Category Archives: Ordinary

did not collect any awards

Ordinary, Scones

The Ivy Tearoom and Three Billboards

One of the marvelous things about being of a certain vintage is that you can visit the cinema in the middle of the week, see a film and still be out in time for lunch. You also get a cup of tea and a biscuit on the way in. What’s not to like? So it was that we ended up in the Hippodrome in Bo’ness to see Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The town’s name, Bo’ness, is an abbreviated version of Barrowstounness meaning Burgh Town on the Point referring to the promontory on which it’s located. Once one of Scotland’s main ports, second only to Leith, nowadays, in common with many such towns, it has that rather sad post-industrial look about it.

External view of the Hippodrome Cinema in Bo'ness
Opened in 1911,the Hippodrome is Scotland’s oldest purpose built cinema    and its dome
BAFTAs

Our film, Three Billboards, was much feted at the BAFTAs and we certainly enjoyed it. We won’t explain why (we review scones not films) but suffice to say that when we came along the street to The Ivy Tearoom we overheard people at the next table talking about the film. One of them said ” oooo .. she was like a dog with a bone!” and that pretty well sums it up … but go see for yourselves! The Ivy Tearoom is one of these places that cannot quite make up its mind what it wants to be. Internal view of the Ivy Tea Room in Bo'ness

Nostalgia

Mostly it’s a tearoom, of course. However, there is also an area dedicated to selling books and knick-knacks. And another selling antiques, or what might more accurately be described as bric-a-brac. We think it should stick to being a tearoom and try and get rid of the slightly cluttered appearance of the place. However, a very smiley lady took our order and soon had us sorted with some lunch as well as a scone to share. Among some of the aforesaid clutter there were a few illustrations reminiscent of a more gracious world when things were not so frenetic.Pictures at the Ivy Tea Room in Bo'ness
Okay, we hear you cry “they’ve been sitting in a cinema all morning with tea and biscuits. What are they going on about … frenetic??” You’re right, of course, we are fortunate indeed. Nevertheless these images seemed almost ‘other worldly’ when set against a modern backdrop of school shootings, misogyny, paedophilia and generally failing services. All right, that rather misty eyed world probably never actually existed. But we still think you would have to use mightily rose tinted glasses to illustrate today’s world in a similar vein.

Silent movies

Will this time be looked back on as the golden age of anything? A scone at the Ivy Tea Room in Bo'nessUnfortunately, unlike Three Billboards, our fruit scone was very forgettable … not much fruit, no cream and the scone itself was just soft with no real texture at all! We won’t be rushing back to the Ivy Tearoom. Or, while we are in nostalgic mood lets call it the Hippodrome picture palace. That may not be too far away, they have an interesting list of upcoming films. They also have an annual silent movie week in March called Hippfest. But we’re not old enough to remember any of that sort of stuff. No we’re not!

EH51 9HA       tel: 01506 823389      The Ivy Tea Room FB

Ordinary, Scones

Café Belgica

Admittedly, this is not the first place that comes to mind when seeking out a good scone. First of all, it’s a huge furniture warehouse. Secondly, it’s situated in a pretty uninviting industrial estate. But, like us, you might be surprised. We used to come here quite often looking for the odd quirky piece of furniture. Hallelujah, since our last visit they have reorganised everything and added Café Belgica. And it seemed like the busiest part of the store. Internal view of Café Belgica

Plonkers

It’s well set up and there is a good range of food and drinks on offer … including scones. Ours fruit scones were good and served with a generous tub of clotted cream. The friendly lady who was looking after us, however, was having to work very hard negotiating a rather odd table layout. Definitely something they need to look at in future. A scone at Café BelgicaNot topscones unfortunately but enjoyable nevertheless.

Café Belgica is providing something of an oasis in what is really a huge refreshment desert. A place to chillax away from the cares of the outside world and, perhaps more importantly, away from the Winter Olympics. Never mind the brouhaha about Kim Jong-un’s sister making Mike Pence look like a bit of a plonker. Or the fact that banned Russia is competing … but not as Russia? Even more ridiculous is the sight of commentators working themselves up into a lather over whether Team GB might beat Team Nigeria by 1/1000th of a second … at sledging! Does anyone seriously care? Maybe we just don’t understand.

Brexit Olympics

In common with 99.999% of the population we don’t know anyone involved in ‘skeleton’ (head first on a sledge) or ‘luge’ (feet first on a sledge) so are not in a position to discuss the finer points. As youths we used to take part in our own Tin Tray Championships which consisted of a group of idiots sliding down the Ochil hills on beer trays totally out of control, A bit like Brexit negotiations! Could Brexit become an Olympic event? A gold medal to anyone who can find a way to keep us in the EU.

EH51 0PU     tel: 01506 243954     Café Belgica

Ordinary, Scones

The Larder

Just when you think you have done all the tearooms and coffee shops in your home town, lo and behold, another one pops up. Mind you the Larder has been open quite a few months now … we just hadn’t noticed it. Getting noticed is crucially important for all new businesses. Yet unbelievably this place has neither wifi or a contact telephone number. And, to make matters even worse, it has a big glossy Costa directly across the road. The Larder, therefore, has the dubious distinction of being the only establishment we have ever reviewed for which we cannot find a phone number.  It also ‘borrows’ its wifi from another business nearby and it doesn’t have a website. We fear for the Larder’s future. No matter how good the scones are.  Internal view of the Larder, Falkirk

It’s a shame that we were the only customers because the two young girls who appeared to be running the place were trying hard. Maybe some home baking would set us on the right track? No, they simply buy their scones from Costco, a huge wholesale warehouse in Glasgow. However, any preconceptions we may have harboured about warehouse scones were quickly dashed. They actually turned out to be quite good. On the large side but quite light and fluffy on the inside.  A scone at the Larder, FalkirkNo hope of a topscone here but service, tea and coffee were all good … we wish the Larder well and hope they get themselves sorted out before long.

The vote

This week it was hard to miss stories about suffragettes and the amazing things they had to do to get noticed. It was, of course, the  centenary of women getting the vote in 1918.  Strictly speaking only 40% of women got the vote then  as opposed to 58 % of men. The rest had to wait another ten years. Nowadays most people find it totally incredible that all this was happening only 100 years ago. It’s a bit like the internet. Young people think it has always been there. They think the ‘right to vote’ has always been there too and are surprised to learn that it is in fact a relatively recent innovation.

Back in 1707, at the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England, ‘the people’ would have loved a vote. According to accounts at the time, 99 out of 100 ordinary people were against the Union. Of the 175 eligible voters 106 voted in favour and the rest, as they say, is history. We would like to think that, when Scotland becomes an independent country again, people will look back 100 years from now, with the same incredulity afforded to the suffragettes, at the fact that we were once ruled by another country. We will let you know how the Larder gets on.

FK1 1LZ            The Larder TA

Ordinary, Scones

Sundial Café

Kidnapped by Robert Louis StevensonIn 1752 the redcoats were in hot persuit. When Robert Louis Stevenson was writing Kidnapped he chose Limekilns as the final point of escape for David Balfour and Alan Breck. An odd choice when you look at the sleepy little village today, however, it wasn’t always like this.

Publican’s daughters

Its sheltered natural harbour meant that it once had a thriving fishing industry. As its name suggests, burning lime was another. However, in the 18th century, the harbour also served as the northern terminus for a ferry service from Bo’ness on the opposite shore. Maybe that’s why Stevenson chose this place? Anyway, Alison Hastie, the local innkeeper’s daughter rowed them across and the two young fugitives successfully escaped … hurrah! Nowadays, of course, they could just have walked across the river using any one of three bridges. Okay, you are not supposed to walk on the rail bridge but if you were fleeing for your life??

The sundial at the Sundial Cafe in Limekilns
Sundial dated 1689

We got here by using the new Queensferry Crossing. Without expansion joints it’s a very smooth drive but how have they done that? Where does the expansion go? Having arrived in Fife we decided to take the more indirect but picturesque coastal route on the north side of the Forth. Limekilns is one of the first villages you come across. It’s home to the Sundial Café.

Cheese and bacon

Unsurprisingly it gets its name from the sundial high up on the corner of the building. In Scotland, these things are only of use on the rare occasions when the sun actually shines. Presumably when this one was installed there were not that many alternatives. Inside, on the ground floor, it is small and cosy with a large log burning stove. There is also a fairly large seating area upstairs. It’s pretty obvious

Internal view of the Sundial Café in Limekilns
Upstairs and downstairs in the Sundial

that the renovation of the 400 year old building has been done very sympathetically. When we arrived mid afternoon they only had two scones left, one fruit and the other cheese and bacon. We decide to have them both and share, half each. What are we like?A scone at the Sundial Café in Limekilns

They were very good – the fruit one came with plenty of jam but they didn’t have any cream … boo! No topscone but a lovely place with friendly people … highly recommended.

Liabilities

In 1362 King David II, as kings do, gave Limekilns harbour to the monks of Dunfermline Abbey  to encourage trade with Europe. Oh, with the shambles that is Brexit, for that sort of initiative these days!  Shock horror! As we sit gazing out towards the North Sea, BP has announced that it is to double its North Sea oil production. They will also keep extracting for the next forty years. In 2014 it was explained what a liability the dribble of oil that was left was for Scotland. So now that liability has just got a whole lot bigger. Thanks Westminster, what would we do without you? If Scotland ever gets its independence the maritime border with England, surreptitiously redrawn in 1999 to run just off Aberdeen will have to be extended yet again to take in all the oilfields around Shetland. What fun!

KY11 3HN     tel: 01383 873370      Sundial Café TA

ps something for all our telephone box enthusiasts, not a K2 or a K6 or even made of iron. A wooden Post Office telephone box from the 1930sOne of our wonderful correspondents has just sent this picture of a wooden telephone box taken at the National Museum of Scotland. According to the information it is dated 1930s and is from the Hope Street Post Office in Edinburgh. Apparently a lot of post offices provided these payphones for customers when few people had telephones at home. Things have changed since then. Thank goodness for social media, otherwise how else would we know that Scotland’s thirteen Tory MPs had voted to remove powers from the Scottish Parliament?

Ordinary, Scones

Riverhill Coffee Bar

We got the call to say that a tiny flower made of plaster (don’t ask), ordered well before Christmas, had arrived at the Wm Boyle shop in Glasgow. We decided to pick it up rather than risk it in the post. Lo and behold, right beside the station at Pollockshields East railway station is this place. The Glasgow Gurdwara … impressive or what?External view of the Gurdwara Sikh temple in Pollockshields Religious, we are not, but we are curious about things we don’t understand. The building alone looked worthy of investigation. We knew that Sikhs wore turbans but that was about that in terms of our knowledge of Sikhism. Enlightenment beckoned.

The alter at the Gurdwara Sikh temple in Pollockshields
The alter with the covered book of scriptures (Guru Granth Sahib) on top
Wonderful lunch

We were welcomed with open arms. Once we had given up our shoes, washed our hands and donned some headgear we were ushered in and given a complete tour of the entire building. Even though there was only the two of us! It was fascinating. We are not going to attempt to explain Sikhism here but suffice to say we now have a much better understanding. Our lasting impression though was of the warmth shown to us by everyone we met. We even received a wonderful lunch … chapatis but no scones! Internal view of Riverhill Coffee Shop, Glasgow

Shawarma wraps

Having collected the little flower and bade a fond farewell to our new Sikh friends we found ourselves back at Glasgow Central station. Just around the corner, is this place, the Riverhill Coffee House. We thought that it too might be worthy of investigation. At first we thought we were continuing our eastern theme because their signature dish is shawarma wraps, which we thought sounded rather Indian but turns out to be Arabic. Our ignorance really knows no bounds! We quickly reverted to type though and opted to put the only scone they had left out of its miserable loneliness. Riverhill classes itself as “exotically Scottish” … an oxymoron if ever there was one. However, after our recent experience at Kilmahog, this place restored our sagging faith. Lots of helpful smiling youngsters, eager to help and all Scottish, hurragh! A scone at Riverhill Coffee Shop, Glasgow

 It used to be a jewellery shop until the owners decided to forsake diamonds for coffee, cakes and scones. A bold but totally understandable decision. They make everything fresh daily so our scone was good and although they didn’t have cream there was certainly plenty of butter and jam. Not quite a topscone but good effort and great to see a place like this seriously taking on the multinationals at their own game.

Turban for Trump

With Donald Trump cancelling his visit to London to open the new American embassy for fear of ugly protests we think he should come and visit the Glasgow Gurdwara instead. Sikhs believe that the way to lead a good life is to a) keep God in heart and mind at all times b) live honestly and work hard c) treat everyone equally d) be generous to the less fortunate e) serve others. Turban for Mr Trump!

On the way home on the train we had a fascinating conversation with ‘Colin’ who hailed from the Isle of Kerrera and was on his way to Germany to visit family. The little plaster flower eventually arrived back home, safe and sound, after an interesting day.

G1 3PU     tel: 0141 204 4762      Riverhill Coffee Bar

Ordinary, Scones

Kilmahog Woollen Mill

Firstly, let us wish you all a good new year, may it be a great one! In spite of all the dodgy politics. Now, what you have all been waiting for … the first scone of 2018!

It wasn’t the balmy -1°C temperature that drove us in here in search of woolly underpants. Rather that we were out and about on a beautiful sunny day enjoying the scenery and this is where we ended up … purely by accident. It was a bit nippy though! For those unfamiliar with Kilmahog (quite a few we suspect) it is just outside Callander at the junction of the Trossachs and Lochearnhead roads.

Queen Victoria

It’s a tiny hamlet of just a few houses yet manages to sport two woollen mills. The Trossachs Woollen Mill and the Kilmahog Woollen Mill as well as a pub (The Lade Inn) with its own microbrewery. At one time the Oban railway ran through here but it is now a cycle track and popular as part of the Rob Roy Way. Still standing at the road junction is the 19th-century toll-house where Queen Victoria once had to cough up some money in order to continue her journey.

Samson's putting stone near Kilmahog
Samson’s putting stone on Bochastle hill

 

Best of all though, on the small hill opposite Kilmahog there is a massive rock, known locally as Samson’s Putting Stone. Legend has it that, Samson, one of the Fingalian giants threw it  three miles, from his home on Ben Ledi during a competition with rival giants. Some say he actually threw it from Ben Lawers … a phenomenal twenty three miles.  Yet others say it is a glacial erratic left by a receding glacier. To us, this latter explanation seems slightly far fetched. One thing is clear, these giants did not tidy up after their games! The woollen mill itself is pretty big and, of course, stuffed full of everything tartan you could imagine. Yes, underpants! Internal view of Kilmahog Woollen Mill

Too Scottish

The café part is quite big as well and obviously is set up to deal with bus parties in the summer. When it’s busy you probably would not notice the rather utilitarian nature of the place. However, when it’s quiet it becomes rather obvious. The service was what we would normally describe as ‘surly‘ and far too Scottish for our liking. With Brexit on the horizon we had better get used to it. No more of our eastern european friends eager to work and giving excellent happy service. What an idiotic world we live in! A scone at Kilmahog Woollen Mill

On the upside, our somewhat low scone expectations were confounded when it turned out to be surprisingly good. Fresh and slightly crunchy on the outside. They charged a fortune for the jam but the cream was plentiful and good. On its own, this could have maybe squeezed into the topscone category but the overall experience let it down badly … shame!

Expectations

Expectations were further confused by a warning sign in the toilets. It seemed to suggest that you would only get hot water if the wind was blowing from a certain direction, or the moWarning notice at Kilmahog Woollen Millon was aligned with Mars. Or, maybe it was simply down to Samson being in a good mood … who knows? It certainly heightened anticipation when using the cold tap. So our first scone adventure of the year at Kilmahog Woollen Mill had mixed outcomes. Good to be on the hunt once more on such a lovely day. However, a frustratingly disappointing scone experience over all. Things can only get better! Or maybe not?

Oprah for President

As Theresa May gets on with rearranging the deckchairs we hope that at least she, unlike the local giants, will at least tidy up after herself because it is bound to end up in a mess no matter how much she shuffles them. In the USA, Oprah Winfrey is thinking of running against Donald Trump. We have no wish to take anything away from Ms Winfrey but how on earth did it get to this?

FK17 8HD    Tel: 01877 330268    Kilmahog Woollen Mill TA

Ordinary, Scones

The Gallery Café

Gosh, it’s been a while. We have both been so caught up with other things that scones have had to take a back seat. Disgraceful, we know. Yesterday, however, we managed to tear ourselves away from building works to attend a St Andrews Day book launch at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. And it just so happened that, in the Gallery Café, they had scones. Back in harness.

An Eagle In A Henhouse

The launch was for a new book by Lachlan Munro on the political speeches of Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham. Regular readers will know that we have a bit of a soft spot for Graham. HCover of the An Eagle In A Henhouse book by Lachlan Munroe is a national hero in Argentina, where he was a gaucho for many years, yet remains a relatively obscure character at home in Scotland and the UK. He was a landowning aristocrat who lived only a short distance from Stirling and during his flamboyant and adventurous life became friends with George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Keir Hardy and the likes.

On the side of oppressed people wherever they were, be they crofters, miners, women or even Sioux Indians. He hated politicians but became one and managed to get himself thrown out of Westminster on three occasions for disrespecting the House. A mighty achievement in itself. He even spent time in jail for taking part in a Trafalgar Square march in support of Irish home rule. His ability to ruffled feathers gave rise to the book’s name “An Eagle In A Hen-House”.

Chaos

He was a founder of both the Scottish Labour and Scottish National Parties. The launch, however, had politicians of all colours reading extracts from the book. There must have been a couple of hundred people at the launch so when formal proceedings came to a close they all descended on the Gallery Café at the same time … chaos! A scone at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and MuseumEventually we managed to get a scone. The first we had had in ages. It was nowhere near a topscone but given the time since our last one, we thoroughly enjoyed it. No cream but plenty jam and butter. And the coffee was excellent.

Disembodied heads

The Stirling Smith was founded in 1874 from money given by local artist Thomas Stuart Smith. It has continued as a public-private partnership to this day for the benefit of the citizens of Stirling, Dunblane and Kinbuck … long may it continue! Floor sign for the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and MuseumAs we were leaving to go home we were alarmed to come across what we initially thought was the disembodied head of our prime minister. Turned out to be nothing more than a left-over from halloween  … phew!Pumpkin outside the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and MuseumFK8 2RQ       tel: 01786 471917    The Gallery Cafe FB

Ordinary, Scones

Stirling Highland Hotel

Internal view of Stirling Highland HotelIt’s Halloween, a celebration of ghouls and ghosts that we are at a loss to understand. We were brought up on Guy Fawkes and bonfire night, ‘penny for the guy’ and all that. However, we don’t remAfternoon tea at the Stirling Highland Hotelember such a brouhaha about halloween. Could it just be us being completely out of touch? Or could it be, perish the thought, just another hellish import from the US? Whatever it is you would not think that it would have any impact at all on, the altogether more wholesome world of, sconology. But you would be wrong! If you come here to the Stirling Highland Hotel and book an afternoon tea for two you will understand.

Discord

Afternoon tea is supposed to be civilised and civilising, relaxing, romantic even. In this hotel, however, some twisted, devilish mind has designed an afternoon tea with three of everything. It has to be some sort of macabre joke? If anything is going to produce disharmony and discord it is providing three scones for two people. What on earth are they thinking about? Guess you could decide to have one and a half each … but really? A scone at the Stirling Highland HotelThere was also three of each kind of sandwich? Luckily we survived the experience without any blood being spilled. In fact, overall it was quite enjoyable but definitely not one of our finest afternoon tea experiences. And we’ve had a few!

This building used to be the High School of Stirling. The original school was situated in Castle Wynd for over 300 years (now the Portcullis Hotel) and moved here in 1854 before moving to a brand new building in Torbrex village in 1962. The Torbex building was demolished in 2008 after a mere 46 years, so, if history teaches us anything, it certainly doesn’t teach us anything about building schools.

The view towards the Wallace Monument from the Stirling Highland Hotel
View from the hotel towards the Ochil hills and the Wallace Monument
Lord North and Madrid

To prove the point, the current school, near the University of Stirling, was built under one of Labour’s dreaded PFI initiatives. So no matter how long the building lasts we will be paying for it whether it stands or not … heyho! One thing which sets the Stirling Highland Hotel apart is a fully functional observatory on the roof. Not a lot of hotels can boast of that.

External view of Stirling Highland Hotel
The entrance to the hotel

If history does teach us anything, it has to be that history doesn’t teach us much at all. When America declared independence in 1776, Lord North’s UK government made exactly the same noises, almost word for word, as the Madrid government is making towards Catalonia today … and see where that got us! Happy halloween!

FK8 1DU    tel: 01786 272727     Stirling Highland Hotel

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

The Café by Benugo

When we were on Orkney we got a real sense of community. People supported each other by making local crafts and selling local produce. Staff had time for a chat and all that. There was just a certain honest homeliness about the island and the people so we were not surprised to learn that it was voted best place to live in the UK, five years in a row. In spite of the wind! Today’s venue is about as far away as you can get from that. This could easily be where the Great God of Consumerism actually lives!

View from John Lewis' Café by Benugoby Benugo
View from Café by Benugo

It is, of course, Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow. Even the name of the cafe at the John Lewis store, ‘The Cafe by Benugo’, sounds a bit pretentious. Turns out that ‘Benugo’ is a company founded by Ben and Hugo Warner (see what they did there) in London in 1998.

Portrait of founder of John Lewis
John Spedan Lewis

They now service all the John Lewis stores as well as many others and have over 2,000 employees … well done Ben and Hugo. The John Lewis stores themselves are perhaps not too far removed from the community spirit we found on Orkney. They are run by the John Lewis Partnership, set up by John Spedan Lewis in 1920.

Illogical systems

After the store had been operating for over fifty years he had the revolutionary idea (for the time) that staff would be better motivated if they had a say in running the company. And a share in the profits … something which continues to this day, all staff are ‘partners’ in the company. The JLPartnership also runs the Waitrose supermarket empire and is now a multi £billion business … a far cry from its first day’s takings of 16s 4d (82p) in 1864. What about the scones by Benugo? It is self-service and the seating area is spread around a vast glass balcony overlooking one of the busy concourses. Internal view of John Lewis' Café by Benugo

We opted for a ‘cream tea for two’ which at £8 seemed like good value. It was slightly odd, however, in that, usually with these things, you can have whatever you like to drink. Not here! Pat wanted peppermint tea, no problem, but I felt like a coffee. No, it had to be tea or nothing. A scone at John Lewis' Café by BenugoNo big deal but it just seemed like a slightly illogical  bit of inflexibility. The scones themselves were good though a little on the sweet side for our taste … no topscone unfortunately.

Partnership working in Spain

Illogical inflexibility seems to be the order of the day. The Spanish government has just removed Catalonia’s autonomy. Surely a massive blow to democracy. Unbelievably, it’s happening within the EU. Goodness knows where they will go from here but you can’t help feeling that it will all end in tears. Scotland should beware … devolution is currently under threat with the repatriation of powers from Brussels. Many of which may never reach Edinburgh if Westminster gets its way. Hopefully Spain will take a lead from John Spedan Lewis and get into some sort of partnership with the Catalans. It worked for him.

G1 2GF     tel: 0141 353 6677       The Café by Benugo

Ordinary, Scones, weird

Storehouse of Foulis

The trip back from John O’ Groats to home is a good six hour drive so sustenance of some kind is called for along the way. We have passed this place, just off the A9 on the banks of the Cromarty Firth many times but, until now, have never managed an actual visit. Exterior view of Storehouse of FoulisThis is Munro country … not hills over 3000 feet, but actual Clan Munro country and, at one time, this was the centre of their empire. The first chief of Clan Munro was Donald O’Caan, Prince of Fermanagh. He came with his followers, from the River Roe in N. Ireland, to help King Malcolm drive out Viking Invaders. In thanks, the King granted Donald all the land between Dingwall and the River Alness. Even today, one thousand years later, it’s still known as ‘Donald’s Land’ and it’s still home to many Munros.

Carts and sloops

It’s rich agricultural land and this storehouse was built in 1740 as a central collection point. Tenants of the estate would bring their oats and barley here. These were then distributed to farm workers as wages or sent off to markets further south by boat together with things like timber and salmon. Boats could land on the gently sloping beach, load up, and then take off at the next high tide. Today, the horses,  carts and sloops of yesteryear no longer come. Now it is a large farm shop/restaurant with lots of car parking. It is busy, busy! Interior view of Storehouse of Foulis

Although it goes like the proverbial fair it runs like a well oiled machine. Lots of people serving and lots just clearing tables and making sure everyone is looked after. We decided to have a spot of lunch and then just share a scone. Normally we would have had a plain or a fruit scone but, just because they had them and in the interests of sconology, we plumped for the chocolate and banana scone??? Life on the edge! A scone at Storehouse of FoulisLunch was fantastic … and the scone? Perhaps it is a little unfair. If we had chosen one of their more common place scones, perhaps it would have got a topscone award. However the chocolate and banana just didn’t do it for us. Near the top in the weird scone category, though!

Oil as a burden

When we look out across the water from the big bay window we can see Nigg and its associated oil platforms parked just offshore.  We don’t believe that Scottish independence should be predicated on oil … far from it. It should be based solely on the right to self determination that all other countries, except Scotland, enjoy.

Nevertheless it is annoying that, during the independence referendum of 2014, oil was depicted as “running out within a few years” and as a “real problem” for the Scottish economy. In fact, production since 2014 has increased by 16% and within the last few weeks a new field (the biggest ever) has been discovered and will come on stream in 2019. It will deliver billions more barrels … but we barely hear about it. We wonder why? Could it be that it falls into the banned “good news for Scotland” category? The Prince of Fermanagh would have had something to say and he wasn’t even from Scotland! The Storehouse of Foulis is great, highly recommend!

IV16 9UX           tel: 01349 830038      Storehouse of Foulis