Welcome all to the new week. :-)
Hi! “Looking forward” (?) to hottest day! When cleaner asked the weekly “how are you today?” question (which I try to duck every time) I was able to find an answer: “Melting!”
I think I promised a note about the Peter Pan Moat Brae Centre, so here goes. There was a famous architect in Dumfries called Walter Newall. His Georgian town houses were much admired, built in classical proportions and in good taste. They were gradually being lost to the town, and Moat Brae, after being a nursing home for the elderly last century, was crumbling. It had listed status, but several years ago was earmarked for demolition due its poor and dangerous condition. A group of local worthies, with the backing of many townsfolk, felt it should be preserved as a particularly fine example of his work. Looking at its history, they focussed on the JM Barrie connection. Barrie, a weaver’s son from Kirriemuir (in Angus) lodged with his older brother in Dumfries and was a pupil at the Academy next to Moat Brae and became a close friend of the two boys who lived there. It was here, in the two-acre garden, that they played adventurous games and Barrie developed his imagination. It was here that he began his theatrical and literary life, and he later said that this was where Peter Pan’s Neverland began. This in turn inspired the creation of the Children’s Centre for Literature in Moat Brae, adding interest to the restoration of the house and attracting further funding for the idea to become a reality. The Patron of Moat Brae is the actor Joanna Lumley, who has a holiday home in Galloway, and is an enthusiastic supporter of books for children and the value of reading to them and with them. The opening of the house and centre was last month, and it has become very popular locally and with tourists, having a café, good facilities for all, the beautiful house (unspoilt by having its lift access in a tower between the original building and the reception and café extension), a reconstructed garden leading down to the river Nith (not so accessible to people with poor mobility) and the many features for children. We didn’t visit every part of the house, but enjoyed the time out and a good lunch!
Cleaner has just left, and J has been out to walk into town – no hospital results yet! OH mowed the remaining grass last evening, including the back. A day at home today – catching up as usual, beginning with trimming and strimming around the lawns. I need to get busy with finishing the newsletter!
Phew!! As they say in the media.... Been out for necessities, very glad that my little car Ruby has air con. Came home and decided to do the recommended thing, and not fling open the windows, but keep everything tight shut instead. It seems to work in Europe! Off to clean around the bathrooms and pack my shorts.
Ps. Meant to say, OG, thanks for interesting description of the house - so glad it has been preserved.
Did some editing, had lunch, so will now post some replies. Temp is up to 34.6 on outside thermometer – dread to think how it would feel without the gentle breeze which we have here! At least humidity has dropped today.
LINDA – we too are having more prepared meals through the summer – we would normally cook from scratch, but I decided OH needed some time off – although probably time to be spent gardening! I’m sure those peas must taste wonderful! I had forgotten the flavour of fresh young carrots until we started to pull them last week! Keeping your windows closed against the hot air also has the advantage that you won’t need to run around shutting them when you set off! Have a safe journey this evening and a lovely weekend!
HEATHER – good that one of the girls enjoyed the weed puller – but I thought they were away on holiday now their Dad is home?
AQ – Miss J’s words brought back memories – I used to make the same remark to my father!
Well, back to the dreaded newsletter – I did manage to complete the most difficult page this morning, so all downhill from here.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
I was going to write again last night but had taken shoes off due to the heat and couldn't bear to put my bare feet on the footrest under the desk! Our local max was 34 degrees yesterday, "only" about 24 so far today! OH managed to strim and trim, and then tweak a few bits in the front garden which I have now passed as finished again! Evening plans to continue dead-heading round the deck were called off - "rain stopped play"- a nuisance rain as never very much, just enough to be slightly unpleasant - though the moisture smelt good. Some thunder and lightning around, but never close - we must have been just on the edge of the weather. It was still a very hot night, but a quieter one and we slept reasonably well.
Finished newsletter for OH to print tomorrow. I suspect most people will not get it this Sunday, which is the combined service at one of our primary schools to end the Holiday Bible Club week. This is a weekend when lots of things are happening, so have been trying to make sensible choices! Looks like we shall go to Gypsy Jazz in Lockerbie Saturday evening and Military Vehicle gathering at the Devil's Porridge on Sunday afternoon - but all things weather dependent.
LINDA - pleased you managed the final packing and the journey last evening and managed to keep relatively cool last night.
LYNETTE - sorry it was really too hot for the coach trip to the Cotswolds - and a pity you forgot the stick - couldn't you have bought one at the first stop in Bourton-on-the-Water? (One of my cousins lives there!)
EVERYONE - have a good Friday and weekend.