Sunday, January 20, 2008

winter hips - not just for humans

blue tit at work on a fat ball hanging from the feeding tree in the garden

these birds don't even have to work for their food! and are as fat as butter as a result. the entire lower area of the tree is festooned with all manner of backyard bird feeders (keep an eye on my flickr page to see when i load up a pic of the tree in business).

as well as blue tits, i've seen great tits, robins, sparrows, dunnocks, chaffinches, a couple of coal tits, blackbirds, collared doves, a goldcrest, the most obese pigeons ever and a very ingenious grey squirrel around the feeding tree.

today was the best viewing however, as a whole flock of long tailed tits descended on the two fat balls suspended from the branches. we counted five tits per ball (!) with another two scurrying and twittering in the upper brances. sadly, by the time i had found the camera they had departed.

Friday, January 18, 2008

SPT Thursday 17th January 2008 - the cupcake edition

we made gluten-free cupcakes yesterday then photographed the results for SPT
then i slunk off to the spa for a hot stone massage
i like being on holiday

Translation Notes:
* we = the wee guy was pretty pleased with his contribution to the whole process, viz a brief stir of the mix and running screaming from the kitchen shouting that the mixer is "too loud"
* gluten-free = no wheat, oats or barley flour so that nana, who is gluten-intolerant, could eat them
* SPT = self portrait Thursday where Etsy sellers and buyers take photos of themselves and upload them to this Flickr group
* hot stone massage = yummy massage using heated smooth stones and lots of massage oil
* spa = The Crescent at 76 High Street in Aberdour (01383 860842) - highly recommended!!!
* on holiday = not doing housework or cooking

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

OMG!!! 601 hearts


OMG!!! 601 hearts
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama
ebbandflo has broken the 600 hearts ceiling!

a huge HUGE thank you to all my hearts, and a special mention to http://www.adornyourself.etsy.com, my 601st heart who is a potter and jeweler from Brandon, Manitoba.

go check out this gorgeous pottery pendant from adornyourself and PS: she also makes delightful ceramic beads!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

... and for thhose with winter hips syndrome


winter berries
Originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama
.... here are some of a more acceptable (and forgiving) kind courtesy of the freezing fog that rolled into Gargunnock the night before last.

It was absolutely freezing. The pavements (aka sidewalks) and roads (aka pavements) were extremely icey and breath hung in the air in little puffs of mist.

spider web

... so we went out to play in the park! The wee guy had spent the night throwing a fever, coughing and throwing up. The Man was still feverish, coughing, achy but not throwing up. Lil' Sis and I remained healthy ......... so far!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

front page times 2 (bragging post)

....well, so far this year I've been on the front page of Etsy twice (not bad for a bad girrrrrrrrrl).

Last week it was the seaglass cufflinks in a treasury list by starwillowstudio who makes amazing jewelry and hair clips out of vintage finds. I completely missed seeing them on the front page but big thanks to lil' sis for taking the screenshot!

This week,
cindyg's achingly beautiful seafoam list hit the front page. Cindy always pulls together stunning treasuries and her shop, as would be imagined, is full of some awesome collage work. Again I missed seeing it and would have remained clueless (!) if my friend and designer of my christmas earrings msbelle hadn't convo'd me! Thanks!

Anyway, it wasn't just me that was pleased to see the
submersion pendant featured. I got an excited convo from shoozles who made the gorgeous glass cab that the piece is centred around. The pendant also gathered about 82 hearts and over a thousand views!!

.... and it still isn't the middle of January yet! Thanks for a great start to the year.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

resolutions ancient and modern

This is me, just back in from a run (trying to rid myself of 'christmas arse syndrome' and get fit and live up to my sole new year's resolution to complete at least one triathlon this year). I read somewhere that it's a good idea to keep resolutions simple, singular and plausible. The triathlon one though covers my usual multitude (drink more water, get fit, lose weight, rediscover my abs, become cheerful ...) so I'm trying to multi-task even with my good intentions.

Another recommendation for healthy and contented living this coming year also stressed the importance of not commuting (easy enough for a SAHM), being traditional (i'm the one at home) and admitting mistakes. The scottish Daily Mail's science editor also advised counting your blessings, simplifying your life, avoiding shopping and that "the secret in drinking is to find the balance between champagne and carrot juice" ........ though the latter may more correctly be attributed to Julia Roberts.

.... and look what the weather is doing outside - snow, sleet, hail, ice, rain - welcome to bonnie scotland!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Happy New Year!

I'm in Scotland, in the bosom of my family, for Hogmanay this year. I'm amazed at how dark it stays but then I guess I'm closer to the Arctic Circle here. It requires a super human effort to get out of the house and get some daylight.

Anyway, on Christmas Eve me, the wee guy and The Man went for a walk along the castle terrace and thru the gardens to see the church I used to attend as a little girl. It's amazing how much smaller everything seems to be now!. The church was all dolled up for Christmas, including that very pagan of symbols - a christmas tree.

We continued on from the church to see my old primary school and then on to the harbour to watch the boats bobbing, and look across to Edinburgh.

Midnight found us whooping it up with a glass of damson gin, having decided wisely not to set foot outdoors in the rain to watch for the fireworks in the capital across the river. We did what about 76% of Scots do and saw the New Year in from the comfort of our own sofa with the TV on (sadly no Rev I.M. Jolly this year!)

Aberdour - looking west along the castle terrace (click the pic to see more photos from my scottish trip)
ebb and flo by pomo mama design click to shop pomo mama design online!