The difference a week makes.

Look at all those feathers!  He is so sweet when you look in the dove cote now he stands up to see you.  He is about half the size of an adult dove, I can't believe how fast he is growing.  Mummy and Daddy are certainly doing an amazing job of looking after him!

Top Gear Live

 Can you tell we are super excited?  We waited for over an hour right at the front of the queue.  We didn't know quite what to expect....

 We were sitting right at the front!  John was in the buggy, we had asked for disabled seats.  You couldn't get any closer without sitting in the arena.

 JCB and biker doing their thing.  I didn't take many pictures (too excited) but got lots of video, now I just have to work out how to edit it.

 Jeremy, James and Richard having a chat.  We did the cool wall and laughed at the texts appearing on the sceen behind them.

 Line up of super cars.  Which one do you want?

 I want this one.  Aston Martin.  If you made me choose between this and the Mustang I would choose this of course!  And such a pretty colour, I like a nice powder blue car.

 Discussing the merits (and otherwise!) of the super cars

 Car Football with Rascals and Robin Reliants which spent a lot of time on their sides with men running out to stand them back up!

 STIG!!!! 

Saying goodnight.  There was lots I have missed out because I don't have photos or I have video for .  The driving was amazing, the team of drivers had four or five cars going flat out around the not very big arena it was quite something to see.  My favourite bit was the two Porsches on fire!  Right I am off to see if I can learn how to edit a video!

Classic Car Show

In the most hallowed of places for the serious car enthusiast - the auto jumble hall.  As you can see by the bags in the front of the buggy John and Ben have already given in to the charms of stallholders with oily fingers!  To be fair they didn't buy that much (although the temptation was there!) but collected a lot of business cards for things like sand blasting alloys and other things I don't understand.

 Brough Superior a beautiful car.  I didn't take that many pictures, I kept forgetting!  There were some really special cars there and some others I was quite surprised to see for example an Austin Maestro (my first car!).  There were also some cars that I had never even heard of before.

 Bugatti Type 22.   I love the shape of the front and the bonnet and the tyres.... ok I'll stop, I love it all!

 Mustang.  I don't even know what model this is but I don't care I WANT ONE!  A real muscle car, I don't think I would be able to see over the bonnet but I still want one.

 1904 Peurgeot.  What a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL car this is and still in the most amazing condition, it is 106 years old!  It is still in full working order I would be too scared to drive it in case I damaged it!

Delorean.  I couldn't not take a picture of this.  I was telling Ben about it being in Back To The Future and he was too young to know the film.  What!!!!!  I'm sure that film was only made five minutes ago!  I just checked and the film was made in 1985 and Ben was born 1991 so no wonder he didn't remember - made me feel old though.....

Iain at his happiest!

Iain looking thoughtful in Isaac Woods.  This is a very happy boy - looking scruffy and muddy - bliss!  He has been known to come home from a show glowing with cleanliness and with a beautiful silver mane and tail, find a muddy puddle, stir it up and roll in it!  He really does believe in being mud coloured!  Thanks to him I will never willingly own another grey as long as I live.....  he really is my best boy though!

New arrival!

In November!  I think our doves have lost the plot!  Little baby is actually a couple of weeks old but I didn't want to tempt fate by writing about the little darling.  Obviously we don't know if it is a boy or a girl but we have been calling him a boy.  His little feathers are just starting to come through and he has probably trebled in size since he hatched.  Both mummy and daddy look after him, they take it in turns to keep him warm and feed him.  Ben is beside himself with joy, they are his doves and he takes it very seriously!

 Here is a view of the outside of the dove cote with all the adults sitting on the roof.  There is a feeding platform just out of shot and they will all come and fly around your head when you are filling up the feeders.  It freaked me out the first few times but I have got used to it now! 



10 things I love....

Ok so this is not going to be things like family, friends, horses, dogs etc etc you all know how much I love you this is material things!

My new diary for 2011.  Yes it is PINK! Letts Verona diary in raspberry, it has a soft cover, I was tired of having boring old black or navy and wanted something pretty.

 Yes To Carrots Lip Butter.  I had heard amazing things about this company but I didn't know where to find it in the UK.  Then when I went to France I got it in Sephora.  I got Berry and Mint and I love them, I wish I had got more.  I also got the day cream but I haven't used it yet.  I have high hopes!

 Burts Bees Radiance Exfoliating Body Wash.  This is lovely, I hide it after I have had a bath - I will not share it will the boys who would use it all up in a blink and then tell me it was nice!  (This has happened before!) I got the body lotion as well and really like it!

 Urban Decay Naked Palette.  I cannot tell you how much I love this, I use is almost every day.  You can do a really natural look right through to a fantastic smoky look, I thought I would never need another eyeshadow palette ever again until I saw......

This!  MAC is my first make up love, this is from the current limited edition collection called Tartan Tales.  Well with a name like that it would have been rude of me not to get something.  The packaging is so pretty, I love it!

 This is the inside, the prettiest colours all for me!  I also got the Viva Glam bag with lipstick and gloss, I love them and the little tartan bag too!  If I was rich I would own everything MAC has ever made!

 Not gloves but wristlets!  These are brilliant in the winter both inside and out.  If you have to do work that you can't do with gloves on but don't want to face the cold wear these!  If you are typing and need to keep your hands flexible this is what you want!  I wear these all winter to avoid the lovely "dead mans fingers!"

 My new Caldene coat that John bought me (thank you thank you thank you!)  This is not the exact one, I couldn't find a picture but similar.  It is so warm and cosy and I feel very smart in it.  John really did get me a fantastic present - did I say thank you?

 Toggi Canyon boots.  I have had mine since last August (John bought them for me in all the mud at Blair Castle Horse Trials last year)  I have worn them just about every day since and they still come up looking liske brand new when I clean them.  I wear them to work when it is bad weather (umm that's today!)  I wear them to do the horses and ride in them too.  Brilliant, I will definately repurchase these.

 New dress!  For the British Eventing Ball in two weeks time.  I actually got three dresses from LA (thanks Jess!) this is one of them the others are yellow and multi coloured, I don't know which I will wear yet.  This is a good colour to go with my red hair though! 

And last but not least MY NEW COOKER!!!!!  A Leisure range cooker,  Arthur, John and Ben installed it on Saturday and since then I have gone a bit mad!  After not having a proper cooker all summer (just a little hob since we took the Aga out) I have been making all sorts - roasts, pies, cakes etc.  Now I can make my Christmas cake, I am so thrilled with my new cooker!  Writing this has made me realise how much John treats me to presents - I am very very lucky to have such a wonderful husband!  Thank you John xx

Missing Danny

Danny is having a great time in NZ this morning he was telling his Dad he has never had such a good tan (even his legs) not a good thing to tell us when it is tipping down with rain here and we are freezing!

He is having a lovely time but we are all missing him terribly!  Especially now I have started doing Christmas shopping and can only get him little thing that are easy to post.  Ah well as long as he is having a good time that is the important thing!

Meet Jess

I just realised that I had introduced you to all the dogs except Jess!  So here are a few pictures to make up for it!  Jess is a rescued Greyhound, she is actually quite small for the breed.  All we know is that she is from Southern Ireland (because she is tattooed in both ears- they only do one in England) and that she was born is 1998 (from the letters in her ears).  So she is quite an old lady but still full of beans!

 This is her "when its raining but not cold" coat that has a hood that can be turned back, she is a very smartly dressed girl!  She has never chased the cat, in fact they are very good friends!  They curl up together in front of the fire, its the cutest thing you ever saw!

 Greyhounds sleep for most of the day!  Contrary to what everyone thinks Greyhounds need very little exercise.  Jess has a mad five minutes in the morning and that is her for the rest of the day.  Even when she was younger she never came out with the other dogs when I went out riding - she can't keep up with the trotting along.  She is built for fast bursts of speed not endurance! 

 Jess smiling for the camera.  She is the happiest girl, in the morning she does a dance, bobs her head up and down and gives you big smiles (like she is snarling, showing all her teeth) but it is a nice!  She makes herself sneeze doing it!  If there was ever a dog to bring you joy it is Jess!

 Hitching a ride with John in the buggy.  She doesn't like getting a lift but prefers it to having to keep up.  Once she is down in the woods she has more energy to play!  She is wearing her heavy duty Equifleece coat here, they really are the best coat I have come across, a bit expensive but worth every penny in my opinion.

 Now this is ridiculous!  Look closely she has her bottom in Sam's cat bed!  It's not like she doesn't have enough beds of her own!  We are so lucky to still have Jess, she got acute peritonitus a few years ago and had to have an operation, she was like a skeleton afterwards and has never really been a decent weight since.  It's not from lack of feeding, she has pilchards for breakfast, toast for lunch and a proper dinner!

 This is in Mum's kitchen after playing on the seashore.  Jess ADORES going to see my Mum mainly because Mum makes a huge fuss and feeds her twenty times a day!  Mum even warms the blanket for her!

 Playing in the snow last winter.  She was surprisingly not bothered about the snow, I thought she would be out for two seconds and have had enough but she was out for ages!  I have a video of her going daft, I will try and find it and upload it!  She has an Equifleece in purple and green so she is never without!

What a comfy girl.  Jess is at her happiest all tucked up in front of a roaring fire - I think she would climb in if she could! Really she is Ben's dog, she is the only dog I have ever met that wags her tail when she is dreaming.  Honestly if you get the chance - give a greyhound a home - you won't ever regret it!

A snowy drive to Skye

I am starting to get organised to go to Skye the first week in December.  Sarah (little sister) is coming down for a week before and then we are going back up together.  It got me thinking about the drive up this time last year, it was magical - there was snow all the way from Cumbria to Skye!  I really enjoyed the drive, these are some pictures I took in Glencoe.

 It was cold!  I hardly saw any traffic all day.

 Even though there was snow the roads were in perfect condition.

 I was surprised I never saw more deer, normally you see a lot all along whe you get a bit further up but I only saw them at Clunie and even there not more than maybe a hundred. 

 I had Belle and Jess with me for company, I had the back seats folded down so they had lots of room.  We were warm and cosy in my car!

 The long lonely road.  I do admit I was thinking "don't break down, don't get a puncture"  for quite a long way.  It would be a long walk that I wouldn't have enjoyed!

 At this point in the journey there are about another four hours to go.  I usually stop at Fort William and pop into Morrisons for a quick bite to eat, then I don't leave the dogs for too long.  I am usually feeling the "got to get there hurry hurry hurry" by this point so am eager to get back on the road even though I have just been driving for hours and hours!

 It is a long way to drive in one day but its worth it!  Especially when you know that you are going to be arriving to a roaring fire and Mama's good home cooking! 

 I am always very spoilt when I go home, everyone makes a huge fuss of me because they haven't seen me for a bit.  The dogs adore being able to go and play on the shore (its a novelty to them!)

Near the top of Glengarry.  The sun had set and everything had that amazing still quality that I can't explain.  The sky had a beautiful pink tinge and everything was very peaceful.  Still a way to go before I arrive, I seem to remember I had a huge bowl of leek and potato soup in front of the fire when I arrived (and lots of hugs!)

If Belle was a wolf I would be scared...

I found this picture I took this time last year when I was driving up to Skye to deliver Christmas presents!  I stopped just near the top of Glen Garry and let Belle and Jess out for a leg stretch.  I could see for miles and there were no cars so the dogs got a good play in the snow.  I had just called the dogs to get back in the car and caught Belle doing an enormous leap, I am amazed I got it on camera!  If she was a wolf coming towards me out of the snow I would be terrified!  As you know she is the sweetest girl imaginable.