River Walk

I had a walk by the river today as the wind has changed direction and it wasn't nearly so cold.

The river is high as the snow is slowly melting in the mountains but that's normal at this time of year.

I'd love to get started properly on the garden but I've promised my gardening friend I would wait until the 1 May. All this came about because I said a few weeks ago I was going to dig out plants which I've lost over winter. So far I calculate the number to be 9.

My expert friend told me to wait until the beginning of May just to ensure there was no growth as certain plants could recover. I can't see any signs of life in them but I will wait as I promised.

When I'm taking out the dead ones I may just remove some of the old heathers. They've become very 'woody' and really do need replacing.

Of course, for all this work I will require a willing under-gardener as I don't have the strength to dig out large shrubs, so I suppose I'd better start doing a little spoiling before the first of next month.

Glenshee Skiing Continues

There is still plenty snow at Glenshee and plenty day visitors. One of my family has just spent a fortune on a skiing holiday to France. When Glenshee was compared with the destination in France, it would found the skiing was actually better!

Too late to cancel the French holiday of course, but there was no guarantee we would have such a long winter.

There's been no more snow here since January. Sometimes I can't believe that, just a 40 minute drive into the hills, is what is pictured above. In fact March was a very dry month and winter is surely over down here at the foot of the Grampians.

Glamis Castle

I hope the owners of Glamis Castle don't mind me using one of their website photographs to tell you that the Castle is now open for the season.

Regular guests will know that Glamis Castle is one of my favourite places to visit in Perthshire.

It has so much to offer and it's quite easy to spend a whole day there without realising it!

Have a look at their website. It's around a 15 minute drive from here on a reasonably quiet road.

Still Very Cold

WINTER CONTINUES

The winter weather is not easing. Not too much more snow but temperatures never rise above freezing any day and at night it's well below.

The house is lovely and warm though and the new boiler makes such a difference.

My normal outdoor activities have been curtailed and I am only going out when completely necessary. As I haven't used my car much the battery was flat when I attempted to go to town on Friday! Fortunately the local garage came, took the car and put the battery on a slow charge and returned it to me on Saturday evening.

I hope wherever you are you're keeping warm.

A Happy New Year for 2010

This is the view outside the front door around midday on Hogmanay. It looks lovely but the fresh snow covers hard-packed ice.

We've cancelled our plans to go to a party and are going to keep safe and warm in the house. There's not much point in driving in weather like this if you can avoid it and the council staff are still on holiday so, with the exception of the main roads, walking is treacherous.

I've ordered a pair of pull-on cramptons for my boots as I find it hard to balance on the ice. Maybe once they arrive I'll feel more confident getting out and about.

Happy New Year!

A Perthshire Winter Sunset

I took this last week from the back garden. The sunset was just stunning and I doubt if I've done it justice with this video but I've tried!

The Homecoming, Scotland

Another year is with us here at Heathpark Lodge and I do hope any resolutions you made are still holding.

The main event in Scotland this year is The Homecoming which is a national celebration to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns.  There is a spectacular programme of events all over Scotland during the year plus, of course, The Gathering which will take place in Edinburgh on 25th and 26th July.  This is a gathering of all Scottish clans and is sure to be a sell out.  For further information see The Gathering.

I know many of the guests who have booked with me this year intend to visit old haunts, famous haunts and generally go haunting.  Sounds like fun when there is so much to do in this area.  

The drop in the value of the pound is sure to encourage more to return to Scotland or even to visit for the first time.  It has been a few years now since foreign visitors felt the monetary exchange rate was reasonable.

Since new year the weather, with the exception of two days, has been just wonderful winter weather.  Sharp frosts with temperatures around 0 or slightly less overnight and beautiful sunny days with blue skies.  Of course the days are chilly too because there is no heat in the sun yet, but if you ensure you have a few layers of clothing on, then walking is a pure pleasure.

Merry Christmas All

May I wish all my readers a Very Happy Christmas and a Guid New Year.

Please view the following link on YouTube, it's a lovely musical greeting:  

Youtube White Christmas

Mince Pies

Doesn't that mince pie just look delicious?  Mouthwatering and the pastry, looking so crumbly and light, will surely melt in your mouth within seconds.

No, it's not a photo of my home baking - how I wish it was!  I've been struggling to buy a quality mince meat to bake my own, but yesterday I finally decided to make my own.

Emptying the contents of the baking cupboard it was a surprise to find plenty sultanas, raisins and cherries. Complimented by ground almonds and various spices the fruit was put in a pan and warmed thoroughly using generous tots of rum, amaretto, port and anything else to hand.  This was then cooled and put into the fridge in a covered bowl.  I've stirred it today and added more booze and have to admit, my fridge smells rather festive.  Overpoweringly festive, but at least I'm doing my best to get into the spirit of things (excuse the pun).

I'll leave the concoction to 'mince' ( or is it 'meat') until Sunday then do the pies. Hopefully I can manage a comparison photo with the one above, but I don't intend to 'break' more than two just to improve my photography skills as I would like to offer my New Year guests some.  So keep your fingers crossed!  

Christmas Markets

This photo was sent to me as a Christmas card and it took my mind back to my years of working in Europe.

Christmas in Germany, Switzerland and Austria was a wonderful experience.  The superb Christmas markets where you could buy all your food for the festive season, plus of course gifts for everyone.

Traditions were far more marked than they are here and Christmas Eve was the time to put up the tree which would be adorned with real candles.  I can understand why they've been banned I suppose, but seeing a Christmas tree lit by candlelight is a true joy.

We opened our presents on Christmas Eve too and Christmas Day was the day for food, food and more food.  Goose was a favourite rather than turkey and, to this day, I do enjoy goose for my Christmas meal.

The Europeans don't seem to over-hype Christmas or over decorate, it's all rather subtle and gentle.

Such treasured memories. 

Skiing at Glenshee near Blairgowrie

A heavy fall of snow overnight and now a great possibility of Glenshee opening for business.  As usual it's very picturesque here but cold (-3 outside earlier).  The cold is a 'dry' cold and if you're dressed warmly it's lovely outside.

I didn't take the above photo of Glenshee but I've borrowed it.  Such a wonderful landscape and skiing for all levels of skill.

Why have all the hassle of airports when you can access Glenshee easily.  Blairgowrie is at the south side of the Cairngorms and the last town before the slopes, so do stop and stock up with the painkillers and moisturiser!

St Andrews Day, Blairgowrie

Another year, another St Andrews Day.  Had a busy weekend guest-wise so it was a rush to get out to a party tonight.  Everyone had to wear something Scottish and there were some very well turned out people in attendance.  Kilts abound and the question 'why do men usually have better legs than women' sprung to mind - again.  Perhaps it's only men with shapely legs who wear kilts!

Blairgowrie gave a good show of entertainment this afternoon.  The Pipe Band were out in all their glory and the market was doing well.  I didn't manage to spend much time in town and also forgot my camera, so the above picture is from earlier in the year.

The town Christmas lights looked so smart tonight and I'll try to take some photographs very soon.

It's good to meet with friends but also good to be home in the warm.  Very cold again tonight but everyone says they are cosy so that's the main thing.  The new boiler seems to be working well.

Winter Weather Is Here Early.

November Snow

Woke up yesterday morning to a 2 inch covering of snow.  It looked very picturesque from inside the house where it was cosy and warm.  Eventually I did go outside to take some photos and the day was very pleasant, cold but dry and no wind.  Luckily the council looks after the roads well, so there are no problems travelling in this kind of weather.

The garden looked quite sculptural with the snow outlining the shape of shrubs and there's always a peacefulness about gardens and the countryside when it's covered in snow.

I'm being very brave this year.  The cordyline above has been nurtured by me for years, fed in summer and brought indoors once the frost appears.  This year, on the advice of a guest who is a gardening expert, I've left it outside.  He says it's a very hardy plant.  If it survives this snow then I'm sure it will survive anything.

Heathpark Lodge's little piece of European architecture

There is a saying here in Scotland that once you start decorating the process can feel as if you're painting the Forth Bridge.  I know the feeling!  We started decorating our living room this week and the work has gone from a quick coat of paint on the walls to deciding to do the woodwork too. 

I've just finished painting the shutters and realised how unusual it is for a small B & B in Blairgowrie, originally built as a gardener's cottage, to be so carefully designed.  Usually shutters were only for 'grand' houses, but maybe the architect who designed this house, back in the 1840s, had visited France or perhaps Italy and been impressed by the decorative effect and practical uses of them there.  I like to think we have a bit of continental building design right here in Blairgowrie.

When we bought the house in 1991 the shutters had been nailed back with what seemed to be thousands of nails.  My 5 year project was to see if I could make them work again because it seemed such a waste just to have them for decoration.

Two years, hundreds of hours later (an hour each evening after work), several very small files, the help of a friendly joiner and the advice of a paint expert - et voila! For years now the shutters have been used daily - or perhaps I should said 'eveningly' as they are closed once darkness falls - and at this time of year they are invaluable for keeping out the cold.  

Red Squirrels, Blairgowrie, Perthshire

The other evening I was sitting in the sitooterie reading whilst I waited for guests to arrive.  My other half had received his new camera that morning and was putting it through its paces.  You know the kind of thing - silly photos of me and zooming in and out of plants with his new 10x lens.  

Red squirrels are frequent visitors to our garden.  They usually appear between 7 and 8am for breakfast and hang upside down for ages on the bird feeders extracting as much as possible.  It was no surprise to see one that evening at 7pm having its last meal of the day from their usual place.

Suddenly though, it rushed across the lawn, jumped up onto a stone by the water feature, then nipped into a nearer stone and had a lengthy drink from the bottom well!  This photo is its arrival at the water feature and the photo of it having a drink has gone forward to a national competition (I'll post that one at a later date).

To think all this happened within half a minute of time was incredible!  Nature is always full of surprises.

A link which may be of interest to you:  Highland red squirrels

Botanic Gardens, Dundee University

It's a beautiful sunny day and around 25 degrees.  Too nice to stay indoors, now my work is finished, so I'm going to have a trip to the wonderful Botanic Gardens at Dundee University.  The gardens are just a 20 minute drive from here on a pleasant road.

These gardens are exceptional and so much of the work is done by volunteers.  Unfortunately, owing to the restrictions of the bed and breakfast business, I'm unable to be a reliable volunteer but I can enjoy the results of their toils.

The photograph is of a beautiful climbing, highly scented rose on the front wall of the house here.  It was just coming into flower.  I was told a few years ago it was a very old rose, possibly having been planted not long after the house was built in the 1840s.  So today, I'm taking a stem complete with a flower, in the hope that one of the experts at the Botanic Gardens can identify the rose or at least give some idea of it's heritage.  Doubt if I will get the results back for a while but they should be interesting.

Here in Scotland, there are few opportunities to really use air conditioning in the car, but today is one of them.   It's not so long ago it was thought air conditioning would never be used in a place like Scotland but I have used it for the past few months quite often.  Perhaps we don't get enough days like today but our climate isn't as bad as it is pictured at times.  England often gets far worse weather than Perthshire!

Clunie Loch near Blairgowrie, Perthshire

Had a few hours free yesterday afternoon having completed all the work required for the bed and breakfast, so decided to go for a short walk.  A ten minute drive took me to the Loch of the Lowes, which has been famous for nesting ospreys since the late 1060s, but it was very busy so I decided to drive round  the other side and make my way back via Clunie Loch (doing more or less a circle from Blairgowrie).  

Clunie Loch is charming.  It's a small loch, although trout fishing is permitted, but it's just the right size for a short walk.  I parked by the church and strolled round enjoying the peace and the lapping of the water on a warm summer afternoon.  'Clunie' means 'meadow' in Gaelic I was told today by a friend and I would agree it is in a meadow-like setting.

When I returned to the car a party of cyclists arrived.  They had been practising for a big competition and decided to relax there for an hour before continuing their gruelling training.  Most set off round the loch with gusto although some sensible ones (in my opinion anyway!) sat at the edge of the water and enjoyed the calmness.

My apologies for taking the photograph too far away but I assure you the loch is there!  Just a slither of it shows about two-thirds of the way down right of centre.

Tracing Your Ancestors in Scotland

This afternoon I had a couple of hours free as tonight's guests weren't arriving until 5pm. They're now settled and getting ready to go out for an evening meal so I've time to tell you about my exploits.

In August I have visitors from New Zealand arriving. They're on a tour to trace their ancestry in Scotland.  Now I know lots of Scots emigrated to New Zealand back in the 'old days' and many continue to do so because of the quality of life offered, but my visitors are young New Zealanders and both are of Scots descent. The amazing fact they themselves have discovered is that both their great-great-grandparents came from this area of Scotland and both were named Robertson! Both were single when they arrived in New Zealand.

What a work they've put into this research but it appears neither great-great-grandparent knew each other before they emigrated and it's still not known if they knew each other in New Zealand. Mind you, they started sheep farms quite a few hundred miles apart (still in existance today) so they may well have 'heard' of each other without meeting. The woman emigrated with her brother and, of course, it's her brother's name that is on the documentation for the land purchase!

Back in those days Blairgowrie was a small and successful town with farming being one of the strong industries.

Anyway, back to my activities. I've been wandering around the old Blairgowrie cemetery at the top of the town but with little success. Many of the stones have been vandalised since the ground was deconsecrated but also a majority of the stones are readable.

I did have success at Bendochy churchyard though and have forwarded them photos of 7 gravestones with the name Robertson. Hopefully they will help in some way even if it's only to eliminate some leads.

These young people want to do a joint 'Ancestry' book and video to present to their respective parents later this year as a thank you for helping them purchase their new house.

I can see tears in the eyes of four parents already and all because a young couple want to trace their ancestry to the Scots and Scotland!

Seasonal Breakfast Delights

This morning I felt rather sad because I grilled the last of the locally grown asparagus for two guests (the other two had the quality bacon and sausage of my local pork butcher.)  Only bought yesterday at the farm near Glamis (Eassie farm) it was the last of their asparagus crop which has only around a 6 week season.  I hadn't realised until yesterday that the time had flown so quickly.

During summer I offer guests a variety of 'specials' from local producers in addition to the regular 'specials' not on the main menu.  This year so many people have been grateful to have such an exotic choice as grilled asparagus (which I serve with a side dish of chilled lemon butter) that I think Eassie farm ought to offer me shares in their business!  Although I've suggested some tasty Belfast ham along with the asparagus I've had no takers, but I shan't tell Belfast as I've no wish to offend their ham.

Forgive me if the photograph is not one of my own but I didn't have time this morning to take photographs.  I believe this photo is the nearest to the reality of mine.  

On a cooking note, I've been a consummate eater of asparagus for so many years I can't quite remember.  I've had the inedible, the tough, the cremated, the average and the best.  The best, in my opinion, is grilled.  On the BBQ just a minute either side is fine. For breakfasts and certain foods I use a Foreman grill and 2 or 3 minutes inside that machine, after the bottom inch is chopped off and the remainder washed, is just perfection.  Gourmet food indeed!

The Missing Ring

This past week I've had great pleasure enjoying the company of two couples who have visited me for many of the past 13 years.  Usually both of the husbands play golf each day, but as this was the Ruby Wedding Anniversary of one couple, golf was off the agenda for once (how the wives managed that I don't know)!

One evening prior to them going out for dinner, we were all sitting talking in the sitooterie, when suddenly the Ruby Wedding wife said to her husband, "Where's your wedding ring?"  Now, I'm sure the Ruby Wedding husband will forgive me if I describe him as rather a laid back sort of man, who likes an easy life.  He looked at his finger and stated quite calmly, "It's not there."

As the Ruby Wedding husband had only just finished entertaining us with details of a young Dundee schoolteacher he had met the previous evening whilst outside for an after dinner smoke, (he enjoys this forbidden pleasure), the comments started to flow.  "When you took it off chatting to the Dundee teacher you missed your pocket," and other similar witty remarks. Fortunately the Ruby Wedding wife took all the remarks with amusement but she was obviously upset.  

The following day there was an in depth enquiry as to the Ruby Wedding husband's actions since the previous weekend when he knew he was in possession of this sentimental token of love.  Several times he mentioned it had never been off his finger for 39 years, 11 months and 364 days (the actually date of the Ruby Wedding was the following day).

I then had the 'pleasure' of giving the house another spring clean in search of the missing ring.   Truthfully I would never have forgiven myself if it was in the house somewhere and hadn't been found and this exercise was completely voluntary!  Suffice to say, after a couple of hours work, nothing was discovered.

The following evening we were all going out for a pre-arranged celebration.  During the 'winks and drinks' prior to leaving the Ruby Wedding husband took some flack about the ring again and how it would be the talk of their golf club when the word went round.

Our evening was brilliant - good food, good wine and most of all superb company.   The following morning I felt a little fragile and the others were subdued but, as they were returning home, we all managed fond farewells and 'see you soon' sentiments.

I received an email from the Ruby Wedding wife two days later.  When I saw the address I assumed it was a thank you for the hospitality as she is always very kind at showing her appreciation.  The email was brief.  'He found his ring, inside his golf glove, inside his golf bag' .

Phew!  What a relief!  Seems the Dundee teacher is completely off the hook ...

(The couple in this story have approved the accuracy and say their sides are still sore from laughing)