One of the many wonderful things about our new Kingdom, apart from vertical trees over 12′ tall, sunshine, Sainsbury’s, the Fife Coastal Path and sunshine – sorry I may have mentioned sunshine before…we’re not used to it you know – is the glorious Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, whose bible is The Yellow Book.
The Yellow Book lists all the private (and some public) gardens open for charity, the dates each is open, where to find them, how to get in touch if need be and which charities will benefit.
We’ve already ‘done’ The Secret Gardens of St Andrews; Wormistoune House (Crail); Cambo House (Kingsbarns); Earlshall Castle (Leuchars); Crail Burgh and Strathkinness Village Gardens.
It’s all terrifically well organised. Each village produces a map with the open gardens numbered, which is available from either one central point (like Strathkinness Village Hall) or several; you get a sticker showing you’ve paid; each participating garden is well marked with yellow signs and balloons tied to fences/railings/gates/trees; garden owners wear an identification badge so you can buttonhole them and give them a good grilling on their pride and joy; there is usually a plant sales table in one and a tea/coffee/cake/strawberries&cream in another – the pièce de résistance so far has to be the strawberries dipped in a chocolate fountain in a magical garden behind a mediaeval house in St Andrews! That’ll be hard to beat…
Mostly, taking photos seemed a waste of looking time, but here are some of Crail’s sylvan delights from the last weekend in July…
Ont the Jazzers in previous blog. Can you remember a group of Jazzers called The Clyde Valley Stompers. They were a top group in my youth and a long time after.
I commented on the Gardens in your Flickr set. Good area.
Lovely photos, KC, what gorgeous gardens (and not a cat in sight!). Everything looks so lush. Crail is one of my favourite places but of course these gardens aren’t normally visible. Beautiful just!
The Clyde Valley Stompers? Surely everyone over 30 can remember them! Well before my time of course…I’m only 6…
Here’s a wee treat for you Harry darling 😀 http://geoffboxell.tripod.com/Clyde.html
Wish I hadn’t done that. Mpu says he’d quite like the records *sigh*
Oh just you wait Jill. We’ve got such a treat coming up, so stappit fu’ o’ pussycats (ie us) you’ll be quite underwhelmed!
The Clyde Valley Stompers – did they not used to appear sometimes on Saturday Club? Now there’s one from the archives… 🙂
Thats amazing I qued to get into a dancehall in Musselburgh around 1959 the band used to go round different areas and were always a sellout. They were great. I think one of the band came to Toronto Canada. I hope I can order the cd. Time flies but good music is never old. The tv show was top of the pops, I think. I liked
the 6-5 Special show on Saturday just before going dancing ha. Man I’m old.
Ooooh Harry darling I think you’re even more mature than I am 🙂 And what a memory you’ve got, too.
Children, children, you’re only as old as the man/woman you feel😆 Sunshine Cat and I are going to volunteer to do reminiscence classes with the old folks in Landlady’s George St Home! You all are welcome…
great blog as usual,KC and sunshine band: harry i used to love the 6 5 special in the beginning i was scared as i always thought the locomotive would come out of the tele and run me over. Where in strath are the gardens KC? the first house hubby and i owned was number seven,the pleasance row
memories🙂
The only house we visited in Pleasance Row unfortunately didn’t sport its number, as it had a name, which could have been given it at any time. It was called Thule and owned by a Dr&Mrs Milner. and appears as such in the Fife Fonebook, so no number alas😦
Sorry not much help taddoe.
ours was called “kenmore” Friends of ours who worked in st andrews sold their house in st andrews and moved to strath jim and moira delany he was a gp and she used to teach french at madras college:
hey you got the PRPs working!
I did?😯Gosh I do feel clever…erm…would you just be a very kind morrolesssocks and remind me what they are???
Did you go through the house with the crossed lobsters over the door and the poetry on the wall in the hall? I seem to remember going round Crail’s little gardens on a rainy Sunday in 1993, with a much littler Dan, and a damp and curly Bob.
Apart from The Old House on Marketgate, entry to the gardens was up the back or round the side, and not a cross lobster in sight!
oh I can’t wait for the reminiscing classes Kc and the Sunshine Cat, that just sounds FAB!!!What’s that saying about the Sixties- if you can remember them you weren’t there??’ Course, I was only a nipper then ,with my hand knitted jumper, Beatles Haircut and Dame Edna glasses.. and teeth brace.. . sigh…I really was a looker 😀
Fpu used to have hand-knitted jumpers…Todays kids don’t know how lucky lucky lucky they are, what with the purrice of wool goin’ through the roof!
On purrticularly memorable one was bright red cableknit with a crossed over cowal neck and a huge red button…I’m feelin’ a bit faint…
Oh and Harry? Have you been over to my Crawford St blog? People are still putting your name into the search engine, and ending up at my blog. I’m getting slightly curious now!
You’re not the only one! Is there something we should be told? I always thought that Harry had a twinkle in his eye…😯
hahaha possibly related posts…you are forgetting your own abbreviations lol
😳
Jill has it right, Mature is a better word than auld, Though the memory part is questionable, I have so many senior moments Keys, wallet, glasses, lost everyday, though I can remember years ago as proven ha.
I have been at your Craford St Blog Landlady, though I’m innocent about your Query. I have a twinkle in my eye but glasses hide it. nothing wrong with that 🙂
I see you took your glasses off to release the full twinkle effect😀
Landlady must be purrleased you are innocent about her Query…
When you lose your twinkle you may as well shut up shop and shuffle it off. The mortal coil that is…
From the Home for Mature Twinklers and Distressed Gentlewomen.
Never lose the twinkle , it’s better than good looks. I should know 🙂
Right come on, pile in girls, Harry darling’s fishing for compliments. I’ll be first. You’re lookin’ purrty good from where I’m sitting!
Not true KC I’m too shy for that plus my wife would kill me 🙂
coward!!!
Oh steady on there taddoe, you wouldn’t want one of our top commenters to come to a sticky end just because some of us think he’s no’ bad lookin’😯
eh(scratching my head looking for an answer)————————–no:😀
You know the old saying. Have Keyboard will travel. You do wear thick glasses KC?.
Don’t be shy Taddoe tell it like it is 🙂
My eyesight, as befits a keyboarding kat, is purrfect🙂
I’m wearing ultra thick specs fur readin!!
Strathkiness! ??!
Last year at uni I and 2 pals lived in The Manse, Ceres. Pretty posh for students and we had a super women come in and clean for us once a week. (Unlike todays students we were very tidy anyway so it was a cushy job.). Does the Crail Potter belong to the Garden club? he is very organic, things grow like crazy and there are tubes leading water or nutrients or whatever all over the place. And as a backdrop, the Isle of May. Where we had a great party in 19……. wait for it…………………………………………………………..
63. I have pictures: the girls were all overwhelmingly beautiful, the men stunningly handsome, there was sun, food, spare time and I didn’t lay anyone/get laid. Death, where is thy sting?
The men stunningly handsome eh? Well of course, who could doubt it…😆