I think it's true that the longer you're away from a blog, the harder it is to return. Each thing you think of posting about seems somehow quite trivial - too thought out and self-conscious. So here I am, shaking out the wrists and letting it flow like the river above - a picture taken on a break this week to our old favourite - Dunkeld & Birnam. There's nothing like a wee holiday to awaken the blogging mojo!
Perthshire is known as Big Tree Country and we certainly timed this trip well as the trees were every shade of copper and gold imaginable. Mingled with the evergreen pines it was a stunning sight. I love the native oaks of the Perthshire countryside - so perfectly formed and there are so many of them clustered together, they give the landscape such a rich texture.
Relaxation was the order of the day and with a large brandy sat by a roaring fire at our hotel, the sweet scent of burning peat filling the room while the rain pattered relentlesly on the window panes, it really felt like Scotland at its finest.
And of course I had to drop by for tea with some old friends at the Birnam Arts Centre.
This is my second visit (and post) to this wonderful exhibit and this time I was absorbed in the detail. The dressing up wardrobe with beautifully sewn costumes of all the favourite characters, including Mrs Tiggywinkle's frilly bonnet complete with hedgehog spikes (twigs). Adorable! And the book slings and puppet show curtains made from stunning Vanessa Arbuthnott fabrics.
I do hope Miss Potter would have approved. If only she could see the excited little faces of the local kids coming in after school, eager to escape to a bit of dressing up, sewing or flopping down onto bean bags, shoes abandoned, to watch Peter and Benjamin come to life on the big screen. Or to see the intense concentration on the face of my little boy as he dressed a plush Peter Rabbit in an oversized knitted cardigan, gently lay him in a painted wooden crib and tucked him in for the night with a hand sewn vintage quilt. I'd never seen him so content and mesmerised. For a moment, Dr Who, Spiderman and the "Darleks" were dust and a more innocent, magical childhood reigned.
Like Beatrix, this part of the country restores and inspires me and I'm already looking forward to our next trip. I'm now off to see what you've all been getting up to. Before I go, here's a tidy up mantra for your little darlings...
