Scottish-Irish Skier

Am so gonnae jinx this. Scotland could still be in for a white Christmas - despite warm weather NEWS.STV.TV Temperatures this weekend are set to be extremely mild - but we shouldn't rule out the chance of snow just yet. No lookin sae mild by the 20th.

Aye, does look like cheaper heating bill long weekend before winter returns next week. Bought mini Miss SS some nice ski boots now her feet have defo stopped growing, and a set of second hand skis for Scottish rock hopping. Hope a huvnae jinxed this winter by doing this! Now I live 1 hour from the lecht/glenshee, I'm no gonnae miss an opportunity!

Just don't go outside right now. That's all I can say. Tried it earlier with the dugs. Total pack agreement to cut the walk short and head home within 10 mins of battered raw faces.

Looks a bit like my 16 year old daughter's bedroom TBH! -- In terms of weather... wee back roads lethal the day. Dindae unfreeze. Solid coat ae black ice and frozen slush. If you were not wearing ice/snaw cleats oan yer boots, forget it; you'd be heid ower heels! Suffice tae say the number of dog walkers normally passing was considerably diminished. Counted yin intrepid soul and dug.

Lecht right now. Fingers crossed for some decent Scottish Skiing this winter. And Cairngorm.

Sleety wet pishy hail and 2 C. Dreich tae say the least. Still, ski centres are steadily building up a base!

Shower passing over here is heavy snaw. Nice. EDIT. @Mair Snaw Must be so marginal! I just have 60m oan ye. Temp here is 0.8 C. And where the f**k is Tesco. Supposed to be here 8-9. Humph. EDIT2 Tesco came just a minute before 9, so credit to them as it was chucking it doon wi snaw.

This.

If we could win that one by a fluke, maybe weather related, I'd be a happy man. We could lose the rest miserably and it would be fine.

Dug walk towards the end ae the efternoon. Stunning.

There was clearly some sort of snow shield in operation yesterday north of us. Probably a mobile one being run from a layby on the A96. Will keep an eye out for it when heading to Elgin / Rothes, and we can put a plan together to deal with it. Sunrise ower Bennachie. You can see one of the reasons we fell in love with this hoose.

View fae the hame office windae the day (lower pic obvs). And whit a bonny view it is. Wishing all my fellow kilters a happy St. Andrews day. May you all see some snaw! Or at least a nice frost with sunshine! ----

We have a Robin called Rab that comes to say hello when I'm in the gairden. I put up a special bowl for ground feeders who can't naturally grab on. Robins are so curious, especially if you are the person that brings food. When we moved in, the hamlet was totally empty of garden birds for some reason. I waited for about 4 weeks before the first little bluebird discovered it. Then the word (or tweets) spread about my feeder and soon our hamlet was full of song. Can now sit just 30 cm from them at the hame office windae and they happily feast away. Rab often turns up and watches when we are doing stuff in the gairden. Birds + snaw the day: WhatsApp Video 2023-11-29 at 09.23.15.mp4

Everything white here. Maybe 0.5 cm, but not a bad start for the first winter in the new hoose. Snawin lightly.

Snaw tae the soond ae Irish jigs and the footie now! Looks the same ootside here. Mrs and mini Miss SS just passed through Oyne en route hame and report white backroads...

Tap o' cairgorm. EDIT, that's funny, the screen cap added the music playing on Amazon music on my PC, which was an Irish jig served up by autoplay on the celtic theme. But fits the scene well! Cairngorm 2023-11-28 180649.mp4

And so it begins. WhatsApp Video 2023-11-28 at 10.05.13.mp4

Jeezo. Gonnae be cauld fir a guid while! Get the cauld and the snaw follows...

Glorious day. Wind dropped, sun oot. I've decided I will climb every hill I can see fae the new hoose. Went up one today to the SW on the Gordon Trail north of Alford. 360 type pics fae the tap plus obligatory climbing companion photae. And look at this! Cherry oan top! Oan the way doon, this view opened up. Rural Aberdeenshire is truly stunning. Sunset Song countryside. After living in the Lothians and borders since I was nine, I can say I really have come hame tae where my heart is. The Eastern Highlands.

The aiftermath of that hoolie the other day. Next door neighbour's hubby was offshore, so we helped her extract the trampoline from the trampoline catcher and pin it down so it would try to escape again. Wood crates blew off the back of a builders truck. We thought they'd just left it all there, but came back shortly afterwards with another pair of hands to take it all away.

The aiftermath of that hoolie the other day. Next door neighbour's hubby was offshore, so we helped her extract the trampoline from the trampoline catcher and pin it down so it would try to escape again. Wood crates blew off the back of a builders truck. We thought he'd just left it all there, but he came back shortly afterwards with another pair of hands to take it all away we understand.

Cauld looking tae say the least.

Aye, near Insch now, with a view of Bennachie from the hame office windae. Up on a wee hill, well inland, and exposed tae the NW, N, NE, E, and SE. 'It's like Narnia here in winter' say the neighbours. Didnae tell Mrs SS until it was too late.

Guilty as charged. If ah wisnae originally pairt o' the winter rubber posse, then aiding and abetting. Got a 4 x 4 crossover now as ae'b'dy aroond here has one. Rural Aberdeenshire. Thinking it needs snawflaked tyres... ----- Bit ae a hoolie oot the nicht. Gey cauld.