Fishing...or not

Traveling from Willowford Farm on Hadrian’s Wall to Great Ayton we stopped to fish at the Derwent Reservoir. Fishing here is like it is everywhere else. There is the implication that you will be doing something but in reality there is time for a snooze and you won’t be having to mow the lawn.

No fish were caught but a good time was had by all...except the rabbits. I have never seen so many carcasses on the road as the trip around the reservoir and then late in the afternoon a pair of terriers surprised us all and certainly surprised the bunny by running it to ground and breaking its neck. Son#1 saw it all and was very impressed by the way the two dogs worked together with speed and stealth. Unlike a cat they didn’t play with their prey either. They were very efficient and got the job done with a minimum of fuss and suffering.


I had a successful day ending up with a sketch of the two lads in a companionable moment.



After fishing we made our way to Great Ayton. This is a lovely town that is south east of Middlesborough on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors. We stayed at Susie D's B&B. It was charming! Sue directed us to the Royal Oak for a fabulous dinner. All in all a great place!

Hadrian's Wall and Willowford Farm

I think Son#1 said it best. "we really underestimate these people" We visited two forts Birdoswald and another very well preserved one about 20 miles down the road.

Views of the Roman Legion, A Celtic Archer, and the Roman Fort and the miles of wall

Our B&B has a building built by the 6th Roman Legion in 126 AD. OLD!!!! It also had Millie the amazing football (soccer) dog. She was

tireless and impossible to beat.

Lunch in the Black Bull In Haltwhistle

After Edinburgh we all agreed that personal and family history was more interesting than the huge national history you find at place like Edinburgh Castle. We decided that the Scone (pronounced scoon) Palace was where we wanted to go. The lady at the farm where we have been getting our eggs and milk recommended that we visit the Stanley Mills. As they are both close together, in or near Perth just off the A9, it seemed like the perfect plan.

The center of the maze.

Scone Palace is fascinating. The palace was built in the late 16th century on the site of an Abbey where many Scottish kings were crowned. It is beautiful and full of family antiques. The family was very wealthy and traveled widely in their merchant pursuits, military and ambassadorial roles. Consequently the house has a strong relationship with the Chinese Imperial House while it existed and still with the Japanese Imperium. They didn’t go in for the wholesale slaughter of the local animals like the family at Castle Blair so there were no examples of taxidermy except a couple of elephant skulls and two large bears. There were lots of family photos and portraits by some very famous painters. The family also is very involved with orchids and has several named after them.

Secret Spring

The Palace is beautifully maintained and the grounds are lovely. They are full of peacocks, including an albino male. There is a very good maze where the lads had a very good time. Del and I enjoyed the graveyard and working out what remains of the abbey. The butterfly garden was full of large bees that have a white bum. They are very industrious.

Remains of the Scone Abbey

Stanley Mills was built in 1785 in a project headed by the Duke of Atholl. It was a cotton mill. They hired an inventor (NAME??) and he made an incredibly efficient mill using diverted water from the River Tay to run the whole place from the water wheel. At its peak it employed 900 people. It closed in 1989. It has been turned into an interactive adventure that is a lot of fun and very educational. To fund it 2/3 of the mill has been turned into condos. It is a lovely spot, right on the river too. The fishing is supposed to be very good. The activities in the Mill included doing the jobs of the children in the mill which required being very bored but not losing your concentration and being very nimble, danger was always present. We also had a go at competing with each other in managing a mill. It was well worth the price of admission. The lads were very interested and entertained. I hope they are able to continue with the restoration.

Stirling Castle, the smallest distillery in Scotland and Blair Athol Castle

Yesterday we went to Stirling Castle. It has a violent and exciting history. There have recently been some amazing restorations. The castle was at one time covered in a gold coloured plaster. It must have been breathtaking up on the hilltop glowing like some sort of Camelot. Currently a set of 7 tapestries are being made for the Queen's apartment. They are being made at the Castle by hand. Completion of all of them is planned for 2013.

Edradour Distillery
Today we drove to Pitlochry (about 30 miles away) to the smallest whiskey distillery in Scotland - Edradour. It is all done by hand. In 1 year they bottle slightly less than the big Glens make in 1 week. It is a very pretty spot. The tour was good except I would have liked to see the stored barrels and sniff the Angels' Share. The Angels' Share is the alcohol that evaporates through the barrel while it is aging 10 years. They lose about 20% to the ....um...lucky devils. Their whiskies are delightfully smooth and complex.

The copper stills at Edradour












We had a terrific lunch at the Moulin Pub and Hotel. Gareth and I had to duck as the ceiling was so low. Son#2 had a Scottish Bunnet. It appears to be stew in a Yorkshire Pudding type pastry. Very Yummy! I think we may have a go at recreating this one when we get home.

Moulin Pub and Hotel

After lunch it was time for another castle but there was a problem. Scotland has no shortage of great castles. Which one of the several in easy driving distance do we choose? Eventually we decided on the Castle at Blair Athol.

The boys really enjoyed themselves. 1300s through the mid 1700 it was a true war castle. Then it became more of a residence with many renovations to make it comfortable and elegant. There is a huge collection of weapons (swords, spears, halberds, guns, armor etc) and there was a lot of hunting done. We are talking deer antlers in the high hundreds. Perhaps the most curious piece....okay one of the most curious, was a parure (necklace, bracelets, earring set) made of deer teeth set in gold and green enamel. Eeuw!

Sundial in the Hercules Garden at Blair Athol Castle

It is a terrific place to visit with some beautiful rooms. Much of the furniture is genuine Chippendale. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed there and there is lot of stuff left from their visit. The grounds are also lovely. The enclosed garden with a huge pond was restored about 10 years ago and is really nice. In the winter they curled on the pond. The rocks had ornate silver handles. Very pretty and very cold.

Bee's Bum up a Foxglove...excuuuuuse me!

July 19 Duchally Country Estate and Auchterader

The Duchally Country Estate is right next door to Gleneagles Golf Course. It is a lovely spot, even though it has rained and been chilly. When the sun comes out everyone rushes outdoors and walks around admiring the scenery and wild life....no, I think it would be domestic-life. Cows, Sheep, Chickens and Ducks. We went up to the neighboring farm (the fields can be seen from our window) this morning and bought carrots and new potatoes (only just dug up) and a lamb shoulder. The boys got to see first hand just how stupid sheep are. Son #1 was a bit worried when we explained what was going to be dinner but after some observation he decided that sheep really live down to their reputation.

The food is wonderful. The eggs taste really good and so did the roast chicken and the fresh vegetables. The resort is big into recycling and looking after the environment. In the afternoon we wandered through the tiny and quaint town of Auchterader. We are definitely getting the hang of driving although the narrow lanes are a bit knuckle whitening for the passenger as the driver tends to hug the edge of the road rather than the center. We were not so good at being pedestrians. Fortunately everyone was quite charming about our seemingly blythe trips into the traffic while looking the wrong way.

July 18 in Glasgow

We have arrived in Glasgow and successfully negotiated our car rental. Driving has been rather interesting. Thank goodness for roundabouts. We have been very Benny Hill or maybe Mr. Bean and rounding the roundabouts multiple times....which way.....which way ...okay this way. It is working!

We took the lads to Much Ado About Nothing at the Botanic Garden. A lovely site! The play was very well done. Beatrice and Benedict were hilarious! Son#1 and Son #2 really enjoyed it! They were truly caught up in the story. It is such a fun, silly play. Then we fed them savory crepes. Crivens! What a great life!

Today we took a tour bus around Glasgow. University of Glasgow was established in the early 1400s. We went by a Cathedral built in 861, rebuilt in 1284!!Truly ancient. Everything is undergoing renovation. Boy I could make a killing renting scaffolding here. The areas that have been done look beautiful. Anything built in the 60s..that would be the 1960s is just plain ugly. They look like tiles stuck to cardboard. How they got away with it is beyond me when in the 1850s a factory was built and to get permission from the city to build it they made it look like the Doges Palace in Venice. It is exotically beautiful. The public transportation is excellent. Lots of buses, trains and taxis.

This afternoon we zipped out of the city and with less circuits around the ubiquitous roundabouts made it to Duchally Country estate.

At the Starting Gate

We are almost ready. Several lovely knit tops got finished. I am so buying a coverstitch machine when I have some pocket money! I have lists of scotch distilleries and woolen mills that I am to visit. We will be broke but happy.

Yesterday my dad and I went to Langley and picked up a stuffing horn for my new meat grinder. Son #1 enthusiastically (gasp!) helped us make Cumberland sausages. It was surprisingly easy! I could not imagine doing a whole moose or other animal though. Had them for breakfast today....yummy!

Fun with Hot Patterns Plain & Simple Pants

HotPatterns Plain & Simple Pants
I am really loving this pattern. I have had so much fun with it. I have never been satisfied with pants from the “Big 4”. By the time I get the crotch in the right place, closer to my crotch than my knees, I have to add 4 or more inches to the length and the curve never seems flattering. The Plain & Simple Pant is the second pattern I have used from Hot Patterns. I made the first pair from a lovely wool blend. I wanted city pants that would be comfortable and stylish and be worn with heels. They came out looking very fashionable. I was really impressed by the fit in the derriere, the waistband shape and location and the ease of assembly. There are no pockets, which works for me. If you wanted to a credit card/lipstick pocket could be sneaked in just below the waistline. I loved these but only got to wear them a short while because while the weather stayed cold enough to wear warm wool pants I managed to sprain my ankle playing soccer. As I never do things by halves (very puffy, black, purple, fading to green and yellow. Mmmm very attractive), any heels have been out of the question for 4 months.

While the first pair worked for heels they were quite wide at the hem. I now needed pants for flats and I get really tired of wearing jeans. I thought that a shorter pair would have to be narrower. I reduced the width by 3 inches at the hem. They also came out great. This is a nubby blue weave..I think cotton and silk.

We are going on a big tour of the UK and I didn’t want to take jeans. They are very bulky to pack and not always versatile. Glorious Fabrics supplied some more lovely fabric for my travel wardrobe. A cotton lycra, subtle, plaid, shot with a lurex thread was the first pair. I changed the zipper from the invisible to a lapped as I thought the fabric was too firm to handle an invisible zip. This fabric has a lot of stretch and caused me some difficulties during construction. The waistband pulled a bit which bugs me. They are comfortable and crisp and can handle a number of different tops.

The Ecru pair are perfect in every way. The fabric is a dream to work with and wear. I swear I could put them in my son’s lacrosse bag for a week and they would still not have a wrinkle. I had enough fabric left that I redrafted the pattern into a pair of shorts. I added about 1.5 inches to the width and chose a 10 inch inseam. They are lovely.

For the next project I had been looking for a brown linen or linen blend that wouldn’t wrinkle so much. Alas the linen didn’t work out but Ann found me a luscious, rich brown denim. I did shorts with a lapped zipper. Very stiff compared to the ecru fabric and without the stretch they feel much snugger. Like all denim they should “wear-in” nicely. I also made a jean-style jacket (Today’s Fit) which is very sharp. There was enough fabric left to also do a straight skirt so…..yes I did! My final adventure with the Plain & Simple Pants was to turn them into a skirt. I figured since I like the fit at the waistband and hip so much that I’d keep it for a skirt too. I am very pleased with all of these pieces. The jacket has a lot of that denim bulk so I will be wearing it on the plane. The skirt and shorts are small enough that they should pack well.

Well, that was an adventure!

July 4, 2008 My First Post

So here I am getting ready for our big trip. I have been sewing like mad so that I have a nice collection to wear while we travel. We are limiting everyone's wardrobe and shoes....only 2 pairs of shoes...I can't live like that! Son#1 is a total clothes horse and is going to struggle with the limits.

This dress will not be going (sigh). It is a Neue Mode Dress made from a stunning knit from Gorgeous Fabrics. Ann's lovely fabrics will be seen in Scotland and England as they are playing a large part in my warbrobe.