"Any Colour You Like" by Pink Floyd

Janis and I were at our first ever watercolour art class today. Our pensioners association ran it for us (I helped set it up with John) and we had a super day. The setting was Haddo House near where we live. My result is attached although I must say it is not finshed yet. I was amazed at how tired I was after the day's class. I think I was using a part of my brain I have not used for years (the creative bit). I enjoyed it so much I am going to buy some materials and try to do a few more when I go out into the countryside.

So here is the picture. Its not great but its a start.



This is my 1st watercolour painting I have ever done. Still to be completed.
And I painted this one on the next day. I will complete it next week and hope to frame it and hang it in our home.

"Sweet Dreams Baby" by Roy Orbison

Kirsty - my Sister's Granddaughter, at 3 months. taken in early 2005.

"When I'm Sixty-Four" by the Beatles

I have been Tagged Again! --- by Irene

I will give it a go ...........................

10 YEARS AGO I WAS ... Not so long ago! Where does the time go?
I was working for TOTAL at St Fergus Gas Terminal. I had just passed my IOSH exams and beacame a "Safety Profesional".

5 YEARS AGO I WAS .......
I had arrived back home to Scotland from working in Indonesia and a long holiday in Australia.
It was the longest I had ever been away from home, ever! 3 months.

1 YEAR AGO I WAS ........
finished my career with TOTAL and enjoying the start of my long retirement.

YESTERDAY I WAS ........
waiting for the rain to go off so that I could go for a cycle ride.
looking at new cars for Claire.
preparing for a childrens panel hearing.

5 MOST RECENT SONGS I'VE LISTENED TO ......
Pomp and Circumstance by Elgar
The arrival of the Queen of Sheba by Handel
Imagine by John Lennon
Panic by The Puppini Sisters (on iTunes)
Norwegian Wood by The Beatles

5 SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO ........
She Loves You
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Ticket to Ride
Paint it Black
Psalm 121

IDEAL PLACE FOR RUNNING AWAY TO ........
My Home is the best place to run to. You are welcome any time.

5 THINGS I REALLY WANT ........
Good Health for my children
Love of, and for, my family and friends
Peace for the World
Happiness for everyone
Wisdom of our leaders

5 THINGS I SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW ........
Washing my car
Editing my movies that I have not touched for over 2 years
Moving all our bits and bobs into our new study

5 BIGGEST JOYS IN MY LIFE ........
Claire, Grant and Bruce and, of course, Janis
Hillwalking in my Scottish Hills
Cycling, fishing, golf, driving and women.
Being a Childrens’ Panel member making a difference to young peoples lives for the good.
Driving a large truck to Romania and Moldova for New Hope Trust

5 PEOPLE I TAG ......
Lord Celery, sorry janet!

I don't want to tag anyone else.. thankyou.

“Bookends” by Simon & Garfunkel

Best song title that I can come up with Janet!

I’ve been tagged!!

I've just noticed that I've been tagged by LORD CELERY!

Here's the task that Ive been tagged with:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next
3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag five people.

*************************************************
Here are the three sentences that are on page 123 of my book:

Among the gentry even the average family would need to employ a number of servants to enable it to maintain its expected place in society, and the wealfare of the family the greater the number.

The ratio of searvant to income was well understood in Jane’s day, and is reflected in her novels: Mrs and Miss Bates can only afford the one little maid-of-all-work, Patty, to whom they probably paid between 5 and 10 Guineas a year, and the impoverished Prices, in their Portmouth back street, have two sluttish maids.

Mrs Dashwood and her daughter, who’s income is reduced to £500 a year, can still afford 2 maids and a general manservant; going up the scale, Mr Bennet as a family man with about £2,000 a year might expect to employ 8 female servants and 8 men servants; while Bingley, Darcy and Rushworth probably employed 2 dozen or more.

Taken from: Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels by Deirdre Le Faye.

***************************************************

Thank you Janet for that Tagging.

Not sure I can tag 5 people but here’s who I am tagging:
1. Lord Celery's Little Brother
2. Irene
3. Lyanne
4. Anthony's Kingdom
5. Kyle

Give it a go all of you. Ta, Iain

"YER BLUES" by the Beatles

As any of my friends will tell you I love cheese and I especially like good blue cheeses.

When I was in Australia I found, for me, the best blue cheese in the World, Roaring Forties Blue. It came from the King Island Dairy. King Island is situated south of Melbourne at the Western end of the Bass Strait, just off Melbourne.

When I came back to Scotland I could not find anyone importing it so I have been sulking for the past 5 years knowing that the best cheese in the World is on the other side of the World and almost impossible to buy here. So imagined my surprise when I was visiting Toronto that it is on sale there. I was so upset that people could enjoy the cheese there but not here in bonny Scotland.

However, while enjoying a most pleasant evening meal with my sister-in-law’s in-law’s in Toronto I was introduced to what tasted very like my delicious King Island Blue and it is called Shropshire Blue, all the way from England. I was so happy that I could again taste a cheese that I enjoy very much back here in the UK. What gave me an even greater surprise was the fact that Shropshire Blue originates from near Inverness that is just 90 miles from my doorstep.

Here is what I found out on the Web.

“Shropshire Blue originated at the Castle Stuart Dairy, Inverness in the 1970's where it was called 'Inverness-shire Blue' or 'Blue Stuart'. It was made by a Scottish cheese-maker called Andy Williamson who was trained in the making of Stilton in Nottinghamshire. He returned to Scotland to produce the first Scottish Blue cheeses which included cheeses similar not only to Stilton but also to Blue Cheshire and Wensleydale. Inverness-shire Blue, or Blue Stuart, was marketed throughout the rest of the British Isles as Shropshire Blue; a name chosen simply to help its sales and acceptability. However, in 1980 production of the cheese stopped as the Milk Marketing Board of Northern Scotland brutally shut down the creamery killing off a number of Scottish cheeses and its only blues.

The making of the cheese was however taken up by the Cheshire cheese maker Elliot Hulme and Harry Hanlin along with the help and advice of Charlie Chisholm, who worked at the Castle Stuart Dairy. The first Shropshire Blue from the farm then appeared at the Nantwich show in 1980. However, soon after this they too also stopped making the cheese. Fortunately, the making of the cheese moved to Nottinghamshire when Long Clawson Dairy and Colston Bassett Dairy took up production. An ironic return to the area of Shropshire Blues real birth-place in the early years of the creators life, Andy Williamson.

Shropshire Blue has a flavour somewhere between Blue Cheshire and Blue Stilton, a creamy orange coloured paste with blue-green veining; annatto produces the orange colour and Penicillium roquefortii produces the veining. The cheese is essentially an orange coloured Stilton style cheese. It is made from pasteurised cows' milk and using rennet suitable for vegetarians. The cheese is matured for 12 weeks but it can be matured for a further 12 weeks to produce a creamier fuller flavoured cheese. Shropshire Blue is excellent throughout the year.

Each cheese is approximately 20cm in diameter, 30cm high, weighs 8kg and has a fat content of 48%. It is excellent on the cheese-board and is also very versatile in the kitchen; it makes fabulous soups and sauces. It is best accompanied by good English brown ale and as with Stilton, by rich fortified wines.

I found a cheese shop in Aberdeen selling Shropshire Blue so now I can enjoy a wee bit of what I like more regularly than every 5 years!

Note of warning: Keep well away from the stuff that you can buy in Tesco and other supermarkets pretending to be Shropshire Blue. It’s not nice at all.

"BBQ Stain" by Tim Magraw

We had a good BBQ at our friend's house on Saturday evening. The weather was so good that we were still outside at 1am! Good food, good company. Here are the Crabs' Claws starters fresh from the sea.

"BIRTHDAY" by the Beatles

Scotland's oldest woman celebrates her 111th birthday
Wed 7 Jun 2006

I read this item below in the news today. Some say that Scottish people have a 15% higher mortality rate than England and Ireland. Well, you can prove anything with statistics! Happy Birthday, Annie.


"Annie Knight, of Aberdeen, believed to be Scotland's oldest woman, was 111 yesterday. She puts her longevity down to no alcohol. Annie, spent her big birthday yesterday with her family and friends. Her son, Bill, 85, who also lives in Aberdeen, said: "She has a bowl of porridge every morning and has never touched a drop of alcohol in her life - maybe that's the secret."

"Britain's oldest man, Henry Allingham, of Sussex, 110 yesterday, attributes his to whisky."