Perthshire Papercrafters

Healing Cancer World Summit

2011-10-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

Last chance to register for this controversial event...
Over the last two weeks, the Internet has been buzzing about a controversial and powerful online event that is starting on October 25th, 2011.
The topic - natural and integrative cancer techniques - has never quite been explored in the way it will be during the event.
For 5 nights, Kevin Gianni - health author, organizer and host - has asked 9 of the top natural cancer doctors and researchers to share what they're doing in their clinics throughout the world that they say can help prevent or even treat cancer.
During the program attendees will...
- Find out what therapies these doctors and experts are using that they say can prevent and even treat cancers naturally.
- Discover herbs and supplements that are scientifically known to prevent cancer.
- Discover scientific and documented proof that natural cancer treatments work.
- Learn how to detoxify and cleanse the body naturally... and safely.
- And much more.
This group of experts that is presenting is a who's who of doctors, nutritionists, advocates and survivors that will share their science, research and stories to share the options that are available that you may never have heard about.
Some of the 9 experts include Dr. Nicolas Gonzalez, Dr. Francisco Contreras, Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy, Dr. Thomas Lodi, Charlotte Gerson, Mike Adams, Burton Goldberg, and more. Combined, this group has had decades of experience working with cancer patients in their clinics. I've booked my place and if you're interested in learning more, sign up here

Perthshire Amber

2011-10-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Dougie MacLean was at the Tourist Information Centre in Blairgowrie today promoting his Perthshire Amber Festival. Already have a ticket for the concert in Blair Town Hall so took the opportunity to get some for Meikleour Village Hall and Perth Concert Hall. See the full programme here. And if you can't make it to any of the venues you can still enjoy the sessions and more by taking out a subscription to his own tv web page, only £7.50 for a month.

Curiosity (nearly) Killed the Cat!

2011-03-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

This is Smokey, the youngest of our three cats and by far the most inquisitive. She likes to climb into things to investigate - bags, drawers, cupboards - anything! Yesterday, I heard her calling and thought she was outside but when I opened the door there was no sign of her. I checked all the rooms in the house, still no Smokey, but I could still hear her calling. Eventually the noise led me to the bathroom where a friend had been doing some work earlier in the day. He had taken a panel off the wall under the sink to repair something and while he was out of the room Smokey climbed into the wall and disappeared. He then screwed the panel back before leaving. She was a very grateful cat when I unscrewed the panel and let her out again! Climbed on my back and hung on tight, purring loudly. Daft cat! :o)

Sunshine after Rain

2011-03-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it rained all day but today was glorious and the sun shone all day so I thought I'd share this by David Ramsay from his book Wayside Gleanings

Springtime the farmer sows the seed
That he may serve our every need
From fields of golden grain;
His faith is placed in Nature's aid,
While deep down in his heart has prayed
For sunshine after rain.

Life's journey can enrich our minds,
While thoughtful acts our friendship binds,
Through days of stress and strain;
The road is rough and steep, perchance
A smile - with just a friendly glance -
Brings sunshine after rain.

Those cheering lines we may have read
When sitting by a friend's sick bed
Made her forget her pain;
Or flowers - perhaps which we arranged -
The gloomy atmosphere has changed -
Brought sunshine after rain.

To do a good deed every day,
Strew happiness along life's way,
Brings pleasure in its train;
Our bread, if on the waters cast
Returns, when many days are past
Like sunshine after rain.

Wow, I Want to be Just Like Kass!

2011-03-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

Kass is amazing and I love all the things she's accomplished in her 'fixer-upper'. Take a look here. I aspire to that level of ability and creativity, inspirational!

Been a long time coming!

2011-02-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

But here I am again!
Summer was a busy time this year with cottage change-overs and therefore constant washing, ironing, cleaning and bedmaking plus, of course, looking after the ponies. I decided to block out some time end November/beginning December to give me a chance to catch up with all the things which had been neglected but then, of course, the snow hit a month earlier than last year and it was head down again, this time keeping the ponies safe, fed and watered and the stables done. We were dug out twice by a big digger from across the road and spent a great deal of time trying to keep the yard snow-free. There's still lots of snow on the hills to the north which is good for the skiers at Glenshee but thankfully it hasn't come down on us again, yet! We've had more groups of skiers staying in the cottages this year and a group just arrived to the Hayloft today. Bit of a panic there as I didn't realise they were coming today but thankfully most of the cleaning was already done and I got it all ready before they arrived. I'm looking forward to another of the Scrapbooking groups arriving this Friday, always a lively, enthusiastic group of ladies.

One of my Scrapbooking Retreat groups again left me an Advent box full of goodies with clear instructions not to start opening any parcels until December. This was too much to bear since they left it in October so I decided to put it out of sight in a cupboard in the craft room, then promptly forgot about it! Imagine my surprise and excitement when I discovered it again on Christmas eve and was able to open my crafty parcels ALL AT ONCE just after midnight. Bliss.

The next 10 days I'll be listening to the Tapping World Summit which is now in it's third year and if the past two years are anything to go by it'll be an excellent event. Just over an hour to go before it opens (8pm US eastern time) but I don't know if I'll be able to stay awake to listen to both of the opening interviews so it's just as well they'll all be available for 24 hours after the initial airing. A bit late now but if anyone's interested, here's the link and it's a FREE event. Ideal opportunity to learn, or learn more, about a self-help technique which can transform lives - Meridian Tapping/EFT

I have actually managed to do a few layouts too, but no pics as yet. Will upload something soon. OK, you've heard that one before but I really will this time - before the end of March which gives me plenty time.

Happy scrapping, or whatever you like to do, and keep warm out there.

No Time to Post, Again!

2010-08-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

Pretty busy right now with the holiday cottages and falling behind with blog entries so sharing something one of my friends sent me which made me laugh.

The Fairer Half
It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When you notice this, try not to shout at them. Some are over-sensitive and there's nothing worse than an over-sensitive woman.

Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Julie. When I took early retirement last year, it became necessary for Julie to get a full-time job for the extra income that we need.

Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age. I now usually get home from the pub about the same time she gets home from work. Although she knows how hungry I am, she nearly always says she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner. I don't shout at her, instead I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table. I generally have lunch at the pub so eating out again is out of the question; I'm ready for some home cooked food when I get home.

She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. But now it's usual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner. I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that they won't clean themselves. I know she really appreciates this, as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed.

Another symptom of ageing is complaining. For example, she will say that it is difficult for her to do the shopping during her lunch hour. But we take them for better or worse, so I just smile and offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two or even three days. That way she won't have to rush so much. I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then won't hurt her. I like to think tact is one of my strong points.

When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more rest periods. She has to take a rest when she has only half finished mowing the lawn and several extra breaks when she's vacuuming through the house. It does annoy me, vacuuming when I'm trying to watch 'Match of the Day', but I try not to make a scene. I'm a fair man. I tell her to make herself a nice cup of tea and just sit for a while, and as long as she is making one for herself, she may as well make one for me too.

I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Julie. I'm not saying that showing this much consideration is easy. Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible! Nobody knows better than I do how frustrating women get as they get older. However, even if you just use a little more tact and less criticism of your ageing wife because of this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile. After all, we are put on this earth to help each other, eh?

EDITOR'S NOTE:Ron died suddenly last week. He was found with a 24-inch Stanley screwdriver rammed up his backside with only 2 inches showing. His wife Julie was arrested, but the all-woman jury accepted her defence that he accidentally sat on it.

Time Off

2010-08-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

My friend came to visit for a week so I managed to escape over to the west coast of Scotland for a few days. I've always wanted to visit Applecross and drive the twisty, turny, high road through the Applecross Pass. It was an experience! We also visited Skye, Inverness, Aviemore and Pitlochry before heading back to the farm so lots of miles covered. The following week I had a few days in Edinburgh with my sister and niece as the Edinburgh Festival is on and we spent some time visiting galleries, watching street performers on the Royal Mile, and just relaxing (and eating). I finally did the Mary King's Close tour too, something else I've been meaning to do for a long time but never got around to it. All this time off, of course, meant that I was waaay behind with my work at the farm so been extremely busy catching up!

The Real You

2010-08-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Found this through a Twitter post and liked it so thought I'd share.

So Much To Do, So Little Time!

2010-07-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

Time just seems to be flying by right now and it's been over a month since I last blogged.

I've had a trip down to England for an AGM and 2 days helping out with a therapy workshop which I always enjoy. My friend came up to Scotland for a week so we could work on our therapy website and that was hard work. Neither of us is very good at getting the admin side of things done but at least the sun shone that week and we were able to work outside on the deck. We managed to escape to the beach at St Andrews one afternoon and into Perth on another so that kept us sane. I also had two days of therapy swaps with a group I haven't been in touch with for a long time and I enjoyed re-connecting.

The Hayloft was busy in June and both holiday cottages fully booked for July and will be again in August. Then, it's into Scrapbooking weekends starting the first week in September so I've been up to my eyes in cleaning, laundry, ironing etc.

My friend in Edinburgh took 2 of my ponies down to her stables for kids there to ride so that leaves me with 7 and I'm currently getting my big boy Max (15.2hh) used to loading into the horsebox as one of her friends wants him for a project. Max hasn't had much handling but he's being very good and it was quite easy getting him to go in the box with one of his pony pals the first time we tried him. He now goes in on his own with me but I've still to close the partitions on him and get the ramp up. Hopefully, that will go as smoothly as loading him. I'll take his little pal to Edinburgh and back so he has company on the journey and he'll be with my other two when he gets there. Max was extremely traumatised when I bought him at six months old and it took a long time to gain his confidence. He's also a real mummy's boy and gets jealous when I give any of the others my attention. I'm sure Scot will have fun with him when he gets to Edinburgh - good practice for someone who's training to be a vet. I just hope he doesn't spook at anything and flatten Scot when he's leading him. We had a 'Scooby Doo' moment when he was younger and tried to leap into my arms when he got a fright. My ribs were very sore and bruised for a while!

Not much time for scrapbooking, as usual, but my sister and two nieces are over on holiday from Abu Dhabi so I'm sure I'll have a visit soon so we can have a play in the craft room.

Oh, and I've been playing around with Twitter so that's been taking up a bit of time. I find it extremely irritating at times. I can get tweets on my phone but don't know how to reply and am still adjusting who I want to have forwarded to my phone anyway. Some people just don't know when to stop and I find myself wondering where they get all the time. Which reminds me...time to go!

Hopefully, be back soon!

EFT Global Event

2010-05-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

The EFT Hub Global Event is being replayed for 24 hours. You can now hear again for 24 hours only, over 30 audios featuring over 50 leading Practitioners and Masters of EFT tapping. Starts - Sunday the 30th of May at 3pm EST that is 8pm in the UK. http://theefthub.com/Table/EFT-Hub-Global-Event-Reloaded/

Sisturds!

2010-05-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Someone on my Twitter list shared this post - very funny!

http://edenriley.blogspot.com/2010/05/sisturds.html

2010-05-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

Found this website while following someone on Twitter. It's compulsive viewing, such a brave lady to do this kind of thing and put it out for all to see. Well done, Amanda.
Here's what it's about -

"I’m Amanda. I’ve tried everything I could think of to lose weight, make money, and become an enlightened being, and nothing’s worked. It is now time to try things I can’t think of, think through, or think about- it’s time for ACTION, and it’s time for the guidance of a mentor.
So, each Monday, I sit down with iKE to discuss my progress. He then gives me a PATH to complete that week, which might be anything from skydiving to nude modeling. This task is always a SURPRISE on Monday morning, and is meant to show me the impact of choices. It is my job to set it up, film it, create the webisode before the next Monday, and get my slowing shrinking behind back in iKE’s chair to receive my next path.
Also, each week I will be receiving SUPPORT from my community, getting treatments from experts who will help me strengthen the new relationship between my mind and body. Another way I will practice RECEIVING what I want for myself will be by recruiting businesses to offer their services to me for FREE, in exchange for promotion on this site. This will force me to practice true WIN-WIN relationships.
That’s it! If you would like to watch, help, respond, or join the journey, please leave a comment and let us know what YOU think! "

Looking forward to Path 8

Co-ordinated flocking

2010-05-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

Found a way to make my own flocking to co-ordinate with my layouts on Fiona's blog. Here's the link to the video .

Thelwells

2010-05-19T02:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of two of my little ponies, Mischief and Cheeky (I know that's rude to say in the States but not here. It just means impudent, and she sure lives up to her name!)

Tagged!

2010-05-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

I read the warning at the top of Kai's post and dreaded reading my name at the bottom of it, but here I am, tagged!

Blogging is somewhat alien to me as I've never been very good at putting things down in writing, especially about myself, but I persevere in the hope it will become a habit and not feel so difficult (although I haven't 'blogged' in over two weeks). Even most of my scrapbook layouts are still waiting for the journalling to be added!

But here goes with the questions and answers

1 - What’s in your garden, and if nothing, why not? Mainly grass in the garden with a few daffodils and an apple tree that was here when we came. There's a large area of gravel which was supposed to be low-maintenance but sprouts weeds at an alarming rate and the yard's block paved with some flower borders and some tubs, hanging baskets and a wonderful wisteria climbing up the wall. We're not really gardeners but David likes to potter. Besides, we have another 38 acres to think about.

2 – What’s your favorite retro era and why? 60's - carefree, colourful, good music, no responsibilities.

3 – What’s your favorite thing to do for pure entertainment (e.g. see the Opera, movies, have some beer at a pub with your friends, etc.) 'Doing' the Edinburgh Festival. Finding a real jewel of a show and sometimes seeing three shows in a day. So much to choose from and so diverse but I like the music ones best. One of my all-time favourites was 'Gumboots' from South Africa.

4 – Do you have pets? If yes, what kind and why do you have them? If no, why not? Do I have pets? Oh yes, I do. Two dogs, three cats, a horse, and nine Dartmoor hill ponies. We rehomed the chickens, pot-bellied pig and the two goats. People ask me why I rescued the ponies and the answer is here. We often read things and say to ourselves 'that's terrible', 'something should be done about that' and then there's the times when that little voice whispers to us and we know we have to do something ourselves, hence all the ponies. I got my first three from the 'next' sale that Rosemary speaks of. Her follow up report is here and the Chagford sale I went to is reported here . I went back to two sales the following year, but that's my lot. I've rehomed nine so far and still have the other nine to sell or loan out. It's an expensive business keeping them and I just can't afford it anymore but I won't part with them until I find the right homes even if it means beans on toast for the rest of my days! :o)

5 – You have a secret. Does it eat at you and you have a hard time keeping it in, or does it settle well and it’s safe with you forever? Your secrets are safe with me! Maybe it's my counselling training, or my work with the drug project, but I just learned to keep things in confidence and it usually doesn't bother me.

6 – If you could have professional help in any way, what would it be (e.g. professional landscapers, professional cleaning crew, professional chef, etc.) and why? I would definately have a professional housekeeper. Someone to cook, clean, and do all the things I hate doing, forever. Wonderful!

7 – What one actor or actress, still alive, would you want to have a private dinner with and why? None, I can't think of anyone who would interest me enough as I don't know enough about any of them. It would have to be someone from another profession.

8 – You are behind a locked door, perfectly safe for as long as you need to be. Something on the other side of the door gives you a weird feeling… a little scary, a little exciting… makes the hair on your skin stand on end, you don’t know if it’s good or bad. Would you open the door and confront it, or would you stay behind the door forever? (Deep one, huh?) Depends which side of the door I was on. If on the outside, I might leave it be unless it felt more exciting than scary and it would depend on how scary and how brave I felt at that moment. If I was on the inside, I would definately want to get out and face it, but I might just have to call a friend (big brave one) to come and check it out for me from the outside. No definitive answer there then! lol

9 – If you could go back in your past and change one single thing within your power to change, what would it be? Me, and hopefully I'd get to where I am with myself now sooner.

10 – What’s your favorite dessert? Please, be descriptive. :) I have a sweet tooth today. Hot, gooey, chocolate brownie with lots of pouring cream, fresh Perthshire strawberries and extra chocolate sauce. Yummy, making me drool just thinking about it!

Crop Night

2010-05-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

We had our monthly crop night last week and we had two new members which was nice. I hope they enjoyed themselves. I'm working on a few LOs so I'll post some pics tomorrow. We also had a new Scrapbooking group booked in over the weekend and they must have enjoyed themselves as they booked a return visit before they left - sorry ladies, even more competition for booking times :o). I think they were amazed at how much they got done. It's great being able to leave everything out overnight and start where you left off the next day and it's even better with no family/friends/phone/doorbell interruptions.

The new South Littleton website should be ready soon so I'll post a link when it's up and running. I like it a lot and it's a great improvement on the current one. Watch this space and let me know what you think.

The Car

2010-05-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post a pic of my special car. Still tapping!!

Some Blog Candy

2010-05-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Check out this blog candy here . For Tim Holtz fans.

Sad to See it Go

2010-04-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

I sold my car yesterday. This may seem like an ordinary thing to do but this car was special, part of the family. We've had it for nearly 20 years and I adored it. A pearl white Audi Quattro coupe, 20 valve, sport. I've collected quite a few business cards over the years of people who wanted to buy it. I could tell when they approached me what they were going to say. They'd offer the card and I'd say along with them 'If you're ever thinking of selling your car, give me a call'. Finally I met someone who I felt OK with. Someone who would give the car the kind of attention it needed to bring it back to pristine condition. I'm sure the others would have too but this time it was different. I would have loved to keep it forever and if I'd had the money would have paid for it to have all the TLC it needed, but I don't, so the car finally had to go. It needed to go before it started to deteriorate and the thought of it sitting in the yard rotting was worse than the thought of selling it. If you love something, you'll let it go. I'll miss the deep growl then purr of the engine when I turned the ignition key, like a great, powerful, big cat. The guy looked under the bonnet and immediately said 'This car's been modified and chipped' then 'It must be fast' 'Oh yes', we said in unison, 'really fast!' Back seat passengers had to peel themselves off the seats if you accellerated too hard but I didn't drive it like that. I could still get over 30 mpg on long journeys and averaged 28mpg on normal routes. Proof that I didn't push it too hard and really good mileage for a car of that type and age. I'll miss the way it could overtake, and hug corners, and stick to the road. I got a thrill just looking at it. It's a huge wrench and I'll need some therapy. Tap, tap, tap!

Just Be Yourself

2010-04-23T02:50:00.000-07:00

Got a link to a new YouTube clip of Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling working with an Arab gelding. It was very depressed and in poor condition when it came to him but he worked his magic as usual. Find the clip here.

Subconscious?

2010-04-22T19:50:00.001-07:00

When I was in Kitty Krafts at the weekend buying alcohol inks, I bought three sheets of paper too. I had no idea why I wanted them and must have passed them by many times before as Louise said she's had them in for a while. Then......I thought about my lovely scrappy chocolates and looked a little closer at the pattern on the top of some of them. The subconscious mind at work?

Not too Pretty to Eat for Me!

2010-04-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

This is all I was able to capture on my phone of the remainder of my six delicious chocs before they too were gobbled up. Top one was lime, the middle one raspberry and the bottom one ginger. I feel another visit to the choc shop coming on!

Chocolates for Scrapbookers

2010-04-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've been promising myself a trip to Legends of Grandtully for ages and I finally went on Saturday. This is where Iain Burnett, The Highland Chocolatier, has his chocolate kitchen and I always make sure there are leaflets in our holiday cottages so any chocoholics can make a visit while exploring the countryside around us. I felt the need to sample them myself - purely for the benefit of our visitors of course, lol! Being at the heart of the soft fruit growing area I like to find local products to leave for guests and when the raspberries and strawberries are out of season that means finding things made from them. I usually leave some of Willie's award winning jams from Scottish Preserves and now I'll definately have to get some of these chocs for my Scrapbooking groups, they're just sooooo pretty. I would post a picture of the six extremely pretty, scrappy looking, chocs I bought but unfortunately I succumbed and ate most of them before I could do that. I didn't have my camera to hand, when I got home the light wasn't good enough, excuse, excuse, excuse. They were delicious! You can see what I mean here. I also bought two packets of white chocolate covered raspberries and strawberries so I've managed to take a pic of that although one pack has already been devoured and I'm eyeing up the other!

De-Stress

2010-04-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

I love this short music video by Mark Romero. 3.13 mins of de-stress time! Find it here and another of his short videos here

Thank You Kitty Krafts!

2010-04-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

Had to go get some more alcohol inks this weekend as my friend's Young Women group were here for their Easter visit of egg decorating, egg rolling, egg hunting and, this year, journal jar making which meant 18 glass jars to decorate (pics to follow). While I was in Kitty Krafts Louise's husband showed me how to do the 'here' bit so now there's no stopping me. Thank You.

Great Song

2010-04-16T03:51:00.000-07:00

Found a link to this singer in Brad Yates latest newsletter and I really like this song. Find it here - http://m1e.net/c?98472458-mTPMisSMKfRPo%405227577-i8lRObEwRy43Y . I still don't know how to do the "here" bit where you click on the word and it takes you to the URL. Anyone out there know?

EFT World Summit

2010-04-08T00:58:00.000-07:00

The EFT World Summit has ended and the bonus seminars are still rolling in. I didn't plan on signing up to the event this year as I couldn't afford the time listening to all the teleseminars so I ignored the invitations but Nick Ortner sent me the links anyway and I managed to listen to a few. As usual the standard was excellent and very informative.
The most recent bonus is a series of four teleseminars with Pamela Bruner on 'Breaking the Cycle of Stress and Overwhelm'. I've listened to the first one three times already, great stuff! I'll be tapping along with it every day for a while!

Just Walkin' the Dog

2010-04-08T00:39:00.000-07:00

I love this pic of my niece walking one of our dogs along the lane last summer. Definately need to do a LO with it. The grass is so long on the verges and there are so many different types of grass.

Still waiting for everything to burst into life. We go from moaning about there being no grass for the horses and ponies to complaining about there being too much in a relatively short space of time. It won't be long before we have to start dividing the fields with electric tape to strip graze them.

Hurray, the Sun Came Back!

2010-04-08T00:32:00.000-07:00

After two solid days of rain, the sun finally returned yesterday and after a damp start this morning, I'm hoping for a similar sunny, warm day today. Still trying to catch up with outdoor work I didn't do in the rain. Just couldn't face getting soaked again.

Skip to My Loo

2010-04-08T00:14:00.000-07:00

This little guy lived across the road at North Littleton and spent a great deal of last summer under these boards advertising portable toilet hire. If it rained, he was under the boards and when the flies got bad, he took cover under the boards. I don't know how he managed to get in and out of there so often without hurting himself but he did. Ponies are so funny and very resourceful!

British Summer Time???

2010-03-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

Clocks changed this week so we're now officially in British Summer Time. BUT, the whole country seems to be covered in snow apart from a small patch around us. Snow on the hills to the south, snow on the hills to the north and gale force winds. The weather forecast for yesterday was as follows -
"Sleet and snow turning heavier and more persistent this evening, some heavy falls. Combined with gale force North winds blizzards will quickly develop widely with severe drifting. Very severe conditions inland over upland areas with severe blizzards in places. Minimum temperature 0 °C."
BRRRRRR, it's just sooooo cold!

Digital Communications!!

2010-03-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

I attended a Networking and Information breakfast meeting run by Perth College’s Centre for Enterprise on Monday morning. The presentation was given by digital communications and marketing experts, Precedent, who told us how we should all have websites and be using such things as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Flickr and yet another new one to me, Linkedin. We need to know how to keep track of our online presence and raise our profile so search engines will find us. I attend these things because of our holiday cottages so I can, hopefully, find out how to best market them and raise their profile in a fast expanding market and after several seminars, workshops, information meetings, I still find it all a bit baffling, not to mention very time consuming. We need to spend at least one hour a day on our computers to keep up, says the man. Does he mean one hour of time for an expert like him or one hour of time for a mere beginner like me? Most of these things are easy to set up and free, you don’t need to spend lots of money to do it, says the man. What about the old saying ‘Time is Money’? Time spent at the computer for me means less time to do all the other pressing things I need to do and usually means working into the small hours of the morning, like now. I do have a blog, Facebook, and Twitter. The blog, I manage to update occasionally, Facebook, I tend to avoid as I spend most of my time deleting ‘stuff’ people send and we have 38 real acres to look after so I won’t be accepting any invitation to Farmville and I won’t be helping anyone with their Farmville crops! I really don’t need to know that a friend has had a good lunch (although I’m pleased that some of them have time to sit down and eat) or that they’re tired and are off to bed early (it’s just so exhausting doing those Farmville chores). It’s all very well telling us what we ‘should’ have but I need someone to actually take me through it all. I have a twitter account and have managed to link it to one of my Facebook accounts but I can’t remember which updated which and I don’t know how to get ‘tweets’ on my phone although I did manage to send one out from it. I even gather a Twitter follower occasionally – how do these people find me and why do they add me? I have no idea who they are.
I’ll stick with my blog for now, I know whose on it and linked to it, although there could be others who ‘lurk’ but that’s OK because I do that too. Can’t leave everyone a comment. Computers are OK but I’d much rather be scrapbooking or doing therapy! And yes, I go for some too. :o)

Pussycat with Purrsonality

2010-03-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

Here's another layout I did at the weekend retreat. Again no journalling yet. This is Ruby and she's my daughter's cat not mine. Ruby is very affectionate and also very vocal, especially when she wants fed. She also forgets her place in the household as the other pic clearly shows. I found her in my bed one day, under the covers with her head on the pillow! I actually pulled the cover down a bit to take the pic as all I could see were her ears.

When we first bought the farm and were still living in Edinburgh, we travelled the 60 miles every weekend to Perthshire to work on the farmhouse and the dogs and Ruby came too. Ruby, especially, loved the trip in the car and as the noise she made when restricted to the cat basket became unbearable we bought a harness and lead for her and she would go from person to person using them as a platform to see out of the car windows. When we moved here permanently I think she wondered when we would be going 'home' again and used to jump in any car with an open door or window. My son took her down to the supermarket with him one day as she jumped into his car and installed herself on the back window shelf, refusing to come out again. She still likes to take short trips in the car and is fascinated by all she sees.

Crop Retreat

2010-03-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well I survived the crop retreat and actually managed to get some LOs done for a change. The retreat was held in a hotel near Peebles and organised by 'Aunty P'. She did well to find such a good venue and great value too. From 2pm Friday to 5pm Sunday with full board (lunch & dinner were 3 course) it only cost £130. I haven't seen any other crops advertised for that kind of price. Well done, Phyllis. I was already tired when I got there so didn't stay up too late, or get up too early. My friend and I started scrapping after breakfast (which we didn't have 'til 10am) so nice and leisurely. Phyllis had brought along some jars and alcohol inks so anyone who wanted to could make a journal jar. As I'd already made about twenty, I stuck to doing LOs but it was really interesting seeing the way everyone else chose to decorate their jars.

I did these two LOs of my little schnauzers playing in the garden when we lived in Edinburgh and tried to incorporate lots of embellishments. I'm not doing Shimelle's class but I've been following the prompts on other people's blogs. Both dogs loved to play football and Lizzie loved trying to catch the water as it came out of the hose but Sam always steered well clear of it. Lizzie also liked me to dig a hole and bury her tennis ball so she could dig it up again and bring it back to me to repeat the process. Happy days!

Craighall Castle

2010-03-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Not long to go now before Craighall Castle changes hands. It's been the family seat of the Rattrays since 1533 and the current Laird has sold up and will leave at the end of the month. Sad day. The balcony outside the main drawing room is suspended over the cliff about 200ft above the river and standing out there isn't for the faint hearted. The gorge is believed to be the second deepest in the country. Stunning house and stunning location.

Decisions, Decisions!

2010-03-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

I'm going on my first Scrapbooking retreat this weekend and I've had one attempt at deciding what to take in the way of stash which wasn't very successful. I decided to go through my pics instead, choose some to scrap and then go back to choosing papers, etc. Didn't work either. Far too many pics in the pile! Oh dear, back to the craft room tonight to have another go. I don't know how the scrappers who come here cope with the decisions. lol. How do you choose?

Beautiful Buzzards

2010-03-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Just had to share this clip of the buzzards flying around in front of the house. They were much closer but had moved away a bit by the time I got my camera out. They eventually flew down to the trees behind the stables to annoy the crows. We had a couple of people stayed in one of the holiday cottages last year who went on a Highland Safari specifically to get some pictures of buzzards but I didn't find that out until the day they were leaving. Although they enjoyed the trip, they didn't see any buzzards and it was a pity I didn't know sooner or I could have sent them on a ten minute walk to where some were nesting on the farm!

Quickie Christmas Cards

2010-03-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

As usual I ran out of time when making my Christmas cards and resorted to using Costco gift tags instead of stamped images. Here's the result. I also made a stack of sour cream cartons to put sweets in.

Journal Jars

2010-03-02T02:25:00.000-08:00

I decided to make Journal Jars to give as Christmas presents since it was the year of 'Homecoming', but I bit off more than I could chew and still haven't finished them all. Christmas will be very late this year for some old aunties.

Things I Can't Do Without

2010-03-02T02:11:00.000-08:00

I took these pictures last year in response to Shimelle's Prompt (no. nine I think). Most people would have posted Scrapbooking items since the class was all about Blogging for Scrapbookers but these are my current essentials - quad bike plus trailer and poop-scooping tools and wellies! I tempted fate, however, by taking the pictures as the quad then broke down and I had to revert to our dinky toy one which struggles to pull the trailer when it's full or in wet conditions.

Back at Last!

2010-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a while but I'm determined to be a better blogger this time. The winter has been horrendous with everything frozen solid and when you have to get hay and water to nine ponies in treacherous conditions it takes up quite a lot of your time! The sun's shining today and luckily the snow has all gone for us but is still on the ski slopes. We had some skier's from England in one of the cottages this week and they had a ball up at Glenshee. Never been skiing in Scotland before but have gone home determined to free up more time in the next few weeks to come back for more. They couldn't believe how good it was.

I was at the Perth & Kinross NewBiz conference yesterday and left determined to make lots of changes to my life. The keynote speaker was Michelle Mone (Ultimo) and she was excellent. A very inspiring lady. I also attended Rene Looper's Marketing - Web & E-commerce workshop and even though it's the third time I've been to one of his workshops I came away having learned several new things which I can hopefully use to raise our profile on the web.

I'll post some pictures later of things I'd planned to add in December but just didn't have time to. A few from Shimelle's prompts and some of the journal jars I made for Christmas presents. I should've taken lots of the beautiful snow scenes and amazing ice formations but when you're trudging around with buckets and hay bags/nets it's not exactly the first thing on your mind.

Back soon.

Phew, that was a busy week, and no time to Blog!

2009-11-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

Mon - Put ponies out to field then attend Perthshire Area Tourism Conference (20 miles away), 9.30am-4.30pm, home by 5pm then muck out stables, do hay and water and bring ponies in.
Tues - Put ponies out then travel to Edinburgh (60 miles away) for dentist & hygienist check-ups. Quick trip to Costco then home, muck out stables, do hay and water and bring ponies in.
Wed - Put ponies out and try to catch up with field work missed over past two days away. Do stables, get ponies in, then get cleaned up for the local Youth Project AGM (on Management Committee) for 7pm followed by Merchants Association (on Management Committee) early Christmas soiree for 8pm.
Thurs - Put ponies out then travel to Dundee (20 miles) for 'Evaluation of the Delivering for Mental Health Peer Support Worker Pilot Scheme Dissemination Event' (Isn't that a mouthful!) 10am-3.30pm, home, and, you guessed it - muck out stables, do hay and water and bring ponies in.
Frid - Was again a day spent trying to catch up in between doing the ponies and then off to a 7pm Reflexology appointment. I was the one doing the treatment, not having it done.
Sat - Another event in Perth (20 miles away). This time Perth & Kinross Council Community Capacity Building Sub-Group's Communication Seminar. Couldn't miss this one as I'm a member of the organising committee and was doing the closing remarks.

All this leads me to the conclusion that I need to take heed of what Shimelle says in Prompt 6 and take stock of what I'm doing now and set some goals for the future. I know my first task will be to cut down on the voluntary work I'm doing and put more energy into setting up my therapy practice now that my daughter has left school and is more independent. Time to hit YouTube and tap along with one of my favourite guys - Brad Yates. I'm sure he'll have a routine for goal setting. I could do it myself but it's much more fun with Brad!

I'm going to print off Shimelle's prompts and hopefully work through them even though the class is now finished. Another goal - to finish what I start!

Make & Take

2009-11-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

One of our groups of scrapbookers wanted a make-and-take class when they were staying for a crop weekend and we decided to do some rubber stamping as some of them hadn't done any before. I came up with this layout to show them different ways they could use a set of simple flower stamps on their LOs. We used a watermark ink pad and stamped the images on the top part of the background cardstock and then used embossing powder to highlight the images on the lower part. The black strip of cardstock was stamped and embossed with clear embossing powder which they particularly liked. Then we stamped the images onto some patterned cardstock, embossed with black powder and cut out the flowers to layer up. Apparently the heat guns were in constant use after I left the group and some members were planning their route home so they could stop by a craft store to buy supplies to continue their new-found technique. Success!

Don't Leave Home Without Your Digital Camera!

2009-11-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

The last time I had to call out the AA breakdown service was when the exhaust fell off my car. It was late at night, pitch black, and I was on my own. I wasn't sure exactly where I was on the motorway and the person I spoke to had no idea where the motorway was let alone my location (call centres!) but I gave it as best I could as I could see there was a turn-off just up ahead.

As I sat in the car I considered getting out and walking along the side of the motorway to get a closer look at what the sign said but I didn't consider that for long. Remember, it was late at night, pitch black, and I was on my own. However, I had a brainwave (unusual for that time of night). I got my digital camera out, waited until there was no traffic, put my headlights on full beam, stuck my camera out the window with full zoom and clicked. It worked, when I zoomed in on the picture I'd taken I could clearly see the writing on the sign and was able to phone the AA again with my exact location. I was more than a little pleased with myself, but forgot to take a picture of my car being winched onto the lorry so I could do a LO.

An A-moooo-sing Tale for Prompts 7 & 8

2009-11-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

Last winter one of our neighbours asked if he could rent one of our fields for two orphaned Highland Cattle which he had bought so we ended up with two little calves in the back field. Later in the year he bought some more young Higland Cows and put them in there too making seven altogether. A few months later one of our liveries rode into the yard and told us that one of the cows had just given birth which surprised us as we hadn’t been told any of them were in calf but apparently it was a surprise to the guy who bought them too!! He’d been a bit concerned that two of them were getting a bit fat. However, the farmer he bought them from assured him they couldn’t be pregnant - but there it was, proof of the pudding, so to speak. The mother seemed a little bewildered by it all as she wasn’t very old herself and kept misplacing it in the field when she wandered off with the rest of the herd leaving it sleeping ‘somewhere’. I walked by with the dogs one day and the calf was nowhere to be seen so I asked her where she’d left it. She raised her nose to the air and sniffed in several directions, peered through her long blond tresses, and ambled off to find it.

There is a twist to this tale as you’ll see in the picture below. Now, I don’t know much about Highland Coos, but I’m sure that calf looks nothing like one. How a different bull could get to these young cows without the farmer knowing is beyond me but one obviously had an eye for a pretty blond!

2009-11-15T16:39:00.001-08:00

Blogging for Scrapbookers Prompt 5 cont'd

2009-11-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

I love these jewel brads and it really sets off the flower. This Fiskar punch is a favourite but unfortunately it's now broken so I'll need to look for a replacement. I also like to have a selection of striped papers in lots of different colours to tie everything in on the LO.

Blogging for Scrapbookers Prompt 5

2009-11-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

Today I made this. Well I didn't actually make the LO, I just made the picture of the LO as it's one I did for a scrapbooking class on International Women's Day. I kept it simple as I knew I would have people in the class who didn't have a clue what scrapbooking is. This is my sister and family heading off to the Middle East when her husband was transferred abroad. The picture lifts up to reveal journaling underneath and I've still to make a slit in the page cover so that it will be on top and then held down with the pink brad. They've been away for about six years now and my nieces are growing so fast it's hard to keep up with their progress. We see them when they're home each summer but I think it's getting more and more difficult to come back to our sometimes dreary summers when they're so used to sun, sea and sand - lots of sand!

I used a Fiskars punch on the bottom of two of the papers and I just love these spotty flowers which I've bought in lots of different colours to use on other LOs.

I haven't managed to 'take a picture in natural light' in my home as it's been too dull and I've also still to figure out how to turn off the flash on my camera. Must find those instructions!

However, from wandering round my house people would learn that we need to get organised! I'm always busy with other things these days (Community Council, Regeneration Project, Merchant's Association, Community Capacity meetings, not to mention cottage change-overs and ponies) and the two other peeps living in the house - DH & DD - don't seem to think housework of any kind has anything to do with them but you know what they say, 'A tidy house is the sign of a wasted life'. I think I'll leave them in here and go live in one of the cottages, I keep the two of them out of these as much as possible 'cause they're neat, tidy and always spotless unlike areas frequented by DH & DD. Any tips on how to train a teenager to clean up after herself greatly appreciated.

Sammy Schnauzer

2009-11-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd post a pic of said little dog who likes to follow his mum around. This was my first attempt at a digi layout.

Blogging for Scrapbookers Prompt 9

2009-11-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know, what happened to Prompts 5 to 8? I will get back to them but felt this was one I could do something about now. I love lists and in days gone by used to make them regularly and tick off the tasks one by one until most were accomplished. Then I'd carry forward unfinished items and make a new list to live by. It all seemed so simple and organised, then came husband, children, pets etc., etc., etc.. I guess lists are even more appropriate now than ever before but I've just got out of the habit so this is a great prompt for me and I'm hoping it will give me the kick-start I need to review my life and plan ahead more.

Shimelle suggested doing This week... I am... but I thought about the prompts as I was sitting at my computer and answered them for the here-and-now.

I am seeing...my computer, and beyond that the garden, fields, and hills in the distance. The stable yard is obscured by the large pampas grass in the corner of the lawn but unfortunately it's not large enough to blot out the polytunnels on neighbouring farms!

I am hearing.. my little dog making his way through from the kitchen to find me after waking up and realising his mum wasn't still there.

I am smelling.. the chicken soup which is simmering on the Raeburn.

I am tasting.. toothpaste..I've just cleaned my teeth before going out to a meeting in town.

I am feeling.. frazzled and totally unorganised. I feel like there are things which I'm forgetting to do, important things and it's stressing me out. Time to make a list!!!

Blogging for Scrapbookers Prompt 4

2009-11-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am, way behind with my blogging as I was down south for a long weekend visiting friends and taking in the Hobbycraft show at the same time. Went to the show on Saturday and spent all day there so we were shattered by the time we got out.

It's taken me ages to read through the prompts and other posts so now I need to find time to actually do something. I have lots of mundane stuff I could blog about but not many pictures and I forgot to take my camera with me today when I went out to the fields to work. Still, I did find this one when I was sorting out and trying to organise my digital pics. It's my husband cleaning up the door to one of the cottages. There's always something needing done and this is a rare pic of him actually doing it! It doesn't occur to me to take pics of all the sorts of things involved in running the cottages like the cleaning and laundry - just hate all that ironing but the ironing service was dreadful last time I sent some away and I ended up doing most of it again myself anyway. Maybe I'm just too fussy. When it's all spick and span and ready for new people to come in though it does give me such a feeling of satisfaction and it's always good to meet our guests and get feedback.

Looking at the picture, I noticed that it was taken before the yard was paved and reminded me what a difference that had made to the look of the whole place, not to mention being able to cross over to the barn in shoes rather than donning wellies to squelch through the mud on rainy days. I think I'll do a future blog with some before and after shots (maybe even layouts!) of the cottages. They really have been transformed and it's good to remind myself just how far it's all come.

Tomorrow I'll try to remember to take my camera with me and photograph some of my most essential items for daily living on the farm - wellies, quad-bike, poo scooping equipment, heavy duty gloves. I know, doesn't sound very exciting does it, but someone has to do it!

Blogging for Scrapbookers Prompt 3

2009-11-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

OK here's my list of five. I've chosen five quotes from daily ones which a friend sends me and a pic showing the view from our steading which always inspires me (when I remember to look up from working to take it in and appreciate it!)

1. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.
2. "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
~ Albert Schweitzer
3. "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things.

When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."-Norman Vincent Peale
4. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
5. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.

No time for Scrapbooking yet.

My Tidy Craft Space!

2009-11-03T18:50:00.000-08:00

Thought I should record this somewhere just so I know what it looks like tidy. It doesn't stay like this for long!

Minibook

2009-11-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

I have been doing some crafting as one of my groups of Scrapbookers left me some beer mats and challenged me to do something with them so I decided to make a minibook of my ponies. I'd managed to make a page for each pony but hadn't added any journalling or embellishments before it disappeared into thin air and I still can't find it. These pictures are all I have of it!

Two Gone, Eight to Go!

2009-11-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

My two beautiful boys have been sold and I'll really miss them. I've had them both since they were six months old, straight off Dartmoor and into the Drift sales. They're both fabulous ponies - little Tinker such a sweet, gentle little character and Biscuit so eager to do anything and everything asked of him. Hopefully, I'll be able to follow their progress as they're not going too far away. Just can't afford to keep them all anymore and now they're fully grown they need to be in work instead of standing in a field getting fat. Only another eight to find homes for now!

Inspiration from Shimelle

2009-11-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

Haven't updated the Blog for ages and have only managed a few posts in the past year but have just signed up to one of Shimelle Laine's on-line classes 'Blogging for Scrapbookers' so if I manage to follow it and keep reasonably up-to-date then perhaps I'll be more consistent. Here's hoping!

One of the things which stops me blogging is the name I chose for the Blog. I feel I have to produce pics of some wonderful piece of craftwork before I can enter anything but I've decided just to write about any kind of 'stuff', mainly farm animal life.

Tinker's New Coat

2009-05-23T16:12:00.001-07:00

Still no pictures!

2008-11-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

I've actually spent some time in my craft room, nearly finished two layouts and made some cards, but I still haven't taken pictures of them to post - will do this soon. We had people staying in one of the holiday cottages and they were keen to learn about scrapbooking so I helped them make a few pages in the craft room. They're now hooked and keen to carry on when they get home having left with their newly created pages and two albums to fill with more.
One of my nearly-finished pages is of our pony Lucky who is out on loan at the moment and I need to do a journaling card to put on the layout telling his story so far, but then writing things down isn't exactly my strong point. I'll make it a 'detached' card that fits into something so I can do a little now and change it when I have more time.
Did a wonderful class at Stampaholics in Perth last week and have another one to go to tomorrow, so looking forward to that. I think we're making a desk calendar using the bind-it-all. More pictures which need uploading so I'll challenge myself to do it before another week goes by.

A STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN!!!

2008-10-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally taken the plunge and set up a blog. Not sure how often I'll remember to update it but I'll give it a go anyway. Perhaps this will give me the push I need to get into my craft room and do what I enjoy doing - crafting! Always other things to distract me and keep me from getting in there but now I need some completed pages to post to my new blog.

I've been set a challenge by the lovely ladies who came for a crop retreat so I may start with that instead of a page. Have a pile of beer mats ready to be made into mini-books with the aid of my bind-it-all and pics of my special little ponies. Can't wait!