All posts by billpaterson1@me.com

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

Hopetoun Garden Centre

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We visited Hopetoun Garden Centre back in 2018 and although it’s only a 15 minute drive away we haven’t been back until now. There are just too many garden centres closer to home. This is a good one however, with lots of architectural stuff. If you are looking for a statue of the Three Graces you’re in the right place.

Elections

On a week where the Great British Public go to the polls to elect our government for the foreseeable future there were several thought provoking signs amongst the plants here.  Having been bored to death by the efforts of those  campaigning to be our next Prime Minister, this sign seemed to strike a cord.A sign at Hopetoun Garden Centre

Rearranging the calendar

This one at the entrance commemorates a non-event in 1782. Could July 4th 2024 be another?

A sign at Hopetoun Garden Centre
It was a Wednesday

Nothing definitely happened from the 2nd to the 14th September 1753 mainly becuase these days just didn’t exist. They had to disappear to bring Britain into line with the rest of Europe that used the Gregorian calendar. There were riots by folks who thought the government had shortened their lives by eleven days.  Can’t imagine that people with birthdays on any of the missing days would have been too happy either. This was also the year in which Britain declared January 1st to be New Year’s Day; something Scotland had done 153 years earlier, in 1600. We like a party!Internal view of the Orangery tearoom at Hopetoun

Bottoms

Anyway, all this nothingness is not advancing your sconological knowledge one iota. A scone at the Orangery tearoom at HopetounThe café area is large and called The Orangery. It’s self-service and we were lucky enough to get the last cherry scone.  There was plain and fruit but we thought the cherry one to share suited our mood. No cream but a nice little pot of jam and some Irish butter completed the ensemble. I usually get stuck with scone bottoms as Pat snaffles the tops. On this occasion, however, she offered me a portion of the top so I could experience its delicious crunchiness. It was really nice and potentially a topscone had everything else been in place. A sign at Hopetoun Garden Centre

We have our election in four days and the US has theirs in four months. The prospects there might even be worse than the UK’s. One candidate doesn’t seem to know what day of the week it is and the other refuses to believe it’s Monday because he  thinks it’s a conspiracy by Tuesday people. Does the world need better than this right now … yes it does!

EH52 6QZ                tel: 01506 834433           Orangery

///emotional.zone.driftwood

Our Trossachs correspondents have reported from the good ship Fingal, a floating hotel which we reviewed back in 2019. Back then the scones were round and excellent but evidently they are now square.  Scotland is rightly proud of its square sausage but we have never come across square scones before. In 2019 we thought Fingal was perfect for itinerant millionaires so we had better start saving if we want to sample square scones for ourselves..Square scones at Fingal

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

Mill Café

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The Mill Café is not the building in the title picture, but it’s in there somewhere! The building is obviously part of the Sterling Furniture Warehouse which started life in 1846 as Devonvale Mill. Producing tartan to begin with it has seen many incarnations in its time. Since 1974, however, it’s been this furniture warehouse, the biggest in Scotland. The Mill Café name obviously hints at its original use.Logo of the Mill Café

We are here because we thought we should buy a new chair. We don’t know how many chairs they have here but it must run into thousands. There’s a danger for some, or me in particular, to become ‘chair blind’ … they all start to look the same. When that happens you can become distracted by other things. For me it was these standard lamps.Standard lamps at Sterling Furniture

I was gently but firmly reminded that we already had more than enough standard lamps. and ushered off towards the café.Internal view of the Mill Café

Fruit scone no more

In keeping with the size of the warehouse the Mill Café is not exactly small. It’s self-service but quite efficient. A scone at the Mill CaféWe were soon equipped with a light lunch and a plain scone to share. All the fruit scones had gone. We were told that the fruit scones always sell out very quickly. You might think it should occur to them simply to make more. It’s a wee while since we last had a plain scone so that was to be today’s scone adventure. It was actually very nice. Although not crunchy it had an overall nice consistency and was quite light. Self service, no cream and no hope of a topscone but enjoyable nevertheless. External view of the Mill Café

Poor choices

“Chair blindness” is one thing but we are also developing “promise blindness”. All parties are issuing a great vomit of promises which anyone with half a brain knows they can’t keep. The Tory leader has tried to illustrate his deprived millionaire upbringing by saying that he didn’t have Sky television as a child … diddums! The Labour leader, like a child desperate for friends, continues to welcome a host of unsavoury characters to his side.The LibDem leader is actually just a big kid. And we wouldn’t insult children by drawing a comparison to the Reform Party leader. Aaaargh, the General Election is just a couple of  weeks away! Thank goodness in Scotland we have other parties to vote for.

Across the pond we have the delightful prospect of Biden, with a convicted criminal son running against another convicted criminal. Russia and China begin to look remarkably sensible in the circumstances.

We didn’t buy a chair … waiting for our sight to return to normal!

FK13 6NS          tel: 01259 755191            Mill Café

///verges.habits.stupidity

Scones, Top

Lamlash House

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Crest of Lamlash House

We’ve been trying to book an afternoon tea here in Lamlash House since what seems like forever. It’s always fully booked because they only do them once in a while. For example, the next one isn’t until 7th September.  Anyway, we managed to get booked so here we are in the lace manufacturing town of Newmilns in deepest Ayrshire.The hall at Lamlash House

Although lace manufacturing  has largely died out in the town MYB Textiles still carries on the tradition. Now, they are the world’s only producer still making patterned lace  on their 100 year old looms.

Banking To Banqueting
The Tannahill window at Lamlash House
One of several windows dedicated to Scotlands writers and poets. This one is to Robert Tannahill.

Lamlash House was built in 1889 for the Royal Bank of Scotland. It’s opulent Victorian interiors were obviously designed to impress but they are only evident today due to the monumental renovation undertaken by its current owners, Gordon and Jonathan. To begin with  they only had the upstairs but in 2014 when the bank decided to quit they acquired the downstairs as well. Years of intense restoration followed before they were able to open the doors again in 2019. And what a job they have done! The attention to detail is astonishing. It is like stepping back in time but with an air of playfulness replacing the rather stern solidity of the bank. Their years of toil have really paid off.Internal view of Lamlash House

Today they were celebrating a five year anniversary so everyone was presented with complimentary fizz on arrival. Our tea was served in what used to be the main banking hall;  now styled around Charles Rennie Macintosh. Afternoon tea at Lamlash HouseFrom the Leaf Tea and Infusion Menu  we chose the Lamlash House Signature Blend which was billed as the perfect accompaniment to scones … just what we needed!

The afternoon tea was a cornucopia of goodies from delicious sandwiches to citrusy posset with a raspberry on top. And fabulous scones, of course. All this combined with perfect service in beautiful surroundings made it a wonderful experience. Although not quite Pat’s birthday she was suitably serenaded and presented  with a cake complete with candle. This was an experience which could easily rival Fonab Castle and Schloss Roxburgh as our sconey benchmarks.Part of the garden at Lamlash House

Small but perfect

Afterwards we went out to the garden to finish off our bubbles in the sunshine. strongroom bar at Lamlash HouseAnd after that we went to what they think may be the smallest bar in Scotland – the Strongroom Bar. Obviously it used to be the walk-in safe for the bank and it features one which used to sit in the main banking hall where we had our afternoon tea. It’s great fun and, as expected,  beautifully reimagined as a bar.  However, it can only accommodate a couple of people so our cocktails were served next door in the Library. It’s not a lot bigger but is beautifully appointed and does have a couple of very comfortable easy chairs.

The Library at Lamlash House
Pat had a French Martini and mine was a Cosmo-Not. Served, of course, on £50 notes (napkins)

Lamlash house has a real family feel about it. No one seems to be in a rush. It was Jonathan’s mother that answered the door and it was her and her friends who were working in the kitchen. Long after afternoon tea was finished they still took delight in showing us around the premises and explaining the significance of some of the features and the difficulties experienced during renovations. Of course, they can only do this because they carefully manage the number of small weddings and other events they hold to keep stress levels to an absolute minimum … perfect!

Pat with Gordon and Jonathan
Gordon, Pat and Jonathan beside a vintage bicycle in the garden
Lock in

We have seldom enjoyed a visit as much as we did this one. It was an absolute pleasure. It seems a shame to sully it with political comment so we won’t.

Stained glass at Lamlash House
Flora, Roman Goddess of Flowers and the Season of Spring at the front door

Except to say that we missed the TV Leaders Debate between Sunak and Starmer which we referred to in our previous post from Stockbridge House. Of course, the media have been talking about nothing else so we almost feel as if we did actually see it. There was no mention of anything of  importance like the National Debt, Brexit or Scotland. Instead they just lied to each other and to us. With leadership like this we wish we could just lock ourselves in Lamlash House until it is all over … or even longer!

KA16 9AD         tel: 07912 874 600          Lamlash House

///racked.smashes.etchings

Ordinary, Scones

Stockbridge House

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If you don’t want to be taken down a wee memory lane, look away now! We’re back where we started over 50 years ago.

In our previous post from The Dean we walked through Dean Village along the Water of Leith and came to Stockbridge where we used to live. If you carry on walking eventually you end up in the Port of Leith and the open sea. When we started our married life Stockbridge was relatively cheap compared to the rest of Edinburgh. However, even back then it was termed “up and coming” and now it’s well and truly “up”. With its cafés and bars it is seen as one of the trendiest locations in the city. At that time I worked along the road at the Western General hospital and Pat worked in Stockbridge House.

Plaque commemorating the opening of Stockbridge House
I just happened to be standing there but the Queen Mum shook my hand … haven’t washed it since
Get it right!

In some of our flights of fancy we like to think that we played some small part in the rise of Stockbridge’s desirability. Adding a sense of style and that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’. Seriously though, we lived round the corner from the notorious Madam Dora’s establishment in Danube Street. Covered in pictures of the local Tory candidate her handsome Georgian townhouse was very easy to spot at election time. Famously she paid her fines in cash from her handbag during her almost monthly court appearances and used the witness box to publicise her service. She implored the journalists to get her address exactly right. After a spell in prison, aged 76, she died and the business died with her.

Respectability restored

Now, Danube Street with its £1-2 million houses is the epitome of  respectability again, Even in our more modest little street, Leslie Place, our one bedroom flat would now cost about £300,000. A far cry from the £4,500 we paid for it. Nowadays, if we were starting over again we probably wouldn’t be able to do it here. From our flat, we could look out the back window and see Stockbridge House where Pat worked.  We thought we should see if it was still there.

LifeCare logoIt was always a facility for the elderly but now it has been renamed LifeCare. Apparently something to do with going from charitable status to a public limited company.Internal view of Stockbridge House

There’s a cafe called CafeLife where they were just finishing an afternoon tea event when we arrived. We were welcomed in, however, and shown to a table where they gave us tea and a cheese scone to share.CafeLife logo

It was nice to see it still operating for the benefit of the elderly and they obviously felt that we now qualified to receive some of these benefits.  No topscone but great to explore the place again and chat to the  wonderful staff.A scone at Stockbridge House

Don’t Pisco Me Off

After that we thought we should check out what used to be our local pub, the Rag Doll. Back then we were well embedded here. On occasions we even held the keys for the owner if he was away on business elsewhere. Trusting or what?External view of the Rag DollHowever, after we moved to Northern Ireland the pub was sold and over the years has had many many incarnations under different names. Imagine our surprise to find it called the Rag Doll again. We were delighted.Internal view of the Rag Doll

Like the area, it has gone upmarket as well and is probably more of a cocktail bar than a pub now. We arrived just as it was opening and had a great chat with the new owner. When he took it over a few months ago he wisely decided to reinstate the Rag Doll name. To celebrate, we had to have a couple of drinks.

Cocktails in the Rag Doll
In the tall glass Pat had a ‘Lothian’s Calling’ (Edinburgh gin, Fino sherry, Lemon,Sugar syrup,Orange bitters) and I had a ‘Don’t Pisco Me Off’ (Pisco, GB Peche,JerezXeres sherry, Acid, Sugar syrup, Plum bitters, White wine)

In case you’re wondering Pisco is an unaged brandy obtained from the distillation of fermented Peruvian grape musts; we didn’t know either. Great fun, we wish the Rag Doll a massive amount of luck going forward. We did warn you it was a trip down memory lane!

Washing our hair

We’re on tenterhooks waiting for the first TV Leader’s Debate later this evening … NOT! A Sunak/Starmer debacle for which we could probably write the questions and, although there won’t be any meaningful ones, we could probably write the answers as well. The only surprise is that Nigel Farage isn’t taking part. He doesn’t represent anyone but the media seem to love giving him airtime. Who knows, we might have to wash our hair when it’s on.

EH4 1JB        tel: 0131 343 0940              CafeLife

///mash.found.burns

Ordinary, Scones

The Dean

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We used to live in Edinburgh, very close to Dean Village. The village lies along the banks of the Water of Leith and although it is almost city centre it feels like another world. A while back we became aware of a cafe called Café Braw (“braw” is typical Scottish understatement meaning “excellent”) and made a mental note to visit. Today we are doing just that. However when we got to where we thought it should be we couldn’t find it. We had to stop and ask a passerby. He just pointed to The Dean which we were standing outside. It had changed its name!

Dean Village
The Water of Leith running through the village

Anyway, we hade been looking forward to Cafe Braw but were sadly disappointed with The Dean. It’s tiny. Only two stools to sit on inside and not much more outside. A scone at The DeanIt was a lovely day so sitting outside wasn’t a problem, however, for the entire duration of our visit we were regaled by the thoughts of the owner. He stood on the pavement talking loudly to the couple at the next table who he was presumably trying to impress. Obviously we weren’t worth impressing because he never said a word to us. Perhaps the day could have been saved by the scones but sadly no. They were decidedly average. Coffee was nice though!Dean Village

Neuks and crannies

Anyway, although The Dean was disappointing the main purpose of our visit was to walk along the Water of Leith through Dean Village.

Dean Village
Pat just had to go down here to make sure the washing was hung properly

That’s something we didn’t do enough of when we actually lived here. Work, and stuff like that got in the way. Normally there’s not that much water however recent rains meant that today it was quite swollen. The village itself is very quaint with all its tall buildings piled up along the river as well as loads of little courtyards and other neuks and crannies. It is now a major draw for tourists and perhaps testament to what could be achieved before town planners got their hands on everything. Soon we came to Stockbridge and the street where we used to live as a newly married couple starting out on life’s adventure. It was nice to be back but that’s another story and another scone. Dean Village

Wisdom?

Donald Trump, unsurprisingly, been found guilty. Equally unsurprisingly that has set the cat among the pigeons. You couldn’t make it up. Wisdom isn’t a word you could ever associate with Donald but here at home we are faced with supposedly other wise politicians fighting for our affections. Falling over themselves to promise us the sun, the moon and the stars. Like Donald they all presumably think they have sufficient wisdom to govern over the rest of us, the unwise. Perhaps they could all do well to heed the words of Joe Corrie.

Born in 1894, Corrie was a coal miner and poet  from Slamannan. A village just a few miles from our home. Most of his poems are written in the Scots language so we hope that our non-Scots readers will understand. Or, at least catch his drift. The poem starts with him  comparing philosophies of Plato,  Soloman and Socrates  but ends with these four salutary lines.Poem by Joe Corrie

St Bernard's well, Dean Village
St Bernard’s Well on the banks of the river featuring the Greek goddess of health Hygeia

An inscription over the doorway on the well  reads “Bibendo Valeris”, meaning; drink and you will be well. We’ve tried to follow that advice and we feel very well!

EH3 9BH          tel: 07930 146671               The Dean

///depend.joined.units

Ordinary, Scones

Saline Shaw

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Logo of Saline ShawYou know how these days farmers cannot just be farmers, they nearly always have to have another string to their bow. Naively perhaps, we believed that farmers should always be able to earn enough to live on just by farming. That no longer seems to be the case, however, so perhaps we should be grateful. Many of them have chosen to open farm shops and cafés like this one at Saline Shaw. After all, each one presents another scone opportunity.External view of Saline Shaw

Saline Shaw is a perfect example of how to do it well. Not only do they have nice clean premises but they seem to have been able to foster a great team spirit among the staff. We were looked after by a young lass called Rebecca who was very busy looking after all the outside tables but still managed to be very attentive and friendly. 

A scone at Saline ShawThe whole enterprise was begun in 2020 in the midst of the COVID pandemic . Not the easiest of starts but they certainly seem to have found their feet now. Rebecca soon had us fixed up with some fruit scones and tea and coffee. We liked what they did with the jam and cream … both in little refillable jars, no packaging wastage here! Although not a topscone they were very enjoyable. It was lovely to sit outside in the sunshine looking over to the Ochil Hills in the distance. We felt far removed from the horrors about to present themselves over the next six weeks in the run up to the General Election. 

4th July

The only advice we can offer is “don’t watch the news”! That is not unless you want to be bombarded  with enthusiastic but vacuous statements from each of the parties. They will be explaining how they alone can guide us all to vast sunlit uplands where everything in the garden is just rosy. With the UK’s astronomical debt levels, don’t expect any similar statements indicating how this miraculous state of affairs is going to be achieved.  One is as bad as the other. For Scotland, the 4th of July date of the election has been seen by many as an opportunity for Scottish Independence, just like America’s. However, there is a fundamental flaw in this comparison.  America, of course, should quite rightly celebrate gaining its independence from Britain. Scotland, on the other hand, is merely trying to regain its independence.Internal view of Saline Shaw

Couldn’t have found a better place than Saline Shaw to reflect on all this. We bought some herbs from their plant section and headed for home. Okay, okay, we watched the tv news only to find that Sunak has promised to bring back National Service for all 18 years olds. Nothing like teaching folk to kill other folk to regain some backbone and  give the country a sense of pride. Oh, and replenish the military numbers so devastated by his own government’s cutbacks. Or, are we being too cynical?Sign for Saline Shaw

KY12 9UG          tel: none           Saline Shaw

///universes.published.slope

Scones, Top

Palmerston’s revisited

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Goodness, it’s over nine years since we last wrote about Palmerston’s, here in lovely Dunkeld. In the 9th century there was a union by marriage between the Scots and the Picts and King Kenneth MacAlpin made Dunkeld the capital of his new Scotland. The village is strategically placed at the entrance to a pass leading to the Highlands and sits on the north bank of the River Tay. In fact it is just upstream from Ballathie House where we were earlier this month. On the opposite bank of the river is the village of Birnam, made famous by Shakespeare for its mobile forest.  

A witch’s word

Apparently it put the jitters up the villainous Macbeth when he was informed that  Birnam Wood was moving towards his fortress at Dunsinane. After all, several witches had told him he was safe as long as that highly unlikely event ever came to pass … and who wouldn’t believe a witch? However, he was right to be jittery, oh yes! It was actually the English army that had cut down the branches and were using them to camouflage their stealthy approach. Suffice to say, Macbeth’s head ends up in a different place to the rest of him. Is that a suitable ending for a villain? That was way back in the 11th century and we don’t have villains like that any more … or do we?Scones at Palmerston's cafe Dunkeld

But before we go into that let’s look at something altogether more wholesome, Palmerston’s scones.  Nine years ago you will clearly remember that they were a little unusual. They were baked in a large round then cut into triangular quadrants. A scone at Palmerston's cafe DunkeldWell, they still are and they had four different types for us to choose from!  Somewhat unenterprisingly we decided on fruit scones, or sultana as it’s known in these parts.

They’re very friendly here. Straight off we were asked if we wanted butter and jam or cream and jam? Very sensible. We opted for cream and jam! When the scones arrived at our table, however we had cream, jam and two different types of butter. Not so sensible. As you know we’re partial to a crunchy exterior and a nice soft fluffy interior. These couldn’t be described in that way but nevertheless they were absolutely delicious with lots of big juicy sultanas … topscone!

Is that light at the end of the tunnel?

Let’s get back to villains! All in all it’s seems to have been a good day for us here in Dunkeld but a bad day for villains … hurrah! The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates. They’ve done the same for the Hamas resistance. However, there’s been a similar warrant for Putin’s arrest since 2023 so don’t expect these new warrants  to make a whole lot of difference any time soon. Perhaps more importantly Norway, Ireland and Spain have announced their intention to recognise Palestinian statehood … hurrah again! This is what is needed to get people talking seriously about a two state solution. Also, Paula Vennells, a priest but seen by many as a villain, starts her submission to the inquiry into the horrors of the Post Office Horizon scandal.

UK style democracy

Unfortunately this is also the week when Rishi Sunak labelled people who want Scotland to be an independent country again (that’s at least half the people of Scotland) as extremists. A danger to the UK. This, in spite of the fact that no-one in the 100 years or so of Scotland’s passionate bid to regain its self-respect has suffered so much as a nose-bleed. We thought Trump was pretty stupid among political figures but he may have competition. 
Jam at Palmerston's cafe Dunkeld

Perhaps more serious than all of that, the last time we were here Palmerston’s had just returned from the World Jam Championships with a bunch of prize certificates. Sadly we were informed that these Jampionshios, have been discontinued since the COVID pandemic. Happily you can still get their excellent jam here.Jampionship certificate 2014

PH8 0AJ          tel: 01350 727231               Palmerston’s FB

///evidently.footpath.proceeds

ps: What a day! Sunak has just announced a General Election for the 4th of July. Independence Day for some but probably not for Scotland.

Ordinary, Scones

Cafe Circa revisited again

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Today we became victims of the cashless society. Not here at Cafe Circa, but at a nearby Community Plant Sale in the village of Doune. We were never sure if the whole cashless thing would ever become the norm, however, when our local pub, which has barely changed in the last two hundred years, suddenly started taking cashless payments  we knew it was either the end of the world as we knew it or the beginning of a slightly scary new one. The latter turned out to be the case. We should probably have guessed that an event like this wouldn’t take cards but we didn’t. They had a very long table laden with lots of sapling tomato plants … eight different varieties. Unfortunately, when they were setting up, all the labels had fallen out so nobody knew what was what. Buying would have been the tomato equivalent of Russian roulette … kind of!

We would have loved to have supported this event more but the upshot was that we were only able to buy as many plants as our rather meagre cash reserves allowed. And that didn’t include tomatoes! At the end of it all we didn’t even have enough cash left to buy a cup of tea and a scone in their makeshift cafe … disaster!

House full
Wall plaque at Cafe Circa in Doune
On the wall of the Antique Centre, the crest of Clan Stewart … a pelican feeding its young. Nearby Doune Castle was the seat of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. It’s the only pelican we’ve ever seen in Scotland but unfortunately doesn’t count among our birdwatching friends

Forced to retreat we ended up, just a hop skip and jump along the road at Cafe Circa in the Scottish Antique & Arts Centre. The first time we reviewed Cafe Circa was back in 2015 and then again in 2021. It was time for an update. Prior to our scone, however, we went all round the Antique Centre. They have loads and loads of stuff and even though cards weren’t a problem, we didn’t buy a thing. Don’t be fooled, rather than indicating that there was nothing worth buying it simply lets you know that our house is already full of stuff bought from here in the past. Internal view of Cafe Circa in Doune

It was a lovely day so we sat outside in the courtyard. It’s interesting to watch everyone leaving with their purchases. eager to get home and try them out in some pre-imagined spot in their houses. A scone at Cafe Circa in DouneWe soon had a scone as well as a couple of coffees. Service was good but a slight problem here was that we never saw the same person twice, It seemed to take four different servers to deal with our miniscule order … heyho! Don’t think we have ever awarded a topscone here and today was no exception, perfectly enjoyable but not quite up to the mark.

Eurovision

Society has changed in more than simply becoming cashless. We had the dubious “pleasure” of watching the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden. We are well aware of what Eurovision is so don’t really know why we watched it … just some sort of masochistic curiosity. The songs were almost all uniformly forgettable and often  completely obscured by totally over-the-top presentation.  The inclusion of Israel caused a few problems. Considering Russia wasn’t allowed to compete it’s difficult to see how the organisers managed to justify that decision. Heyho, it was pretty difficult to justify any of it really!

Apparently it was the first non-binary Eurovision. We weren’t sure what that meant but it all became clear when we looked it up. By comparison, a cashless society seemed really easy to understand. Anyway this year Switzerland won with a song by Nemo called The Code. Runner up was Croatia with Rim Tim Tagi Dim sung by Baby Lasagne.

Perhaps we are just getting old when we look back nostalgically at the likes of Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson … and that was pretty awful. Don’t worry if you missed it!

FK16 6HG        tel: 01786 841683         Cafe Circa

///tramps.cleansed.landscape

Scones, Top

Ballathie House

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Anniversaries seem to have a habit of returning every year. Last year at this time we were celebrating our wedding anniversary and decided to do it at the Coll Hotel on the lovely Isle of Coll. However, family and friends had other ideas and we were instructed to cut short our stay and return home. Unbeknown to us, a party to end all parties had been organised. It was unbelievable and absolutely fantastic. This anniversary has yet another year added on but, oddly, no one is taking quite the same interest. Only significant numbers counted in decades seem to be celebrated! We’re celebrating however and that’s why we’re here at Ballathie House on the banks of the silvery river Tay.

River Tay at Ballathie House
the River Tay at Ballathie
Poetry

Scotland has the honour of being home to arguably the world’s best and worst poets, Robert Burns and William McGonagle respectively. This river has the distinction of being commemorated by McGonagle, “The Tay, the Tay, the Silvery Tay, flows past Dundee twice a day“. Oddly, the Scottish people seem to be almost equally proud of both men. At 120 miles the Tay is the country’s longest river and famous for its salmon fishing so unsurprisingly perhaps, Ballathie House is popular with the shooting/fishing brigade. Neither of these pastimes interest us, however. If we had a gun we dread to think what might happen. It’s a blessing that we’re too busy with our own hedonistic obsession – scones!

cartoon at Ballathie House
This poor angler who has fallen into the river is obviously a bit of an inconvenience to the shooting fraternity
Hedonism

That most hedonistic of Royals, the Queen Mother, used to stay at nearby Glamis Castle  where she was born but frequently used Ballathie for house parties. On one occasion she scandalously arrived alone with a gentleman friend … what an absolute shocker! Not so much of a shocker, however, as her extravagant lifestyle leading to her dying £7 million in debt. The bank just wrote it off so we’re fervently trying to emulate that not inconsiderable feat!

Drawing room at Ballathie House
The drawing room

Ballathie Estate is quite big. From the entrance gate on the main road it only takes about five minutes to drive to the main house. We had arranged for a cream tea on arrival. Scones at Ballathie HouseA champagne  afternoon tea would have been good but bearing in mind that Ballathie is also famous for its dining experiences a full afternoon tea would have ruined our appetite for dinner in the evening. We were being sensible! As expected our cream tea was nicely presented. There was a fruit scone for each of us along with lots of jam and cream. There was also a bonus of freshly baked shortbread biscuits. The scones were warm and generously dusted  with icing sugar. We couldn’t fault anything so  an easy topscone … just what you need on an anniversary!

View from Ballathie House
View across the river from our table
Take your pick

Anniversaries are not just about weddings, of course! Israel recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Holocaust which beggars belief given the horror of what is happening in Gaza. Russia is celebrating Victory Day with a vast display of killing machines. So there are anniversaries celebrated by some that others would rather forget … you take your pick. We pick ‘weddings’.A sketch of Ballathie House

Dinner was fabulous … a very happy anniversary!

PH1 4QN        tel: 01250 883268        Ballathie House

///redeeming.wharfs.momentous

Scones, self-service, Top

Cafe Portrait

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A few months ago we visited Cafe Portrait in late afternoon only to be told that if we wanted any of their “absolutely delicious” scones we would have to be there much earlier in the day. The manner in which we were told sounded almost like a challenge, throwing down the gauntlet, even!

External view of the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
Opened in 1889 at a cost of £70,000, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street
Scones versus lunch

Never ones to shirk a scone challenge we set about it today. Rather conveniently the Portrait Gallery is on the same street as the Whisky Society where we were to have lunch. Suffice to say we were there early enough and they had scones … fruit and cheese and mustard. Mindful of our lunch date later we decided to share one of the cheese and mustard scones … unexplored territory for us!  But first we spent some time going round the exhibits.

Internal view of the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
The Foyer. The Gallery was built in 1889 at a cost of £70,000 funded by John Ritchie Findlay, owner of The Scotsman newspaper.

Scotland certainly had its fair share of heroes and scoundrels. Here’s a random selection.

Robert Burns
Robert Burns, reproduced on shortbread tins the world over, this is the first time we have seen the original by Alexander Nasmyth in 1787
Gregor MacGregor
Gregor MacGregor painted in 1804. Scotland’s greatest scoundrel through selling packets of useless land in a semi fictitious Kingdom in Central America. Somehow he managed to be buried with full military honours in Venezuela
Portraits of Flora MacDonald and Bonnie Prince Charlie
Flora Macdonald who famously helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to France (painted by Richard Wilson in 1747) and the Bonnie Prince himself (painted by William Mosman in 1750)
Execution of Charles I
The rather jolly looking beheading of Charles I. Perhaps we have progressed after all … Charles III shouldn’t have to worry too much nowadays (painted by Jan Wessop in 1649)

Okay, but what about the scones? Cafe Portrait is big and airy and busy.  We might discover whether or not their rather immodest claims for their scones were justified or not.Internal view of the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh

A first

There’s lots of delicious looking food on offer but, mindful of our lunch date, we only wanted a scone to share. A scone at the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh The fruit scones looked good but we decided to be adventurous and try their cheese and mustard offering. We hadn’t come across that combination before. No need for jam and cream, butter was all that was required. It was delicious with a lovely textured crunch and soft interior that tasted like nothing we had tasted before. Probably more cheesy than mustardy but the two together formed a very savoury treat! We had to admit that their original bragging was entirely justified and we felt slightly chastened for having even doubted it … topscone.

Illogical

The only downside to our visit was that the lift wasn’t working.

Painting of photographer with a plate camera
I started my career on plate cameras like this. Now, just fifty years later, I only ever use my phone … incredible.

Turned out that it hasn’t worked for the whole of this year. Apparently it’s the only one of its type in the world and they are currently waiting for technicians to come from Italy to try and fix it. Only the directors of an art gallery could get into a situation where a completely unique lift is required. Hopefully it will be sorted soon because there are a lot of stairs.

Talking of illogical decisions It would appear that this year the world reached an all time spending high of £2.6 trillion on arms manufacturing. Surely this is an indictment on all of us. Just think for a second on what that vast amount of money could have done had we not directed it towards death and destruction. The world needs a ‘reset’ button where it can return to original settings. But were the original settings any better? Aaaargh!

And today Humza Yousaf stepped down as First Minister of Scotland in a very graceful speech. Probably too nice a man for politics, it will be interesting to see what happens now.

Robert Moffat missionary
Robert Moffat missionary with John Mokoteri and Sarah Roby. Mokoteri and Roby were supposedly his adopted children but were more akin to servants

In case you’re worried, we hadn’t spoiled our appetite and managed a fantastic lunch at the Whisky Society, helped down by a few glasses of the amber nectar.

EH2 1JD         tel: 0131 624 6200          Cafe Portrait

///supporter.united.emerge