Afternoon Tea

I had a fabulous walk with a very well behaved Bruce this morning. Out on the moor the ground was obviously still sodden but the grasses had their heads up again and there were a few moths and white bottomed bumbles around enjoying the fresher air and the fact that the wild flowers were again open for business. There was a wee bit of cloud hovering over the top of Ben Vorlich but otherwise the hills were clear albeit with a blueish tone indicating that more rain was not that far away.

While in the moor I met a young mother with 5 1/2 year old twin daughters, also with a dog, and we got chatting. I was delighted to see that one of the girls was holding a big black beetle in her hand and proceeded to proudly show me that it was iridescent and purply on its undercarriage. We started chatting about insects as her mum said that this little girl was mad about them. I told her about my blip friend who knew lots about them and then the pair found numerous large winged flies all over the trunk of a larch and called me over to have a look. I took a photo of one and then zoomed in on the camera and they were thrilled to see its colour and the transparency of the wings. If I had never found blip I would have never thought of doing this as previously I had been ignorant of the beauty in insects. I also was able to show them the new larch cones which still have a wonderful mahogany colour to them. It was wonderful to see such young ones taking such an interest and I couldn't help but wish my grandsons were nearer so that I could take them out on nature trips too. However I did go away with a huge smile on my face!

Back home for a quick lunch and a clean of Cara's paw and then a change into my glad rags as I was off to an Afternoon Tea at the local Hydro hotel in aid of Alzheimers and Parkinsons. The dress code was smart and hats could be worn! We were serenaded by a local singing group and a young girl saxophonist and the surroundings were splendid. There were many ladies who, like myself, jumped at the chance to dust off the wedding hat and outfit and while I took a number of photos I decided on this one of two gentlemen who had risen to the occasion magnificently and were thrilled to pose for me as they left to collect their raffle prize. In fact, when they initially entered the room they had received a round of applause from the assembled ladies.

Then as I drove home, replete from cucumber sandwiches (no crust), cream scones and tasty cakes I heard a funny noise from one of the wheels. As I am a bit of a numpty in these things, (my husband always dealt with car problems), I thought maybe something had become caught under the car, but no - when I arrived home I had a totally flat tyre! I knew I didn't carry a spare (it seems that many cars don't now!) so I called "Honda Happiness" and they sent a man to help. Having identified that there was a nail stuck in the tread he found some white "stuff" in a can in the boot and was able to squeeze it through a tube into the tyre and then pump it up by means of a nifty square box, also in the boot, which worked from the cigarette lighter. Hopefully it will stay up until I can drive to a local garage in the morning to sort out a new tyre . So, now I know that although my car does not have a spare tyre I do have items in the boot with which to fix things if required! Mmmm, I still think "Honda Happiness" is my best bet!