February 1st, 2009

Since we talked last, the red Jazz, Ruah and I have been to Edinburgh twice. We finally got home on January 12, which put a few friends off their strides, as they had organised a birthday treat for me for that day! But they altered plans and I was treated to a lovely, long, lazy lunch on January 14th. Thank you Jane and Kathleen for thinking of it! Thank you all for the birdbath which is photographed in situ beside the rock in the front garden.

The big gale of the month was the weekend before I came home. It was a corker! The next weekend was little better! However, as February approaches, it is very mild and spring like. There are several clumps of spring flowers blooming - lovely!

Sam and I have our annual trip away in the school holiday in February. Two years ago it was London, last year Paris, so watch this space for “The Trip 2009”. Before then I’m doing some spring cleaning. The carpet cleaner will be coming on February 5, so I want to be ahead of him for once. I started with great enthusiasm……
The west room furniture dates from around 1800 and does not get our modern polishes or sprays. It gets a layer of fairly thick wax rubbed in with the grain, polished off when it is dry, then a film of wax which is again polished. . This treatment does last a year or two – thank goodness! The round elephant-leg table has had its coat of raw linseed oil too.

The three bathrooms are also done, along with all the lamp shades in the house. Instead of finishing off the two guest bedrooms I’ve suddenly shot off at a tangent and decided that my kitchen should be de-cluttered! This happens yearly, so when the first guests arrive the kitchen is quite clinical. By the end of October there will be postcards and photos from all over, drawings that the children have done and many, many notes to myself! And, for the winter, it will again feel very homely and comfortable!

I’ve time still to do more, to give the carpet cleaner a “clean” sweep – but not long…. So, I have now got myself back on track and the brass stair rods will be next on the list– the first several are quite fun to do!

Ruah and Sponge continue to thrive and each really enjoys having the other around, in the evenings especially. They give me such good company and pleasure…..

My diary is filling up nicely and I look forward to the first guests, on the 22nd of March.

I hope you may stop by as well, before too long?

Ann

January 1st, 2009

1/1/2009



Happy New Year to you!

“Lang may your lum reek”, as ours has been and is doing today! There is thick ground frost here and the temperature will struggle to reach 0C. The sky today is a beautiful, cloudless blue and it could be a day in summer - till one steps outside!!

Sam, Catriona and I brought in the New Year in “35”, the MacKenzie family home in Harbour Street. The now traditional rocket lit bonfire was spectacular, partly because of its size and mainly because it had not been soaked by incessant rain! The fireworks too seemed special and were much appreciated by a large crowd – villagers and visitors alike.

We first footed in a couple of houses and got home about 2.30 – quite late enough for the three of us! We’ll do some more visiting today and friends will call here too.

Tomorrow will be a lazy day, as we head to Edinburgh on Saturday. Sam and Catriona start the Easter term at school on Monday.

Ruah and I will finally get home on January 9th, I think. By then the days will be beginning to stretch and I’ll start to look forward to meeting guests. This year promises already to be very special, as Ian and Alison from Toowoomba will be here in September!

I hope you may come too?

Best wishes for 2009

Ann