Tag Archives: Scotland

Scones, Uncategorized

Euston Station

This is not really a post. It does not contain a scone therefore it is disqualified. However, we did try to find one here at Euston station so we are writing it anyway simply on the basis that we tried. Plus it gives us a chance for a rant before the General Election tomorrow. We have spent the past five days in London visiting our grandchildren.

Normally when we are down here we try to have at least one scone for the enlightenment of our readers. Unfortunately, on day one I was struck down by the lurgy, food poisoning, Montezuma’s revenge, whatever you want to call it. All thoughts of scones, or indeed food of any kind, went straight out the window. Food intake for my entire stay consisted of nothing more than a couple of bits of toast. Some said I was even more miserable than usual. True, that’s how bad it was!

To compound matters I had five little toddler girls who seemed to think it was good fun to use my stomach as a sort of trampoline. Exactly why they thought my stomach looked bouncy I have no idea? Had they not been so utterly gorgeous it would have been unbearable.

London Bridge

Thoughts of politics went out the window as well though I did manage to tear myself away from my intense study of the minute imperfections in porcelain washhand basins when the horrific news of the London Bridge incident came through. Only a couple of miles away and more misery! For right thinking people these things are almost impossible to comprehend but we cannot help but think that the media has to get its act together when it comes to reporting these things. The perpetrators should be given as little publicity as possible. Surely the media can come up with an agreed strategy that does not feed the lunatics’ cause with 24/7 coverage.

Mind you, with a great big toddler in the White House making up policy by binge watching Fox News, that could be a bit of a stretch. We are beginning to see the world according to Rupert Murdoch … sad, very sad! Just read that a website called TrumpiLeaks has been set up for anti-Trump whistleblowers. Don’t think it is anything urological.

Thankfully, here in the UK, electioneering is drawing to a close. As usual everyone has promised the moon and the stars. Theresa May has promised to be strong and stable by being robotic, completely flaky and hiding from the public. The LibDems are probably going to do well in London because of their promise to rerun the EU referendum … but little else. At last, Labour has reared it’s head again. Although it is hardly a roar there are certain encouraging signs of life.

Scotland voting against Scotland?

In Scotland, uniquely in the world, we will probably vote to be governed by another country with mostly contrary interests to our own … heyho. Who knows why we are so utterly gutless as a nation? By the time we reached Euston station on our way home I was feeling vaguely human again. Not quite ready for scone tasting but that’s why I have a partner who can step into the breach in such emergencies. Unfortunately, in spite of its plethora of eateries and retail outlets Euston Station is completely scone free. We did try. Back home now and feeling much better. In spite of all the loving concern from others there is nothing quite like being home when you are under the weather. Apologies for the lack of scones. We promise to do better in future.

Now feeling well enough for tea and a scone. Though if mad May remains in power after tomorrow something much stronger might be called for.

Ordinary, Scones

The Royal Hotel in Comrie

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In recognition of the fact that Canada came to our rescue in the last post, Second Cup, we thought we would come here to Comrie because it is twinned with Carleton Place in Ontario. Actually, that’s rubbish, it’s entirely coincidental, we are really visiting an aunt who lives nearby. The twinning bit is correct. But first, please bear with us if we digress a little.

Declaration of war 1914This is how the start of war was reported the day after it was announced in 1914. According to the headline, Scotland was not at war with anyone, yet somehow that trifling piece of misinformation didn’t matter. Scotland was most definitely at war. There is some equivalence in the here and now where, in spite of Scotland overwhelmingly wishing to stay in the EU, it is leaving anyway. Simply because England wants to leave. We mention all this for no other reason than the fact that it was brought to mind by a trout.

It had spent the day when WWI was announced quietly swimming around Loch Earn, presumably just minding its own business. Perhaps it was the last living creature to have died never having heard the words “World War”. That, along with its size, makes it pretty special.

20lb trout caught on Loch Earn at the Royal Hotel, Comrie
A bad day for this trout and the world. It couldn’t have imagined that the same fate awaited 17 million soldiers and civilians.

By way of compensation, however, this brownie has spent the intervening 100 above the fireplace in rather comfy surroundings here at the Royal Hotel in Comrie. If it could talk, we think it would have a few stories to tell. 72 years earlier Queen Victoria may have sat in the same lounge during her stay in 1842, hence the name “Royal Hotel”. Maybe she was eating a scone?Reception area at the Royal Hotel, Comrie

Flambeaux

Comrie itself is a picturesque little village which, amongst other things, boasts a New Year Flambeaux procession involving birch poles of burning tar being marched through the village. Somewhat akin to Burning the Clavie at Burghead. The procession is followed,  in the wee small hours, by a fancy dress competition. Sounds like fun, one of these years we might give it a try? A scone at the Royal Hotel, ComrieAlso, the village, by virtue of its location astride the Highland Boundary Fault, experiences more earth tremors than anywhere else in the UK. It is often referred to as the ‘Shaky Toon’. Unfortunately our scones were a bit ‘shaky’ too. There was no cream but other than that there was nothing particularly wrong with them. Just nothing particularly right with them either. Sadly they missed out on a topscone award.

Picture of HMS Inflexible and HMS Devastation
c1890 pictures from the hotel. HMS Infexible could be used by PM May on her outward journey to EU negotiations and HMS Devastation  for the return journey.
POW gratitude

Let us finish by continuing with the wartime theme. Comrie is home to the WWII Cultybraggan POW camp where Rudolf Hess is rumoured to have been held. Not something of which a village would be unduly proud, you would think. Last year, however, Heinrich Steinmeyer, a former Waffen-SS prisoner of the camp, left the village £384,000 in his will. It was an expression of “my gratitude to the people of Scotland for the kindness and generosity that I have experienced in Scotland during my imprisonment of war and hereafter.” It is now over 70 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps but they had rather different stories to tell. Well done Comrie!

ps: In the same edition of the Telegraph featured in the headline at the start of this post, a correspondent in Harrogate recorded his disappointment. “War is somewhat upsetting the season, and a number of visitors have left for home”. How utterly British.

PH6 2DN         tel:01764 679200         The Royal Hotel

Scones, Top

Fonab Castle (revisited)

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As you are probably aware, we have long asserted that, in our humble opinion, the best scone in the world lives at Fonab Castle Hotel in Pitlochry. Since our first Fonab cream tea experience we have devoted much time and effort, not to mention expense, looking for a worthy challenger. However, in spite of all our testing at places as far apart as Ackergill Tower in Wick and Claridge’s in London, Fonab has managed to hold on to its position. It is  on the top tier of the cake stand as the topmost topscone.

However, it is now almost two years since we made that rather bold assertion. In our minds Fonab shone like a beacon in terms of ambience, presentation, service and quality. Okay it’s not the cheapest. It’s one of these “you know you’re worth it” places. But … perhaps, after such a long period of time, our combined memories were playing tricks on us? Something that, in our advancing years, is not only possible but highly likely! Maybe the scones would be awful and we would have to find a new benchmark …. aaarrgghh!

So it was with more than a little trepidation that we decided to return and reassess the Fonab scone. Luckily we could still remember the location of Pitlochry.

Winter view across Loch Faskally from Fonab Castle, Pitlochry
View across Loch Faskally towards Ben Vrackie from Fonab
Warm bowls

The trepidation was caused by fear of disappointment. What if there was a new chef with a different recipe. What if they were just different? Picture of a cream tea scone at Fonab Castle Hotel, PitlochryYou may remember that, on one visit, we actually asked the chef what his secret ingredient was for a good scone. The answer – “happiness in the kitchen!” Well, we need not have worried! This time around the service was impeccable, the ambience relaxing and comfortable, the views superb, the range of Scottish jams just brilliant, the coffee fantastic. And the scones were just perfect … warm and light as a feather. Not only were they presented in beautiful white linen napkins but even the serving bowls had been warmed. This is how scones should be treated!Picture of cream tea presentation at Fonab Castle Hotel, Pitlochry
So just to be clear. Let this be a clarion call to every posh hotel, coffee shop, tea house and greasy spoon we visit on our travels. When you see us coming this is what we expect if you are to have any chance of dislodging the Fonab scone from the pinnacle of sconiness. At just under £11 for a cream tea, it may be expensive but it is soooo worth it! Not only that but it turns out that the chef we spoke to about ingredients has long gone. And yet the scones were still delicious. There must be a lot of happiness in that kitchen!

Taking control

Such scrumptiousness lulls you into a warm sconey world where the trials and tribulations of a mad Trump/May/Putin world seem far far away. With the PM delivering a speech on Brexit yesterday that completely ignores the wishes of us folks north of the border, it also clarifies the situation. Scotland is going nowhere until it takes control of its own affairs. Oh dear, sconey world is so much nicer. … if only we could stay for ever?

PH16 5ND     tel: 01796 470140    Fonab Castle Hotel and Spa

Useful link: things to do in Pitlochry

Ordinary, Scones

The Solway Tide Tearoom

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Before you say it, yes, we are off galavanting … again! This time we are in Kirkcudbright to inspect a new bell-mouth on a forestry road … exciting! It really would take too long to explain! Being forced to travel down this way, however, is no great hardship. Quite the opposite in fact, especially on a beautiful day like today. It is a wonderful part of the country, overlooked by many as they speed up and down the M74. In 1931 Dorothy L Sayers, the crime writer and poet wrote the immortal words:

If he can say as you can
Guinness is good for you
How grand to be a Toucan
Just think what Toucan do

said “In Kirkcudbright one either fishes or paints” and, believe it or not, that is still as true today as it was then. It’s not known as ‘The Artist’s Town’ for nothing. Many artists have made their homes here and it has art galleries aplenty. Picture of fishing boats at Kirkcudbright harbourIt also never ceases to amaze us that Kirkcudbright supports a flourishing fishing industry. Still plying it’s trade from the harbour … four miles from the sea!

Anyway, after a fairly lengthy drive, squinting into the low winter sun, some sort of refreshment was definitely called for. It looked like The Solway Tide Tearoom might do the job. We have been here before but always in the summer when you can sit out in the back garden. Internal view of the Solway Tide tearoom in KirkcudbrightAlthough the sun was shining brightly it was not exactly sitting-out weather so this was our first ‘sit-in’, so to speak. The interior is okay but has a slightly tired look about it.

La confiture

A bit like our waitress … welcoming but in a rather low key Scottish way that could be completely missed by your average tourist. Picture of a scone at the Solway Tide tearoom in KirkcudbrightCombined with ‘music to slit your wrists to’ by Jim Reeves , the atmosphere could never be described as jolly or vibrant. The scones however were pretty good, plenty fruit and plenty cream. Plenty jam as well but it had come all the way from France? Places like this are largely dependent on the summer tourist industry so we can never understand the decision not to use local produce. We are pretty sure the tourists won’t understand it either. Even the ones from France!

Equally we cannot understand putting the wifi password up on a noticeboard without the name of the provider. It becomes a process of elimination where you have to try them all. Not a bad scone but not the best scone experience we have had. Much better when you can sit in the garden.

Picture of MacLellan's castle at Kirkcudbright harbour
MacLellan’s Castle

Towering over The Solway Tide Tearoom is the magnificent ruin of the 16th century, MacLellan’s Castle. Sir Thomas MacLellan built it using the stones from a convent which he demolished. It never saw any action so the purpose seems to have been simply to show off his own power and importance. The Trump Tower of it’s day. There were many battles in Scotland and Ireland in which the MacLellans had difficulty picking the right side. With the family fortunes sorely depleted, they eventually ended up as lowly glovers in Edinburgh.

Calexit

Picking the right side has not got any easier with the passage of time. Now that Trump has promised to make the USA great again, California wants to leave (Calexit) more in a protest against the electoral system than anything else. With an economy bigger than that of France they are seriously miffed that, having backed Clinton, they never get what they vote for. Scotland knows exactly how you feel California!

We were amazed to see what looked like flooding down by the harbour. It turned out to be high tides caused by the recent ‘big moons’. One of the local fisherman we spoke to was totally unfazed “och aye, we’ve had them going right into the Post Office”! Only in Kirkcudbright? The bell-mouth was perfect by the way.

Picture of high tide at Kirkcudbright harbour
Very high tides down by the harbour

DG6 4HZ            tel: 01557 330735             The Solway Tide Café

Scones, Uncategorized

Henry’s

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Life

The life of a sconey is not as easy as some of you may think! No, no, no, it’s a constant round of traveling, photographing, testing, judging, writing. Then there is the worry! Did we judge too harshly? Did we just get them on a bad day? Should we make allowances? All these and more can make a sconey’s life quite stressful. Okay, not that stressful. Not stressful at all really. If truth be known, it is an absolute pleasure … even the bad ones! In spite of receiving many and varied suggestions for scone visits we almost never go anywhere simply for a scone. We go places for all sorts of other reasons … the scones are just there! But then, sometimes strange things happen. A scone can come completely out of the blue. So it was with this post from Henry’s … a slight meander from our normal path.

Picture of artwork portraying coffee cups from Costa, Nero and Starbucks
A BIT RICH – at Henry’s HQ. Can you name all 3 companies?  Answers on a postcard

 

 

 

Global HQ

Recently, we were in the local Milk Barn café when we stumbled on some old friends we hadn’t seen in ages. After much catching up it transpired that their lives, like ours, had changed markedly in the intervening years. Most significantly, perhaps, after many years steeped in the coffee industry, they had decided to set up their own company. They now supply coffee and tea to restaurants all over Scotland. A bold move in a highly competitive marketplace. That was two years ago and the birth of the company coincided with the birth of their first grandchild so the company was duly named after him … Henry’s. And what exactly has all this got to do with scones we hear you ask? Well, they invited us to take a look at the company’s global HQ (garage in the back garden). And, being aware of our weakness, used the lure of scones to ensure our attendance.

Mimi’s Bakehouse

We had visions of them being up at the crack of dawn nervously whipping up a scone mixture for the visit … but no, not a bit of it. They bought them! henrys-05To be fair, they did buy them from Mimi’s award winning bakehouse in Leith so they were very good. They were, what we would call, on the hearty side. Almost a meal in themselves but nice and light and complete with jam. The cream had accidentally been omitted from the package, but no matter, we thoroughly enjoyed them anyway. We had not heard of Mimi’s but it transpires that it is just down the road from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. A visit may be imminent! Unfortunately, until then, these scones will have to remain uncategorised. Henry’s Coffee Company appears to be going from strength to strength, no pun intended, and in a few short years has become the main supplier to dozens of establishments across the country. Their unique ‘Cat’s Pyjamas’ and ‘Blow Your Socks Off’ coffee blends have been every well received, along with their two hundred tea varieties. It’s a success story.

Scotland’s entrepreneurs

Sad therefore to read that RBS (the bank which you and I own) has been behaving despicably to businesses such as this through it’s, now defunct, Global Restructuring Group. It has been intentionally driving many small businesses into bankruptcy for it’s own profit. Scotland needs lots of small businesses like Henry’s to flourish but to do so they need banks to be on their side. They also need BT Openreach to roll out decent broadband much faster than they are doing at the moment, instead of just trousering the money. Picture of Henry's coffee company saucer with logoWith worthwhile broadband, businesses like Henry’s should be able to establish themselves all over the country … even in the Highlands and Islands. Many thanks to B and M and of course the man himself, Henry, who we had the great pleasure of meeting. Your hospitality was wonderful, as was your spectacular company HQ. More power to your entrepreneurial elbow!

tel: 07471 895015     Henry’s Coffee Company

Ordinary, Scones

The Ladybird Tearoom

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If you have ever picked up a bottle of Johnnie Walker … and, let’s face it, who hasn’t, you were probably more interested in the contents than the bottle itself. That bottle however was probably made here in Alloa where the glassworks is one of the biggest employers in an old established industry.

‘Twas not always so settled though! Things were a little different in 1715. The Earl of Mar, who owned most of the town had to flee the country and forfeit his lands. He had backed the wrong side in the Jacobite rebellion. Heyho, it did not hold the town back for long and Alloa soon became the main port for exporting Glasgow’s manufactured goods across the North Sea to the continent. In 1878 they even started their own football team, Clackmannan County, though 5 years later it changed it’s name to Alloa Athletic … and the team still plays at Recreation Park to this day.

The town is no longer a flourishing port and in common with many other towns that have lost much of their industry, it looks a bit tired. Interior of the Ladybird tearoom in AlloaIt is surrounded by all the usual ‘superstores’ that only serve to make all such towns look equally miserable. They have sucked the lifeblood out of the centre.

Cut the crap, we hear you ask impatiently, does it have scones ? Apologies for the course language .. too many episodes of House of Cards. The answer, of course, is, yes it does. Hence we find ourselves here at the Ladybird Tearoom.
However, lifestyle and diet changes may be necessary for few. levitra 40mg It is said that the treatment should be started with the shortest dosages. levitra on line Surely you would have read levitra uk amerikabulteni.com that these are not really going have an immediate effect in increasing the sexual drive. cialis tadalafil uk These drugs share the same mechanism of action and help achieve multiple orgasms.

Nightmares

It’s nice enough and everyone’s very friendly. Although we were told that the scones had been baked that day, we suspect it was actually the day before. So not good if freshly baked but not bad if they were yesterday’s, if you catch our drift. a Ladybird Tearoom sconeNo awards awarded today, unfortunately. We got the feeling that this place was full of good intentions. It had large jars of jelly babies on every table so you could just help yourself. A generous well intentioned gesture, but a nightmare for parents trying to keep their kids off the easy road to obesity. As such, it probably keeps as many folk away as it attracts.fancy a brew union jack

State of the Union

There was also much of the usual lifestyle advice hanging on the walls. The one asking the question ‘fancy a brew’ had, as it’s background, a rather faded and jaded union jack. We felt it quite accurately reflected the current state of the Union. The other day the Prime Minister declared that Scotland, in the same way as other regions of the UK, would just have to live with the result of Brexit. Thus demonstrating her amazingly poor understanding of what the UK actually is. Whatever her understanding is, Scotland, for sure, is not a ‘region’. A fact that will doubtless be brought to her attention in the near future.

FK10 1ED       Ladybird Tearoom FB

Ordinary, Scones

Shieldbank Coffee Shop

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Destination unknown

You know how it is … sometimes you set out with a certain destination in mind and then end up somewhere completely different. No … maybe it’s just us then. We do it quite a lot? A wrong turn meant we found ourselves in the pretty, former weaving village of Saline, in the Kingdom of Fife. Been here many times before, so we weren’t lost … just not where we thought we would be. Complete change of plan. Seeing a sign for the Shieldbank Coffee Shop, ‘third left then follow road for one mile’, we thought we would cut our losses and head for there. Shieldbank 04

The road goes from Saline to Blairingone and, were it not for that sign, we would never ever have been on it. As it turns out, however, it was the first ‘walking and cycling friendly’ road we have ever come across. A speed limit of 40mph along this lovely country road is all it takes. Can’t really see the police mounting speed traps but everyone seemed to be abiding by the rules anyway. Great idea. The good folks at Shieldbank don’t exactly go big on publicity and it certainly doesn’t jump out at you, tucked away among the trees. Shieldbank 06The weather has been hot and this morning saw some very severe thunderstorms and torrential rain. When we arrived they were still mopping out the café after their worst flash flood in over twenty years. The last thing they wanted was us arriving. They told us so! In spite of everything however we could not have been made more welcome.

Mopping scones

Shieldbank is actually a riding club where they specialise in horseback gymnastics. People like us have difficulty just sitting on a stationary horse. We view the whole concept as just plain ridiculous. However, for those who relish somersaults and handstands on the back of a galloping horse .. this is definitely the place for you. Shieldbank 03For the less adventurous (us) there is the coffee shop. Vic Beasley is the man in charge and responsible for handcrafting everything. He made the café itself three years ago and all of today’s jam, cakes and scones. There wasn’t a great selection on offer. Vic had been preoccupied with mopping duties, on his fourth change of clothing so we thought we should maybe cut him some slack. Nothing was too much trouble however, he provided a scone while we waited for him to prepare us a brand new carrot cake.

Vic is one of these guys who proclaims to hate people and would dearly love to be left alone on a mountain top. However, we don’t think he would last five minutes without a good blether. Shieldbank 01Everything he gave us was excellent, including the scones. Not quite topscones but pretty close.

A nice touch in the cafe is the ability to look through a window directly into a stable. Great for kids. Interesting place, particularly if you are the horsey type. Although hard to find, it was definitely worth it.

Vanishing warships

Talking of things ‘hard to find’ … after the botched military coup in Turkey, fourteen warships, including a frigate, have been reported ‘missing’! What is it with disappearing warships? Before the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, fourteen warships were promised to be built on the Clyde if we voted ‘no’. They have disappeared as well. No doubt they will  reappear just before Indyref2. Then disappear again along with all the other promises.

Because they are trying to fill the bottomless Trident pit and keep the US in the manner to which it has become accustomed, perhaps the government cannot afford anything other than weapons of mass destruction? Apparently, HSBC, Barclays and RBS (the bank that we own) all help fund both the British and Russian nuclear deterrents. What’s that all about? With only one Scottish MP voting to renew Trident … Scotland really really really wishes it is one thing that would disappear.Shieldbank 02Anyway, we wish Vic and his venture every good fortune and now that we have found it we might even go back. Hopefully when it is not flooded.
KY12 9LN       tel: 01383 852621        Shieldbank Coffee Shop

foreign, Scones, Uncategorized

Trakai Island Castle

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What are our Trossachs correspondents like?? A couple of weeks ago it was Gibraltar, then Stronachlachar and now, Vilnius, (we are prepared to bet that that is the first time these three places have ever been mentioned in a single sentence). We thought our own scone efforts were pretty good but this is definitely above and beyond. It all depends on the scones of course.

Searching for scones

Well, .. in spite of their best endeavours, scouring Vilnius from top to bottom, not a single scone was found … zilch. At one point they excitedly crossed the street because they had seen these in a café window. They turned out to be some sort of crème brûlée thingys. Easy mistake to make. Lithuania 04They did however come across signs of support for our own Nicola Sturgeon.

Did they give up? Not a bit of it. Undaunted, and taking inspiration from our Aussie correspondents who recently reported from Eilean Donan Castle, they elected to try and find an equivalent. And they did, about 20km west of Vilnius.  Trakai Island Castle on Lake Galvė, like Eilean Donan, is situated on an island and joined to the mainland by a bridge. It dates from the 14th century. After falling into serious disrepair it underwent a major reconstruction program which was only completed in the 1960s. Unfortunately, yet again there were no scones. There were, however, reminders of home.Lithuania 02b The Lithuanians have a haggis equivalent, vedarai, and seem happy to compare it to the genuine article.

Incomprehension

What of Lithuania itself and its people? We can do no better than quote directly from our correspondents report: “the very clear message here (Lithuania) is that all generations cannot understand how or why the UK voted for Brexit. They also know quite clearly that Scotland voted to Remain. This is a small country of just under 3 million, reveling in it’s independence and EU membership. Is everything perfect.? No, many of their young people are working in Scotland and sending money home.

However, they are confident about their future, have an education system where children are educated in Lithuanian and English and are generally very positive about being members of the enlarged European family. Lithuania 03We have experienced none of the xenophobic rhetoric of Farage, Gove and Co. We note that Gove has got his just deserts and that the UK will now have a woman as Prime Minister. Lithuania already has one and of course we have Nicola. Let’s hope that the UK does not repeat the last occasion we had a female Prime Minister. A model of whom we saw in a street market in Trakai today”.

Scotland and Lithuania

Once again we are indebted to our Trossachs correspondents in spite of the dearth of scones. It seems that Lithuania has much in common with Scotland. A high degree of national pride and a philosophy that foreigners are welcome and considered an asset. Of course Scotland has a vast array of riches compared with Lithuania, not just scones! Unbelievably though, Scotland, still has all it’s major decisions made by another country with very different interests? You can almost see the open-mouthed incredulous look on Lithuanian faces. They must think we are mad … or stupid, or both!

Lithuania       tel: +370 528 53946      Trakai Island Castle

BREAKING NEWS: Our correspondents, still in Lithuania, have decided that they are not going to find any Lithuanian scones comparable to our own. Lithuania 12However, they have managed to find a sort of scone equivalent in a café called Kmyninė just east of Vilnius city centre. Lithuania 10They were served by a lovely man and woman who have had the café for just over a year and made them feel very welcome.

Lithuanian scones

Once again quoting directly. “It is one of many great initiatives, we have experienced, where hard working young people are making a real fist of it in challenging circumstances. It is hard for us to comprehend how the poisonous narrative of the Brexit campaign managed to persuade the UK electorate that these fine young Europeans are a threat to our society and values. At least they know that they are welcome in Scotland”. Lithuania 11But what about the Lithuanian scones? Lithuania 08“There was no jam,cream or butter but these offerings were delicious. crisp on the outside, soft and tasty inside with a lovely nutty flavour. A bit like Ma Broon’s rock cakes”. So there you have it, another first for allaboutthescones.com. If in Vilnius and crave a scone, your best bet is to head to Kmyninė.

Vilnius        tel: +370 640 49042          Kmyninė Food & Groceries FB

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

London Wetlands

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Most of you will know by now that we are not just one-trick ponies obsessed with scones to the exclusion of everything else. No, no, no we have many other wide ranging interests which might be considered more ‘normal’. Photographing sheds for instance! By comparison, bird-watching may seem fairly mainstream but that is another interest. It is perhaps more than a little ironic that most of our bird-watching, these days, occurs in London. Here at the London Wetlands Centre, just a few minutes from Hammersmith.

Elevator hides

Opened in 2000 it provides an oasis for wildlife and a place of tranquility in the heart of London’s suburbs. It is a follow-on from Sir Peter Scott’s (son of Antartic explorer Captain Scott) original wildfowl centre at Slimbridge which opened in 1946. Considering the immense pressure on city centre land it is nothing short of miraculous that this huge area has survived intact. It has many bird-hides. However, with everything being bigger and better in the capital, it has a three story hide .. with a lift!! It is also the closest we will probably ever get to a bittern, an elusive wading bird with a strange booming mating call, without actually seeing one. They are there, just very secretive. Of the people we speak to, most have never seen one either. Or they saw one yesterday … arrrgghh!! Wetlands 01Wetlands 05

Anyway the Wetland scone is not nearly so difficult to find. Having so many attractions for youngsters this is a favourite spot for many families trying to educate their children. A large cafe facility is an absolute must. Wetlands 04It’s a no-frills, self-service kind of place and, as is often the way, when there is nowhere else to go, relatively expensive for what you get. Wetlands 07Actually the scones are quite good. No cream but a little jar of jam and a decent scone for £2.35 is not too bad.

The only way to stay in the EU

London, like Scotland, voted to remain in the EU and now faces being hauled out against it’s will. There is much consternation and gnashing of teeth! A couple of weeks have now elapsed since the vote and we seem no closer to knowing where the UK is heading. Scotland will almost certainly go for another referendum on independence and here, it seems, many wish they could join us. Next time will be different for Indyref2 because almost everyone has now had experience of what Scotland was subjected to in 2014

The entire political establishment (except the SNP and the Greens), the entire print and broadcast media as well as the Civil Service all joined together to peddle anti-independence lies and deceptions. One cracker was that the only way for Scotland to remain in the EU was to vote NO .. and still only managed to win a narrow majority. Voters, not just in Scotland, have witnessed just how low politicians and the media can stoop. Convincing the elderly may still be an uphill task. They rely on newspapers and TV for information.

After the EU vote, Ratty sets off to destinations unknown on HMS Great Britain
After the EU vote, Ratty sets off to destinations unknown on HMS Great Britain

If you get the chance take a stroll through the London Wetlands. You will not believe that you are anywhere near the heart of the city. The only giveaway is the overhead jetliners. Every 90 seconds but even they don’t detract from the overall sense of peace and quiet.

SW13 9WT          tel: 020 8409 4400         Wetlands

Ordinary, Scones

Eilean Donan Castle

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It’s a funny old world! The UK is trying to leave the EU. Scotland is trying to leave the UK. All the politicians who said ‘vote for my side of the argument because it will provide stability and prosperity‘… have already left. And the official opposition is in such a state of organisational turmoil that it’s absolutely useless. The UK is rudderless, adrift in a hostile sea, a bit like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner. Instead of an albatross tied round his neck he has the results of the EU referendum.

As messes go this has to be the mother of them all. Finally we get to know what a ‘Eton mess’ really is? Others will have to clear it up but at the moment, we have no idea who. Given that the UK can’t even agree on how to pronounce the word ‘scone’, what hope is there for matters of actual substance?

Seeing things the right way up

In such an upside-down world, who better to make sense of it all than our antipodean correspondents. They are used to looking at things upside down. Lo and behold, they’re not down-under but touring Scotland surveying toilet brushes. Don’t ask! However, even with their distinctly advantageous perspective, they could not make head nor tail of it either. Perhaps they have been here for so long they are starting the see things right way up? Eilean Donan 02By way of compensation, or maybe just to distract us from such weighty considerations they sent us this illustrated report of a scone they found at Eilean Donan Castle in Dornie.

Readers will understand that our Aussie correspondents  are comparative novices, not yet fully versed in the intricacies of sconology … so they filed a fairly sketchy report, “having a lovely time and the cheese scone was very tasty“. Don’t know why we were asking them to sort out the UK which, seven hours after voting closed, knew it was leaving a continent, whereas Australia held it’s elections on 2 July and still doesn’t know the results more than four days later. Maybe they’re all on the beach? Anyway, many thanks to M&J. Hope you continue to have a great time and that all your scones are just as tasty.

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