Girls' day out

I met up with my friend and ex work colleague Ann last week.   We had been trying to get together for ages but for various reasons it hadn't happened so a catch up was long overdue.  We found the perfect venue almost equidistant between our two homes.

Traquair House is the oldest inhabited house in Scotland, it dates back to 1107 and is absolutely gorgeous.  There is a good cafe, gift shop and a range of craft workshops as well as the property itself to enjoy.  We had a good lunch, a really good chat and a stroll round the grounds.   Over lunch we discussed many things including downsizing and reducing our clutter, then of course we made purchases at the jewellery workshop, Centaur Design.  Ann bought earrings and I got this gorgeous silver ring, its called a spinning ring as the broad beaten band contains two smaller silver rings that move freely.  I love it, I'm a huge fan of big silver rings and this one is delightful especially against my tanned hands. 

Image from Centaur Design

Then I couldn't resist this pretty pot in the gift shop,  made in Tobermory on the west coast of Scotland I think it's going to look fabulous full of shiny black Italian olives. 

I stopped off for a quick provisions top up on the way home and bought Mr FF some Eyemouth kippers from the fish van.  A lovely day out with something for everyone.

The corporate wife in Fife

I have over the 20 years of so that we've lived in Scotland joined Mr FF on various business events, dinners, sporting fixtures, concerts etc where he and I have entertained guests on behalf of his company. We've had some lovely occasions and one of our regular dates is the May bank holiday summer weekend with his fellow professionals when the chairman of the Scottish branch selects a venue and entertainment for about 25 couples including dignitaries from head office. We took our turn a few years ago when Mr FF was chairman so I know how much planning and organisation is involved to make a successful weekend. This weekend we went to St Andrews, home of golf, the oldest university in Scotland and a beautiful seaside location. I'm quite partial to a couple of nights in a hotel, no housework, gardening or cooking and plenty of time for leisurely baths and lounging. Our hotel was nice enough though we didn't enjoy a sea view from our room just from the dining table. When we first started attending this event it was usual for the men to do manly things on the Saturday, either play golf or visit some feat of engineering while more gentile entertainment was provided for the ladies, nowadays things are a bit more equal. However, we never join in the daytime activities as we prefer a good walk to discover the area. So we took ourselves off with a couple of friends to walk along the beautiful Fife coastal path, sunshine, a bracing breeze and salty air, lovely.We finished in the much photographed fishing village of Crail, you may have seen it before on jigsaw puzzles and the like.

Each morning big cooked breakfasts featuring kippers and smoked haddock were followed by a lot of chat, some fascinating conversations about a trip to Bolivia and some really boring ones about the finer details of railway bridges or children's forthcoming examinations. It is the duty of the corporate wife to listen attentively to people who consider conversation a one sided event but luckily this wife had her sock knitting to keep her occupied during the duller moments.On the way home we stopped off at the lovely Hill of Tarvit, a National Trust property that is now open only on certain dates and run almost totally by volunteers. A beautiful family home in gorgeous gardens and parkland, full of interesting items and complete with a tearoom that served quality tea in a china pot with delicious home baking. This is the kind of property I pay my subscription for the Trust to maintain and I can feel another Mrs Angry letter coming on complaining that they prefer to spend millions on swanky new visitor centres (that provide a teabag in a mug and bought in confectionery) while these little gems, often left as this was to the care of the Trust by the family, are neglected or closed.

Birthday Beach Boy

Saturday 25 August 2007 Mr Flip Flops was 59 and we celebrated the event with a day at the seaside. We drove out to Aberlady on the East Lothian coast, where by some strange chance there is a lovely crafting shop, Sew in Stitches. I was able to get a good look round, a lot of inspiration and a couple of purchases, the cream one is silk the purple cashmere, knitted by a lady in the village and only £3.50 each.

We walked along the coastal path from Aberlady to Gullane Point, it was a gloriously sunny day with many of the little bays completely deserted. We are big fans of the wild Northumberland beaches and sometimes forget that we have a great coastline not too far from home. We were having such a good time we decided to walk on to North Berwick and arrived just in time to catch the bus back to Aberlady.

Two fish suppers, mushy peas (we are northerners) and a bottle of pop each, eaten sitting on a bench looking out to the bay. As I've said before we do like to make an effort.

Mr F F said it was a most relaxing day and next year he can do it all again with the benefit of a bus pass. He's going to have to come up with something good for my birthday in November, which apparently will take place in the USA.