HOLIDAY SNAPS

Recent photo of Ellie (11), Harriet (13) and Alastair (18) taken in Norwich on holiday.... And below is a similar photo which includes Ishbel (19).

FLOWERS OF SCOTLAND incuding RUNNING REPAIRS

It's summer and the garden is in full colour.  It's green and lush with every day new lots flowers coming into bloom...such a joy, both to look at and have for cut flowers for the house.

Pink peonies - a bloom before the rain came on....

Alchemilla mollus or Lady's mantle, grows everywhere. 

Rose along side of the house.  Other roses are doing well but got rain bashed after only a couple of days' showy blooms (as we had a genuine (!) heat-wave a couple of weeks ago).

White sweet pea bush ... just starting to come out.  Genus and species?  Possibly Lathyrus latifolius White Pearl Everlasting Pea Perennial.  It has no perfume but grows vigorously every year producing fistfulls of flowers for every vase in the house.

 

Erygium (Sea Holly). I have several species which always do well.

Fennel plants which seeded themselves after I started planting them from my own seeds several years ago

Cotonus  'Royal Purple' Smoke Bush.  I have another one which is smaller with green leaves.  I saw them first in Vacouver in gardens out by UBC gates.

Crocosmia lucifer.  I gave everything liquid fertilizer this year and this, among others, is goisng to be a blaze of colour.

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Meanwhile I have been doing some chores.  With the help of YouTube I have learned how to use a power screwdriver.  About 5 years ago Iain and Ishbel made a trim for the garden shed using cedar shakes.  It has now had a few bashes and so I am replacing them as I found a bag of them in the garage.  

I use this shed a lot both for storing the spades etc but also as a 'table' where I can work, i.e. plant seeds and a 'repository' as I tend to mislay tools and garden gloves.

Once I learn what the tools are called I can then watch a video on how to use them.

The cedar shakes are now replaced so now they just need to be painted.

I manage fine with the power screwdriver.  When I use my sewing machine I find the hardest thing to sew is a straight line; the hardest part of getting the screw in the wood is to have it go in 'straight'!

I have just noticed... about a year ago I replaced that black catch on the left-hand shed door and it is still going strong!

JUNE ROUND-UP: SUNDAY MEAL IN THE GARDEN AND BIRTHDAY TIME

The rhododendrons are in full bloom and the gardens are looking lovely.  

Tannoch Loch Milngavie in May

Harriet's 13th birthday

Alastair aged 18 years

Ellie aged 11 years

Harriet 13 years

* * * * * * The Garden * * * * * *

Peonies from Anne

Clematis growing over the birdhouse (which I built several years ago). After many attempts the is the the first time clematis has flourished...not sure why.

2026 BIRTHDAY

Another year has passed; that's me 82 years old now.  Life rolls along much the same really.

A recent photograph:

(taken in the garden today when out at the washing line...)

I like to spend time in the garden... lovely at this time of year. I even make an effort to sit and read a book or the newspaper but I always find that somehow 2 hours passes and the book is left untouched!  Yes, I do spend many hours pottering about outside or possibly in the garage where I have things I can get on with if the weather is poor.

It is wonderful to be able to pay the occasional trip to Edinburgh to see Inger.  I am at that time of life when too many of my social events are attending funerals. A train trip for some much needed 'social stimulation' definitely offsets the 'duty' stuff!

Such a lovely city... walkable with lots to see looking up!  (Glasgow can be like that too but it is currently digging up roads to put in cycle lanes, fibre optic cables and the place is a mess!)

These 4 photos are on my route to my destination.  Picture postcard perfect!

And finally I still keep busy with desk-top publishing activities. My main project is producing the 20 pages brochure for Milngavie Music Cub.  Here it is, hot off the press.

I really enjoy this computer work and it keeps me in touch with both the technology which is always changing plus the people involved who work in the printing and advertising sectors. (I deal with artwork for various aspects relating to putting on these concerts.). It's a case of 'If you don't use it, you lose it.'   Sometimes I have to have to spend many hours 'trouble-shooting' when I can't get the software to work.  However I am getting better at it! And I have learned, like using the banks these days, the problem doesn't necessarily lie at my end!

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The birthday cake which ended up being a pile of Nigella brownies stacked in a dish with masses of Mary Berry ganache slathered all over it... candles finished it off... a sort of mini-volcano.  As long as there is lots of chocolate the kids don't mind in what form it comes!  That's Harriet (L) nearly 13 years and Ellie (11).

  

KNITTING PATTERN FOR CHILDNREN'S FINGERLESS GLOVES WITH COLOURED WORK

These 'gloves'.. more like 'mittens'.... are knitted from a pattern taken from my mother-in-law's Paton's Woolcraft knitting book, 18th edition, [June 1967]. Cost 2/5 shillings.  Details below.

This is record of what I did as a test piece to teach myself how to do coloured yarn work (Shetland style knitting roughly speaking) where you carry the yarn(s) in the back.  It is not perfect but I would do it again!

Child’s Fingerless Mittens

Adapted from  Paton’s ‘Woodcraft’ book, page 79 called ‘Child’s Gloves’

William Morris DK pomegranate yarn, No 9 needles.

CO 40 st. 

K2 P 2 rib for 16 rows

Follow pattern (para 2) so you end up with 44 stitches.  

Do the 4 increases so that Row 4 ends up with 46 stitches with 7 between the P stitches; Row 8 has 48 stitches with 9 stitches between the 2 purl stitches; Row 12 has 50 with 11 between; Row 16 has  52 with 13 between the 2 P stitches  

Work 4 more rounds keeping the 2 P stitches in place.

Shape thumb gusset as per pattern ending with 13 gusset stitches placed on a piece of wool.  

CO 3 stitches for the wee extension.  Therefore it is  52 - 13 = 39 plus the cast on 3 = 42.  Should be 44 ..... I added 2.  (Should I have done another increase??? This is OK as fitted the hand OK.)

K 9 rounds.  

Start colour work using tail yarn as the ‘Start’ of the rows.  

Stitches are placed on 3 needles first.  I knitted one K row here.

The following colour work was done (as my test piece)  

Needle 1: 2,2,2,2 and 4 (3CO+1K from previous) = 12;     Or AA,BB,AA,BB,AA,BB,AA,BB, THEN AA,BB.

Needle 2: 2,2,2,2,2,2,2 = 14;     AND SO ON.

Needle 3: 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 = 18. ENDING WITH BB TO START AGAIN.

Equals 44.  The colour work is tighter and thicker.  

Finish work off with a rib K2 P2 using much smaller needles, e.g. 13.  Then COff/bind off.

I managed to get the tension right. One way is to keep 'stretching' or adjusting the knitted stitches as you go along.

FAMILY UPDATE

It was Mairi's birthday recently.  Time for bringing out the usual 'Spiderman Cake' to keep the wee ones happy.

Ellie in the living room (allocated as my 'Quiet Zone') in front of the fire with my recent Wentworth jigsaw.  It is of Alastair and gang in the Sequoias of California.

This is the photo which I sent off for making into a jigsaw.   I think that will be the last however as the children are too big for that stuff now. 

That is Inday in the light blue shirt standing behind Luna, the dog.

ADULT HAT PATTERN ARAN WOOL YARN

This is a woolen hat pattern for a ladies hat using Aran weight wool.  It's my own pattern.  Why?  I had a hat like this for years then lost it.  I liked the garter stitch band where hats are usually ribbed.  Secondly the crown is high. So many wooly hats are conical and simply slide off the back of my head.  This does not. It's squarish, like an Afghan style flat topped hat.  

I saw what I was looking for here, on this video:

(230) How 2 Knit Hat With Flat Top - Fast Project 4 RIGHTIES - YouTube

To make my own pattern I followed this YouTube video:

(230) How to Knit a Hat Without a Pattern // Technique Tuesday - YouTube

Using my own dimensions the hat is for adult head size of 23 inches.  Distance from ear to ear over top of head = 18inches so depth of hat needs to be half that, i.e. 9 inches.

Yarn is 100% wool and is Aran weight. The yarn used here is ColourLab clotted cream 1203 - 2635 Aran yarn.

Needles are No 9 or 3.75 mm double pointed needles; 4 needles

Test swatch is 24 rows of 18 stitches making it 4 inch x 4 inch square.

Size:

You need to calculate the number of stitches to cast on.

To calculate the number of stitches to cast on for 23 inch hat: Given 23 inches,  subtract for negative ease, subtract 10% or 20.7 then multiply this by number of stitches per inch which for me is 4.5 stitches per inch. Therefore it works out to be 20.7x 4.5 = 93.15.   I made this up to 96 because I wanted a number divisible by 4 for the 4 panels.

Pattern:

BAND or 'RIBBING':

CO 96 stitches

Row 1 K

Row 2 and 3 P

Repeat these 3 rows (K, P, P) 4 more times (or more if you want a deeper band).  Finish on row 16.

Row 17 K

BODY

Row 18 starts the first of the 4 panels: (K 22 P2) 4 times (that is 88 + 8= 96 stitches) giving a stocking stitch panel with a garter stitch 'border' between them.

K 32 rows.

CROWN:

R 50 K this.  This starts the crown by having 4 rows garter stitch making a 'lip or edge'.

R 51-54  P (garter stitch)

R55 Divide the 96 stitches into 5 sections of 19 stitches each. (Use separate DPN needles but you don't have to.) These form the base the of 5 triangles to form the crown.  19 x 5 is 95 so decrease one stitch from the worked rows of 96.  

R56 to end:  (K 17 2tog) 5 times. Keep decreasing in this way.  The crown is fairly flat.  To make more of a dome you would need to alternate a K row regularly? occasionally?!

Tie off at the end.

OPTION:

Line the inside from base to top of body (not the crown) with a piece of soft fabric e.g. a 'fleece' type making sure to stitch in place having made sure the hat with 'stretch' when you put it on your head.

 

This shows the white hat which is correct size and my first attempt which was too small, i.e. did not cast on the right number of stitches!

JAPANESE STRINGED INSTRUMENT CALLED SHAMISEN: instrument maker video

I came across this video on UTube showing a man making this stringed instrument called a shamisen.  Wonderful!  (but a pity about the loud adverts....)

 shamisen instrument make utube - Google Search

A trio: one playing the shamisen, the cello ...ooops... No! but the bowing is like a cello..... and large stringed instrument on the lap of the foreground lady.

MID-FEBRUARY CATCH-UP

It's been a pleasantly busy couple of weeks.  Here are some photos by way of a round up.

Alastair, Indy, Melanie, her sister and son plus Luna in the foreground.  I like this photo.  It turned out to be a useable size for a jigsaw.  I have now order one and look forward to putting it out on the coffee table in front of the fire and enjoying some post-dinner time in the 'Quiet Zone'.

I bought myself a waffle make about Christmastime.  Last week I had a friend with me for the day (to give his wife a break) and I have discovered a really good way of spinning out the time we have together by making and eating waffles together.  Upon explaining this joyous experience to his wife at the end of the day I found myself saying "Well it comes from years of trying to amuse children on the boat ... (think: 101 way to do things with bread dough!)... when we still had hours to go before arriving in port!

Another Spiderman cake.  This time for Ellie whose birthday was in January and Alastiar whose birthday is early February.  Secret: one Marks and Spencer cake mix with loads of Mary Berry ganache (1:1 melted chocolate and cream).  Oh, and loads of Smarties!

Alastair blowing out his candles; a Rembrant moment.

February concert in Milngavie: the Dudok Quartet from Amsterdam.

January concert in Milngavie: Tom Poster, piano and Elena Urioste, violin.

Good feedback on recent concerts.

JANUARY 2026 CULTURAL ROUND-UP

A busy time socially... with Celtic Connections events and then a nod to Robbie Burns on January 25th.

[1] Piping at Celtic Connections 2026.

I was the guest of Scott Bennet when we attened the Gordon Duncan Tribute Pipe Band concert at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall January 17th.  It was packed!  Piping is alive and well I am glad to see!

Vale of Atholl Pipe Band and Pipe Major Iain Duncan

Both photos by John Slavin/Design Folk Ltd

Piping event Glasgow 2026

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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026

The year has turned and with it Ishbel has now had her 19th birthday.  She's now in second year at Stirling University being trained to be a paramedic.

She has a car and this is my AI effort to make her a birthday card.

Ellie, Alastair and Harriet were in Edinburugh during the Christmas break.  Here they are at one of our family faviourite spots at the east end of George Street.  The fellow seated on the pedestal is James Clerk Maxwell, with his dog at his feet.  This sculpture is the one which Iain was involved in getting commissioned about 25 years ago.  Jamie Stoddart is the sculptor.  We attended the unveiling along with other good folk of Edinburgh and beyond.  Every time any of us are in Edinburgh we pass by Himself on his plinth and give the wee dog a pat.

And here are the threesome on another occasion in Edinburgh over Christmastime.

Ellie has now had her 11th birthday.  This is another AI bit of art. 

The birthday girl with her rainbow hat.  Mairi in the background.

Alastair who is at Andrews University is still with us during most of January because his classes haven't gone back yet.   These 'ancient' universities operate differently from the others. The academic year is called a session and

"is divided into two main semesters named after traditional Scottish Term and Quarter Days: the Martinmas semester (Setptember to December) and the Candlemass semester (January to May)."

He was back home the week before Christmas and back to classes this week which stated on Monday January 26th.  It will be May before the next break.

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