Sad to say, although I am a keen cook, I have never made a curry completely from scratch before. That is not to say that I use cook-in sauces or buy the whole thing is a packet (1970’s Vesta style), but rather that I use fresh ingredients, but Patak’s curry paste rather than grinding my […]

Thursday was the most idyllic day since we have lived here (R says I claim this for several days every year). I knocked off work at 3pm and walked up to the waterfalls. It was sunny and warm (about 75) on the way up, but once I was in the woods it was delightfully cool, […]

At this time of year Tora goes all the way down to the village at least three times a week. There is one particular garden which exerts a fascination I don’t understand because he is nearly always there. He will then follow us back through the arboretum and all the way home (if we haven’t […]

As I may have mentioned before, we have 3.5 acres of garden, surrounded by the Donich Water to the right and rear, with forest to the left and a rough track leading to the house at the front. Thankfully, not all of it is laid out to grass, but about an acre of it is […]

I’ve just spent every spare minute for the last few days doing up my bedroom – hence not many blog posts. Here are some of the results – completely finished now apart from a new rug I am still waiting for. Plus a local craftsman is not only going to repair our summerhouse door which […]

I’ve been closely observing our cherry tree over the last few days as it is getting round to the right time for it delivering some fruit. Yesterday there were four large cherries at the front of the tree which were very nearly ripe, and many more just coming up for being ready for picking. I […]

Schrodi and Tora Schrodi and Tora went up the hill To fetch some juicy fodder. Two voles appeared as quick as quick Straight to the waiting marauder. So up Schrodi shot without a thought And grabbed the poor wee beastie, Then vole in mouth into the house Went off to show his feastie. So up […]

I probably shouldn’t have done this – but I thought it would be a nice surprise for my Mum if I ordered her a new freezer. I can tell you that I will not be ordering from Curry’s again any time soon because they managed to screw the whole thing up and send a fridge/freezer […]

The cats wrote another poem for my Mum to cheer her up. They said they made it up entirely themselves, but I have a strange feeling I have heard bits of it before. To A Mouse Wee Sleeket cowran tim’rous beastie How we’d love to catch and eat you. If I were you I set […]

As I said in an earlier post, my Mum unfortunately broke her leg while she was in Italy. She is recovering well but can’t drive yet so she can’t get over to Lochgoilhead. I don’t want to tantalize her too much – but last night we had her all time favourite. A cheese soufflé with […]