Scotland - well, it seemed like an appropriate title

Tony tormenting Genghis cat (who probably quite liked it!)

The drive is finished, it looks like it always should have, within moments it’s hard to remember how it was! Ainsley and Alison, the next door neighbours have also refreshed their drive. Alison is thrilled, not sure Ainsley so much, he had to empty the trailer of 4 1/2 tons over two mornings before going off to do his day job at the distillery.... Alison is so thrilled, that for delivery and petrol, we’ve had millionaires shortbread and biscuits with buttercream, and more to come as she ran out of butter...

No photo of the finished lock-block path, this is half done

We’ve also finished the path, which looks a treat, we’ve made the most of the good weather! The weekend wasn’t so good, very wet, not that we were particularly bothered on Saturday, we had a social engagement! Simon and Diane from Edinburgh were just finishing a two week tour in their new camper van so we met up for a very chatty lunch. Just as well we did, it’s all becoming harder again up here from tomorrow- the start of the two week half term break!

It was lovely to see them, and time flew, we felt quite guilty as they set off for a 4 hour drive, most of which Diane reckons they aquaplaned!

This is Genghis asleep on our bed one morning, which really does look like he fell asleep whilst checking his emails

And here's 3 legged Cookie cat with Genghis

Indoors Brian (Jr) has been building woodwork to match that of Brian (Sr) (Tony’s Dad). I’ve been using the pneumatic stapler non stop, putting wire mesh between the A frames, where the roof doesn’t quite meet the wall to stop flys and wasps from making their way in, and then wrapping tape around all the woodwork so that when the 100mm thick insulation is precision cut and rammed into position it doesn’t go too far! Tony has almost insulated one side of their future bedroom, bathroom and the office, but it doesn’t feel any warmer! There was much hilarity today when we had to move the power board out of the way of the oncoming insulation. “Put it there where that bit of sarking is instead “ hmmm, removing the sarking was easier said than done, most of the screws sheared off. Just cut them off with the angle grinder, but the angle grinder needs power, and there’s no power as we are moving the power board! A real “hole in my bucket, dear Liza” moment!

She didn't mention that the button on my trousers fell off and after days of hoping it would magically re-attach itself, I decided there was nothing left but to do it myself. Why it was amusing that I would choose to sew it back on while still wearing them defeats me, it worked and, so far one day later it is still there!

Now look at this: that's the drive with just the hardcore down...

Today in a slight variation we cut some roofing sheets to put a new room on the ‘guinea fowl house’ called because that’s where they sleep along with half a dozen others, except apparently for tonight when the three guinea fowl had squashed themselves into the ‘duck house’ along with 16 or so others. It used to be one more, but as we were cleaning out on Sunday, there was a poorly looking hen, she just sat on the floor with her head on the ground until Tony ‘dealt’ with her. Very quick and so painless Brian didn’t even notice it happening.

Yesterday we had a little trip into Elgin, the solar panel controller that had been ordered in June had finally turned up so we went to get it fitted, and Brian’s new glasses were ready in Specsavers, the Redditch branch had handily sent them up to Elgin for him! A little look round at the ‘Dandylion’, one of a selection of designs that had been submitted, only to be voted for by the 6th year students at the academy in a real ‘Boaty McBoatface’ fashion, they had all thought it ridiculous, it has caused quite a lot of controversy. I quite like it. I also made a purchase, it was sort of going to be for Brian, but hey, it had my name all over it, I now have an alternate rugby shirt for when my old faithful is in the wash!

...And this is it after we'd laid all the gravel. Did you stifle a yawn then? We'll have you know there's a lot of hard work gone into that, must be at least 12 tonnes worth there, all shoveled by hand. That was a yawn wasn't it!

Here's something completely different. This is in Elgin town centre and that's the Dany Lion statue, described by a councillor as 'intellectual vomit in technicolour'. I've just noticed Jackie has the same colour coat on, good job she wasn't wearing green tousers and a top hat as well

This is also in Elgin. This is Thunderton House and, apparently, Prince Charles Edward Stuart stayed here in 1746 prior to the battle at Culloden

These four splendid specimens are the remains of the ten chicks we hatched out in May. The three on the left are hens, the one on the right is a cock. The other six were all males and were despatched by Tony, as there would be problems with too many males. The one remaining was the perfect white chick and is a splendid male, although he doesn't seem to know it yet, being bullied by all the other hens

That was him back in May, there on the left. The one next to him in the photo above we think is 'Number  10' as we called her (being the last one to be born), and is the one in the background with the little 'V' on her head

'Show me some more pictures of the building work' I hear you say. OK, here we are: there's Jackie in the top she bought in Elgin. She picked it out for me and then decided she'd have it. Actually, not my colour anyway, I don't mind the pink, it's the black stripes I don't like!. Now that woodwork there is the studding Brian Senior made. I've now done half of the other side of the room that you can't see here, but I've put this on to show the strapping Jackies done. Further up the room you can see the 100mm thick insulation boards Tony has fitted and they are bashed it up to the straps, them stopping the board going back too far, making sure there's a 50mm gap between the back and the outer wall to ensure adequate airflow at the back

I know you want to see some more, so here's one. What's this? Well, its inside the roof where it meets the top of the outer stone wall. Jackie installed that mesh to stop insects getting into the roof space from under the eaves. The flexible pipe is conduit to get an electrical cable outside for external lights

That's the side wall I built. Behind is the original stone wall and the inside of the roof above. The mesh (in the photo above) is just behind where the roof meets the top of the wall

I'm going to put a couple of short videos on now. This one is the chickens, ducks, geese and guinea fowl dashing about as scraps of food are thrown for them

And this one is of little three legged Cookie cat delicately drinking water by dabbing her paw and then gently licking it. Nicky thinks she a spoiled brat, we think she's just misunderstood! She certainly wailes at high volume if one of the other cats so much as looks at her!

Well, that's all for now, see you next time....