Hold the Fort!

Well, that's it, the end of the season. The last of this years events (but not adventures, rest easy my friend!). And what event was this? The Siege on the Forth at Blackness Castle.

Now, we have done this event once before in yon days before COVID (scratch that, 2017, that was a lifetime ago!) so I expected it to be different. With the rise of Outlander, some of which was filmed at this castle, it should come as no surprise that redcoats and Jacobites were abound. I decided to getu redcoat out the loft and, with cooler weather, knew that Missy would be more inclined to her Jacobite outfit.

Well, I expected some comments, but my, so many compliments! All from the reenactors (and a pair of young girls who were also dressed up as elves, who recognised kindred spirits as my friend and her boyfriend were also dressed up). Tremendous fun!

I was rather out numbered! There were also World War soldiers (who did a talk about the differences in the uniforms between the first and second), Napoleonic reenactors and also the classic Medieval ones. Missy managed to put stare a lord who relented to give her a piece of chicken but did not succeed in trying to hard stare some quiche off the squires.

The hard stare in action.

Missy tolerated the cannon once, but decided she was above such spectacles upon the second so I went for a wee walk about the camps which were now very quiet and managed to have a lovely chat with two medieval ladies about thier dresses and how they were made.

We then went for a wee walk before returning for the World Wars talk and the final parade. All in all, a very good day.

Even if I did upset a Napoleonic Soldier with my comment about his cute cannon.

 

I mean, how can something that small and deadly not be cute?!

Whilst I don't expect things to calm down any (life is not that kind at the moment), I think there will be an uptick of sewing in future posts. The longer nights are a good encouragement to be genteel and get on with crafts!

Until next time!

Some Time off to Recover

After the chaos of last week, we decided to use the remaining time booked off to recharge the batteries and get some jobs done in the house.

It's still spring cleaning, even in October, right? 

Despite the more laid back plans, adventures must still be had. Blackness Castle seemed a good idea now its open again - although we did laugh at the fact that we've seen plenty of the castle this year with our Bo'ness to Blackness walks! It's a favourite of ours; oddly quirky with its boat shape, a grim dungeon and, in times before plague, lots of events (sadly, I think it will be some time before they host the seige again).

This was the moment that hit us with the difference between Scotland and Englands restrictions. After a week of being the odd ones out in our face masks (even in places like Beamish which asked for masks to be worn indoors, no one except the tourists seemed to be donning them), we were grilled about our health and then reminded 3 times to wear masks in inside areas. Not a problem for us, it just came as a surprise to compare the difference!

From there we did the favourite walks for the week and tried to avoid the sudden bad weather. 

The poor weather was looming on me a bit. Yesterday was our first shot at leading a group walk as Explorers at the UFO walk. One person messaged me to say they couldn't make it as the dog had an injury and that was fine. As we stood in the pouring rain however, I just knew my worst fear had come true: No one was gonna show. Everyone who parked up we queried if they were for the walk and we were either ignored or politely declined.

At 20 past the hour, just as I had given up, a car pulled in and out popped a gigantic fluffy German Shepherd and a Norwegian Elkhound.

"Dog Furiendly...?" I asked whilst getting kisses. 

"yes! Thank god you haven't left yet - I got lost coming in." 

One person and two dogs, fine, i could do that. Hubby and I gave them a personal tour of the area, including the UFO site, the Law and some rambling in the fields. Missy made firm new friends - how else does one cement their friendship without ganging up on a squirrel? I will confess to a moment of panic when said squirrel fell out of the tree and nearly landed on the dogs! Thankfully in the chaos it got back up the tree and was fine. 

Our guest turned out to be another Explorer, which was cool (we're secretly everywhere!). We bounced ideas for other walks in locations that may be more appealing to people (we're thinking of trying again on a Christmas walk at Arthur's Seat). The hour walk turned into two since all the dogs were happy together and then we headed home.

So, it could have been better, but I think we all still had a good time! 

Lastly, whilst there has been much sewing, it's the Christmas gifts that have been started on, which I won't share here. I'm feeling very autumnal today, the gloves and wooly hats are out and the garden is almost entirely put yo bed. Except for this glorious pumpkin, which I am very pleased with!

Now, do I eat it, or carve it? 

Until next time! 

Another's Odd Week

I've been on leave again this week and, whilst the weather hasn't been as nice, it's been a busy little week all the same. We've made an effort to get out walking in some more interesting places and I've made a dent on my sewing and other crafts.

The #mindfulmarch photo challenge has been ticking away in the background and, 4 weeks in, I'm pleased I've managed to post each day. "Motivation" was probably my fav to set up, mostly because I think wristwarmers for dogs should be a thing, even if Missy isn't so sure!

We did a new walk this week, starting at the Falkirk Wheel and walking to the Kelpies and back again. Missy absolutely made some toddlers day at the Kelpies as, during her obligatory photo with the horses, I could hear delighted cries of "look at the doggy! It's having its picture taken!"

Whilst I'm pleased we did the 8 mile walk, I wouldn't particularly recommend it; unless back-of-industrial estate canal is your kind of walk. We had a weird one where we were stopped by a lady who's 7 month old Westie had been allowed off lead and wouldn't return to her. She'd been trying to catch him for an hour and was absolutely wind bunt and frozen to the bone. Hubby and I were more than happy to help, but I was honestly shocked tmby the number of folk who completely ignored her pleas for help. We did manage to corral the pup and, 30 minutes later, he was caught and back on the lead (I suspect permanently). 

Our other big walk was another 8 miles, doing a repeat of the Bo'ness to Blackness walk. We met with our friend who lives in Bo'ness and gave a puppy play date a go. Lily, like Missy, is an ex-rescue who likes other dogs but is totally over this bouncing on each other thing. She seemed delighted to meet another dog who was passively interested in her and they took turns to casually sniff the other before going on thier adventure.

Rescued from the roadside in Serbia, Lily is definitely part terrier and she was content to sniff everything and everyone. Both dogs trotted alongside each other for the bulk of the walk and seemed rather pleased about the arrangement, so I imagine more play dates will occur in the future. 

Pleased to report that both dogs are totally tuckered out in thier respective homes!

Sewing wise I've done rather well in squaring off odds and ends with projects and getting things tidied away. I'm particularly pleased with this baby quilt and matching tote I made for a friend who's expecting. There will be a matching cross stitch, but I have a few months still before that needs finishing!

Gender is unknown and being kept a surprise, so I kept it neutral with nice greys and a lovely mint green. I find Dumbo to be a neutral character too, so either way the baby should get some use out of the quilt.

Hope your all doing well and staying safe, till next week. 

Enjoy the Moment

It's been a pretty crazy week work wise (lots of deadlines and projects going awry), resulting in some serious screen fatigue and generally feeling wiped out. Spring is helping, it always does, and with a weekend of bright dry weather promised, I was keen to embrace the outdoors and continue looking for new walks.

Following from the success of last week, we decided to go the other direction and go big, or go home, by doubling the walk to 8 miles. Yep, after years on the to-do list, we finally walked Bo'ness to Blackness Castle (with a picnic in between). I'd clocked the walk when taking Missy around Bo'ness Harbour (usually before or after a train ride) and logged it for another day.

Well, today was the perfect day. Sunny, but not hot. Breezy, but not cold. And most importantly, dry.

We parked at the harbour and set off. Like last week, there was enough passing traffic that the polite how-do-you-dos and Good-mornings made a lovely soundtrack to the day. We saw plenty of dogs (a handsome whippet took a particular fancy to Missy) and there was plenty of cyclists and walkers too.

Once at the castle, we enjoyed a picnic (we were better prepared this week) in which Missy kept a keen eye out for runaway crumbs and, after admiring the view, headed back again. 

The foreshore path is well maintained - most of the journey was on proper pavement with just the final leg to the castle being beaten path. It made it an easier walk than last week, although our feet and legs are now very tired!

Missy is happily dozing on the sofa, recharging for the future squirrel apocalypse. At least, she's successfully chasing them in her sleep, if the yips are anything to go by.

On a sad note, this week marks the passing of my sisters much loved cat, Crumble. She's the only cat I have known to dismiss Missy with a hard stare and a swagger and, on one occasion, primly told Missy off with a (claws in) bap to the face. 

After that pack order was accepted and, when enjoying a cup of tea on a visit, I would often spot them holding council in the corner, Crumble the ruling queen, her many furred bretherin about her with Missy sat alongside them to complete the circle as they conferred in the silent ways animals truly discuss the goings on in the world. 

No matter your loyalties to cat or dog, they all live too short a time. Her pawprints have left thier marks on many a heart. 

An Early Spring Trek

So, the weather had made a full about turn from our snowy valentines last week. It ramped up to 10C and rained non stop most of this week, getting rid of any hint of snow. The warm turn, and probably all the rain, have set off the snowdrops who are all showing thier little white lined caps with the promise of thier full flowers in a few days to come. My rhubarb has also started growing, so my mind has turned to the garden and my plans for the planters this year. Carrots, I suspect, will be a much demanded choice.

Yesterday was one of those days where I got the house turned around to it's spring colours - the winter themed quilt has been swapped with Peter Rabbit and the thick fleece throws have been exchanged for a lighter place to snuggle up in. 

Missy is also putting on her springwear and, in the last few days, has begun to cast terribly. Despite the bed hair, she's doing well and we seem safely past the ailments of the cold winter. 

Today the rain stopped. The first laundry to be dried outside made its appearance and it was definitely the kind of morning that required an adventure. But where? We've done almost every woodland in West Lothian and are still not allowed to sneak into neighbouring areas. Then I recalled that the dog walker had posted online previously that West Lothian had a single beach. The hubby dismissed this as the scrubby rocky bit at Blackness Castle and I was adamant that whilst, OK, that was in West Lothian, but there was apparently an actual beach. I trawled for that post online and found the name of the place.

Abercorn, right beside North Deer Wood and, lo and behold, coastline. So we packed the kites and some snacks and made our way there. We were immediately within a lovely woodland walk and played pooh sticks on the bridge. A little further and we could see the promised beach before us. It was onf the pebbly sort, but that was fine so long as we could fly the kites a little. So we let Missy leas the way out of the trees and to a spectacular view of Blackness Castle, just a little further down the coast. 

We agreed to a draw. 

It was too still to fly the kites so, after getting our wellies wet, we continued along the woodland path and spotted a sign stating the way we had come was half a mile back, and Blackness was 2 more ahead. 

Why not. 

It was a busy little path with other dog walkers, cyclists and joggers and very soon, after much exchanging of pleasantries, it actually started to feel like a normal day, pre covid. Spirits lifted, we were soon at the castle (which we both decided we had to go and physically poke to say we'd actually been to the castle). We had our picnic, found a strong enough breeze to get the kite flying and all was well again in the world. 

Whilst the kite got many compliments from passers by, Missy was soon bored and we decided to head back and complete the 5mile circular. 

Once home, we got on with the garden jobs that have been neglected and Missy only stirred from the sofa to insist it was dinner time now. 

A very pleasant end to the week. 

I did manage to find some time to get on the sewing machine and I'm very pleased with this upcycle. What was once hubby's very nice quality chinos (which now make him look like he's wearing a paper bag as he's lost so much weight) have now been given a second chance as some dungarees for my nephew. Hopefully he'll wear them more than my hubby did!

Siege on the Forth

Just a quick post today before I go walking over the Queensferry Crossing!

Yesterday (and today) was the annual Siege on the Forth event held at Blackness Castle and, as hubby was working, Missy, a good friend and myself decided to go and enjoy the surprisingly nice weather and watch the reenactments. Having done the jousting at Linlithgow, I had a rough idea of what would be going on and I wasn't disappointed!

In addition to all the medieval zone, they had the Covenants and the Napoleonic zones which were very interesting (after watching musket balls being made, we spent quite a long time cackling away with a witch (I mean, a herbologist). The main arena held a fashion show (which was really a big brawl) and then demonstrations of the military tactics through the ages and a very sort reenactment of the siege of 1651. They also had a marquee set up with all the children's stuff like soap carving, trebuchet making and a medieval science talk that was really about the engineering tricks they came up with in order to build castles. 

Missy was incredibly well behaved and the bangs for the most part didn't bother her. She did get a fright when the petard went off, but truth be told, we all did. So we went for a walk about the castle until everyone's nerves had settled down and then avoided the worst of the canon fire afterwards. The weather was spectacular and the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant as everyone was having a really nice time. 

Expect a post soon about the crossing, until then, cheerio!

Blackness Castle

Its another one for the Scottish Heritage pass! Desperately trying to make sure we get our moneys worth out of these...

So, Blackness Castle - the boat that never floated....

Seriously, from the pier it looks like a ship - its the strangest little castle you can imagine! And of course its dog friendly, so Missy has been continuing with her history lessons. This one boasts a prison tower, a great hall, a large courtyard and even allows you to walk around most of the curtain wall. We bumped into lots of other pooches who were enjoying their lessons as well, so it seems a local favourite for a nice afternoon.

This was a good castle for the dog as, despite the winding staircases (she's just about mastered them now without towing one of us to out imminent deaths) it was really quite open, and the grounds included a nice stroll along the beach which had plenty of rabbits in the long grass for shaking off any history-induced-cobwebs.

Missy is admiring her kingdom

In addition to trawling the local area for castles and other unusual and fun places to take the dog, I've been getting on with a lot of sewing projects. Whilst I enjoy dressing Missy up in silly hats and coats, the hubby prefers a more practical look for the dog (Missy, her wagging tail reliably informs me that she really doesn't care, so long as there is treats at the end of it all!) And so I present to you all (courtesy of Simplicty Pattern 1578) a doggy bathrobe! Perfect for little doggies like mine who absolutely hate being dried down (really, the way she acts when you try to dry her paws would have you thinking you were wielding a rusty saw at the dog!)

I also do sewing for humans too - mostly little ones like my nieces and nephew, but sometimes I do manage to make something a bit more grown up sized. I might do a wee post sometime soon with a wee sewing round up, but until then, cheerio!