Sea fog

 This blog has been on hold for a while after Toad's macbook died, using the imac in the home office was just too uncomfortable – heights of working, of seats, of arthritic aches that are unaccommodating, and anyway the photos app isn't working properly for shifting iphone photos to the blog interface. Oh, and the Blogger app on an iPad was a nightmare to use. Now, though, I have my own macbook so I thought I'd start blogging again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I looked out of Toad's working from home office (formerly Toadlet's bedroom; it has a good desk) window this morning before it was light, I was struck by the appearance of the light at Rhu Point. It looked like a broad, vertical, red beam which subtly changed to yellowish and then back to red. I haven't seen it like that before. Perhaps it has been recently updated. A little while later it had vanished in a thick bank of fog, which then enveloped the channel marker buoys as it rolled up the loch. As I write a ship's fog horn is blaring a warning note at regular intervals.

Sun is forecast for this afternoon but the fog will keep the temperature down meantime.

Fog over the field; it's thicker over the loch

Yesterday managed a bit more colour. It's amazing how much winter colour there is when you look closely. Raises the spirits. As does faffing around with scraps of colourful fabric in the warmth of the house.

Snow on old fern fronds

Trees across the lane

A mossy mound, shaded and sunny sides

Bit of fabric faffing

As I finish this the sun is making an effort to break through the fog ☀️

A gathering together of scraps and a breakfast in the sun

Today has involved a gathering together of "mossies" and "earthies" from my fabric scrap box for a new commission. I actually emptied the box. This has not happened for years! So the blues and reds and brights and lights are sorted too. And the box needs a good dusting.

Then came a late breakfast of date sandwiches and tea outside. The temperature in the shade was only 6.5ºC but it was comfortable in the sun. I watched a small lek of midges and heard a mosquito in one ear. They are not biting yet but I have had bites in February occasionally. They don't usually get itchy at this time of year.

Below is the hazy view through winter trees down to the loch from where I sat.

Turning my head to the right from that view I enjoyed the light shining through the overwintered leaves of monbretia.

Another right turn of the head revealed more daffodil shoots and then I got up to inspect the state of the mossy rocks under the now dead deep-pink-flowering rhododendron.

In its tussle with some holly trunks, I think the holly won. Fortunately there is another plant slightly uphill from this which is still alive. Those dead trunks will become firewood in due course.

On the rocks in the foreground I checked out the mosses. There is a fair bit of Swan's-neck Thyme Moss (Mnium hornum) which can be quite striking in its old, dry state. The pic below shows  some old shoots and a few new, fresh green shoots of the same plant. Intertwined with them both are shoots of Common Feather Moss (Kindbergia praelonga) of which we have masses at the Boggy Brae. There is also a liverwort in there (bottom left corner), probably White Earwort (Diplophyluum albicans).

Capsules of Mnium hornum

Kindbergia praelonga/Common Feather Moss
growing at the base of a wild cherry tree

Patchwork in progress

 The gales and heavy rain of the last couple of days are set to continue for a while so I've used the time when I couldn't work outside very easily for making some new coasters. They are now for sale in my Etsy shop. Their sizes are between 12 and 14cm square.

I also finished making a table runner, which measures 79cm by 28cm

the back of the runner

And then there is work in progress. When I took this photo, my hair, which I just washed so it wasn't pinned up in its usual twist, fell and swung across the camera lens. I took another but then decided I quite like the shadow effect.

After this weekend, which will mainly be concerned with archery matters, I plan to get out several large pieces of scrappy patchwork that I made over  year ago and decide what they are going to be.

Meanwhile the winds howl, the house sings, the hail showers blow through, clattering on windows and down chimneys, and this may be the best sunlight we're going to get today:

Christmas Tree

Inspired by a card from my grandsons, one of my scrappies turned itself into a christmas tree this morning. I might finish it later today if Toadlet and DivingDaughter get on with the gingerbread house.

Happy Christmas, everyone! 

Restarting scrappies

After a long break, the scrappies are go.
When the weather is as dreich as today it's a fine thing to do.

Besides, I needed a new coaster

mug coaster

before I start on the big stuff again.