A Unique Getaway

In these unusual times, the idea of a holiday is a bit too good to be true. We were fast approaching our birthday week time off and decided to see what was doable as a holiday bearing in mind I didn't want to be anywhere close to crowded, Missy would be coming and both hubby and I really needed a recharge, so no long distance driving.

We decided on Perth. Its only an hour away should the worst happen (ie a lockdown) and has lots of options for walks and things to do. We found a beautiful little shepherds hut at Greenhill Farm Glamping and decided to wing it. 

Storm Francis had other thoughts. Our plans of a stroll around the Falkland Estate was cut short (although we managed to find shelter under the canapy at the Pillars of Hercules cafe and warm up with some soup). Being based in Dunning, we tried there to kill some time to find out the only cafe didn't allow dogs and the pub didn't open till 5.30pm. So we just went for the Shepherds Hut and hoped they wouldn't mind us being 10 minutes early.

Once the stove was lit and we had begun to dry out we saw the humour of the day and our good moods and optimism returned. We returned to Dunning for our dinner and found another log fire - this we could get used to!

Our second day was dedicated to Perth itself. With Perth being the main place I meet my friends these days, hubby was insistent we go to the Brew and Chew at the least, and that he also wanted to see where we typically walked Missy. We walked South Inch and then found an adorable cafe called Milas Bakery and stopped for breakfast. Then we went to our intended destination of Branklyn Gardens. The weather was drizzly, but dry enough it was pleasant to walk, so we wondered about the plants and flowers before stopping for some tea in thier tearoom.

The staff were fantastic. It was very quiet and we were the only people out in the courtyard under the canopy and they were keen to chat. They insisted on saying hello to Missy and, after we discussed her unknown heritage, made light talk of the world with them and discussed the building and gardens. 

By then it was time for more tea. We had a wander about the high Street which was pretty quiet and stopped in at the Brew and Chew, as requested. Missy was recognised and fawned over and then we went for a walk around North Inch and found the Black Watch Museum. Dogs are permitted on the grounds, but not inside, so we enjoyed the buildings exterior before calling it a day.

Our final day ticked off the last bit of the truly Scottish summer weather we had yet to encounter: fog. We had booked in Arbroath for the final day to meet up with the in laws who we haven't seen since March, way back before lockdown and when Covid was just begining to be a thing.

Remember those times? It's beginning to feel like a lifetime ago. 

Arbroath is always lovely. It's a quaint fishing/tourist town which offers a rocky beach and more ice cream parlours and fish restaurants than you can shake a stick at. We had a lovely time. It was great to catch up and watch Missy play with Ruby. Despite her years, Missy is still a touch faster, mostly due to her better cornering, but I don't think it will be long before Ruby figures her feet out and overtakes. 

There was beachcombing and a lovely fish restaurant before we went for another walk and had an ice cream on the shore. I'm not sure I really could have asked for a nicer finish to the holiday. 

For my mother in law, I made this adorable tea cosie. Everyone is stitching and embroidering these days, so I was goaded into picking up the needle again by my friends. I used to cross stitch prolifically as a teen. Then I discovered knitting where I could make toys and things to wear. Then I discovered sewing, where I could make anything I wanted.

Either way, it was nice to revisit the hobby, and have something I could quietly work on whilst listening to a book, and I was pleased with the outcome - not bad after a 15 year hiatus!

And lastly, for those wondering, today's letter for the #leadthewayatoz was U. Ironically, it's the perfect letter for our holiday - unique in many ways, whilst hiding under our umbrellas! 

Battering Rams at Duncarron

This week is sponsored by the letter B, for Battering Ram.

My birthday is the start of the long haul birthday run, and this weekend has been a busy start to the celebrations! After a very quiet day Friday (my actual birthday) I had a social distanced visit from a friend who I haven't seen since my visit to Liverpool in February. As always it was like we'd only seen each other yesterday and the evening passed far too quickly.

Saturday was a trip to Perth (now my friend has figured out how easy the train from Inverness is to get there, I imagine Perth will become a regular feature for the blog!) and we repeated the unbeatable pairing of first Brewdog and then Brew and Chew. We walked South Inch a few times and then it was back home for games night with some of my hubbies work colleagues who are moving into the friends bracket of our lives. I got the new Villainous Marvel expansion and it was brilliant (more so because I won!).

I had spotted Duncarron Medieval Village being advertised on a dog friendly page on Facebook, and instantly book marked it. How did I not know this place existed, let alone that they allowed dogs? My family get together day was sussed now I had a venue all the of the fur neices and nephews would be welcome, and those without fur would enjoy too. The price of entry is currently reduced to £5 an adult owing to Covid not allowing all the usual things to be happening, and I can honestly say that we got our monies worth.

Visually, the village is stunning. Even in the rain it was great to wonder about. There was plenty of photo ops for the humans and loads of space for the dogs. We had the full complement of the Scottish clan: brother with Maisie, big sister with all the family including Wee Ben and my mum. Big sister was late as always, so we had had our picnic and were enjoying a weapons display when they arrived.

The weather had begun to improve by this point, which was a blessing. We swapped over and had another walk about before showing them all the fun things we had discovered. Then we walked around Carron reservoir to let the dogs run off lead for a bit. A more eclectic pack you will not meet. Wee Ben never leaves sight. Missy roams off seeking prey and Maisie bulldozes in circles between the dogs and humans and the next muddy puddle she can find!

Half the party came back for cake and the other half had to get sorted for school. I've been practicing madeleines with ever growing success and they were the perfect choice in our current world - no blowing out candles, no touching the cake when slicing it - simply scattered out for people to take what they wanted, and touch only what they were going to eat. 

A very nice finish to the weekend! 

H is for High Jump

To explain the odd title, Dog Furiendly have launched thier Lead the Way from A to Z virtual walk event. It's free to do, there's a chance to win some prizes and really, I encourage everyone to join in and meet some new virtual dog buddies. 

As an official Explorer, Missy will be doing a takeover in November and announcing one of the letters herself! I don't know what letter it is yet, but I'm going to have to be creative when I get there!

With yesterday being a work day, I couldn't really get out and do the shot I wanted, so I'm a day late to the party (although the letter does run all week, I had just wanted to join in straight off the bat). So today I thought I'd stay local and check out the skatepark again now that they've finished painting it. 

In the end, we managed, despite the Horrid weather, to do a High jump, run down some Hills and gaze at the Heavens. I'm looking forward to revisiting the skatepark in better weather (and with a stooge to help direct Missy for some more dynamic shots) the new arts pretty cool and super vibrant, so I can see some pretty awesome future photo shoots! 

In sewing news I seriously impressed myself by sewing this wonderful coat in under 2 days:

(As always, more photos on my sewing insta @missdaisysewing)

I was a sewing demon this 4 off. I drafted the pattern, cut the fabric and then assembled it in record time. I love the cut. I love the fit. And most of all, that koi fabric. My sister found it and brought it up with her on her visit and I was just inspired. It's been a while since I've been so driven to make something and I am so pleased with the outcome. 

That's enough gushing, moving on!

It's been a good week. I got the right balance of me time to focus on hobbies, soak in the bath with a good book and sleep with getting out and about time. Missy and I managed an off-the-cuff meet up at the Kelpies with my older sister and, as you an see, the weather was glorious. 

Even Wee Ben, who dislikes water more than Missy, got in on the action. A nice way to end my 4 off and put me in the right mood for getting back to work the next day. 

A Peculiar Fortnight

Its been a pretty crazy pair of weeks - we've had heat waves and flash floods and visits have gone into disarray. I had my sister up for a social distanced visit and then Manchester went into lockdown. After panic and deliberation, we decided there was no point in her cutting the visit short and made the most of it.

It was a crazy trip. We did the Rose Gardens and had a big get together - Big Sis turns 40 today and my dad popped over from Ireland for a surprise visit. We went to butterfly world and then go rained off out of the zoo. Strangely, that was one of my favourite days, we had pancakes for breakfast and then I made the kids the most bubbliest bath they had seen. Its the small things I enjoy most, like watching the delight and amusement had by all, child and adult, at picking carrots. There was broad beans and kale too, but lets be honest, the Russian roulette of what colour the next carrot might be was the most exciting part of harvesting the garden. 

Yes. Heritage carrots. Most have been white and yellow, a fair amount of orange and a small handful of purples which I think mustn't be as hardy as the other colours. Either way, carrots are most definitely being planted again next year.

Missy got a big treat from her human cousins, a dried deer leg. Shes been getting it for an hour at a time and its definitely a new favourite for her. I'm not sure what the neighbours think of it, no ones said anything yet!

I didn't get much time for crafts, but I fitted in lots of board games and time to talk and catch up, so for that I'm happy. I also got given some new fabric, and have a list of new projects I want to start, so hopefully there will be some fun things soon to show off. 

Returning to Old Haunts

I'm gonna start with that this weekend, well, the 3 of the 4 days rota off I have, has been a really good one. 

On Friday the hubby and I had booked into the 5 Sisters Zoo for a afternoon slot. Ordinarily I hate late starts, especially 4pm (the earliest slot we could get) but it worked out perfect. I got a lie in (if 6am is considered a lie in), took Missy out on a nice walk around Murieston which neither of us have done for ages and then I baked some cake and totally chilled out for the bulk of the day.

By the time 4pm rolled on round, I felt energised enough for the zoo and was in a super happy mood. We got lucky with the animals too; the otters were out and putting on a show, the lions were showing off as usual and the wolves made a guest appearance:

An awesome afternoon, and it put me on the right foot for the rest of the weekend.

Yesterday was a long overdue girls trip to Perth. I met my Inverness based friend alongside my more locally based one and we went to Brewdog for some pizza and then to the Brew and Chew, which we have decided is our Perth haunt. We always end up there - but the cake is just so reasonably priced, how can you resist?

Despite forecasted thunder and lightning, it was a beautiful day and we sat outside at both venues (which we were more comfortable doing, to be honest) and then enjoyed a nice stroll along both North and South Inch. It was a good day for dog spotting, which always makes a great day perfect, and we all had a really nice time. 

The evening was spent with a social distanced party as another friend celebrated her birthday. There was Say Anything, Jenga and Throw Throw Burrito - so a good day all in all! The cake (because there must be cake) was this Haunted Mansion inspired piece:

Which went down very well! 

Today has been a sewing day. I've gotten quilt fatigue, so I've put the Christmas one aside for now and decided on a single day make:

It's loud, but I'm loving this Lion King backpack. It's really a test run of the pattern as my eldest neice wants to make a drawstring backpack, so I wanted to make sure the pattern was within her abilities. It was easy, it's fun and quirky, and best of all, it's deceptively huge in the inside.

I think we may see some more of this style of bag in the future! 

Roses and the Wall

Its been a really quick week - both in and out of work. My trainee is on holiday so I've been running the station myself, which makes the day go by much faster bringing my working part of the week to a close. For my weekend, which is 4 days, I spent the first day having a quiet one to recharge and then went out to see my mum on my day two.

After the success of the last visit to the Saughton Rose Gardens I decided to give it another go and my mum was very impressed at the changes they had made since I was little. We both lamented the loss of the greenhouse and fish pond, but agreed that in general, it was looking far prettier than it ever had a decade ago. She was particularly taken by the physicians garden, and we spent a lot of time reading all the little signs and discussing how this was a lost art, most of the plants being toxic in the wrong doses or preparation.

And that was that. Yesterday was the start of a actual weekend off with the hubby, so yesterday we decided to walk Missy around Beecraigs and stop in at Dobbies on the way home. Beecraigs was heaving. I've never seen it so busy. We had to park in a different car park from usual and then we went in the opposite direction of the crowds to find a quit place to walk.

Ice creams in hand, we met some lovely collies who were of the mild mannered sort and we briefly traded dogs with their owners, cooing over the fluffy dogs whilst they cooed over Missy. All was set to right when we went our separate ways again and Missy spent the rest of the walk seeking small furry things.

Our Dobbies stop was successful as we picked up two reduced price black current bushes. I was given a garden voucher for Christmas and finally got the opportunity to spend it. The bushes are looking much happier today having been repotted, and I plan to relocate them at the end of the season into the planter the leeks are currently growing in. My neighbour (who calls us The Good Life) was laughing as we explained the plan with them and we spent a while complimenting one another's gardens. Whilst we are officially drowning in kale and I had a moment of sheer joy at finding a pair of teeny tiny courgettes, my neighbours garden is awash in colour and flowers. We both lament that we'd love to have a garden more like the other, but at the same time, like our own too much!

Today was another revisit, this time to the Antonine Wall. We wanted to go somewhere we hadn't done in a while and, I'll be honest, it was a shock when I checked and realised it was November 2016 when we were last in the area! Needless to say, they've done a lot of improvements to the area about the Falkirk Wheel, and the advertised "Selfie Trail" to the Kelpies has us planing to return another day. As it would have been an 8 mile circular, we stuck to our original plan and managed a lovely picnic in the sunshine.

On the sewing front, I completed my second quarantine quilt. Missy approves, as you can see! It's a scrap buster as well, and I have officially made a debt in the scraps. They no longer overflow from their bag in a messy tangle, they are neatly packaged up in size and look lost in the bag. 

I'm sure it won't be long until its overflowing again! 

Onwards to Adventure!

I'm feeling a bit more upbeat about life in the pandemic this week. We got out and about on some adventures, saw family and friends and life is slowly getting a little more normal. 

We started my four days off by finishing Jupiter Artland. The weather was much fairer for us and we enjoyed a picnic at the Lovebomb art piece. Whilst it as good to finish the works of art, it was also fun to redo some of the other sculptures and see how they changed with the different weather. I particularly enjoyed the Cells landscaped sculpture (above, with Missy), in the better weather. The contrast of the green grass and deep blue water was more profound, and it was nice to see kids playing about on them, enjoying their early taste of freedom.

After that my days off were spent on my own as the hubby was called into work to get the store set up and ready for Mondays opening. I spent a day in to myself, which was a real novelty, and then spent my last two days going out. I met my brother at Harperrig Reservoir one day (Maisie has now been groomed and looks much better for it, though wouldn't sit still for a photo for me!) and then I met a friend at Harlaw Reservoir.

We got lucky with the weather at Harlaw. It was bright but not too hot and sunny. Proper Missy weather! She was on form posing for me and we spent two and a half hours catching up and making plans for life after lock down. 

Sewing wise its been a bit slow. I have a few projects running in tandem but they are all at that lengthy assembling stage. Perhaps next 4 off I'll finish one of them!