February, 2012

Hello,
In last month’s blog I said I’d soon add some photos from the marvellous holiday Catriona and I had in Australia and Singapore. And you will get them, when I’ve worked out how to get around the photo library in my new computer! Watch this space…..

I am fast returning to the 'Scottish peely- wally' complexion! The month of February has been cold and often wild, though there was some sunshine.

Catriona and Sean were here for their mid-term week. Daniel had a football camp. We had a lot of fun. Sean went each morning to buy the paper at Edmund’s, got messages in Plockton Stores and finishing his run around the village by coming home via the causeway – a big adventure as, at eight years old, he can’t have such freedom in Edinburgh. Catriona and Sean went swimming in the Kyle pool, visited the toy shop and bought a model to construct and artist’s pencils and sketch pads and fished off the nearby pontoon. They caught the biggest starfish I ever saw – well over a foot from tip to tip! I’ll find the proof and get it to you!

In about five weeks my guests will start arriving. With that thought in mind, I’m choosing some new carpeting – it is not easy! I am also having some double glazing renewed and painting done. There is plenty to be getting on with outside too.

It would be lovely to meet you sometime soon! Please read my site and, if you are in the village, come in and say hello. Ann

Home from our travels.

Hello,

I last spoke to you just before Christmas, from Toowoomba, Queensland. Catriona, my granddaughter, and I had been there for two weeks.  We were visiting my brother Ian and his wife Alison and my niece Valerie, her husband Mark Chesterton, Laura (13) and William (10) joined us from Sydney for Christmas week.  Catriona, Laura and William had great fun piling more presents around the tree, playing boule and getting to know each other.  Both Laura and Catriona are keen dancers and had plenty to talk about.

We all went to Queen’s Park, where the illuminations were simply unbelievable – what a show……  On Christmas Eve we and other residents in Blue Hills Drive made lanterns to glow up and down the roadsides.  They were made with brown paper bags weighted with sand and a tea light, bedded in the sand, flickered away for hours.  That was very special……  I do not think such a decoration would last a minute in Plockton – I might try!  Do you know that tea lights with little on/off switches, can now be bought – they are wonderfully colourful and probably thought up for windy wet corners!

Christmas Day was marvellous with everyone round the lovely white-lighted tree, a beautiful Christmas dinner – yes, outside in the shade, in shorts and T-shirts! –turkey roast, a big ham which lasted a week, veges and roast potatoes, followed by Alison’s pavlova (made under supervision by Catriona).  Catriona and I had cooked a Xmas pudding, but it waited till we were next hungry!  Later we phoned Moira and the family in Edinburgh – having a lovely Christmas morning, but in appalling weather which lasted most of the near six weeks Catriona and I were abroad.

Alison and Ian had bought a table tennis table and so everyone played a lot – outside on the new patio, where the BBQ and outside dining table were.  That was such a thoughtful thing to do.  We had some lovely meals outside, where the noise of the cicadas at dusk was quite amazing.  Ian’s new gas BBQ was a big success!

In the week that the Chestertons were with us, Catriona enjoyed some family outings, the most memorable being to a “Wild  Water “ theme park.  At Dalby inland lake she also learned about catching “Yabbies” – in a container like a prawn creel with bait of prawns and soap -  and did a little kayaking.  I am not quite sure what a Yabbie is – I know it is black…..Alison , Ian and I went to Brisbane to visit Alison’s Mum one of the days – lovely to see Marg. again.

On New Year’s day the Sydney family set off on their two day journey home.  It had been very good to bring in the New Year with them and our hosts, Alison and Ian.  I had not been away from Plockton at New Year for more than forty years.

We had a great day in the Bunya Mountains, in which the Bunya tree exclusively grows – an impressive very tall straight tree with almost candle/fern like symmetrical foliage.  Catriona’s day was made when she got close to two wallabies, each with a baby in her pouch!  The ice cream coolers were very good too, Ian!  While on the food subject, you would really go for Alison’s pizzas – very special!

There is so much that I could recount!  One amazing thing is that the Toowoomba buses take you to your door, if asked!  They will collect you too, if phoned.  What this means is that buses meander through many streets, popping off happy passengers, when asked – what a service!

On January 7, having done our best daily to water the new lawn (there was only one heavy shower in our whole time in Australia), having done not enough gardening – sorry – having enjoyed every day of our stay in Australia, Catriona and I were deposited at the International departure area in Brisbane by Ian and Alison – a sad farewell……

We flew to Singapore and had three nights there, while we saw the sights, visited Raffles Hotel, China Town, went on a night safari and visited Alix Burrell and her daughter Heather, who is a Plockton friend of Catriona’s each summer!  That was fun for the girls!   By the time we boarded the plane for London Catriona had mastered chopsticks and had bought each of the family a pair!

Some seventeen hours later we were on the final lap, to Edinburgh, where Moira was waiting.  We were early to bed that night, as Catriona had school next day.  I left for home the day after that and am feeling a bit lost still!  It was wonderful having Catriona’s company for so long and being with Ian and Alison and their family too. 

Catriona and I thank all the relatives and friends who made certain that we enjoyed the holiday of a lifetime…… we have the many photos to prove it!  I’ll add some shortly.

Ann

At last - Australia!

December 22, 2011

Catriona and I left Edinburgh on December 6^th.  We flew via Heathrow and Singapore to Melbourne, where we were met by my nephew David Hunter, his wife Caroline and their three children, Matilda and Louie, 4, and Archie, 2.

We stayed in Melbourne for three days and had a lovely time.  Though I know David and Caroline well, from their days in Edinburgh,  I had not seen them for several years , before the twins and Archie were born.  Catriona met her first set of Australian Cousins!

From Melbourne we flew to Brisbane, where Ian and Alison were waiting.  It was absolutely wonderful to see them again and to know that we were not flying elsewhere for a time! 

5, Blue Hills Drive has had a few alterations since I last visited in 1999.  The latest is newly finished – a lovely sun room and outdoor BBQ area, at the rear of the house.  Tonight the Christmas tree lights are sparkling there and a heap of presents lies under the tree.  It is strange to be sitting in shorts and T shirt in the evenings!  The days have not been too warm, though when we visited Townsville earlier this week it was over 30C there.  We visited friends in Townsville and went out to the Great Barrier Reef, where we snorkelled – amazing!

Tomorrow my niece Valerie, Mark and the children Laura and William arrive from Sydney.  Catriona has not met cousins Laura and William, 13 and 10.  It’ll be lovely for her to have some younger company!  I am very much looking forward to the next few days too.

After New Year we head to Singapore and we’ll visit friends there too, before heading home on January 10^th.  I’ll be back in touch after that.

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Good New Year.

Ann

Catriona     22/12/12:

To my surprise I really enjoyed the long flights with Singapore airlines! I loved Melbourne with Louie, Matilda and Archie. Archie is very cute and Louie and Matilda were great fun! We went to the Eureka tower and (surprisingly!) I wasn’t scared of the height!  From there we flew to Brisbane , where Ian and Alison met us.

We have been to the Darling downs zoo and I LOVED seeing the Wallabies and Kangaroo’s! 

Ian and Alison have had turf laid in the garden and we have been watering that daily, but no matter what I do I ALWAYS end up wet! 

Tomorrow Valerie, Mark, Laura and William arrive and I’m looking forward to that! 

We are heading into winter

 Here's Ruah beside a very confused early summer flowering poppy.

 Thursday, 17 November 2011

Hello

We have had a very good spell of weather, with sun most days from dawn till dusk, while the east was often shrouded in thick mist.  The forecast tonight is threatening us with some wet weather – well, most of us have tidied up and pruned in the garden, even weeded, so we cannot grumble.

Last month I was thinking that I’d get a good bit of cleaning done, with the last guests gone.  Well, the linen is all washed, bleached, folded carefully and wrapped up, the duvets and pillows are all tucked away – and that’s it……  Not a huge achievement in nearly a month, but I have been busy!

I’ve been laying out the essentials for the forthcoming trip to Australia and, much more time consuming, getting all the Christmas presents into bundles – Plockton, Inverness, Edinburgh, New Zealand and of course Australia.  There are little and large heaps everywhere!

Today I posted lots of little parcels and so have one bit of carpet showing again!  Today too I’m going to marzipan three small Christmas cakes and decorate them – I shall not ice them – I do not think they will travel well that way.   They are for Moira and friends down there.

Later on I may give myself either a very good feeling or the very opposite, when I try everything in the case and rucksack!  I think Ian is beginning to wonder what on earth I’m planning to bring – so am I, just at this point!

Catrona and I leave Edinburgh on Dec. 6 and go first to Melbourne, where David, my nephew, and his wife and three little children live.  That’ll be great fun!  We know David and Caroline but have never met Matilda and Louie their four year old twins, or Archie, their younger brother.

On December 11 we head for Brisbane, where Ian will meet us.  It is an hour and a half drive inland to Toowoomba, where Alison will be home from the Uni. – what excitement!!   Alison of course keeps the web site running smoothly.  Just today she straightened me out – again.  Thanks Alison.

I’ll write from Toowoomba and let you know what we have been doing – and our future plans.  Till then, I hope you are all well.

Ann

The nights are creeping in........

 Sunday, October 16, 2011

The photos were taken today - two in glorious sunshine and a little disgruntled Ruah, bathed and clipped!

Bob and Cathy Shields, from Mildura, Victoria, Australia, will be dropping in this weekend and staying a couple of days.  These are my last booked guests of 2011 and so next week, weather permitting, I’ll begin the annual house clean – good to get that out of the way long before Christmas.

Long before Christmas this year anyway, Catriona and I will not be here!  We leave Edinburgh on December 6 and return on January 10, having visited relatives in Australia and stopped over in Singapore on the way home.  I’ll tell you about it all in a later letter.  We are vexed not to have enough time to visit the New Zealand relatives.  Next time, I hope……

If you ask anyone what sort of weather we have had this summer, you’ll likely be told “shocking”.  But I disagree as, when the family was here, off and on for weeks during July and the beginning of August, we did not have a jumper or raincoat on and the little boys wore long sleeved shirts, long trousers and hats – after being covered in suntan cream!  They often went swimming – yes, in wetsuits! – in the evenings, just very near the house, though the coral beach was warm enough for the children to discard the wetsuits.

Before and after the summer months there was and has been really bad weather……  My double red hawthorn tree, nearly nineteen years old, was flattened in May.  Stalwarts Ruari, Calum and Don winched it up and into a deep trench and, so far, it looks good – still erect, thanks to pulleys, ropes and stakes!  Time will tell.

It is our October holiday for the schools.  They have two weeks.  A lot of the local people with children have taken the chance to get away for a few days. 

Moira, Colin and the three younger children (Sam’s back at Uni.) are off to Alton Towers for a couple of days.  As the Edinburgh schools have another week of holiday, perhaps the children may come here too.  I hope so!

It’s very windy but sunny too.  I hope the photos show that. That's Calum leaving the pontoon, on a seal trip.

Till next month

Ann

Autumn 2011

As you see, Ruah and Amber are the best of friends.

My lost property cupboard now includes two pairs of trousers, navy and cream and a M&S top.  Do they belong to you?  And if you have arrived home with an extra electrical lead and you stayed in the East bedroom, then it comes from the radio beside the bed!  Many guests use the bedside table on which the radio is to charge phones or plug in computers - so to unplug a wrong lead is the easiest thing in the world to do.

I’ll not order a new lead yet, as I’m sure mine will come home!

The weather since I wrote has been really poor and it has been a struggle to get much done in the garden.  The late summer flowers have taken a bad battering, while the lawns and hedges have galloped onwards and upwards!  The forecast for the next week or more is better, thank goodness.

It’s been a busy few weeks at home and in the village.  As well as having guests most evenings, I had double glazed panes replaced in the front porch.  The men have to come back with another big pane, for the east bedroom.  A bird flew straight into the corner and cracked it.  A sea bird, species unknown, was found two or three hundred yards away, with a broken neck – the culprit, we presume.

There has been a 25^th wedding celebration, with quite a lot of the Irish nation invading us!  And last Saturday Calum (the Seal Trip)'s very popular son Malcolm had his 30^th party in the hall.  Both of these celebrations were open to all of us and were very much enjoyed by everyone – thank you!

 The schools have ten days of holiday next month and I hope some of the children will be here from Edinburgh.  It’ll be before the clocks go back an hour and so still bright in the early evening.  At present it is getting dark by 8.00pm.

In a week it’ll be Alison’s birthday – Happy Birthday!

It is a year now since John died suddenly, while at work in Edinburgh.  I have been grateful to be very busy, keeping the house going and meeting friends old and new.  I’m pleased to have been given an excellent health report after a last check up and aren’t I fortunate to have a lovely family in Edinburgh and my soul mates at Heron’s Flight, Ruah and Amber?

Ann

Summer holiday photos

Taken at 9.30pm, when the sun was still high in the sky.  The bay had a lot of yachts in that night.

The boats drifting past the starting line in the long distance race - Sam's in "Delight", with the yellow sail.

A delighted Daniel showing off his crab catch - he is covered from head to toe to stop sunburn!

At the rock in my front garden is my grand-daughter Catriona and her little gang of friends - only one is a Plocktonian - the rest all come each summer - one from Singapore!