I Wasn't Finished!

We had a crazy blizzard of a day and also had a changeover to do so I didn't get a chance to finish talking about my planting plan - boring to some and sometimes to myself but at this moment in time it is seeming increasing cool.

So yes, we've got courgettes (two varieties) and all the wonderful herbs.  I was thinking that tomatoes would be fab but I always have trouble growing them because I can never find a warm enough spot for them...nothing like a home grown tomato so may be I'll give them one more try this year before I give
up.

Runner beans are another contender to go in the plot and I cannot forget the trusty potato!  These are brilliant because you bury them and when you are about to dig them up, it's like hunting for buried treasure...you never know how many there will be and then all of a sudden you've dug up a handful of these little beauties and you put them in your basket and you make them in to something wonderful.

Next topic of conversation is Scottish Food and what you should not be missing out on when you get here!

Planting for Spring

With the week of good weather that we had, I was so ready to start our Spring planting!
Planted the dahlias bulbs out...I hope these do well because I LOVE dahlias and they look so fantastic in a simple vase or arrangement - doesn't this look gorgeous?

Transplanted the peonies!  I've been meaning to so this for years!  The peonies have, until now, been located in a terrible spot, on an incline and they are always wonky looking but they are a lovely fuschia colour and they go so well with the bright orange of the poppies that we also have growing in the garden.  I hope that they will now look like this...

And then they will look like this!

Broke my back digging up on the beds which is meant to look like this...

It's meant to be a wildflower plot and I think if we refrain from weeding (I suppose that it will look like a bunch of weeds for a while ) it will look resplendent by July and August.

I've also planted out the Lily of the Valley because the bulbs were starting to grow in their packaging.  Aren't these lovely?

But the weather has gotten cold again and I've put the cloches on the Lily of the Valley and I've had to refrain from spreading our wildflower seeds and propagating the other seeds which I am so desperate to get out!  But I've got the seed packages and have been dreaming about the 'harvest'.

We're definitely planting courgettes (zucchini) - these are so easy and they are so tasty when you grow them in the garden.

We've got lots of herbs planned - basil, thyme oregano, sage, coriander and may be some dill (thinking about some delicious dill with smoked salmon).  We're trying these one in pots this year because Willie, our gardener, always ends up yanking these out!

A New Year...

A new addition to your arrival this year...we welcome you with cupcakes!

Boy, have I been remiss about blogging but I am very good about our Facebook page so make sure to visit us HERE in order to see what we're up to.

We've had a busy Christmas and New Year.  On the lead up to Christmas we were really busy updating the house...it looks brilliant!  We've painted and decorated, we've bought new linens, we've moved furniture and got new furniture as well and it has come together so well.  The thing with a house like Newholme is that you want it somewhat modern but not so much that it takes away from the heritage of the house and I think we have a nice combination of old and new here.  You take a look yourself by checking out our pictures on our website gallery.

The biggest news for Newholme this year is that David and I will be building a house next door.  This is great for us but is presenting a few challenges.  Don't get the wrong impression, Newholme still sits on about 3/4 acre and when I say next door I actually mean about 20-25 meters away from the house - but one mentions the word 'construction' and people can lose interest rather quickly.  The weekend lets, which run up until June, won't be bothered as there's no construction on the weekends but during our high season we only rent out the house on a weekly basis - oh dear.  We have decided to compensate in the form of a discount and you can check this out on our rates page.  We will be keeping everybody updated through the blog and Facebook, so stay tuned for updates!

The Festive Season

It's the day after Thanksgiving and, yes, I realise that I'm in Scotland but I will never be giving up my expat Thanksgivings.  Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday...all about food without the stress of having to buy the perfect presents for everyone. Needless to say, I've got a full belly and am thinking about everybody back home in California.

When I was still back in California, Thanksgiving marked the kick-off of the festive season and when we were younger, the day after Thanksgiving was not spent shopping but rather we all piled into our pick-up truck, drove an hour to a Christmas tree farm and chopped down our Christmas tree.  I loved this because I love the festive season.  But you should see the looks I get from folks over here - it's like I'm on the crazy train when I mention Christmas decorating and trimmings.  Is the end of November really too early to start the holidays?  Aside from the shopping, I love Christmas time - people are generally in a better mood, you make time to get together with friends, and the joy flows a little bit more this time of year so why not stretch it out a bit and start a tad early?

We have guests that will be arriving for Christmas and I can't wait to decorate Newholme.  It's a big beautiful spaces with so many mantles crying out to be adorned with greenery and bobbles.  The drawing room is the perfect spot for the Christmas tree with plenty of space to open pressies while drinking coffee and hot chocolate with a fire rumbling in the back.  I'll be posing plenty of pictures so stay tuned and until then have a lovely festive season!

26th October...the first snow!

Okay, so there is no actual snow on the ground but it was fluttering and that's really all you need.  Funny that one second we are out on a clear afternoon walking the dogs in the delightfully chilly autumn whirlwind of leaves and 10 minutes later it's snowing.  It didn't last very long but just long enough to give me great hope that winter (a proper one) is heading back to Stirling.

Here's question for you...snow, is it a blessing or a curse?

Me:  Blessing!  I totally dig it!

Hopeful for a cold winter!

I'm going to try and make up for lost time...shame on me for not having posted anything over the summer!  I thought I would post some pictures of things we've done and places we've been around Stirling and around Scotland...who knows, may be something nice for you to so too!

David's family house is in Port of Menteith which is about 25 minutes due west of Stirling.  The house sits above the Lake of Menteith - not a misprint - a lake not a loch.  The lake, on its own, is lovely to visit and the island that sits in the middle of the lake is home to Inchmahome Priory a must see (in my opinion) if you're in this neck of the woods.  A few years ago, the lake froze over and it was brilliant!  Having come from California, it's quite unsettling to stand and walk on a body of water...to hear the cracking, one thinks that the end is near and that falling through the ice is inevitable but I'm so glad I got over that because I was able to bring forth the inner roller skater in me and try my luck with ice skates...I may not be very good but I have a great time!  

Since we had such a lousy winter last year, I'm really hoping that we get a truly cold winter so that I can practice my twirling again!  

A great way to spend a long weekend with friends is to go exploring...come home after a day of walking, ice skating or curling, grab your mugs of hot chocolate, and curl up in front of the fire with your pals.

Okay, so it's been a while!

Although I promised last time to blog more (which I didn't), this time I really mean it!  I can't harass my husband to do his blogging without doing my own.  Now just time to figure out what I need to catch up  on.  Last time I posted I had just planted the hanging baskets - which turned out beautifully by the way - but now we are well into Autumn and there isn't too much happening in the garden these days.  But with the cold weather comes the opportunity to wear your jumpers, get in front of a fire and make some homemade soup or just have some lovely store bought stuff and eat it with a gooey cheese toastie!

Here at Newholme, we are in the process of updating some of the rooms and here is picture of our latest update:

We're not changing a whole lot because we love the 'old' feel of the house but look at what a fresh coat of paint, some new linen and pillows and few bits and pieces do for a room.  We are really looking forward to continuing our quest but we have clients in for the next few weeks so it's got to go on hold for the moment!