Scotland Redux
Over the recent July 4th weekend we returned to Ayrshire, in the Scottish lowlands, which we had first visited in November of 2005. We met Jane Hepburn (and daughter Caitrina) over a year ago when they stayed with us while visiting London for the Chelsea flower show of 2005. The Hepburns (Jane, husband David and Caitrina) live in the Ayrshire countryside where they operate a country hotel from their beautiful home, Ladyburn. The home was once the "dower house" for the local large landowner's estate. Dower houses were used as the homes of widowed mothers (dowager) of a son after he had inherited the estate -- keeping the mother in the style to which she had become accustomed, while avoiding having two women in the main house when the son brought his wife home. The Hepburns bought the house and about 5 acres of beautiful land, with a fast-running country stream (or "burn" in old Scottish/English) running through it.
Jane is an avid gardener and is especially expert in roses. For several years her garden has been included in an annual "open garden" event organized by a Scottish "garden scheme" to raise funds for charities. The gardens are open to visitors for a fee and usually serve tea (again for a reasonable fee) and sell plants, preserves and crafts. All the proceeds go to worthy causes, and the work is done by a crew of volunteers.
Jane invited us (and American friends, the O'Neils (John and Carol live in Monterey, only 3 miles from us and John worked in the same office as Chuck until last December)) to stay at Ladyburn over the weekend and to help out with the open garden. It was great fun (though a bit of work, too, at times) and it was good to see John and Carol after several months. The garden was beautiful; Chuck helped with car parking and Kathi helped in the kitchen and in a number of other activities.
On the Monday, 3 July, we "had the day off" and used it to explore the southern part of Ayrshire, including the towns of Castle Douglas, Kirkudbright (pronounced Kakoobree) and Gateway of Fleet (yes, that's the town's name). We drove over the nearby moor, with its large numbers of sheep and sweeping vistas -- like the great plains of the US the moors make you feel like the whole world is sky.
We visited Threave Castle on the River Dee. [In the UK it seems all rivers are referred to this way -- River Dee, River Dart, River Clyde, etc. -- rather than Ohio River, Chicago River, Missouri River.] The castle is really a fortified tower built in the late 1300s and located on an island in the river. It's a forbidding-looking place, which seems appropriate when one learns that it was built by a Scottish lord known to history as "Archibald the Grim".
For pictures of the garden opening and Castle Threave, see: http://chuck.smugmug.com/gallery/1651614/1
Jane is an avid gardener and is especially expert in roses. For several years her garden has been included in an annual "open garden" event organized by a Scottish "garden scheme" to raise funds for charities. The gardens are open to visitors for a fee and usually serve tea (again for a reasonable fee) and sell plants, preserves and crafts. All the proceeds go to worthy causes, and the work is done by a crew of volunteers.
Jane invited us (and American friends, the O'Neils (John and Carol live in Monterey, only 3 miles from us and John worked in the same office as Chuck until last December)) to stay at Ladyburn over the weekend and to help out with the open garden. It was great fun (though a bit of work, too, at times) and it was good to see John and Carol after several months. The garden was beautiful; Chuck helped with car parking and Kathi helped in the kitchen and in a number of other activities.
On the Monday, 3 July, we "had the day off" and used it to explore the southern part of Ayrshire, including the towns of Castle Douglas, Kirkudbright (pronounced Kakoobree) and Gateway of Fleet (yes, that's the town's name). We drove over the nearby moor, with its large numbers of sheep and sweeping vistas -- like the great plains of the US the moors make you feel like the whole world is sky.
We visited Threave Castle on the River Dee. [In the UK it seems all rivers are referred to this way -- River Dee, River Dart, River Clyde, etc. -- rather than Ohio River, Chicago River, Missouri River.] The castle is really a fortified tower built in the late 1300s and located on an island in the river. It's a forbidding-looking place, which seems appropriate when one learns that it was built by a Scottish lord known to history as "Archibald the Grim".
For pictures of the garden opening and Castle Threave, see: http://chuck.smugmug.com/gallery/1651614/1
posted by Chuck and Kathi Calvano @ 6:03 PM
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