Crieff again

We've been away for a long weekend with all the family, minus Son-in-Law 2, who's performing at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. Son and family were staying in Crieff Hydro, while the rest of us were in a lodge in the grounds. We celebrated Medium Granddaughter's 10th birthday. 

I've been going to the Hydro since 1953, but I'm probably not the longest-standing guest. It's the sort of place that people keep going back to. 

Son and family did a hair-raising tree walk / zip wire thing. I could hardly look. I don't know where Son got those genes from; not me or his dad. However, they survived - indeed, seem to have enjoyed it. Argh.

And we went for walks and the kids did things in the adventure playground and most of the party went swimming a lot. It was very nice. 

On the way home yesterday, Daughter 2, Littlest Granddaughter, Mr L and I visited Drummond Castle, which has amazing formal gardens. The old bit of the castle dates from about 1490 and there's a newer mansion, in which the family actually lives when they're there, dating from 1689 but much altered over the years to suit contemporary tastes. 

There have been gardens here since the 1400s, but this layout was started in the 1830s. 

The upper photo shows most of the very formal bit, and you can see in the lower one how the box hedges make the main shapes, at the moment filled with antirrhinums of various colours, and lavender. On the sides of the garden that aren't shown are lots of topiaried trees. It's stunning. And very labour-intensive, I'd think. 

The area round our lodge was also scenic. 

And, as we always do, we climbed The Knock and admired the best view in the world. This is possibly a slightly biased opinion. 

Edinburgh tram?

We've been away for a couple of nights to Crieff Hydro, an hour and a bit north of here. This hotel means a lot to me and our family. My parents took us there every summer from when I was three till I was eleven, and then we've all been back a lot since in various familial combinations. We took our children. Now we go with them and the grandchildren, and sometimes my brother and family. Mr L and I had our honeymoon there. Both my parents' ashes are scattered on the Knock, the hill behind the hotel. 

Of course things have changed a lot since I was first there in 1953; and we've liked some changes more than others. But much of the charm stays the same, such as, when one first comes in, the view through the spacious ballroom (which hosts Scottish country dancing some evenings) into the Winter Garden, a large room with huge windows on to the beautiful view. One sits there and drinks coffee with one's family. One waits for the children to come up from the pool there. One has a light lunch there. It's the heart of the hotel. 

Or, that's what it was like.

The owners have now put a huge oval bar in the middle of the (ex-) ballroom. Tastes vary, but surely no one thinks that this is a thing of beauty? 

As transport-mad Big Grandson points out, it's reminiscent of an old Edinburgh tram. But with added plastic greenery dripping from it. 

And the Winter Garden has been turned into an extra restaurant, with tables set from early morning for lunch and thus nowhere to sit with the family and drink coffee. Big round banquettes (is that how you spell them?) help to block out the light. 

With added fake trees, and other plastic plants. 

I know that with the world in a mess, saying that I'm heartbroken seems a bit of an exaggeration. But I'm very sad. 

Anyway, we had as nice a time as we could, all things considered. We climbed the Knock, as we always do. I wonder when the last time we manage it will be...? 

This is one of my favourite views of all time. 

It's so peaceful. 

I always look at this distant white house and wonder what it would be like to live there. 

Failing the Winter Garden, we visited the town and its lovely shop, selling art and glass and so on (I managed not to buy anything this time, well done me) sat in our room, read books and did the crossword. 

And then we came home again. I like two-day holidays. So little packing. You don't need to worry about the house plants or the garden. So it wasn't all bad. 

 

Away again!

We've been away again - not really like us except, seemingly, this autumn - this time to Crieff Hydro. We were there in the summer with the family and then the Hydro sent us a 20% off offer so we thought... well, why not have a couple of nights just by ourselves? It's very familiar territory - my family went there for the summer holiday every year from when I was 3 to when I was 12, and then we've been back fairly often over the years with our children, with my parents and my brother's family and then with the grandchildren and other family members. It didn't occur to us till recently that this was the first time we'd been there on our own since our honeymoon! It's only about an hour away and we only went for two nights, so it was very easy: not much packing or planning. 

The first full day, we visited Drummond Castle Gardens, dating from the 16th century, though obviously changed a bit since then. The autumn colours were beautiful - much better than shown in the photos. 

We've been before, but I don't think in the autumn. They're lovely at any time of year. 

These leaves look good enough to eat.

Then in the afternoon we climbed the Knock, as one has to do when staying at the Hydro. This is a hill just behind the hotel. 

I just can't express how much I love this place - the only trouble being that it's steeped for me in nostalgia: memories of my parents, of my small children, of my baby grandchildren - all now gone or different. However, the memories are happy ones. 

My parents' ashes are scattered under one of these trees. 

 

And then the following day, on the way home, we visited Scone Palace Gardens, where autumn was again very lovely. 

We had such a nice time. And we'll be back - I hope!

Crieff

Daughter 2 and Littlest Granddaughter have been here. Littlest and Biggest washed some stones - as you do. Then we all went up to stay in two lodges at Crieff Hydro: our three children, their children and spouses (except Son-in-Law 2, who was working); and also my brother, his wife and their two offspring. 

The cousins had a great time playing together. They are almost 10, 8, almost 5, 3 and three-quarters and 2. The 10- and 2-year-olds are boys and the three middle ones are girls, and the little ones regarded the big ones as very desirable companions, which the big ones were very patient about, all things considered. I took lots of lovely photos which I can't use here because of the unbloggable nature of Son's children. 

I sometimes had to remind myself for a second who belonged to whom. For example, this is Son with Daughter 2's little one. 

And this is Son-in-Law 1, reading to Daughter 2's and Son's daughters. 

There was a lot of swimming and some playparking and a visit to the new Adventure Glen, which was popular. Here, Middle Granddaughter showed Littlest Granddaughter how to bounce. 

and Biggest Granddaughter climbed the climbing wall. You wouldn't have got me doing that when I was 8, or, come to that, at any age. 

Here they all are enjoying an ice cream. 

This is the view from our lodges. I love this town and the Perthshire countryside. I first came here when I was 3 - 68 years ago.

It was all very lovely and heartwarming to see them all together, and also fairly exhausting - probably for everyone. 

And then we came home and on Sunday we went to the Botanics, when Middle Granddaughter demonstrated her gymnastic skills to Littlest. I fear that she hasn't got too many gymnastic genes to help her, but she makes up for this with enthusiasm. 

 

Lockdown - week 6 - Saturday

Well, I made this one. I don't like orange, so I used this material in case I messed it up. Which I didn't exactly. But it took quite a long time - partly because I kept having to check things on the instructional video and partly because my sewing machine really didn't like sewing through lots of layers of material to make the pleats. Then Mr L tried it on and it was a bit frilly at the sides - because I had to make big side seams (because of the above problem). I didn't enjoy making it very much, though I could see that I would get faster with practice. But then Daughter 2, on seeing a photo of it over WhatsApp, pointed out that the dressmaker who made her wedding dress is currently making scrubs and - tara! - very similar masks! So we ordered some of hers over the internet, thus supporting her business and saving me from having to toil on more of these. Now I can continue making quilts. Win, win. I will confess to my friend that I didn't make them!

And then we, yawn, sorry, went up on the golf course again. These hellebores have lasted an amazing time. I must try to get some, though of course there's no room in my little garden. (When did that ever stop me?)

The course is a bit busier at weekends, but only this busy, so not a problem.

And so we walked about, admiring the now-leafy trees

and the long views up what Mr L tells me are the fairways



and the glimpses of the town. How I love this place. (3 and a half miles today.)

And also this place: the countryside around Crieff, a bit north of here, where I've been going for holidays on and off since I was three. I've decided to blog-visit holiday places I've loved to cheer myself up. 

This is Drummond Castle, near Crieff, which has these amazing 17th century gardens.

These are photos from 2009, but it won't have changed much. Apart from being, currently, closed.

You feel Alice might be lurking round the corner with the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen.

But no: it's Son-in-Law 1, larking around. This was pre-grandchildren.

And there's my lovely little mum. 

Happy days. I'm sure we'll be back, though sadly not with my mum.

We've just had a family WhatsApp with our lot and my brother's, making a date to go to Crieff next summer. Well, not a date. But a plan. It's something to look forward to. Which one needs.