Balloon Race

Balloon Race, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

Up up and away went these biodegradable balloons as part of the Lumsden Gala on Saturday. I was very relieved to hear that they were going to be biodegradable balloons – three cheers to the organisers for that!

There were fun and games aplenty at the gala and we had exceptionally good weather too – the fire brigade took advantage of that and turned the hose pipe on for a cooling shower too!

The drumming group Dezibel came along and this proved to be very popular with all ages – there really is something about the drums that appeals to so many people. Check our their Myspace page http://www.myspace.com/dezibeldrummers for more info. I’ll be adding some drumming photos and more from the Gala to my Flickr pages. Click on the photo to be taken there

Our journey to the gala wasn’t the best – we were halfway up the hill about a mile from home when the prop shaft went on the landrover – thankfully we were able to call our friendly local mechanic Derek Smith and he was able to come over and enable us to get the landie home (albeit after he’d had his lunch but that was more than fair enough, especially on a Sat!) – I walked home with J to get my car and J and I went on to the Gala while D waited for Derek – D then cycled to the gala and met us there. On the way back D’s chain slipped off the bike and totally ruined a couple of cog things (insert technical term yourself because I don’t know what it is – only that it’s going to cost about £40 for a new one!) and so that was the landie and the bike off the road.

On yer bike

Slow Down Huntly 8, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

It was fun to watch people trying to get onto the penny farthing at the Slow Down Huntly Cycling & Walking Festival last weekend. This guy seems to have the knack, but then it’s hardly surprising as he and his friend cycled to the event on a couple of custom made bikes – you can see more on my flickr photo set.

There was lots of fun in The Square and it was lovely to be there – there was a great feeling of community and co-operation. Deck chairs (and blankets just in case – it is Scotland in summer!) were laid out around the square to allow people to kick back and relax for the afternoon before the 3 mile cycle to the old quarry. Bikes were equipped with a special device to leave coloured chalk trails along the route and the end result was very colourful.

designed by Jacqueline Donachie for Slow Down Huntly

Great fun!

First Foxglove of 2009

First Foxglove of 2009, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

It’s been ages since I posted anything here – I plan to start posting more often with a view to posting my favourite photos of the week.

I love the colour in this one – fresh and vibrant and so new. The flowers have opened just recently and I’ve been watching and waiting for them for ages. The foxgloves themselves are growing inbetween the paving and a tidier gardener may well have scraped them away before they turned into these tall and majestic plants. Me – well not a chance of that happening, I saw them as a bonus. There is one with white flowers just next to it too.

Kirsty McGee & Mat Martin at The Tin Hut, Gartly

Kirsty McGee & Mat Martin 2, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

What a fab evening we had on Friday. Despite the torrential rain spirits were most definitely not dampened and there was a good turnout at The Tin Hut.

Regular concerts are held throughout the year and I’d previously dragged the family along to see The Groanbox Boys – well that was such fun that we went twice, and when I realised that Kirsty McGee and Mat Martin were playing I had to investigate further.

First, I googled Kirsty McGee and found her Myspace page http://www.myspace.com/kirstymcgeeandmatmartin – I loved the music and so did my son, and even David said it was quite good (praise indeed from him!) so I emailed Fraser at www.tinhutsessions.co.uk and arranged to pick up our tickets on the door.

J was so pleased to win the prize of a signed EP and he insisted on putting it onto his MP3 player so that he can listen at bed time!

The Yellow On The Broom

The Yellow On The Broom, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

Spotted the first of the yellow on the broom recently on the plants outside my house – it won’t be long before these bushes are alive with the sound of bees gently humming as they drink the nectar and distribute the pollen – and the scent is lovely too.

Spring at Haughton Park

Spring at Haughton Park, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

Spring is definitely in full swing at the moment with blue skies and warm sunshine for the second day in a row. It is a bit more cloudy today though, which suits me fine as yesterday was too hot to work outdoors and so I opted for opening the bottle of Cairn o’ Mohr strawberry wine that I won in the school raffle at the end of term. Rather yummy it was too and a perfect glass for a sunny afternoon in the garden.

Strachan’s of Royal Deeside

Aboyne Fire 4, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

A sad day on 8th April when Aboyne business Strachan’s of Royal Deeside burnt down.

Just add water

365 day 3 – Vernal Equinox, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Happy St Patrick’s Day, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

Water in various forms

Water in various forms, originally uploaded by The Neepster.

The theme for this week’s 7 Days of Shooting group is “I can’t live without…”

I was busy trying to think of things that I could not live without and, taking the theme literally, I came up with water. I dismissed many other items – good food, wine, computer etc – yes, they make a huge difference to my life, but I could get by without them. Perhaps I’m taking the theme a little too seriously.

Anyway – water is definitely something I can’t live without.