Where Did Winter Go?

Sitting in the dentist’s waiting room the other day, talk turned to the weather.  We’ve had no snow this year at all, with the exception of a dusting for about an hour and most of us were quite optimistic the situation would continue.

However, one man interrupted and said Glenshee Skiing Centre (40 minutes drive north through the beautiful Grampian mountains) had had its best skiing season since the business opened in 1961.  He’d worked there for many years and the snow was nearly as high as the telegraph poles.  The ski lifts had to be closed for a few days in order to manually dig out enough space for the blowers to gain access to the cables.

Other parts of the UK have suffered horrendously with flooding and storms, but we’ve been extremely fortunate this year and had only a handful of days - and nights - when the temperature hit zero.

Hopefully this ‘mellow’ weather will continue all year.  So much golf going on this year with the Junior Ryder Cup being played at Blairgowrie Golf Club and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles too, plus again Perthshire will host the week for the mixed foursomes.

I’ll post later with the dates of these events.

History of Heathpark Lodge - Update

A Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

Since I did further research on the date the house was built (mainly because the internet now carries much more information than it did years ago when I first tried to find out), below is a copy of the new History of Heathpark Lodge.  Apologies for the photograph above, but as I said in a previous post, it was taken in November. I will take more of the ‘new look’ in the spring.

History of Heathpark Lodge

In 1745 this whole area was open grazing land.  Coupar Angus Road was a one lane track built for the use of coaches and horse traffic, connecting Blairogwrie with Coupar Angus.  According to historical records the Duke of Cumberland’s (known as the Butcher Cumberland in Scotland) cavalry camped on the actual site of Heathpark Estate for a period of around six weeks before their final push to Inverness, where they won the battle of Culloden against the ‘rebel’ Scots.  The Duke himself did not stay here but enjoyed the more sumptuous accommodation of Newton Castle set at the top of the town.

What was to be known as Heathpark estate was purchased in 1837 by John Thane of Dundee, one of Scotland’s wealthiest ship owners.  His permanent residence was in Dundee but he used his estate as a weekend and holiday retreat.  John Thane was also highly respected in the Free Presbyterian Church where he (and Heathpark) are mentioned on several occasions.  

As Mr Thane entertained influential members of his Kirk at Heathpark in the summer of 1838, perhaps to celebrate the ascension of Queen Victoria to the throne, I assume Heathpark Lodge was built by then.  The same stone as used in Heathpark, (the ‘big house’) was used in the frontage of the Lodge and that suggests both properties were build at the same time. The house was originally built with a hallway, two rooms to either side and the lean-to attached to the right hand side. In the very first census taken in 1841, Heathpark Lodge is listed as occupied with servants.

Unfortunately, owing to the many additions to the ‘big house’ the beautiful stone has been harled over, but in 2013 I decided to have the whole of the stonework renovated using lime mortar which would have been used in the 1800s. It looks splendid, but that is due to the lovely expert who spent many days chipping away 150 years of bad maintenance and bringing the exterior back to its original state.                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                In the mid-1850s the house was sold to John Clarke, the owner of a reputable printing and publishing company in Edinburgh.  Soon after Mr Clarke arrived others purchased land, built houses and the result was the village of Rosemount.  The Clark family kept the house for a number of years until Mr Clarke died (he is buried in the old churchyard at the top of the town).

Early in the 1900s the estate was sold to a Miss Guthrie, who was Lord Lieutenant of Perthshire.  Records show she employed a gardener and his wife who lived in the Lodge. 

When Miss Guthrie died in the late 1930s, the whole estate was bought by a local veterinary surgeon who ran his surgery from the back section of the big house and resided in the remainder.  His mother lived here in the Lodge and I have been told there were many great musical evenings in this house as both the vet and his mother were talented fiddlers.

In the late 60s the vet’s mother died and the vet sold the Lodge to a private buyer; thus the breakup of the estate commenced.  In 1980 the then owners of Heathpark sold off much more land, including a wonderful walled garden, to a property developer but fortunately this did not affect the Lodge in any way.

Since the 1960s there have been three owners:  a surveyor and his family, a lawyer and wife and myself.  I purchased the house in 1991 and extended it to its present size in 1992, trying my best to ensure the extension was sympathetic to and in keeping with the original property.  The square arch in the hallway was the back door of the original house.

The garden has evolved in the past years since I took over as it was just pasture and stones then.  The beech hedge seen at the roadside and along part of the garden was over 15 ft high.  Thankfully it is now a manageable size and hopefully compliments the garden rather than buries it.

Heathpark Lodge

Blairgowrie

2014

Merry Christmas

House Pointing 2

The pointing is finished! Apologies for the quality of the photos but these were taken in November when the sun was low.

It’s difficult to see from these pictures, but in reality the workmanship is superb and the house looks similar to the day it was originally built - with the exception of double glazing.

I’m delighted. It’s been a long haul but my lovely expert was very tidy.  Such a craftsman is difficult to find these days. Modern homes are not built using lime mortar; in fact few are built using stone nowadays.

As a wee treat to myself I had the date placed on the front.  For the past few weeks I’ve been researching further into the history and discovered it was very possibly built in 1838 so that’s the date that’s been carved into a piece of local slate and embedded on the front stonework (hard to see from the top photo but it is there!)

It’s wonderful to come home and feel I’ve helped protect something for many years to come.

House Pointing

It’s long been a dream of mine to have the stonework of the house returned to its original lime mortar and the many amateur efforts to repair it with concrete removed.

I was so lucky to meet one of Scotland’s experts and he started a few weeks ago.  The work will take some time because it’s very hard on the wrists and hands and we’ve agreed to do it slowly.

The photo shows the beginning of the ‘chipping out’ of the front lounge section.  I’ll post other photos as it progresses.

Nature

What a strange summer it’s been produce wise.  My local supplier of asparagus had such a poor crop this year that his prices were triple what they were last year.  Also his cutting season lasted just over two weeks instead of the usual six, so asparagus wasn’t on the menu unfortunately.  I’m looking forward to a bumper crop next year though.

Berries were abundant and again the most popular at the breakfast table was the red juicy strawberry.  Raspberries and blackcurrants were also available but few chose them when strawberries were also presented.

Hopefully next year we’ll have another good crop of strawberries for everyone to enjoy.

March is a strange time of year.  Too cold to be out in the garden for long, yet the planning for colour has to start now.

My latest passion is begonias, all sorts of begonias.  Last year I had trailing begonias in my hanging baskets but because of the wet weather, sadly their flowers were often knocked by the rain and wind.  Yet I don't intend to give up and this year I'm trying to bring back some tubers I saved.  Little success so far but who knows.

The sitooterie is looking like a mini-greenhouse although there's still plenty space to sit and unwind.

Yesterday I was given a present of 20 begonia tubers and how delighted I was.  They're not the hanging variety but I intend to start them off in trays of compost then transfer them to 5" pots once the shoots are around an inch or two.  They should look lovely in pots as they're a mixture of colours.

As yet I haven't thoroughly checked the garden out for any plants which didn't survive the snow.  Fortunately the heaviest snowfall wasn't around for long because the temperature rose within days and that made such a difference.  We still needed to clear the drive though because we like our guests to have as easy access and egress as possible.

Next time I write I hope I'll have been able to turn the heating down and discard the heavy jumpers!

For My Irish Guests

Proms at Glamis is Cancelled

It's just come to my notice that the Proms at Glamis, which were scheduled to take place the evening of 10th August in the grounds, has been cancelled.

It seems the recession has hot another wonderful event, but as we all know, organising and putting on such events isn't cheap - quite the contrary.

So, if you know of anyone who was attending and had bought tickets, please let them know so they can apply for a refund.

Glamis is still one of my favourite places in which to recharge my batteries.  I've lost count of the visits I've made over the years and I've yet to hear any guest say they didn't enjoy their own time there.

New Website Completed!

Phew!  It's done - the new website that is.  Have a look and see what you think. It's taken some time to understand the software, but I managed in the end.

The redesign started when I received a new computer from Santa.  In fact two Santas.  My old computer was on its last legs and, looking around the new one, I noticed it had many new bits and pieces.

Because I use an iMac sometimes free software is hard to find, but I noticed Sandvox was website building for only Mac users and it also insisted it was idiot proof.  That's for me I thought.

Many years ago, long before websites were the norm for any business, I built my own from Mac software.  It was easy because sites were simple then.  The last site I had was kindly done for me by a lovely gentleman who took pity on my pathetic efforts with Dreamweaver.  I couldn't master that then and still can't understand it.

The new site looks good on tablets and if the media are correct saying 40% of people use tablets for browsing, then perhaps it's a good move for it to suit mobile as well as desktop and laptop equipment.

Now it's time to put some thought into the summer garden.  

Do keep warm.

A New Year and Winter

library picture

It's too long since I posted and for that I apologise.  Early winter brought the cold virus into the house and my cold developed into pneumonia.  Three courses of antibiotics later I was back on form but I still didn't have any voice.  That had vanished when the cold started.

However, much to many people's dismay, the voice returned before Christmas and I was able to take part in the fun.

In November we had quite a fall of snow which took a couple of weeks to clear, but over the festive season the weather was pleasant and everyone was able to get out and about with no problem.

Last year was also a reasonable winter and I wonder if it's because I bought winter tyres then.  What a difference they make on icy and slushy roads.  Now I wouldn't be without then because they give me so much confidence driving in bad weather.

Part of my 'chores' this winter was to update my website and I hope to have it up online very soon.  Will let you know when it's active.

Meanwhile, rather belatedly, I wish you and yours good health and peace for 2013.

Another Eating Out Review

Last week I recommended a good restaurant in Blairgowrie, but this week I'd like to recommend my favourite.

The owner of my favourite, Little's Restaurant, is Willie Little and he used to own Cargills, until he left the area to specialise in the wholesale fish industry.

Willie has now returned to the town and has finally set up a website. He openly admits to being a technophobe but has taken advice at long last!

His restaurant offers the highest quality produce cooked with imagination. A blackboard shows the 'specials' and it's certainly worth studying.

Although much of his menu is composed of fish dishes there is also plenty choice for the carnivore. How he cooks venison in so many ways defeats me!

The staff are friendly and the wine list offers a good variety.

There's no need to dress up but you can if you feel like it and won't feel out of place at all.

Little's is not a restaurant where you feel it's necessary to have a three course evening meal.  You can choose whatever you like and at times I only feel like eating a starter. None of the staff will pressurise you into choosing more than you wish.

I would advise booking as it's a busy place.  Unfortunately it's closed on Sundays and Mondays because Willie needs a couple of days away from the heat of the kitchen, so if you're visiting the area on these days I would suggest you visit Cargills. (See previous review).

Enjoy.

Carpets and Cargills

I'm feeling very guilty at neglecting the blog for so long, but I lost the password and have only found a way to access it (with a lot of help from people so much more technically knowledgeable than myself).

The winter was busy with painting and decorating.  We decided upon a new hall carpet but prior to its installation, we also decided we would paint the hall.  It became like the Forth Bridge - never-ending.  But it's done now and looking quite good.

Strangely enough people notice it and make a greater effort to wipe their feet when they arrive!

I wanted to recommend Cargills as a place to eat in Blairgowrie.  It's in the centre of town at the riverside and is open 7 days a week.  The menu has been completely revamped recently and offers a much smaller selection of dishes but I think that benefits the Bistro.  The previous menu was far too extensive.

Another Eating Out Review

I promised a review on another local restaurant which we haven't yet visited.  Unfortunately I don't think Dalmore House has its own website, which I find strange, but you can Google it easily.

Many of my guests have been visiting for years and have become good friends.  This year our four golfing friends decided to come earlier than usual because of the super weather and we always have a meal together the night before they depart.

This year it was the Dalmore House and I booked it for the six of us the other week.  Maybe I should have just given my name instead of saying Heathpark Lodge because I think they fell over themselves to impress. (We hadn't eaten there before and had received mixed reports from other guests).

All credit to the staff the service was excellent, but I did cringe when the waitress continued to call all of us 'dear'. The steak supper was excellent value for money but do note that the steak is rib-eye and that requires far more cooking than the more expensive cuts.  I ordered mine rare and it was impossible to eat but they kindly cooked it to medium.  I was impressed that they'd put my meal on a clean plate when they returned it cooked medium.

The environment wasn't relaxing for me.  It's a big room with little atmosphere.

But draft beer is available and the wine list wasn't bad.

Opinion:  I wouldn't rush back.  My steak supper was large but the only vegetable was a tomato.  The deep fried onion rings were out of a freezer bag and that disappointed.  Lovely chips accompanied it but there was no choice of a baked potato.

Seasonal Produce - Asparagus

It doesn't last long the season of asparagus, but my guests have been delighted to be offered it for breakfast for the past couple of weeks.  Sorry I forgot to take a photograph but the above would serve two.

Grilled on the Foreman grill and then, if desired, pouring melted butter over them has had me desperately controlling my tastebuds when cooking breakfast.

I've bought other asparagus the past couple of weeks but the local Eassie asparagus has by far the best flavour.  Mr S disagrees as he thinks I'm biased.  Mind you, after a day on the golf course he's ready to eat most of what I cook!

Did I tell you Blairgowrie is a haven for golfers of all abilities?  It certainly is and I'm thankful, at times, when Mr S is out driving as best as he can.  It's not going too well this year as his putting is letting him down.  I offer a comforting shoulder and say it'll improve.  No, I'm not being facetious and he's comforted by a plate of Eassie asparagus.  When the season ends shortly I've no idea what to produce as he doesn't like strawberries.  Who doesn't like strawberries other than those unfortunately folk who have allergies?

Eating Out in Blairgowrie

It was our anniversary the other day so we decided to go to Cargills Bistro. What a delightful evening.

I managed two courses and Mr S decided he was too replete to fit in a pudding. He's done nothing but speak about the sauce which accompanied his mussels and I'm sure he'll try to recreate it - but with little success.

My meal was perfect and the service was second to none. It's a while since Mr S has visited Cargills, mainly because he favours Balathie House, which I admit is lovely but dinner is overpriced I think.

What I would suggest is that you book for Cargills because it has become the most popular restaurant in town for good fresh food.

Believe it or not the ex-owner of Cargills has returned to the town and opened a restaurant in the Wellmeadow called 'Littles'. Four guests have been and say the meal was "memorable". I'm saving up my visit for my birthday at the end of May and I'll let you know my thoughts. Willie (the owner) has a love of fish and when he owned Cargills he never disappointed.

Littles in more expensive than Cargills but it's a restaurant and not a Bistro. For price and fresh food I doubt if Cargills could be beaten. Last year hundreds of my guests ate there and everyone said the quality was above average and the price "far too cheap".

I'm going next month to another restaurant I've yet to visit just out of town. Will let you know what I thought.

Mild March

It's been a wonderful March with the daffodils looking splendid with their proud heads sticking through many of the front border shrubs. I'm loathe to move them to other spots and rather like the untidy look they give to the formality of the plant bed.

I scarified the lawns this week and decided a photograph would make anyone think there was little care given to the garden but I'll post one perhaps at the end of May and then I'll see if the new scarifier has lived up to it's reputation. Since I purchased it a few weeks ago I now have a list of friends wishing to borrow it so it must be good!

Guests are astonished how mild the weather is and long may it continue. I, for one, could certainly cope with these mild days for quite some time.

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.