Monthly Archives: August 2018

The Highlands!

As promised here are more pictures of our vacation in The Highlands of Scotland.  We are always in good company as The Queen holidays at Balmoral which is not far from where we stay!

Warning:  Picture Heavy Post!

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At the cottage where we stay,  is surrounded by trees and there are several pairs of Red Kites living there.

This came into the deep water Port of Invergordon on the Tuesday;  it is the fourth largest cruise liner in the World, The Meraviglia, which has a capacity of 4,500 people on board.

DH visited a few customers whilst we were up there and one of his trips was to Dunfermline.  The day was quite overcast and we ate lunch overlooking the sea and of course the seagulls were ready to help!!!

Of course in Scotland you can be driving through the middle of a town and come upon the odd castle here and there!!!

The cows came a visiting one day and this gate is the entrance to the cottage!  Fortunately the gate opens both ways so I was able to open the gate inwards and not disturb Mom, although the calf was a bit jittery!!!

As you can see from their looks they were most disgusted that we had disturbed them!!!!

The second week DH had to go to Glasgow so we went via a different route through Glencoe, one of our National Nature Reserves.  As you can see it was early in the morning and very misty and quite dark.

The mist was hanging in the valley

The Lochs around Glencoe.

The weather did not really improve all day and was quite stormy into the evening.

We found a new tea room near to Loch Ness set in the grounds of the farm.  The Ducks came a visiting!

The view out of the tea room window.

The Tea Room.

Just before we came home we paid a visit to the Fruit Farm to get some Brambles and Strawberries, so I could make jam when we got home.

Because of the very wet Spring and then very hot Summer, the wheat and other crops were all ready a lot sooner than normal and harvesting was well under way, whereas normally they are only just beginning to harvest when we travel back from vacation. 

When we travelled up we drove across the new Forth Road Bridge, The Queensferry Crossing which was opened by The Queen last year. “The 1.7 miles (2.7km) structure is the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world and also by far the largest to feature cables which cross mid-span. This innovative design provides extra strength and stiffness, allowing the towers and the deck to be more slender and elegant.”     The above picture was as we crossed the middle span.

The view from the cottage as the sun was setting one evening.

I hope you have enjoyed the trip around The Highlands, it really is a magical place and although the weather can be changeable by the hour it really doesn’t matter, when you have views like the one above and a lot of peace and quiet.

Tomorrow I will show you pictures of a surprise from the holiday!

Hugs, Susie xx

We Are Back!

Hi Everyone, we are back and have been back for a week but it has taken me that long to catch up on all the business work as well as home things and the washing and ironing!!!  Sometimes I wonder if it is worth going away on vacation.

It was not the best of holidays as DH was poorly for the whole two weeks with either a salivary gland infection or a tooth infection, our dentist is not sure!  Anyway he could not eat properly at all and lived on soup, porridge and rice pudding and two courses of antibiotics and pain killers!!!  I, too, managed to break a tooth whilst we were away and also got a UTI!!!!  You see holidays are no good for you!!!  So DH and I spent time last week visiting the Doctor and Dentist!!!

We did go out and about despite our problems and have quite a few pictures to show you which I will do over the next few days. 

A Big Thank you to all who voted for Treacle on the Pets on Quilts show and to all who contacted me, I will get around to emailing everyone and sorry I did not do that at the time but the internet connection in The Highlands of Scotland is not good.

I did also get some sewing done whilst we were away and I will be able to show you some of them, but others are for Christmas so I am afraid you will have to wait.  The above picture is the view from the room I was sewing in!  I think I am going to have this printed and put in front of my sewing machine in Eldest’s room where I sew now.  The best bit about where we go, the silence.  There are no cars, neighbours or people at all just the sheep and that is what I treasure the most and hang on to now we are back!!!

Loch Ness from Fort Augustus end.

I will be back tomorrow with more pictures of the vacation. 

Hugs, Susie xx

Pets On Quilts Show 2018.

Snoodles at Lily Pad Quilting (http://lilypadquilting.blogspot.com) arranges this great Internet show every year and lots and lots of lovely sponsors give prizes for the various categories.  As with anything like this a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes and I would like to thank Snoodles for all her hard work and the sponsors for the prizes.

As you may have realised if you read Quilting Blogs, lots of us Quilters have animals of all types and this show gives us a chance to show them and our quilts off.

If you read my Blog you will know that Treacle, our Airedale Terrier, features heavily and even has her own day on the Blog, The Wednesday Wag.  She is very much a part of our family and we love her to bits.  It is also a very special year this year for us too as Treacle is ten years old, double digits now!!!

This year I have managed to get my quilt finished completely so I am able to take Treacle’s picture on it!!!  In the past the quilts have been in various stages of completion!!!!!

So here is our Entry for the “Dog on Quilt” category :

Treacle on the Summer Quilt.

What you probably don’t know, if you are new to my Blog, is that Treacle is a snuggler and loves being covered up and would quite happily stay under the quilt.  In fact in Winter if it is really cold she prefers her very own quilt to be put over her to keep her warm!!!!

We are actually away on vacation when the show is on, but I am hoping to still be able to hop around and see everyone else’s entries. 

Thank you for visiting us here at Susie’s World and please vote for Treacle. 

Love & Hugs,

Susie & Treacle  xxxx

National Book Lovers Day.

August 9th 2018

Did you know that there is a National Book Lovers Day?  Well I didn’t until I stumbled across a website for it and it is on August 9th each year.

Despite modern technology sales of actual books are up compared to downloading books which I think is a great piece of news.  DH and the Boys wanted to buy me an E-Reader when they first came out as I love books as you know, but using a screen all day everyday I do not want to then read my books on a screen.  I know that you can take over 1000 books with you on an E-Reader and that would be impossible with actual books, but there is something about holding a book and reading it.  Plus I read in the bath, so not so good with electronic readers!!!!!

I also think that books make a room feel cosy, even just a few, if you are lucky enough to have bookshelves laden with books then that is my perfect room.

I was very lucky as a child to have a very good public library near to where we lived and I spent every Saturday afternoon there choosing books to read for the week, along with my parents who were also big readers.  I also spent my pocket money on books and had quite a collection, which has carried on as I grew older.  I always have a book with me just in case I have five minutes in which to read.

I was lucky when I met DH that he too loves books and we have passed this on to the Boys, who both could read before they started school and have loved books all their lives and have their own collections.  It was great to see how their choices changed as they grew older.

On my Blog we have the monthly Friday Book Club where I review books that I have read and think you would like too and also I have a list of the books I have read during the year with a little review.

We are on our family vacation during National Book Lovers Day and I will definitely be taking a lot of books away with me and I also got some Book Tokens for my Birthday so I can spend a happy few hours in the book shop getting a few more!  My friends always ask me what I want for my Birthday and I always say Book Tokens as I love choosing books and some think it is boring always getting me the same present but it isn’t at all.

So I hope National Book Lovers Day inspires you to pick up a book and spend a happy few hours reading; I will be joining you.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Hugs, Susie xx

PS.  Tomorrow would normally be Friday Book Club Day, but we are away on Vacation and I am busy reading, tee hee!!!!  I will be back on September 14th with a review of my favourite book from the Summer.

We Are On Vacation!

We are on Vacation!

Have a wonderful Summer you lovely lot!

 

We will be back on August 20th, but look out for a couple of posts before that.

 

Summer Hugs

Susie, DH, Eldest, Youngest, Eldest Girlfriend, Youngest Girlfriend & Treacle xxxxxxx

 

It’s Friday!

This was Treacle this morning waiting to go on her vacation!!  She is much better although she is still quiet for her, but I think the heat is also not helping as it has gone very hot and humid today but not much sun!!!! 

We got her bag packed and they were very impressed with it at the kennels!!!!

DH set up the watering system for our pots whilst we are away and although the Boys are going to be around at least I know the plants will be getting some water!!!

The strawberries and tomatoes are starting to ripen and the Boys have instructions to pick and eat them.

Finally my sweet peas have also come out and they have instructions to keep cutting them.  I am not sure the Boys will be doing this, more like the Girlfriends!!!

The fox glove is having another go at flowering.

I just have the last little bit of ironing to get done and finishing the packing and then we are all ready.  The Boys and Girlfriends are coming for dinner tonight which will be lovely to see them all. 

Thanks to all who have sent us messages of having a great vacation, we can’t wait and we don’t even care what the weather is doing, we are away.

I will be back in a fortnight but look out as there may be a couple of posts whilst we are away!!!!!!

Happy Summer Vacation Hugs,

Susie xx

Thursday Thoughts.

Best laid plans!!  I was intending on getting the packing done tonight but have only just finished work jobs and house jobs and dinner!!! So I will be having to do that tomorrow now.

Treacle is getting better and I rang the kennels and they are still happy to have her with all her medicines!!!! 

However I don’t mind because from Saturday we are on vacation and the whole World can fade into the back ground.  I don’t even mind if the weather is not good, we are away!!!

Whilst we are away I will have time to do lots of quilting.

And lots of reading too.

Have a lovely Summer, whatever you are up to. 

Hugs,

Susie, DH, Eldest, Youngest, Eldest Girlfriend, Youngest Girlfriend & Treacle

 

Whispering Wednesday Wag.

I am still recovering from my tummy upset!  I had to have some more medicine and Mom thinks it is getting better but I am still sleeping quite a bit, although I did chase the squirrel out of the garden this morning!!

I am still hoping to go on vacation on Friday but Mom says we will have to see how I am by then!!!

Woof, Treacle.