Saturday 21 July 2018

Isle of Skye, West Scotland

Plockton is a small fishing village on Loch Carron opposite the Isle of Skye. It is picturesque and a popular tourist destination.

We went out on this little boat looking for Seals and Otters.


The hills of Cuillin on Skye are stunning in their sparseness

Outdoor pursuits and the scenery are the main attractions



Portree is the main Town. About 10,000 people live on the Island.




Dunvegan Castle is impressive and still lived in by the MacLoed Clan Chief. The Castle dates back to 1265.




Just over the massive bridge built to connect the Island to the Mainland is the well-known Eileen Donan Castle. One of the most picture perfect Castles and a popular Weddding venue



Coming back via Loch Ness, the largest and deepest body of water in the UK, one comes to Fort Augustus and the famous locks.

A view over the loch

We did enjoy our holiday.













Antiques Road Trip comes to Scotland

Filming for one of the Antiques Road Trip series was done at Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire a few weeks ago and we went along to see the action. There were masses of people there, all standing in long queues waiting to get their possessions valued and a large number of well-known Specialists seated under umbrellas. Look out for the viewing when it comes as you might see Paula and Chris in the background! Chris was filmed some years ago for an earlier series in Elgin bidding to one of their pieces.



Art Expert Rupert Maas being filmed

Expert Hilary Kay being filmed

Part of Crathes Castle Gardens


Saturday 28 April 2018

Daffodils in Spring

We had an unseasonably warm spell in April followed by cooler temperatures now, but we are pleased to see the leaves coming out on the trees and everything is starting to blossom and grow!

The Daffodils this year have been prolific and we are lucky to have thousands which must have been planted many decades ago. Here are pictures of some of the most prolific clumps of Daffodils around the garden







Our new pond which we installed in Autumn lsat year also has a few Daffodils, but Paula is hoping to now start planting water lilies, Irisis and other water loving plants in this area.


The Flowering Current was one of the first plants to show off it's blossom.


We bought part of a building on the High Street of Elgin last year which used to be offices which we are going to convert into two flats (2nd and 3rd floors). There is a Jeweller below. I have been working on totally stripping out the property so that we can refit each floor with modern fire, insulation and modern bathrooms and kitchens, but keeping the high ceilinged Victorian feel. The building is he one behind the fountain on the righthand side of the picture.

As it is now.

Friday 16 March 2018

Young Farmers Straw Bale Competition

When we went round the country, we noticed these fancy bales. The Young Farmers run a competition and I thought that I would show you some of the Finalists as they are interesting :








Thursday 1 March 2018

Winter 2018

This Winter has been colder and virtually the whole of the UK, especially the Eastern side, has been blanketed by snow. Red Alerts have been issued for Scottish Central Belt and Northern Ireland and one paper has described the snow as the worst in 30 years.Luckily, we can just sit it out and keep warm! Road, rail and air traffic has dried up and the roads around us are eerily empty.

Here are some pictures taken around our property. The Snow is beautiful :


 Our new pond - frozen

Part of Paula's herbaceous border!


The horses