Clover Yard

A trip to Edinburgh and a snowy Sunday

Last weekend we took an overnight trip to Edinburgh, staying in the Edinburgh Residence in one of the grand Georgian terraces in the New Town.  A lovely treat it was - just hubby and me, wandering around the city enjoying the shops and cafes.  Bliss!

George Street was looking particularly festive.  It has established itself as probably the best shopping street in the city with great little boutiques along with some of the better High Street names - White Company, Laura Ashley, Penhaligons and of course the Cath Kidston shop!!!  My first time in one of her shops and boy was it worth it.

Couldn't resist a sneaky photo of the changing room...

 

And loved this montage pinned up by the fabric counter...

The skyline of Edinburgh has a wonderful picture book quality about it with all its spires and chimneys.

 

Even the Gardener's cottage at the east end of Princes Street Gardens looked like a little gingerbread house, straight out of Hansel & Gretel.

Beautifully illustrated in this book by Emma Chichester Clark.

   

Overnight, to our surprise, winter officially arrived in Scotland and little boy made the most of the rare snow.  Indoors, the radiators have been lined with dripping gloves and socks and the kettle has been on a constant vigil.

Hope he doesn't become too attached to his snowman friend.  We all know how that story ends...

Still leaves a lump in the throat.

Have a cosy, snowy Sunday evening x

Sunset Sunday

 

Do not be deceived by the blue sky, it certainly wasn't a day for ice cream.  With coats firmly buttoned up we braved the arctic temperatures and headed for Montrose beach to let off some steam.  Luckily for us there weren't many others around so we were able to make full use of the amenities! 

     

 

The sky was putting on a good show.  Big sweeping Turner-esque wisps of cloud, turning pinker by the minute.

 

The setting sun beginning to cast golden shafts of light over the dunes.

 

 

We chased the sunset home, stopping at Montrose railway station to take a photo from the footbridge.  It must be one of the most stunning views from any train station - a tidal basin home to almost 200 species of migratory and resident birds.  My picture doesn't quite capture it, but it was incredibly beautiful and still.

 

Safely back home and with military execution, a fire was lit, steak pie put in the oven and tatties on to boil.

And on a little footstool set before the hearth, the glossy front cover of a Christmassy magazine waited patiently to be peeled back to reveal the delicious festive glory inside. 

A scene that would be much repeated in the Clover Yard household over the cold dark weeks to come.

Have a happy, cosy Sunday. x

 

Getting back in the flow

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...

 

In the footsteps of Miss Potter

Today, the intrepid explorers headed off to Dunkeld and Birnam, a childhood holiday destination of both my husband and Beatrix Potter.  It is said that during holidays spent here she drew inspiration for her Peter Rabbit tales.

After lunch and a wander round the beautiful cathedral ruins and little shops in Dunkeld, we walked along the riverside to Birnam, past the enormous ancient oak trees believed to be part of the wood from which Malcolm's soldiers cut branches to disguise their attack on Macbeth at Dunsinane Hill.

Further on, we reached the village of Birnam and the Arts and Conference Centre which houses a wonderful exhibition telling the tale of Beatrix and her animal friends.

A group of very creative ladies have collected vintage items and stitched together the most beautiful display. Actually, it is more like a play room as the children are encouraged to touch and play with everything.  Little boy had such fun serving me fabric carrots at the little shop with working vintage till full of pennies.  And mummy had a lot of fun hanging up little bloomers and handkerchiefs on Mrs Tiggy-Winkles washing line (but don't tell anyone that bit).

Cleverly entwined with all the touchy feely stuff is Beatrix's story including some original sketches and objects belonging to Miss Potter herself.

 

The price of pine cones these days!

Parents and children are encouraged to try their hand at embroidery at this dinky little table - who could resist this sweet little sewing machine!

We could have spent all day in this mini-world of little creatures but had only allowed half an hour before closing and Hunca Munca was shooing us out impatiently with her broom so she could get on with sweeping the dollies' house.

 

Although she did very kindly ask us to come back another day.

 

A Retreat

Hello Blog, did you miss me?  Here's where I've been hiding for the past week...

A lovely seaside cottage in Cromarty on the Black Isle.  No phone, no internet, just the sound of waves lapping outside and this beautiful view to wake up to each morning...

Oh, and the most stinking dose of the flu I've ever had!  Oh well, can't have it all!  I have been feeling very sorry for myself as I'd be so longing for this family holiday and have spent the week being quite miserable. Not even the usual pleasures of tea drinking and cake eating could cheer me up although I did perk up a bit with a spot of shopping - I'll share my buys with you later.

It wasn't all bad.  One morning around 5.30am after no sleep, I wrapped myself up and went out for a walk along the beach and as I gazed out to sea I spotted 3 dolphins, gracefully rising out of the water.  They were so close I could hear them breathe through their blowholes.  Such a special moment, I kind of felt they had appeared just for me, to speed my recovery.

Back home now and earlier, as I finished unpacking, I could have sworn I heard the sea - it was so strange.  And little boy has just gone to bed saying how much he is missing our little cottage in Cromarty.  I think we will be back soon.

A New Job

Hello again, I've been neglecting you so have decided to post again tonight. 

I actually sat out in the sun today and it was warm enough for a few freckles to pop up...bliss.  Although my joy at the warm weather has been slightly marred by this groggy head of mine and scratchy throat which I hope I manage to shake off soon.

I have started a new job.  Yes, I'm back to that old familiar juggling-a-zillion balls-forgetting-my-keys-and-where-I-parked-the-car-mummy, again.  I have taken on a part-time museum assistant job.  It's local, in a tiny museum but has so much scope that I'm really quite looking forward to it all.  I'm told I will have the freedom to organise themed exhibits and be involved in accessioning which will be handling and numbering items.  Dull to some folks but with my love of vintage I think I'm going to quite enjoy it.  Apparently last year the ladies there decided things were getting a little too stuffy and staged a exhibition of "Bling"  each raiding their attics for vintage costume jewelery. They also had numerous donations from members of the public who brought in treasures such as evening bags from the 1920's.  I have convinced them to set up Bling 2 in the near future!

Speaking of bling, isn't this ring sweet! It's from www.alexmonroe.co.uk.  His designs are pricey but to die for.  Perhaps now that I'm a working girl I will be able to afford a little trinket ;o)

Tomorrow I am off on a tourist information training course (another part of my job) and I'm really looking forward to it as it involves visiting the beautiful Glamis Castle, childhood home of the Queen Mum.  What adventures she and her brother David must have had growing up there.

 

Must go and charge up the camera battery.  Bye for now xx

I Capture the Castle

We decided to have a bit of a castle theme to our weekend and with no shortage of them in these parts we (husband and son) ventured north to Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire.  We had never visited here before and as we walked through the woods it was quite exciting waiting for that first glimpse of a turret or flag between the trees.  We weren't disappointed...

It really is a lovely castle, the picture doesn't show it but it's slightly pink in colour and is like one of those ornate sandcastles.  Although we didn't get to see inside (a 45 minute tour may have been a bit much for J), we did have a good snoop around the grounds.

 

By coincidence, or maybe not, I am reading I Capture the Castle for the first time and I am completely spellbound.  It's a book that really draws you in and has my romantic head spinning.  I just can't put it down. More about that in a second.

Continuing our trail, today we ventured a bit closer to home to Ecclesgreig Castle near St Cyrus.  Privately owned and at the moment in quite a dismal state of disrepair, I still thought it charming and mysterious and in fact out of both castles visited, I preferred this one.  It desperately needs some TLC, and you can see why below:

The castle was built in the Victorian Gothic style in 1844 onto the remains of a sixteenth century Manor House.  It is being renovated by the current Farquhar family which has involved planting almost a million snowdrops in an effort to return the woodlands to their former glory.  And very pretty they were too.

What struck me most was how much it looked like the image I had in my head of Cassandra's dilapidated home in the book.  I imagined her sitting at one of those broken windows struggling to write in the fading light of the moon.  It really sent shivers down my spine and I couldn't wait to get back home to read more!

It's been a lovely weekend, we made the most of the spring sunshine although today was a bit more typical of the season - a fitting backdrop nevertheless for sad old Ecclesgreig.  Thank you to the lovely boys in my life - D and J, for a special Mother's Day and wishing all you yummy mummys out there a very happy one too. x   

The country bumpkins head for town

So what's a girl to do when she goes on a trip to the big city of Glasgow for the weekend.  Yes, you guessed, take pictures of flowers!  I just can't resist a pretty shop front.  (This one belongs to Grace Flowers). And there were plenty to be had, particularly on Byres Road in the West End, full of gorgeous little lifestyle shops.  However, I didn't want to bore my husband too much, after all it was his treat, so I pretended not to clock the I Love Candy shop in its floor to ceiling strawberry striped glory with baskets of Hope and Greenwood chocolate bars teasing me from the window.  A great time was had, reminded us of me and Derek BC (Before Child), lazing about in cafes, forgetting to book the restaurant for dinner and ending up eating hot dogs in the cinema because we couldn't get a table anywhere.  Some things never change!

Scottish Antiques and Arts Centre

I treated myself to an afternoon here.  What a great place, on one side of the building there are individual antiques dealers displaying their treasures and on the other a gift shop, food hall and restaurant.  The french-inspired boutique is gorgeous (see picture).  They have boxes of children's sandals from the 1950's which are like little works of art - so sweet, they made me all broody!  A wonderful cream painted dresser caught my eye.  I will have to work on Derek a bit for that one.

The gift shop has great traditional stocking fillers for kids and adults alike (remember jumping beans?), a fabulous range of flocked wrapping paper in rich purples and golds, notecards from Ryland, Peters and Small (my favourite book publisher), and in one corner of the gift shop I drooled over a range of truly beautiful layered lace and chiffon dresses.  The ladies leather bags are lovely too. I could have gone mad, however, I stuck to the task in hand and picked up some smellies for Christmas pressies.  I also stopped off in TK Maxx which I've become quite addicted to, especially the homeware department.  I picked up a really lovely velvet photo album which reminded me of my bridesmaid dress on my wedding day. There is a fantastic range of books in TK Maxx - the Taschen series of Interiors books for a snippet of the original price and my favourites, the Ryland, Peters and Small collection of Interiors books which I am now amassing quite a collection of.  I still can't quite believe that they are selling them for only £4.99 each.  Have dropped major hints to my hubby for Christmas.