Back to Reality...

Well, I'm back home after a brief foray into Dumfries & Galloway.  It was a bit of a Busman's Holiday -  I got up close and personal with four Early Bronze Age flat axes and a halberd (oh yes, it's a halberd.  No doubt about it....).  I also took the opportunity to do some serious sight-seeing. 

Visiting the ancient monuments of Dumfries and Galloway is like visiting old friends.  I'm not one of those people who goes somewhere on holiday, falls in love with the location and immediately wants to up sticks and move there.  But if my lifestyle allowed it, I would genuinely like to live out my days in Dumfries and Galloway, and in particular, the area around Kirkcudbright.  I once landed a job there and spent a few happy months getting to know the area.  Unfortunately, my personal circumstances at the time meant I had to throw in the towel and take on work elsewhere.  It's a decision I've regretted from time to time, even though I'd be the first to admit that staying in the post would have been virtually untenable.

As a holiday destination, D & G really can't be beaten.  It has scenery to die for, and it's heaving with history and archaeology.  Any Americans or Aussies out there who fancy paying a visit to Scotland and go on a history hunt could do no better than to fly to Prestwick, then head south towards Kirkcudbright and Dumfries.  Okay, there's no mountains.  But there's hardly any midges, either!!

Anyway, I feel it's my solemn duty to introduce you to the joys of Dumfries and Galloway, and to the wonderful monuments that abound there.  I tracked down a wide variety in my travels, ranging from Neolithic chambered tombs to early twentieth century farm-buildings. 

For starters, here's some Nice Scenic Views.  The first was taken south of Dumfries, and looks out across the mouth of the River Nith towards the Criffel, the rather imposing hill that overlooks New Abbey:-

 

The second is a view towards the town of Kirkcudbright, where some scenes were filmed for the original 'Wicker Man':-

 

And lastly, here's an atmospheric shot of the coast near Ardwall and Borgue:-

 

We were lucky with the weather.  This wasn't much comfort to me, as I was confined to gloomy rooms tucked away in various museums most of the time.  Though we did manage a rather wonderful 25 mile bike run yesterday... 

Today was lousy, so I had to cancel a planned trip to Threave Castle.  We went to Threave Gardens instead, and yep, I've come back home with two more hellebores.  These are Helleborus Lividus, and their leaves are very pretty.  But more on the hellebores - and more on the ancient and historical monuments of Dumfries and Galloway - in the days to come.

And no, I haven't forgotten the Grooved Ware!!

Back to Reality...

Well, I'm back home after a brief foray into Dumfries & Galloway.  It was a bit of a Busman's Holiday -  I got up close and personal with four Early Bronze Age flat axes and a halberd (oh yes, it's a halberd.  No doubt about it....).  I also took the opportunity to do some serious sight-seeing. 

Visiting the ancient monuments of Dumfries and Galloway is like visiting old friends.  I'm not one of those people who goes somewhere on holiday, falls in love with the location and immediately wants to up sticks and move there.  But if my lifestyle allowed it, I would genuinely like to live out my days in Dumfries and Galloway, and in particular, the area around Kirkcudbright.  I once landed a job there and spent a few happy months getting to know the area.  Unfortunately, my personal circumstances at the time meant I had to throw in the towel and take on work elsewhere.  It's a decision I've regretted from time to time, even though I'd be the first to admit that staying in the post would have been virtually untenable.

As a holiday destination, D & G really can't be beaten.  It has scenery to die for, and it's heaving with history and archaeology.  Any Americans or Aussies out there who fancy paying a visit to Scotland and go on a history hunt could do no better than to fly to Prestwick, then head south towards Kirkcudbright and Dumfries.  Okay, there's no mountains.  But there's hardly any midges, either!!

Anyway, I feel it's my solemn duty to introduce you to the joys of Dumfries and Galloway, and to the wonderful monuments that abound there.  I tracked down a wide variety in my travels, ranging from Neolithic chambered tombs to early twentieth century farm-buildings. 

For starters, here's some Nice Scenic Views.  The first was taken south of Dumfries, and looks out across the mouth of the River Nith towards the Criffel, the rather imposing hill that overlooks New Abbey:-

 

The second is a view towards the town of Kirkcudbright, where some scenes were filmed for the original 'Wicker Man':-

 

And lastly, here's an atmospheric shot of the coast near Ardwall and Borgue:-

 

We were lucky with the weather.  This wasn't much comfort to me, as I was confined to gloomy rooms tucked away in various museums most of the time.  Though we did manage a rather wonderful 25 mile bike run yesterday... 

Today was lousy, so I had to cancel a planned trip to Threave Castle.  We went to Threave Gardens instead, and yep, I've come back home with two more hellebores.  These are Helleborus Lividus, and their leaves are very pretty.  But more on the hellebores - and more on the ancient and historical monuments of Dumfries and Galloway - in the days to come.

And no, I haven't forgotten the Grooved Ware!!

We Have Daffodils!!

The first daffodils were coming into bloom when we left on our recent short break to Kirkcudbright,

We've returned to find that a significant proportion are now flat, or at the very least, listing at 45 degrees.

But we've got some blooms that are worth admiring.  This is a clump of the early flowering 'Jetfire', with its orange trumpet and uplifted petals:-

 

And I couldn't do a garden update without including yet another hellebore shot.  This one's another 'Washfield Double' - in this instance, it's a white example with lovely mottled red interior:-

 

The brunnera and pulmonaria are coming along nicely, and I've have to find homes for the two new hellebores and the euphorbia I bought this morning at Threave.  My senetti are now being hardened off, but a few days' neglect has not helped my Callibrachea-whojamyflipps or my sweet peas...  I've lost a couple due to 'damping off', which is one of the perils of ordering plants via mail order...
 

We Have Daffodils!!

The first daffodils were coming into bloom when we left on our recent short break to Kirkcudbright,

We've returned to find that a significant proportion are now flat, or at the very least, listing at 45 degrees.

But we've got some blooms that are worth admiring.  This is a clump of the early flowering 'Jetfire', with its orange trumpet and uplifted petals:-

 

And I couldn't do a garden update without including yet another hellebore shot.  This one's another 'Washfield Double' - in this instance, it's a white example with lovely mottled red interior:-

 

The brunnera and pulmonaria are coming along nicely, and I've have to find homes for the two new hellebores and the euphorbia I bought this morning at Threave.  My senetti are now being hardened off, but a few days' neglect has not helped my Callibrachea-whojamyflipps or my sweet peas...  I've lost a couple due to 'damping off', which is one of the perils of ordering plants via mail order...