The Pipes Are Calling!!

Here I am again, wondering where the last week went. And then I think back over what's been happening and I remember where it went! :0)

Before I tell you what I've been up to I need to apologise ... you see ... we've been experiencing some "Technical Difficulties" here ... the server my email travels through has been having a few hiccups and so I've ended up WAY behind on answering my emails. I started to try to catch up with answering them but ... I need to sleep SOMETIME! :0) So ... with apologies, I'll wipe the slate clean and start fresh. If you emailed me during the last three weeks or so and haven't heard back from me... OPAM gals especially ... I'm sorry about that! The 'issues' seem to be sorted, so I should be able to keep up now ... I hope! :0)


OK ... so ... on to what's been happening and why I have such a strange post title. Most of you will be familiar with the well-loved folk tune "Oh Danny Boy" ... one of the lines is ... "The pipes, the pipes are calling from glen to glen and down the mountainside". Well ... today at the retirement village where I work mornings, the pipes were indeed calling across the mountainside. We had a visit from the Queensland Police Pipes and Drums ... bagpipes and drums, that is! Aaaaaaahhhhh!! It was enough to make a Scottish-descended lass's heart warm and fluttery! My Dad's side of the family includes so many Scottish connections that it's a wonder we don't bleed tartan! :0) Kippen, Menzies, Duncan, McLean, McGreggor ... see what I mean! Tee! Hee! Hee! So it's no wonder the squirl of bagpipes makes my heart go pitty-pat!! :0)

Here are the QPPD in action.We had about 80 village residents, family members and friends on hand to clap and dance a reel or two! OK ... maybe not, but there sure were some toes tapping! :0) Then, it was time for a cuppa and a chat with the band.

And look what I found ... a couple of burly Scotsmen in kilts! :0) Pat and Mark had the lovely rolling Scottish burr and had spent time with the Royal Scots Dragoons. Did I mention that sometimes I LOVE my job! Tee! Hee! Hee! Oh ... yes, I am short, yes Pat was over six foot! :0)

OK ... apart from chatting up men in kilts, I've been spending some time in my sewing room ...

This is as much as I can show you, cos it's one of my Secret Santa swap gifties for ... a certain SOMEONE! Tee! Hee! Hee! Still need to finish my SSCS gifties for ???? so that will be this coming weekend's task, I think.

Apart from that ... we've FINALLY been enjoying some fabulous warm weather (some people say hot, but I'm a hot-weather gal, so to me it's WARM! Tee! Hee! Hee!) my Beloved Geek Boy and I have spent some time out in the garden. A bit of weeding, a bit of pruning, some planting up for gifts and some harvesting of herbs and veges from my vege patch ...

Some fresh beetroots that have since been boiled up and stored in their special mixture ... YUMMO! The last of my mega-spring onions that were previously taking over the world, the first of my snowpea crop to the right there and some rosemary, chives and parsley from my herb garden ... those herbs and the spring onion made their way into a DELICIOUS home-cooked quiche. Did I mention I REALLY love this time of year! :0) Warm weather, fresh produce from my garden ... life is good! :0) What's your favourite time of year?? Are you a summer gal like me, or a winter bear?

Well, I can hear my pillow calling my name, so I'm gonna sign off for now. Hope you're all having a great week so far and managing to squeeze some creative time into the busy pre-Christmas timetable. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS