFCYT1reKzpzN9zAABJN7uUm5Z-CA70wG5AhQYTC_4Z7sF0_oeNmyz95oJuGBHcnwEQ9fGOUI-6opAuBqbOnkachuD3SeMqojh8jrgvawxY0372jb/s640/IMG_3346.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRMGZpLZHLcpSrKPkXxr6SpNYu6UWl56P0J7H1mM-ADhOjhr5iVlcifgNbmoIymyAbHyDehdgvOuEFCYT1reKzpzN9zAABJN7uUm5Z-CA70wG5AhQYTC_4Z7sF0_oeNmyz95oJuGBHcnwEQ9fGOUI-6opAuBqbOnkachuD3SeMqojh8jrgvawxY0372jb/w960-h720/IMG_3346.jpg" width="960" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhfs1It8T5GfTZyVejV36GJQYmdcQAoG2oyzTm7-3mg5kbqEZzS03T9bLhYmMneSsHF7ojwdoFkAYo5DWkrcVYUSNx5XtbIkElsFEUBmHYaceEs6DEIjQPYirFh3Aq5xSIl2brabHKLTXdbOHhQKVd08_M4vpy6syT_6k7GSQ_nhOWJC2gNlLoCgJHNs8/s960/PXL_20240224_132702407~2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhfs1It8T5GfTZyVejV36GJQYmdcQAoG2oyzTm7-3mg5kbqEZzS03T9bLhYmMneSsHF7ojwdoFkAYo5DWkrcVYUSNx5XtbIkElsFEUBmHYaceEs6DEIjQPYirFh3Aq5xSIl2brabHKLTXdbOHhQKVd08_M4vpy6syT_6k7GSQ_nhOWJC2gNlLoCgJHNs8/s16000/PXL_20240224_132702407~2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHGMIvBOxrNEMm_Hxm_zLuMIqDw0wfQpS6in1RLb-eTzRzWEOiFFgkFvaKdQAdoJZ8oNDqr5T06p1tAp-DlUnEMtcWMbf1C9tMT3cXllOxEaqV9wh1qAy8t5HKUu2bH41UzhPRNx9KvxhnnPdegAI4Xpw3p3rVcqWlgsaUUcTr_emsE3zbjdw8GEbiGxj/s960/PXL_20240224_141219509.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHGMIvBOxrNEMm_Hxm_zLuMIqDw0wfQpS6in1RLb-eTzRzWEOiFFgkFvaKdQAdoJZ8oNDqr5T06p1tAp-DlUnEMtcWMbf1C9tMT3cXllOxEaqV9wh1qAy8t5HKUu2bH41UzhPRNx9KvxhnnPdegAI4Xpw3p3rVcqWlgsaUUcTr_emsE3zbjdw8GEbiGxj/s16000/PXL_20240224_141219509.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyD8-8AXAzZYDvqeLD5mSBNPKzAtpxY0WVJ5eDPCJWRVPdWaDvXfJXi_xUnES1ySsFC_yk3bvCGulHaDohKTzZWazwXUUPuF1jo0FlP-vjhQN6id0zlZoFU1ic2MSAq8VBxBkbLiZu-PVLT1Fox5WhoiH_liMpfZzBInQKY6GPqq71ajtluAcF6EQ8pXq-/s920/PXL_20240225_132055477.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyD8-8AXAzZYDvqeLD5mSBNPKzAtpxY0WVJ5eDPCJWRVPdWaDvXfJXi_xUnES1ySsFC_yk3bvCGulHaDohKTzZWazwXUUPuF1jo0FlP-vjhQN6id0zlZoFU1ic2MSAq8VBxBkbLiZu-PVLT1Fox5WhoiH_liMpfZzBInQKY6GPqq71ajtluAcF6EQ8pXq-/s16000/PXL_20240225_132055477.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl3TtyDluMi4x78dxzExlOW2kWB0pg2y7-Tc_qyqqCaUYRNJL8UGC5RPfHYoaQLJ0cvvAessI-G88FxJIZOdo4GKHWB3iQVY1HMQAxnZpB5mNP205c5qxS1GomGg5zB2JMx82HRp8AnLG6DFTcTaqcCDN7Lx4w-xbATjHL6rfv_-_6S7JCgagi5CDIqC5/s960/PXL_20240225_132534583.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl3TtyDluMi4x78dxzExlOW2kWB0pg2y7-Tc_qyqqCaUYRNJL8UGC5RPfHYoaQLJ0cvvAessI-G88FxJIZOdo4GKHWB3iQVY1HMQAxnZpB5mNP205c5qxS1GomGg5zB2JMx82HRp8AnLG6DFTcTaqcCDN7Lx4w-xbATjHL6rfv_-_6S7JCgagi5CDIqC5/s16000/PXL_20240225_132534583.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlBTOqLja0hRrVql2THRH24kFtkXMkxoVN9cOOeGcQGatorfrJKleQdeqKTvBxPHk_kCalQg2D8RVlyctNaMGxZBxOTskWLwGnHFaBBPacsKpRLwkpa652OBS-XFulfpns0nH1d_ukAATu09Qwa_BwK5fZV1p45TdXfRtxsCUzAzHv7G7NSRZrb8uVLc-/s960/PXL_20240226_081907748.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlBTOqLja0hRrVql2THRH24kFtkXMkxoVN9cOOeGcQGatorfrJKleQdeqKTvBxPHk_kCalQg2D8RVlyctNaMGxZBxOTskWLwGnHFaBBPacsKpRLwkpa652OBS-XFulfpns0nH1d_ukAATu09Qwa_BwK5fZV1p45TdXfRtxsCUzAzHv7G7NSRZrb8uVLc-/s16000/PXL_20240226_081907748.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGamiVfqt2Iu29l6SiyU5VaFYvztwA4Vye3gCPXLdvlBb3s6Lzp5Jem9-2W6dbTmuXt12KUa1AA4S23ikGHOJmEy23zDz6sLfrxko0sPYZAYzCTsAkSlx7XfUPFhKj6t3-NxZdNmlt0YsdZoDPnZ0l0rF3l1OUJuTihiSm-5bOZhBn24-UrKOiliFb1Cg/s1227/PXL_20240226_082013653.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGamiVfqt2Iu29l6SiyU5VaFYvztwA4Vye3gCPXLdvlBb3s6Lzp5Jem9-2W6dbTmuXt12KUa1AA4S23ikGHOJmEy23zDz6sLfrxko0sPYZAYzCTsAkSlx7XfUPFhKj6t3-NxZdNmlt0YsdZoDPnZ0l0rF3l1OUJuTihiSm-5bOZhBn24-UrKOiliFb1Cg/s16000/PXL_20240226_082013653.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNIc9jAC_4EaAPXnm2Um4Dccn_KtLG_FMheMqG53wD_rlzslSVe_yBqZn2faAD8UrvCeaCHraJ2INaGsT4mcSx47sw4R0-sEoMhpY1KaJg3vn9TyupBzxFyJw4izO7b-lTCb9Ro2vAZyaCY0ve2svrikXXumqkGZ2saA4ocY3GsuIxdCyIdwanMm0aS_1/s960/PXL_20240213_143157184.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNIc9jAC_4EaAPXnm2Um4Dccn_KtLG_FMheMqG53wD_rlzslSVe_yBqZn2faAD8UrvCeaCHraJ2INaGsT4mcSx47sw4R0-sEoMhpY1KaJg3vn9TyupBzxFyJw4izO7b-lTCb9Ro2vAZyaCY0ve2svrikXXumqkGZ2saA4ocY3GsuIxdCyIdwanMm0aS_1/s16000/PXL_20240213_143157184.jpg" /></a></div><br />Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-3697097141222869652024-03-04T05:30:00.126+05:302024-03-10T01:26:12.757+05:30Menooork... It's A Monday Post!Have got several things to share from the first ten days of being oot and aboot, so will have to use some of the fallow space on the bloggy. <div><br /></div><div>The first thing to alert you to, if you have yet to find it, is that the first video for the trip is up and live on the tubular channel - click over from the badge on the sidebar, or <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWRq6Bi2reE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here</a></b>. It's all a bit rough and ready, still. I need lots of practice!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYaz-Ac0kBPhw-IDo_NV-AWfT8Aam_ZVIXMmOoTZeSBmr5ASkpX1mGwX7g1TgZ82rLnZPyWw4owUKDyaaCZdRbs9vx9rSz8-B7Auobyrg778b_GFWoq35jy_ZltgZBn9nj_smv5RteILd-BEfnN2dtaNXydyegLVzrc8wHOD5YjJDGqvKi5C32GOxfubE/s1508/Screenshot_20240303-171612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYaz-Ac0kBPhw-IDo_NV-AWfT8Aam_ZVIXMmOoTZeSBmr5ASkpX1mGwX7g1TgZ82rLnZPyWw4owUKDyaaCZdRbs9vx9rSz8-B7Auobyrg778b_GFWoq35jy_ZltgZBn9nj_smv5RteILd-BEfnN2dtaNXydyegLVzrc8wHOD5YjJDGqvKi5C32GOxfubE/w366-h640/Screenshot_20240303-171612.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>The second thing for this post is to put some minds at rest. Several folks have wondered how I locate chargers and park-ups. The answer is really quite simple... <i style="font-weight: bold;">there are apps for that!</i> For chargers, I can simply ask, "Okay, Ford, locate the nearest charge point", - and the van's onboard system will direct me as requested. I don't do that, though, because it will tend to favour those affiliated with Ford and thus very expensive. But it's great if in a bind. I have two apps for specific services, <b><a href="https://uk.mer.eco/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">one being MER</a></b>, which I used a fair bit south of the border last year. The other is <b><a href="https://pod-point.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PodPoint</a></b>, a service available at supermarkets and retail parks. Some of those may be free for customers, so great for a wee top-up if doing the groceries, but also middling cost if a charge is made.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mostly, though, here in Scotland, I utilise the Charge Place Scotland (CPS) network. This is because, for the most part, the costs are kept below 50p/kW drawn. The average overall hovers around the 35p mark, but I am finding lots that are well below that.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There are big jumps in cost in the main urban areas, particularly the likes of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and other major centres. But one must read the details of each thing properly; some will drop the price if used during nighttime hours - which is why you will see me sometimes capering about in the dark. Other times, that is just because of logistics... such as, you will see from the video, finding that the chosen charger is inoperative and having to trawl around for another... Although things are improving for EV charging, it has a long way to go to be as regular, accessible and reliable as the fossil-fuel forecourts. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the issues I have come up against is the app showing chargers and costs but without showing any restrictions; for example, they may be only for local council staff use, teaching staff or whatever. The chargers, you see, despite being linked by the CPS network, are owned by whoever has a business where they are planted, be it a library, a school, or a council car park, and those owners have a say about who gets to use the facility. Some might provide access but put hefty fines for "overstaying". Say it's an hour, at 50p per unit, but add on thirty quid for being over the hour... Then you get counties like Fife, where I have found the local council offers chargers at a £1.75 connection fee and only 15p per unit with no time limit! It is all a bit of the Wild West sort of thing, but I still love my van and enjoy the adventure of finding a power hook-up!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7DOE4U1LqCFTDZW797CgOQxc5nK9RwfDL-wBNBUljzIob6wuwL7e9alQv2BxCvzNIvcywLPjMe2Jnjw4ZjL8-rWou3pwAnKVQYqyQTJJ3Qjzs_B8FcHirwqimy8qNxmsx_wsSVbbum5-xwdllGQtLyTa5mOW6ME2dpbT4weE5lUKPus9FE4tpG7u1xJF/s1407/Screenshot_20240303-171503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="863" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7DOE4U1LqCFTDZW797CgOQxc5nK9RwfDL-wBNBUljzIob6wuwL7e9alQv2BxCvzNIvcywLPjMe2Jnjw4ZjL8-rWou3pwAnKVQYqyQTJJ3Qjzs_B8FcHirwqimy8qNxmsx_wsSVbbum5-xwdllGQtLyTa5mOW6ME2dpbT4weE5lUKPus9FE4tpG7u1xJF/w392-h640/Screenshot_20240303-171503.jpg" width="392" /></a></div>The next adventure part is deciding where to park up for a night. Mostly, it's a single night, but sometimes two and very occasionally more - but only where there are no restrictions and it is not causing any inconvenience to others. It is often free parking, but there are also park-ups provided at a nominal cost. For example, one of my faves is the New Lanark stop, where a 24-hour stay is £3.30, but one can stay for 28 days for £75 (£2.68 per 24hrs). <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The app of choice for this task is Park4Night. There are others, as is often the case, but this one is very widely used and is a network whereby those in various forms of van or motorhome can alert others as to what the park up was like, what costs there are, what issues there may be (such as boy racers, van damage, in the negative, or very friendly, good local stores, fab views, and such like in the positive). As with any such social connection thing, one or two contributors only ever see (and almost, one feels, bring upon themselves) the negative. If I am attracted to a place, even with a negative or two remarks, I'll give it a go if others say it is okay. The main thing to rely on when in a spot is how the 'gut' feels. Instinct can be a great aid for some of the more remote spots.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be honest; the only two times I have felt a tad uncomfy in parkups have been in more urban spots. The remoter ones have all been grand. The best ones are where the locals actively take an interest in who you are, where you're from, and what the van is like, and communities that actively offer places for overnighting. You'll read about one particular example on Thursday...</div><div><br /></div><div>There you have it, the basics of factoring power and sleeping logistics in van life!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQ570b50hW2WIrQHIjM_VPxLt4aht6ed-u9tdGuG-qBFfQDhFxb49ekr2Sv8CMv2Us4xLqJVb7owJ4vP6rgXjgyn28T3o6QjV9GGumukvMRspLuYUrdfaxebQo_yUbf6UoiPt-i596RqAKttL5XVHKYWqAjloZ-qcp_xoFqG9cQ-z9damzzquSXRdjT_9/s2560/Grey3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQ570b50hW2WIrQHIjM_VPxLt4aht6ed-u9tdGuG-qBFfQDhFxb49ekr2Sv8CMv2Us4xLqJVb7owJ4vP6rgXjgyn28T3o6QjV9GGumukvMRspLuYUrdfaxebQo_yUbf6UoiPt-i596RqAKttL5XVHKYWqAjloZ-qcp_xoFqG9cQ-z9damzzquSXRdjT_9/w640-h360/Grey3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-30475084776090295462024-03-03T05:30:00.001+05:302024-03-03T05:30:00.140+05:30MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly<div>From me and The Grey to you and the world...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsq97oXeF9KVsh8_ZYTNlm0jss86q8erfhqOXQeOJ9hag6T275zoZYDwxYLgfNPBMXWwDuCFwlaSrmYATWbVdSB3ROxyOKbwpqqoeiLcpa4xV03NB9XMwCCkBd3DpE3s-D3OKC3N4GsO2LwsQ5m5cfXiG1Lwx_SNPgTn0XwhC3ihOJxHysCnnZQqg-8Dd/s1227/PXL_20240224_191006803~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsq97oXeF9KVsh8_ZYTNlm0jss86q8erfhqOXQeOJ9hag6T275zoZYDwxYLgfNPBMXWwDuCFwlaSrmYATWbVdSB3ROxyOKbwpqqoeiLcpa4xV03NB9XMwCCkBd3DpE3s-D3OKC3N4GsO2LwsQ5m5cfXiG1Lwx_SNPgTn0XwhC3ihOJxHysCnnZQqg-8Dd/s16000/PXL_20240224_191006803~2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-33363868439856130602024-03-01T05:30:00.000+05:302024-03-01T05:30:00.140+05:30First Friday FilmclubToday's offering intrigued me as it is focused on the young protagonist seeking to place herself in between her African American heritage and that of her schooling in Judaism from her mother's side. I had a look at the <b><a href="https://www.ohebshalom.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oheb Shalom Congregation</a></b> and found that they are a progressive group, encouraging female participation in the traditional learnings usually reserved for men... which is why Birdie is having a Bar Mitzvah and not a Bat Mitzvah... (and was tickled when I discovered their address in South Orange, NJ, is on Scotland Road!) It's never easy being a teenager but wrangling with cultural identity and a missing father as well...<div><br /></div><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/360972207?h=3290ad328c" width="940" height="560" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/360972207">Broken Bird (2020) | short film by Rachel Harrison Gordon</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/rachelhg">Rachel Harrison Gordon</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-76960370541042709242024-02-29T05:30:00.038+05:302024-02-29T05:30:00.248+05:30Menootery; Yes, I'm AbooteryGetting The Grey loaded up took me three days. Remember, I am mid-60s, arthritic and asthmatic, and live up a rather high stair level. It's the stairs that undo me a bit nowadays - particularly if carrying anything over five kilos. I have one of those giant Ikea blue bags into which I loaded as much as could be handled on my left shoulder so that my right arm was free to hold onto the bannister. Day one, Monday, five trips up and down was enough. Tuesday was a write-off due to absolutely foul weather with no breaks between 'showers'. Day two, Wednesday, in between squalls (including one blast that nearly took the back door off The Grey!), another five loads of the blue bag, plus moving the Aferiy power bank... fluke would have it that my neighbour came up the stairs as I was struggling with that 25kg and before I knew it he'd whisked the thing into the van for me. Phew. Day three, Thursday morning, suitcases (two cabin-sized ones), two grocery bags of foodables and the oil heater. I spent the afternoon doing basic housework, so the Hutch is not a total hovel for my return. Then, I had a mega spa session, as it will be a while before I see a full shower again. I am good at the military camp form of abluting, but it will be good when I get to certain spots along the way to make use of any shower on offer!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIYZNgwCISc93NcRQ3f1NfAmzPsimGlGQtW4v8eZrcCC747SIzCMTzltkro4ZX5hD6CI-dwnSc9q_tg0flSjwmpdjgQ3jGh3qIz5c8pq5d_7aB9DGKSAEVjcHeTTiQ9VhX1mSI_90lq7unVZlanD68JuFY7rGjbSvpu8YnCRxyaOR0ilEh942Gih7kOay/s960/PXL_20240223_174307417.NIGHT.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIYZNgwCISc93NcRQ3f1NfAmzPsimGlGQtW4v8eZrcCC747SIzCMTzltkro4ZX5hD6CI-dwnSc9q_tg0flSjwmpdjgQ3jGh3qIz5c8pq5d_7aB9DGKSAEVjcHeTTiQ9VhX1mSI_90lq7unVZlanD68JuFY7rGjbSvpu8YnCRxyaOR0ilEh942Gih7kOay/w400-h300/PXL_20240223_174307417.NIGHT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh131RnZE9ZUkBSzRy_lu-Q2-n2FTixbj-6GRgC2jrDyKDjrc8sSezsz3r-KR1b2ZOHevEDQg1DZ78UA14bUUqsSASvqlbv18Z0fuHhue6fPc595lgBNt4bd9TVQn_GAJifYTJ3FFCWu8AsfCqgmmU32wiLOZzVf5GsXOrtEpeLyGGyvoI1qH41sw_PYZmE/s960/PXL_20240223_174456869.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh131RnZE9ZUkBSzRy_lu-Q2-n2FTixbj-6GRgC2jrDyKDjrc8sSezsz3r-KR1b2ZOHevEDQg1DZ78UA14bUUqsSASvqlbv18Z0fuHhue6fPc595lgBNt4bd9TVQn_GAJifYTJ3FFCWu8AsfCqgmmU32wiLOZzVf5GsXOrtEpeLyGGyvoI1qH41sw_PYZmE/w400-h300/PXL_20240223_174456869.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><div>Anyway, now I have the utility area at the rear and the bedsit at the front of the cargo area. I have draped a few cloths over the silver to make it a little cosier since these first photos. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then, a little after ten in the evening, I grabbed the last bag - all the tech gear and other important stuff - and locked up and off we drove for a battery charge. The first one I went to was a dud. The second one I got to was also a dud. Third time lucky, right in the town centre on the Pier Car Park, success. Oh yes, it was bucketing down as usual.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcdIWGiUfSWk9bLpQVISXeo-EfP18Gyu-jI8tRersTq3Y1Yfc1sF7OJZOnTUYE9I4xOXFRbIJinJm9x9Zx_8QwAvoZRsmy7rBPUGrQXXHVwuwzTRxohxQCgtRWOUJNPii7L_5n6KRKnn8NMzFBea_dupZ5Ua3G8jV7KQGRdWfAVBs8Sb4DL6ZOXHuWwCq/s960/PXL_20240222_234827816.NIGHT.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcdIWGiUfSWk9bLpQVISXeo-EfP18Gyu-jI8tRersTq3Y1Yfc1sF7OJZOnTUYE9I4xOXFRbIJinJm9x9Zx_8QwAvoZRsmy7rBPUGrQXXHVwuwzTRxohxQCgtRWOUJNPii7L_5n6KRKnn8NMzFBea_dupZ5Ua3G8jV7KQGRdWfAVBs8Sb4DL6ZOXHuWwCq/s16000/PXL_20240222_234827816.NIGHT.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Doesn't he look good, my trusty steed?! On the second visit to this charger, before heading for the ferry, a young fellow and his dog drew in to charge his Kia car, and he was very admiring of The Grey. He had a sneaky peek inside and said he was going away inspired with ideas. He was from my part of Edinburgh and a regular hill walker, often visiting Dunoon. Mostly sleeping in that small car!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEkyYuy969zIbY5nZO4pGFloaMr8VjfuqMO6e1zkx2wRBy4yHxFHcKxHpuj85zPk9FpeTFR3fk9lK3nNgCddRHDE1WldWxANLU7aQNV1CVnq_LpRMTqgLx8aejd-gUhWIPPfoOUpSyLY2fF56xXeytUGGDOdBPtWl6UPnc_9Xk7ihA6o4v_LQpfar4vfZ/s960/PXL_20240224_211833257.NIGHT.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEkyYuy969zIbY5nZO4pGFloaMr8VjfuqMO6e1zkx2wRBy4yHxFHcKxHpuj85zPk9FpeTFR3fk9lK3nNgCddRHDE1WldWxANLU7aQNV1CVnq_LpRMTqgLx8aejd-gUhWIPPfoOUpSyLY2fF56xXeytUGGDOdBPtWl6UPnc_9Xk7ihA6o4v_LQpfar4vfZ/s16000/PXL_20240224_211833257.NIGHT.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway... that first night, it was nearly three in the morning of the 23rd before I got parked up on the parade overlooking the water. I woke again at five-thirty. Thought I'd sleep longer, but traffic and drumming rain might have had something to do with it. I spent that Friday in a bit of a daze and realised that I needed to stay in one place until I had recovered from the three days of carting stuff down those stairs, as well as unpacking and sorting once aboard. As the weather was so dismal, it was no hardship just to do my blogs and puzzles as I would in the Hutch. Friday night, I slept like a log (and again on Saturday night) getting a full eleven hours unbroken both nights!!! Total recovery sleep. Saturday, at least, wasn't raining, and an occasional burst of sunshine, so I invited my <b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/cobylyn/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instapal Coby</a></b> (she of California and original Dunoon USNavy daughter, posted in Holy Loch for some time, attending the high school, and now returned with her British hubby to live here) to come have a proper 'van-warming' with tea and cake. I got to know Coby through the instything a few years back when she and Dave were still in the planning stages of the big shift east. Social media can be a real pain - but it is also a great connector! Anyway, that was a fun hour, and then I settled down to watch the rugby - well done The Blues!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdNFp7ERIjWEMpeMexn7awdFToNO9xkFsiWqtL1yowSQUnyp3XFT2MvnMuvTzi7zZ_b1wo5xLVjp6KBrxLCPV-tTpB6vTuqLdopaQxuONz4T4nKeZXjKKl0eJwj3P0pQzJ3UqV8qVSvBYTlzByM6nK9H0gimPTenG95-fPUQUf9g-WSPGSaTOxWHsozZZ/s967/PXL_20240224_171939017.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="967" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdNFp7ERIjWEMpeMexn7awdFToNO9xkFsiWqtL1yowSQUnyp3XFT2MvnMuvTzi7zZ_b1wo5xLVjp6KBrxLCPV-tTpB6vTuqLdopaQxuONz4T4nKeZXjKKl0eJwj3P0pQzJ3UqV8qVSvBYTlzByM6nK9H0gimPTenG95-fPUQUf9g-WSPGSaTOxWHsozZZ/w398-h400/PXL_20240224_171939017.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oJnyMaFCaNtO6qA0dam97sZE6f_mlha_aG7pAzsdSDuXuOWzkOiXxfxz8I5xnRzMk6fU-RFjA1NuQ8ul5M5fWYXle53eEJ1zRYsLvY7Nr948xrRm-Gk1LCLaIKSny4ehn-bZrrxvum65xEojorItV0Jb8kkgsAOpjSJ3FeGLHETUIXpBPe81tMfoiY2D/s960/PXL_20240224_153805575.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oJnyMaFCaNtO6qA0dam97sZE6f_mlha_aG7pAzsdSDuXuOWzkOiXxfxz8I5xnRzMk6fU-RFjA1NuQ8ul5M5fWYXle53eEJ1zRYsLvY7Nr948xrRm-Gk1LCLaIKSny4ehn-bZrrxvum65xEojorItV0Jb8kkgsAOpjSJ3FeGLHETUIXpBPe81tMfoiY2D/w520-h390/PXL_20240224_153805575.jpg" width="520" /></a><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As I said, that night was another long slumber, and when I awoke on Sunday morning, it was bright and clear and definitely more like travelling weather; although very cold, it was still and pleasant enough to have the door open whilst I had a brunch of scrumble** and fruit. and listening to the lapping waves, the gulls and sparrows. THIS, this, my friends, is what van life is about!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQJONCUASAeU4hkYcbAFgjydL8IhX9eBRswIL262fjTVCgd9HyL-vFLK_ywbJdlOgbwBlZQBhEwHWzEMUNqGwB2p6-WEvTzEknIjBnISNZeYMxEnehihfVSpGMNpX-xN4Dr6xsJGMCYFl5xisLKrsyfxtE-RU66Mjl3gW_kwsdpkOeeQ6Bq6AbRu2Gfrw/s960/PXL_20240225_120716886.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQJONCUASAeU4hkYcbAFgjydL8IhX9eBRswIL262fjTVCgd9HyL-vFLK_ywbJdlOgbwBlZQBhEwHWzEMUNqGwB2p6-WEvTzEknIjBnISNZeYMxEnehihfVSpGMNpX-xN4Dr6xsJGMCYFl5xisLKrsyfxtE-RU66Mjl3gW_kwsdpkOeeQ6Bq6AbRu2Gfrw/s16000/PXL_20240225_120716886.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>**Scrumble is a cross between scrambled eggs with toast<br />and eggy bread; butter the bread, chop up, and saute until a little<br />browned and crispy, then add the egg, whisked with a little milk<br />and seasoning, letting sit until egg mostly set, then flip over to ensure<br />full cook of the egg. It has occurred to me just now that sprinkling sugar <br />would make it a French Toast cheat as well!</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After that, I packed everything up, and it was time to hit the ferry. I headed down to New Lanark (where I began my "Firsts Trip") and spent a couple of nights in nature. More on the anon... but here are two shots for comparison between the standard night shot on the Gopika and then switching on 'night sight'... Full Moon Over The Firth...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwrPfEFUN6xcbfM5ByqaTo3APuRxTQLBGEdnIDI0ze_q6vGD-CuN1QALtaT9r00ZcIhqqwMDB-D4ZsnRyUO0Ma0YPPTujvUKO32REFv7PP6ky_8rQyM7awGxqudRJmlGfXSzcIA1E0eylCaFQh61-tRnGQvB8gJfFzNSGnv_be3dey4kh8umWU7v3k8hL/s963/PXL_20240224_211801454.NIGHT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="963" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwrPfEFUN6xcbfM5ByqaTo3APuRxTQLBGEdnIDI0ze_q6vGD-CuN1QALtaT9r00ZcIhqqwMDB-D4ZsnRyUO0Ma0YPPTujvUKO32REFv7PP6ky_8rQyM7awGxqudRJmlGfXSzcIA1E0eylCaFQh61-tRnGQvB8gJfFzNSGnv_be3dey4kh8umWU7v3k8hL/w522-h504/PXL_20240224_211801454.NIGHT.jpg" width="522" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHTwBicNXnOLpX3ajLfmHVV8Y4GySquz1YI_JUhmKpBf74Sa_uYtLw4a_AcXQzkrJMyeXj8aqq4-ikDwKEQFBEAuNn0KHvm1Kvdf792n5wlxjIhLyGsXn7qsYRz0bpoSMY-6CWmCJNCzcrB1ItznHj4TbwxQcmNczMnfh3i2ZY7_UiwnmZSgLr4RVWqR0/s1227/PXL_20240224_212115913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="960" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHTwBicNXnOLpX3ajLfmHVV8Y4GySquz1YI_JUhmKpBf74Sa_uYtLw4a_AcXQzkrJMyeXj8aqq4-ikDwKEQFBEAuNn0KHvm1Kvdf792n5wlxjIhLyGsXn7qsYRz0bpoSMY-6CWmCJNCzcrB1ItznHj4TbwxQcmNczMnfh3i2ZY7_UiwnmZSgLr4RVWqR0/w393-h502/PXL_20240224_212115913.jpg" width="393" /></a><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-86011476451811251622024-02-28T05:30:00.001+05:302024-02-28T05:30:00.142+05:30Menoizikul; Midweek MusicalismsThe final performance from Ukrainian bayan virtuoso Alexandr Hrustivich. This is a piece that just about everyone will be familiar with. Vivaldi's Four Seasons are known almost universally, I would venture to say. Here, I opted to share the movement called Winter because...well... you know!<div><br /></div><iframe width="960" height="515" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UWmHGjR3gWc?si=wVXJ0N2ELbQuuTi7" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-29971222180998291802024-02-27T05:30:00.017+05:302024-02-27T05:30:00.242+05:30Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More PeekMore from MY TAKE's archives: Starting next Tuesday, you'll be getting fresh images again as I start to gather stuff while out in The Grey. <div><br /></div><div>I will take this chance to remind folk that, while I will be reading your blogs, I may not be commenting as regularly - or as fully - as usual, mainly because I mostly work from the phone and detest trying to type on that thing! If I do comment, you will likely see a lot more typos and grammar slips because of sausage fingers.<div><br /></div><div>There will be places where I park up for more than one night, and the laptop will come out then, so I can catch up. Your forbearance is thanked, particularly in this first couple of weeks as I find my rhythm and flow. YAM xx<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFR8h8dozsrkoG40D33Iws7b6R0D2Qf3eAL1QVJcHNNUFqzSgMAaORyZTCRN7tWG1jx3t4WnL4HnxeFuGGxIyVWpJGoCzEXguDQluNuVvLB10rNHQXdZasR3n_14_iAMqwYCA6TAyD3dKeSpV6VowKcFzJY0S9da_yPfdhC_52QurRreZrC8yXv-neXCdI/s1024/DSCF4956.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="713" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFR8h8dozsrkoG40D33Iws7b6R0D2Qf3eAL1QVJcHNNUFqzSgMAaORyZTCRN7tWG1jx3t4WnL4HnxeFuGGxIyVWpJGoCzEXguDQluNuVvLB10rNHQXdZasR3n_14_iAMqwYCA6TAyD3dKeSpV6VowKcFzJY0S9da_yPfdhC_52QurRreZrC8yXv-neXCdI/w950-h713/DSCF4956.jpg" width="950" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdCsPSuos-Kg6RTHj60xo4sPHNSfcuy569j7SvO7mH51KVQLh153r_UcDCBFFi42f1whxhPEjQyTU5_5vZptRTVlSrH2q2JD26SpvFRk5pCjGr4Jl6C_hcE0lbX7xUTjIspmq9TPAPpUWqtPy4XnshzJH_4nStOk461pGMuYfHSeVssuM35iM6r1r7o9Z/s640/DSCF5555.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdCsPSuos-Kg6RTHj60xo4sPHNSfcuy569j7SvO7mH51KVQLh153r_UcDCBFFi42f1whxhPEjQyTU5_5vZptRTVlSrH2q2JD26SpvFRk5pCjGr4Jl6C_hcE0lbX7xUTjIspmq9TPAPpUWqtPy4XnshzJH_4nStOk461pGMuYfHSeVssuM35iM6r1r7o9Z/s16000/DSCF5555.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplnupGgWbm7cJx2xQN_UXaztfrbs4PzDhtZlrSoT5t5WwF4WruEeIMBr9qA11HoWjCLxV6-4CFULjlbm0SssXG3jPX1z5v0xxVyHl7He5R1sna7hxDNCu7e9SqDRAvs-k25NBhdn8Yze27vuQS6RP5UISGjAd4JEJBovWAOfsM6fBgPsStcRCDvMTHi4h/s1024/DSCF5699.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="709" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplnupGgWbm7cJx2xQN_UXaztfrbs4PzDhtZlrSoT5t5WwF4WruEeIMBr9qA11HoWjCLxV6-4CFULjlbm0SssXG3jPX1z5v0xxVyHl7He5R1sna7hxDNCu7e9SqDRAvs-k25NBhdn8Yze27vuQS6RP5UISGjAd4JEJBovWAOfsM6fBgPsStcRCDvMTHi4h/w945-h709/DSCF5699.jpg" width="945" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1SWwqlwac3e7EucM-1UAzHGovifflQ9bImAqEvODQOXyJTZitb1BTuG0iLKKV-SgByLQb5oWxEFgevptDb5zmAjD1-BaHWHjY_n0slT1OSJhVx3Y0JmRlfsbySMNG8HnSSGbVgp9pH64G4Zv0fZzYDTH_M3X-YMhgGD8YTP7Kq2rc9bEzX9wkiNiQfZX/s640/DSCF5938.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1SWwqlwac3e7EucM-1UAzHGovifflQ9bImAqEvODQOXyJTZitb1BTuG0iLKKV-SgByLQb5oWxEFgevptDb5zmAjD1-BaHWHjY_n0slT1OSJhVx3Y0JmRlfsbySMNG8HnSSGbVgp9pH64G4Zv0fZzYDTH_M3X-YMhgGD8YTP7Kq2rc9bEzX9wkiNiQfZX/s16000/DSCF5938.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pmFc0ASF_3GIOBO8hZsR1lWEuTGxl10IKA8XlS9jKT0c-30_v3hLByic8a082V4CB4OVWUA4JkT3Ve328KmAdbyWHSfuVTyBXgtIf3uc5pEUNq58-GBZOZ0-C5wk9OzfXf0SMj84sUbcSJBbNMBJmHH9mMg8ekmrEVfgcrsdOL3OL-0cDqfpQrNm2zKj/s640/DSCF6238.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pmFc0ASF_3GIOBO8hZsR1lWEuTGxl10IKA8XlS9jKT0c-30_v3hLByic8a082V4CB4OVWUA4JkT3Ve328KmAdbyWHSfuVTyBXgtIf3uc5pEUNq58-GBZOZ0-C5wk9OzfXf0SMj84sUbcSJBbNMBJmHH9mMg8ekmrEVfgcrsdOL3OL-0cDqfpQrNm2zKj/s16000/DSCF6238.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJZ607M0ArFMOMtl_XUNOBgaQe75jjd8AdOy5C2ZFkqdzJD91RL4nIAXvP83ozEWvnrziCbNlgMn8tZUvSECYD7evlEl_ryURPu4YKPa19Vlc46gHwt0PeUwgRI2kTxBdCb3dyjlnkinTI5UYhX0V8oAeZm1f3IRsCTQzjZh7jJXf2qgV7SIUavjOsKb_/s640/DSCF6570.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJZ607M0ArFMOMtl_XUNOBgaQe75jjd8AdOy5C2ZFkqdzJD91RL4nIAXvP83ozEWvnrziCbNlgMn8tZUvSECYD7evlEl_ryURPu4YKPa19Vlc46gHwt0PeUwgRI2kTxBdCb3dyjlnkinTI5UYhX0V8oAeZm1f3IRsCTQzjZh7jJXf2qgV7SIUavjOsKb_/s16000/DSCF6570.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknuWvN5ipLKYxErfShZglEiBQj6gPclQf_x0jcQOYMofK8ZMN3P54DYTmZ7JTOmgIvOK_GmC03dNFSnC4Mw9EbJjnn4AzCLOGq7YDtFFmPuJCBOA_x93_IanUdN5dZxiA7IB7zHBTuCk4axc8Y4wSN8UFz6Fd8QWvZs8q7ufSku9048fZk0iMEv0Gx_KW/s640/DSCF6755.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknuWvN5ipLKYxErfShZglEiBQj6gPclQf_x0jcQOYMofK8ZMN3P54DYTmZ7JTOmgIvOK_GmC03dNFSnC4Mw9EbJjnn4AzCLOGq7YDtFFmPuJCBOA_x93_IanUdN5dZxiA7IB7zHBTuCk4axc8Y4wSN8UFz6Fd8QWvZs8q7ufSku9048fZk0iMEv0Gx_KW/s16000/DSCF6755.png" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-70082975810574971412024-02-25T05:30:00.000+05:302024-02-25T05:30:00.152+05:30MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULRN6xExkKH1FG2zAbxqFFe0PoDg-lvT_x90Saqglsh-0pwiG8yZ0tiNxrE8F-Hf13GcHCoZD9ragyq7rNW9HjEpxCxN_fkk66XRv4TTo0fojK3uYWXB6RRk5P2Ts-EL72T3ukHeqsOSMxYtijQ-Yh3OmLFGnylk-gpG1gFfO7hSwbcxwG7nQI301C234/s1024/source.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULRN6xExkKH1FG2zAbxqFFe0PoDg-lvT_x90Saqglsh-0pwiG8yZ0tiNxrE8F-Hf13GcHCoZD9ragyq7rNW9HjEpxCxN_fkk66XRv4TTo0fojK3uYWXB6RRk5P2Ts-EL72T3ukHeqsOSMxYtijQ-Yh3OmLFGnylk-gpG1gFfO7hSwbcxwG7nQI301C234/w640-h640/source.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQkIcd6-b90fifi7PCKinsnrRbAS3P7CDnd_V0hLuTyVlVTzeL9tGuEY-2g8gHIO2Zjoa9uc9buaUz5s9gFjMcHjk12G7rh1ohCQpp9C4MFbF-zOtwxZDytjCZE9h0Atbv-BeSCrqL0GhFVJVo9I1jMACxWwKLXDMUvQ3cmsbYtudUEz-eMVwx5UIp0ik/s1024/source.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQkIcd6-b90fifi7PCKinsnrRbAS3P7CDnd_V0hLuTyVlVTzeL9tGuEY-2g8gHIO2Zjoa9uc9buaUz5s9gFjMcHjk12G7rh1ohCQpp9C4MFbF-zOtwxZDytjCZE9h0Atbv-BeSCrqL0GhFVJVo9I1jMACxWwKLXDMUvQ3cmsbYtudUEz-eMVwx5UIp0ik/w200-h200/source.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-55227193147126348632024-02-23T05:30:00.003+05:302024-02-23T05:30:00.127+05:30Menoturals; An FFF/NF Combi-PostI have been following Putman and Robin in the instything for a wee while now. Thought I would share them with you, as the daily (and sometimes twice daily) posts with the Robins dancing or singing or scoffing dried grubs cannot help but bring a smile. <div><br /></div><div>There's been a hiccup, though. A recent update has further deteriorated service at IG (further eroding my relationship with it - I am only hanging on because there are some there I cannot see or contact any other way), which has resulted in my not being able to capture the embed coding. It's there, but it flashes away in two seconds before even my lightning reflexes can catch it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Soooooooo, I am going to give you a screenshot of the post I wanted to share, where Mr Putman tells you a little bit about the Robins, and we hear Bobbin telling the gossip. Click the image to go to the post and hear them for yourselves - truly, you won't regret the 90 seconds!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3hkXEKKyHg/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WFxDhAfTQy7gKw2sVRQW-JEayjKGcGT5hWKV9mzqFNgj1e0eSWr5dhkB_ItbIZgV1A1_JN_V9AsQJt4s5WCXYhHw1kpyjcUMQspmcnosda4yZ9cRqxWXQuzqEDWVS3R0mxjJzb5Jt9c-kK5ZJVxo-pE_tpN6iBl2E2oQ9pQ-yDRvzGzr4czt5bla0GRP/s16000/Screenshot%202024-02-19%2018.47.25.png" /></a></div><br /><div>You may find yourself wanting to watch a few more of the posts. Can't beat a bit of bird teevee! </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, earlier in the week, between showers, I slowly loaded up The Grey once more, ready for travel. If it has gone according to plan, as you read yesterday, I am on the road now and may go a tad MIA, at least for a few days. Getting back into the saddle, as it were. This, then, is perhaps not my own best-ever FFF offering, but if you clicked the link, it may have brought just a wee bit of joy your way, and my job is done.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2A1oB99VOWnnTkFDVI2QuwqK15MS6FD0LaeBH4CL39x0LTF-vszyE_s0-m4DrLpW0_8-xi-Vac8FOku5YWf_TKy3SPwIZs0VloivSGDesB_Ob8ItahMzTqVJ01qqZnX8Jn5rRABFPocqFH9TJUcX6sBYr0mhmakIPAA0GIJDYAf48J7SWTRAjEH3rVTp/s924/FFF2024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="898" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2A1oB99VOWnnTkFDVI2QuwqK15MS6FD0LaeBH4CL39x0LTF-vszyE_s0-m4DrLpW0_8-xi-Vac8FOku5YWf_TKy3SPwIZs0VloivSGDesB_Ob8ItahMzTqVJ01qqZnX8Jn5rRABFPocqFH9TJUcX6sBYr0mhmakIPAA0GIJDYAf48J7SWTRAjEH3rVTp/w194-h200/FFF2024.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-86417605289966068432024-02-22T05:30:00.001+05:302024-02-22T05:30:00.133+05:30Menokreatikkul; Just Kept GoingThe Squirrel yarn from the Far East had proven well worth the purchase. The advancements in synthetic fibres, it has to be admitted, have been many and that I found this product such fun to work with and now to wear says a lot. There's a part of me that curls up a bit inside at finding myself so enamoured by an item of petrochemical base, but after a bit of digging (well, considerable pile-driving the web to track it back) it turns out this particular yarn is made with rPET (i.e. recycled poly). The guilt was a little bit salved. <div><br /></div><div>Anyway, as I have teased in earlier posts, I started what I thought was to be a swatch just to experience the workability... but it just kept going! Although not silk, it did work with the smoothness and glide of silk. Although not wool, it has spring and pliability with excellent stitch definition (despite the 'bright' halo part of the fibre).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUs5FPsB048R9-RkqPCva3oFL8jD07Syg-U7nvE3m6aUSnDrJkYq1cUpLogxxSQQtUJ0rqowrBqkOKPC_HX8eOoEonS2ssBSaEC-x1qXoawr95XElrgmtzwDzxf7qDAc57vNfaP-GqPvb2KlhgbDNOZ826LUroV322Po79ZrLFX8HLtsT39bGsOw1YdNff/s1236/PXL_20240218_114919351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="927" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUs5FPsB048R9-RkqPCva3oFL8jD07Syg-U7nvE3m6aUSnDrJkYq1cUpLogxxSQQtUJ0rqowrBqkOKPC_HX8eOoEonS2ssBSaEC-x1qXoawr95XElrgmtzwDzxf7qDAc57vNfaP-GqPvb2KlhgbDNOZ826LUroV322Po79ZrLFX8HLtsT39bGsOw1YdNff/s16000/PXL_20240218_114919351.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgQzpBmmhDczTvAVlSHjF4-bJVrjiRNKtUodVfNJjUr6hC8Qz_12IOb5PsYpY7I2IWeVlUSRi1_5nc1jJH0QoJNzYvolYolI0l8GLYOAgFOC_SAORSLqMScTcyvuwnFEC7_t0-s78VH4Y4sWW5fFz-dFdfWPhprz_Lc4h5GxlvMQIk0uLxbMxkhv6AxXy/s1540/PXL_20240218_114927963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1540" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgQzpBmmhDczTvAVlSHjF4-bJVrjiRNKtUodVfNJjUr6hC8Qz_12IOb5PsYpY7I2IWeVlUSRi1_5nc1jJH0QoJNzYvolYolI0l8GLYOAgFOC_SAORSLqMScTcyvuwnFEC7_t0-s78VH4Y4sWW5fFz-dFdfWPhprz_Lc4h5GxlvMQIk0uLxbMxkhv6AxXy/s16000/PXL_20240218_114927963.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7QPuoKQigZ6crwuUayNVxbHeRxOQDjEsXLNX-fGh_yzu4VTn3qNU3mAJR1-eIG4141uc-ClkOtJLEikrC9T691_LmlyLu-AsTlEFvCDYq7hDf0H7Won298MsiRaN6f7Aq3-ONfdNHgZ1EBRBJ33mTpEqSNG460MGcQ7r-wSyIgHDCsvaECH1ml4CHncv/s960/PXL_20240217_163311409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7QPuoKQigZ6crwuUayNVxbHeRxOQDjEsXLNX-fGh_yzu4VTn3qNU3mAJR1-eIG4141uc-ClkOtJLEikrC9T691_LmlyLu-AsTlEFvCDYq7hDf0H7Won298MsiRaN6f7Aq3-ONfdNHgZ1EBRBJ33mTpEqSNG460MGcQ7r-wSyIgHDCsvaECH1ml4CHncv/s16000/PXL_20240217_163311409.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5zSxB2L40erUM09Y7xFtBYxlCh5pgYo6caJTeEliwx7twA_RJ23f8I6W3xxqT75qlbGFHN76s1-hfTeFZJFfAKkDCBmXgpT59YV5emOQH4y6y808yG6KEPyYPvSYHiSMd3tLOMeJteBEZSqKwGukNjuagYgUlIJgoY4TRbc1wtwU9wkLcuCx4VW8V2lx/s960/IMG_20240218_120519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5zSxB2L40erUM09Y7xFtBYxlCh5pgYo6caJTeEliwx7twA_RJ23f8I6W3xxqT75qlbGFHN76s1-hfTeFZJFfAKkDCBmXgpT59YV5emOQH4y6y808yG6KEPyYPvSYHiSMd3tLOMeJteBEZSqKwGukNjuagYgUlIJgoY4TRbc1wtwU9wkLcuCx4VW8V2lx/s16000/IMG_20240218_120519.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Again, the colour here isn't as accurate as it could be - the yellow's okay, but the blue is actually more 'petrol' or dark teal. Is it a perfect garment? No, of course not, I was just letting the stitches run off by themselves. Once I started counting and got a proper formulation of where I wanted the fabric to go, it required a little bit of nudge and wink, but overall I am quite content with the outcome and have plenty of yarn left to play with! </div><div><br /></div><div>And that was just one item from the bag of goodies. You've seen the cotton sock yarn. There are several balls of Merino/acrylic blends in fingering and light DK weight. which I think will be the next project... thinking of something sort of lacey, with some more socks in between just for quick gratification.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, as you read, I am hopefully on the road in The Grey once again. You'll have reports in due course - it takes a wee while to gather stuff and then there's the processing and wifi-links to factor in. You may find me a bit less frequent in my comments on your own blogs for a week or so until I get back into the groove again. Hooroo!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-33761792981069045852024-02-21T05:30:00.001+05:302024-02-21T05:30:00.130+05:30Menoizikul; Midweek MusicalismsThis week sees the turn of the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. When I discovered that access to this video of Aleksandr playing the national anthem was restricted to YT only, I nearly chose another video... but I feel it is important to have you watch him play this while sitting in a bomb-torn street in 2022. The battle still rages... So please take the time to honour the war-affected in your hearts as you <b>click the image</b> to link through to the performance. Thank you.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNRj-wJhya4" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsNHZUZ6AZHwBOCuutH7zAbyad3h6gtRmmW7QSZR8W8GdMS6baNcs7d49lQa7s8zVlabr2YeY-bfEmyxBZsBI6wOfs6-IYSwAQtCuCtABfN67rlyzlOw2LdE67qxaB1g-rX-pzRFHH8vce-IkG9J5OPNuVygUU3oG6IwTr9EA_5Twn0dQ6vWF_nAMLcIs/s16000/Screenshot%202024-01-04%2020.52.34.png" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7874342578431143001.post-33309468328608664772024-02-20T05:30:00.001+05:302024-02-20T05:30:00.242+05:30Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More PeekFrom the archives of the MY TAKE bloggy...<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7aHqUp3Laxcg-QWRZ_iBVMoftJEJbLgOrKwzZMyi5zHFa5WleNdgXhwjhySaBK3JbgwQhKPwdeEHarJGKOt9wRn-x_9QpQFZzvQOxCQEwf_b60TPFumfeN5HVBg_cEV5anOIpZkIeRHG7qqxhJJSmbyEHw90JB_HGdaGf6NzWjFYm_pD3ELkaVYa-wJ2/s640/DSCF6473.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7aHqUp3Laxcg-QWRZ_iBVMoftJEJbLgOrKwzZMyi5zHFa5WleNdgXhwjhySaBK3JbgwQhKPwdeEHarJGKOt9wRn-x_9QpQFZzvQOxCQEwf_b60TPFumfeN5HVBg_cEV5anOIpZkIeRHG7qqxhJJSmbyEHw90JB_HGdaGf6NzWjFYm_pD3ELkaVYa-wJ2/s16000/DSCF6473.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uQJkrPQaDej7d6qkLV1NlaLu7oXRQ3Zyg5f3FRewfCM9ZKpDvYtv7qBugyv90Ig6hS5fO1PKOkgn8HLQNZ3MjWDM9fqB4k1mZw0cwy3V3ps-81Vw1ZcMj88GsrfPLRV22WVueLB6BtRkRbUo8qsvyo3yODLNU9yjdQ_Dnk-jEYRbpmdTwyoDZu6MkbxS/s640/DSCF6480.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uQJkrPQaDej7d6qkLV1NlaLu7oXRQ3Zyg5f3FRewfCM9ZKpDvYtv7qBugyv90Ig6hS5fO1PKOkgn8HLQNZ3MjWDM9fqB4k1mZw0cwy3V3ps-81Vw1ZcMj88GsrfPLRV22WVueLB6BtRkRbUo8qsvyo3yODLNU9yjdQ_Dnk-jEYRbpmdTwyoDZu6MkbxS/s16000/DSCF6480.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK-ffZvSr2FNxdNRy4oaHZ1O8msI9Si9ypPkACXsSmgmI-UJMLXTQ_2fXpstd5bR7b6RYjLmS-tPiGyR970Q0buFfigX4vftbIx2FXxPsIrkAHnML50qycqFOq0YLHXd83ps5THoplpmTm46kMKQKf6DBOK4Bwr54VOpbZrflX6FQn3Cjsl565aVGEkhN/s640/DSCF6568.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK-ffZvSr2FNxdNRy4oaHZ1O8msI9Si9ypPkACXsSmgmI-UJMLXTQ_2fXpstd5bR7b6RYjLmS-tPiGyR970Q0buFfigX4vftbIx2FXxPsIrkAHnML50qycqFOq0YLHXd83ps5THoplpmTm46kMKQKf6DBOK4Bwr54VOpbZrflX6FQn3Cjsl565aVGEkhN/s16000/DSCF6568.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2unaOEnNuR3QPVeqsWOYBsPQ4cbxp67Mh9QvHO-KfIGZX_sc7WxiIKfI_ZEMH5SKtaBrPFJ4FuoSmJKXWl4ONBp9uaddpiJAtmiCLlGjJAIzsXj9Sq8sgUOoQEOsjzKwz4J0yVRsN1DsEAv6p-uL-9tJQi8t_2hs-APTnrLzK67msp76t9jKOlz1-cFxY/s640/DSCF6628.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2unaOEnNuR3QPVeqsWOYBsPQ4cbxp67Mh9QvHO-KfIGZX_sc7WxiIKfI_ZEMH5SKtaBrPFJ4FuoSmJKXWl4ONBp9uaddpiJAtmiCLlGjJAIzsXj9Sq8sgUOoQEOsjzKwz4J0yVRsN1DsEAv6p-uL-9tJQi8t_2hs-APTnrLzK67msp76t9jKOlz1-cFxY/s16000/DSCF6628.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38KfL-QVNqbBJGDpKK0KVyYmOhuJloV2eZZucQBle23Eqk8SU9CO8ZQ55GvqERClYrtn6pkh5opULSGfRT7qZ9o4adQqIaWt3nrh7kD7QIzNhg_5u_xrYxez_bLjVTJ9qcE6IP6ntRTzFgZulveOWeS6mgNdVMZVFxwGn13EZPW8MdR9y4BGBFv-2dxb8/s640/DSCF6661.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38KfL-QVNqbBJGDpKK0KVyYmOhuJloV2eZZucQBle23Eqk8SU9CO8ZQ55GvqERClYrtn6pkh5opULSGfRT7qZ9o4adQqIaWt3nrh7kD7QIzNhg_5u_xrYxez_bLjVTJ9qcE6IP6ntRTzFgZulveOWeS6mgNdVMZVFxwGn13EZPW8MdR9y4BGBFv-2dxb8/s16000/DSCF6661.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpkB9OrR6I1juQ-cAuPNMeoXbJ_jV3SVnFZ58sJmxbTbEyGt_K0PjvhgUx6DKM3-Pspcol8gP-QpwAN_qjC1hs8XSDqjDu9UuNJnO-ipIeMGWc-B8sYrIGanQ_Ldr33vUPPJPfzyGhhhn7Myp1wAOb29UOIYCtDR5z4uH10-Xfxfn-iBtsm6tiEMvN4Ji/s640/DSCF7817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpkB9OrR6I1juQ-cAuPNMeoXbJ_jV3SVnFZ58sJmxbTbEyGt_K0PjvhgUx6DKM3-Pspcol8gP-QpwAN_qjC1hs8XSDqjDu9UuNJnO-ipIeMGWc-B8sYrIGanQ_Ldr33vUPPJPfzyGhhhn7Myp1wAOb29UOIYCtDR5z4uH10-Xfxfn-iBtsm6tiEMvN4Ji/s16000/DSCF7817.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrRVpbdGasV_pL0vYyLxdKssbPSVsyNjE65zqvszFD9g-cq-ky3XLWBz4nGMPkxRvh_fLylQYRN6Ll6fowOPnccZTp3HPNc9pZtdgXPDyMQjtsKE6HZFryhxGLeLwjpYpudCNy-4TpWrkwiWYcq93tL5FWGiNKusUypxLqs1g3uCEuheJc0vBYcip3s2v/s640/DSCF7910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrRVpbdGasV_pL0vYyLxdKssbPSVsyNjE65zqvszFD9g-cq-ky3XLWBz4nGMPkxRvh_fLylQYRN6Ll6fowOPnccZTp3HPNc9pZtdgXPDyMQjtsKE6HZFryhxGLeLwjpYpudCNy-4TpWrkwiWYcq93tL5FWGiNKusUypxLqs1g3uCEuheJc0vBYcip3s2v/s16000/DSCF7910.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Yamini MacLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383916589808462620noreply@blogger.com15