My Skywatch Friday--10

This was the scene from my front door about 10pm on Wednesday night. Who would think that orange could ever become blue?

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Remember Whensday--2

This is hay turning 1940-50 style! First it was cut into swathes by the horsedrawn mower, in June, left to dry, hopefully in the sun, for a few days then turned over for the underside to dry. That was the plan, at least, but in Scotland you seldom get a run of good drying days and often the hay was turned only for the rain to come on and the process had to be repeated, often several times! Here we see the hay being turned by hand--well with a fork! All of us children who were old enough to hold the tool were drafted in for this task, even my grandad, to the left, helped out.

Only after it was completely dry was it collected into heaps with a sweep then built into ricks and left to dry further, till it was carted into the yard to be built into even bigger stacks. This was before we had the use of a baler.

It was after the ricks had been built that we went on holiday , for a few days at first, then eventually, after my father decided that holidays weren't so bad, we had a fortnight away camping in the Highlands or West Coast.

This is "camp" on one of the first holidays. We had a big wooden box, tied by a piece of thick rope to the door of the boot, which opened downwards, filled with all the provisions and home baking to keep us fed. We three children were squashed into the back seat alongside all the bedding and clothes. Jack, the youngest, I seem to remember sat on a tin biscuit box! Mother took her pinny and there were always boiled potatoes for dinner, cooked on the little primus stove.....so, of course, there was a container of paraffin and a bottle of methylated spirits to get the thing started.......no mattress or beds, just the hard ground, but eventually we had lilos..oh. the sheer luxury! Mother sewed sleeping bags out of woollen army blankets, which weighed a ton! There were no seats of any form.

This was another year, different car, but dad still sporting his holiday gear--voluminous tweed trousers with the strong gallowses (braces) well to the fore and no bonnet, well, not unless it became colder or rained, which it did fairly often. The first tent belonged to Grandad and was of uncertain age and with a tendency to leak but then one year, father splashed out and we had a new one from the Army Surplus Store. It had a fly sheet------and a veranda---so much more room when the rain was on! The drawback was it weighed a lot and was bulky, especially when wet, and took up a lot of precious room. The tents were always strapped on to the car between the front mudguards and the engine, one either side.

After one particularly wet holiday dad bought a caravan and then we were cruising (as they say)!

For more reminiscences from others, and to join in,click here.

P.S. For the record, here was the order of stages in haymaking (in Central Scotland, at least)

Mowing, drying, turning, sweeping, rick/cole building (in the field), drying, carting in to stackyard to be hoisted up, bundle by bundle with the grab on the very tall (seemed like 100 feet high to me then!)"hay fork"to form huge stacks and finally, eaten overwinter by the stock.

I wish we had taken photos of all these stages but just didn't think about it then!

My World--My Pups

Racing

Sparring

Playing ball

Fighting

These are my 3 pups, now almost 7 weeks old .

They have been moved, with mum, into the kitchen for easier access to outdoors for obvious reason! Today we've had frequent torrential showers so they've been indoors most of the time, playing, chewing their newspaper in the bottom of their pen (from the outside)... and wee-ing. I seem to have spent a fair bit of time with the mop in my hand.

The dogs (and pups) are now a big part of my world since I retired. Occasionally I find time to do a little light housework--what would my mother say? She was a real dedicated housewife and had no time for hobbies. She counted darning and mending in her list of favourite things to do. I think that gene has been lost!

To read about the world of others click here.

Leeds Champ. Show-Final Part.

This rather "modern art" looking photo was taken by me on the travelling coach as we neared our destination, The Forth Road Bridge, on the homeward journey. Due to the long exposure and the bumping in the coach , I got this effect!
It's an awful picture but I quite like it! It is actually a tallish, modern hotel, with a black glass exterior and bright blue florescent vertical lights on the corners.

Dog cages stacked in the coach. Not all were papillons.

Emma (top), under her little cotton duvet and Nuri, a first timer on a coach journey, fast asleep underneath, on the seat opposite me.

There follows some photos of some other Scottish dogs at the show.

Wee Angus of Adinaken Sh. CM.

Adnamashan One In A Million JW "on the table"

..and on the move.

Northlyte Timeless At Bonmeshay JW Sh. CM.

Leeds Championship Show - Part 2.

My own dogs, Nuri (Joneca Next Edition) and Swallow (Meerwings The Swallow Tale at Pyatshaw) were both placed VHC and Carole's Emma, (Meerwings A Butterfly Story) whom I was also showing, came 4th in the Open Bitch class so we didn't exactly shine at this show but neither did we return empty handed. There is always a big entry in the Papillon classes.
We started off showing outside but ended up showing bitches in a big marquee after a heavy shower of rain, whereupon it it stopped raining and stayed that way for the rest of the day.
It was lovely, after the show, to get back in daylight (just!) on the coach to Forth Road bridge, about 10pm, as Leeds is one of the closer English Champ. Shows.
I missed taking photos of some of the dog classes due to my preoccupation with the Red Kites and attempting to snap them!

1st Puppy Dog and Best Dog Pup......Burghbridge Ur Solid Gold Skyvana

1st Post Graduate Dog...Volpecula Study In Scarlet.

The Challenge for the Dog Certificate.

The judge, Mr. Stephen Randle Goodwin, examines Wee Angus of Adinaken Sh.CM.

!st Limit Dog..Lafford Fly Me Too Farleysbane JW

2nd Limit Dog...Papplewick Perfect Pitch JW Sh. CM

2nd Open Dog.....Abbeyton Isle B Willin To Tri at Bankshill

Red Kites at Leeds Champ. Show.

During the judging of the dogs I was distracted by the acrobatic display by a pair of Red Kites. These magnificent birds had been widespread in Britain at one time but, due to the mistaken belief that they were killing young lambs, they were hunted to distinction. They have since been re-introduced to several areas throughout UK, the best known being in Wales. They have a distinctive forked tail, which can be seen in the rather bleary, cropped, zoomed photo, and white patches on the underside of the wings, with the remainder of the plumage being mainly chestnut.
I must have shot about a dozen photos, which , when viewed, were of just sky and not a bird to be seen, as they soar, dip and twist in flight. I tried zooming but then couldn't find the bird in the viewfinder! These, I'm afraid, were the best of some very hazy photos. You'll probably have to click the picture to enlarge it to see the bird as it appears like a speck of dust in the first photo!

The zoomed photo showing the forked tail.

Leeds Championship Show--Part 1.

!st Minor Puppy Bitch.......Sunshoo Imasun Arise (NAF)

Jubilation ............ or about to eat her after coming 2nd in Minor Puppy Bitch..Kenf's Celtic Star?

2nd in Puppy Bitch...Petitchien's Over The Moon

1st Junior Bitch......Frasermar Sunset Kiss

!st Post graduate Bitch......Ablazzor Three Wishes at Ancojo JW.

1st Novice Bitch......Ringlands Alexie Belle of Tricianbri.

Reserve Best Dog..............Lafford Fly Me Too Farleysbane

Reserve Best Bitch and Best Pup in Breed.......Gleniren Mannelisa Sunshoo

Best Bitch........Ch. Gleniren Starlight Kisses

Best Dog and Best of Breed...NL Ch.Powdermill Sweet Touch Spinillons

Sky through the Acer.

This was taken on a beautiful day at a local garden centre, in the Japanese Garden area, which was in a sunken, sheltered part. I have a very small acer in a pot in the garden but unless I am very careful its leaves become burnt with our chilly winds.

For more "sky" photos click here.

PS I've just realised I'm a day early! Oh well, as I'm off tonight till very late Friday night, better early than never!

Old Wartime Photos.

My parents', Tom and Jessie, wedding photo, in 1939. My mother made her "outfit", a tweed coat. There was never anything frivolous about mum. The coat would be very serviceable and hard wearing and should last her a long time. My aunt is wearing a pair of woollen Fairisle gloves-(for a wedding?) She told the story of how her sister, (mum), who had raised her, as their mother died young, made her a pair of flannel knickers for school wear. They were the most uncomfortable, itchy things she ever had to wear!

The bridesmaid was mum's sister, Bunty, who was to be working on the farm in the Land Army. These ladies have, just this year, been presented with medals in recognition of their war effort. My aunt died aged 88, shortly after receiving it.

After the short wedding service they had to rush home to do the milking. My father was punctilious about milking at the same times, morning and afternoon, every day! There was no honeymoon.

This is Landgirl Bunty Ross, with me and elder brother Ross, with a group of airmen who had come to see to the recovery of an aircraft which had had to ditch in the loch (Leven) beside the farm. Lucky devil...all those uniforms!!! Bunty had, as part of her uniform, a pair of breeches, which my father said I could wear as jodhpurs when I wanted, in later years (about 14!),

to try show jumping at the local agricultural show..don't your parents give you a red face!

Some of these airmen were friends for years after this.

For more reminiscences from others with old photos visit here.

I've been sitting up in the loft searching through lots of the old black and white photos and having a good laugh--don't they look old fashioned!!!

Another dog has his day, in Fife!

The Rosette

Mo looking rather pleased with himself.

Last weekend was another back-to-backer with dog shows both days (great!); Dundee on the
Saturday and Fife at Kirkcaldy on Sunday. We ended up with very mixed fortunes. Saturday was a day of yellow rosettes (3rds) but Sunday--well, that was different!........different day, different judge and all going to show that beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Not every one of my dogs excelled. This was little Nuri's christening into dog showing. He seemed to enjoy it and was not at all phased by the noise and bustle but only came 3rd out of 3 pups in his class. Better luck next time.
Mo, on the other hand was the star as he came away as Reserve Best in Show!....no money on offer but a BIG rosette.