..and puts the heels back in the box.

So I'm back from my weekend in the city and it's been back to my more usual footwear

although on sunny days I've worn these.

This means that Dogstarke has been very happy because it's meant lots of "walkies" for her. And coupled with some lovely sunny weather it's brought smiles all round.

As well as one of our regular walks, taking in not one but two of Dogstarke's favourite beaches we also explored another one from the excellent walk highlands site.  It was in many ways a perfect walk; circular, close to a coffee stop, excellent views, historic interest and for Dogstarke a friendly dog to play with (because she's not so big on views)

looking north

Dounie castle

across to Jura

We ended the week with  a lovely lunch at The Hawthorn Restaurant at Benderloch and then (partially) walked it off at Tralee beach. It has to be said, DogStarke did most of the calorie burning, and she hadn't eaten lunch. But I did have a paddle.

Today the weather has turned a little cooler but we still had a lovely walk and enjoyed the Spring flowers.

We have visitors next week so I  hope the sun doesn't go too far away. And after that I might just be dusting down the heels for  another city outing.

Until next time

Marina x

A tale of two houses

It was my birthday recently and I celebrated with a trip to Glasgow.  It was lovely because most of my favourite people (and DogS) were able to join me there too.  MrS and I stayed at our Glasgow favourite, Blythswood Square Hotel . This was I think our fourth visit,  so what is it that keeps us going back? Well reason number one is that they are dog friendly, (there is a charge for dogs but they also supply beds and bowls)  DogS was welcomed even more warmly than us.  That brings me to reason number two, the staff;  everyone we've encountered throughout our visits has been friendly and helpful.  I think it makes a real difference. And no, I'm  not being paid to say that.

The last time we stayed,  just before Christmas I was feeling poorly and couldn't face a night out, this time I enjoyed two great nights, my birthday at The Finnieston and the following night a more bijou gathering at  The Pelican. Both were very good with a special mention to the The Pelican's Glasgow dish,  a slow roast pork delight, I didn't have it but MrS and the GlamourPuss did and it looked delicious.

We didn't just spend all our time eating, we had time for a bit of culture too. On Saturday we drove out to Helensburgh to visit The Hill House.  Mr S and I had been before but it was a first for Glamour Puss and  The Prof. so it was nice to share it with them.  Some extra rooms were open too with enhanced displays explaining the design features and conservation challenges ahead.  It was gorgeous enjoying the bright light filled rooms on a sunny day.

The next day MrS and I made a visit to a very different home the Tenement House another National Trust for Scotland property. This was a first for us both,  though I've wanted to visit for a  long time. Much smaller than the Hill House it still made for a fascinating visit;  the last owner Miss Toward not only kept the same furniture over the years and resisted electricity into the1960's, she also stored bills, letters and recipes which are displayed and give a wonderful insight into her life and times. There was also for MrS the memory of a similar flat and being tucked up in the box bed in the kitchen when he was unwell.

But that, as they say is another story. For another day perhaps.......

and looks at them from both sides now

Last time I mentioned that we are dipping into the B&B world before our building works start; well it all begins today!!! No more time to practise our fry ups, guests are due this afternoon. Yikes!!  I'm quite confident about the room, we've had guests stay in it a few times already and it's got the thumbs up from them, and I think it's clean enough to pass muster with most "Four in a Bed" contestants. What is unknown is how we'll cope with the logistics of breakfast. I've watched that show often enough to know the pitfalls, overcooking, undercooking, big waits, burnt offerings. Double Yikes!!!!!
I'm also hoping that we can deliver on what I think is the most important thing, customer service. We're just back from a trip to Wales. It goes without saying that we had exemplary care from GlamourPuss and the Prof. but that's different because they're family, what of the other places we ate and stayed?

She controls the weather you know

Watermelon daiquiri, delicious but deadly

The Prof does food too

GlamourPuss grew this. The rose

Well as ever our stopover at The Bear's Paw http://thebearspaw.co.uk was a positive experience, it's very comfortable, the food is good not ground breaking, it's conveniently placed on our journey, but those are not our reasons for staying.  Because of the reliability, yes, but above all the friendliness. We are all -  me, MrS and DogStarke  thoroughly welcomed. Now it might be that they have a magnificent guest welcome training program and everyone has been taught how to behave? But it seems genuine; and there doesn't seem to be a high turnover of staff which suggests it's a happy place.   If the smile is fake,  it's fooled me.

On our way home we stayed at The Castle in Conwy http://www.castlewales.co.uk. It's an old hotel which is being brought back to life by its owners. Its rooms are more individual, with large pieces of antique furniture and original windows. There's no lift because it's listed but we were offered help with our bags so don't let that put you off. We had a lovely dinner and were delighted to be able to have your breakfast in the courtyard area, which meant DogS could stay with us. But once again it was the friendly helpful attitudes of the staff which sticks in my mind, not least during  that al fresco breakfast

Conwy castle

and a bit later on

 Our next overnight stop was another lovely, family one, with the  MacStarkes this time, catching up on their travels  and then we were back on the old familiar road home. Even though the day was damp it was hot so when we got peckish we looked for somewhere DogS could join us indoors. And she was very welcome. But... They forgot to take our order, then one set of cutlery and whilst the open kitchen is fashionable,  I don't want to lose the fourth wall to the extent that the owners are discussing their business accounts at the next table. That's not a thing now is it????
 The food was tasty as always and could be managed with minimal cutlery (fingers for me, fork for the more fastidious MrS). I know, we could have asked for another set but the staff were not that attentive and we were hungry...
It's a well reviewed place, if you go there you'll get a good meal, and maybe good service. But it left us with a sour taste.

So here I am, waiting and hoping. That we can deliver a good taste.

PS they've arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and resolves to check opening hours

It's been all change. Nine months of commuting are over and now our new(ish) house is our permanent  home. Our planned extension and conversion is going to  turn everything topsy turvy but until building work begins we are going to start offering B&B using the existing spare room. This has meant making a few cosmetic changes and lots of breakfast practice. So to work off all those extra calories we've had lots of lovely walks . Dogstarke has been having a wonderful time;  you can read about them here http://sheilingchat.blogspot.co.uk

And as we're not likely to have a "proper" holiday this year  I've been especially keen to have little adventures slightly further afield; soothing my itchy(and tired) feet by exploring the local area.

Along the way we've had plenty of cups of tea.

At Airds hotel http://www.airds-hotel.com

Dolce Vita, Oban http://www.dolcevitaoban.com/find-us/

sometimes at home

Mmm, not this sort

And there might have been the odd slice of cake....

too delicious to capture at The Temple, Oban https://www.facebook.com/SeafoodTemple

But it's not all been tea and cake, we've visited some local heritage sites

that's the cottage Taigh Iseabal Dhaibh at Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre http://www.lismoregaelicheritagecentre.org, - from the cafe

St Conan's Kirk, Lochawe http://www.stconanskirk.org.uk - it has a tearoom

I have a guide to some of the less well known Parisian museums, and i've really enjoyed visiting them, so I've rooted around for similar sites here.

Research delivered what promised to be a great little heritage centre at Bunessan on Mull,  http://romhc.org.uk/index.php?id=2   I thought it would be particularly appealing to Mr S with his background in Archives, and so feeling fidgety, persuaded him there was no time to lose and off we sped to catch the ferry.  The crossing was lovely, sitting out on the top deck, and the bus connection worked out well and we arrived at Bunessan and there was the Heritage centre.

But first, I wanted lunch. And what did I see? "Community cafe today - All welcome".  And indeed we were, even DogStarke.

So after a very pleasant lunch

I *could* have eaten all of this

 we made our way up to the Heritage centre. A little concerned that the rain seemed to be starting a few hours earlier than forecast.  I'd persuaded MrS he didn't need his coat. Anyway it was just a short walk  to the centre and then we'd be back indoors.
                                                                       
                                                                    Except.

                                                                         It was closed.
                                               
                                                                              Had closed before lunch.

                                                                                     Oh dear.

But all was not lost. We'd noticed a charity shop and decided to go for a rootle about. http://www.mict.co.uk/islandcastaways/

I bought myself a couple of souvenirs. One practical,

the other a little less so, but it does look pretty on my bar.

no whisky left inside

And guess what? I checked that website when we got home, the Heritage Centre does open in the afternoon. It's a small village so maybe the custodian was helping with the lunch?  But no matter.
MrS really wants to visit which means we will just *have* to go back.
                 
                                                 And next time we'll stay over.

                                                              A good result all round.

and makes a little list

I haven't done a list for ages, so here's six things I learned on my holidays.

1) I live somewhere which is very beautiful, even in the rain. This is good as it rains. Often and luxuriantly.  Bergerac and the countryside around needed sun to show them at their best.

                                                                       

2) Don't believe all you read/hear about France being a country of intellectuals and serious "talking head" TV. They have their own version of "Come Dine With Me",  "Un diner presque parfait" http://undinerpresqueparfait.m6.fr. Scores given for Ambience, Decoration and of course Cuisine. And also "Le Choix" think "Take Me Out" but  with more participants and in a resort, but I didn't really like that and it was on at dinner time. There are also award shows.

not sure which was best; Sean's look of total bewilderment (I don't think he speaks French) 

or Marion's frock

3) There doesn't seem to be the same camaraderie between dog owners in France as here. Most French dogs had their leads tightened and were pulled well away from Dogstarke. And she is no ravening beast.

Interestingly when we were in Ile de Re a couple of years ago we had lots of interaction with fellow dog owners. But we were there slightly ahead of the season and the tourists were  mostly Dutch or German.

this cute dog did want to make friends

4)  It's might be not so common now in Paris, but out in the country people still do have two hour lunch breaks. Museums and shops closed and folk headed home or to the restaurant. Service stations were full of families and single travellers sitting down to a proper lunch. MrS and I were questioned on where our hot dishes were when we paid for our salads and coffees. On non travel days we eschewed the salads and joined them, there's no fun wandering around looking at closed shop windows in the cold. In fact our best meal of the holiday was at lunchtime, at La Tour des Vents, Montbazillac, http://www.tourdesvents.com. No wine as MrS was driving (I was providing moral support and he reciprocated by turning down pud., given up by me for Lent). Though he did wolf down all the chocs and canelles that  came with coffee. And Dogstarke was welcomed too!

madeleines and cannelles similar to those described

5)  Those mountains on the Volvic label really do exist! I got quite excited when I spotted them but couldn't take a photo. I didn't think it was such a good idea as I was driving.

Here's a view from the service station instead.

6) Calais gets a bad press. In guide books they say it's just a transit town and has nothing to offer. I don't agree. We arrived late and managed to have a good dinner. OK the first place we tried (both recommended by the nice young concierge at the Mercure hotel) was a bit grumpy and turned us away (kitchen closed)

probably worth a try despite the grumps

but we had fun at the other La Vieux Fourneau, which was full of French families enjoying themselves on a Friday night.

                                                            taken the next morning 

Saturday morning there was a good market in the square which unfortunately we had to forgo. Devoted though he is to cheese and tempting as it was MrS decided it would probably have lost its appeal after 500 miles in the car.
And then who could dislike a place which sold these?

And wonders what makes somewhere sing

I'm just back from the latest trip and thinking about the places we stayed and ate; which of them were great, which just ok and just what is it that makes the big  difference?  I've decided it all comes down to service and the general feeling of the place. Some places you just simply feel welcome and happy, others, well they just believe too much in their own myth.

To explain......
I'm plagued by the fear of being "found out" that I'm not a proper fully functioning grown up, that I'm just pretending...at my job, parenting, adulthood generally.  I mean sometimes I judge myself on my poor dog raising skills. Its most extreme manifestation is in a dream where I'm quivering at the edge of the 10 metre board, about to represent Great Britain with my extremely limited dive repertoire. In dreamland this consists of something called "an apron dive". No,  I have no idea either and luckily I usually wake up before I find out.

I know this isn't a unique feeling, It's not just norms like me,  I've read interviews of many successful people who've said the same thing. Is it this fear which keeps people and places on their toes?

We visited three places which I  think may have lost that feeling. None were awful, in fact we would probably still return. But. They've all been lauded in my favourite papers, received awards from Michelin and other guides; they look the right way and serve the right things and they just, ever so slightly, make you feel like they are doing you the favour by sharing their wares, or no longer make the extra effort of the up and coming place.

You know the feeling, you've been allowed to hang out with the cool kids, just this once.

We did return  somewhere that has been consistently good. We've stayed a number of times, sometimes when travelling under difficult circumstances, and we've always had a good time. Differing room grades vary in size but are all comfortable and well equipped. Food isn't innovative but its always good.  And most important, the staff are always friendly and welcoming.
The Bear's Paw http://www.thebearspaw.co.uk at Warmingham, Cheshire we salute you!


They do a pretty good breakfast too.

And took a trip back in time

Well sort of......

I celebrated a "landmark " birthday back in September, I enjoyed afternoon tea with friends and family, followed by the Oscar winning movie from my year of birth and had a few days away with MrS, GlamourPuss and the Prof. Quite lavish celebrations I thought, but nothing on the scale of a certain engineering marvel which shares my birthday. The Forth Road Bridge threw a festival to celebrate, ten days of partying and a massive fireworks finale. Very generously it gave gifts to 50 of us lucky people sharing its birthday. Mine was lunch for two at the Champany Inn just outside Linlithgow. (Champany.com. @champanyinn)

I didn't get around to making a booking until late last month and so on a damp, grey Friday MrS and I got dressed up and sallied out for lunch. We'd both been before, in past lives, but never together. My last visit was last century.

Not a thing had changed. Well that's not strictly true, there's been some expansion since I was last there adding in rooms and increasing the bar space. But the food and ambience was the same. That wasn't entirely a bad thing, though I think the press cuttings should be taken down and stored in an album. On a dreich day it was very comforting to go into the warm, formal dining room and eat old fashioned but delicious food. The steaks delivered to the next table looked and smelled delicious but a tad heavy for lunch. I followed my starter salad (really a lunch in itself) with salmon, grilled then liberally drippled in butter; this was a treat remember! Veggies sat on a little crescent plate but there was nothing soggy or throwback about them, they were crisp and scrumptious. So like I said, old fashioned, but done well and sincerely.

It's a big old generous room. Solid tables dressed with crystal and silver and fruit or flower displays. Spaced sufficiently far apart to prevent eavesdropping. But MrS and I drew our chairs closer in, as we always do. As we did the first time.

I was glad we hadn't come in September, I don't think it would have suited a brighter day. But in late Autumn when what little light there is fades quickly and mist rises off the Forth plain it was just about perfect.

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