Mr C’s garden

I don’t know how he manages to carry all the stuff needed to grow veg up here. There are lots of steep steps to get up from the house. The courgettes are great this year so I’ll have to find some innovative ways to use them.

I have no aches from yesterday’s 9 mile hill walk but I did wake at 3.30am, just when it was beginning to get light, and I was unable to get back to sleep. I dozed from around 6 till 6.30 and that was it. Needless to say I needed a strong espresso to get me going this morning.

It was Art Appreciation this afternoon. Nigel presented his take on abstract art. He had some slides of various artists, including some work from the gallery in Stromness. I enjoyed seeing the slides but he did whip through it all. He’d done research but tended to read it at great speed. At the end he showed some of his own work which almost inspired me to have a go again.

Ailie, Chris, Shona and I are going to “A Bunch of Amateurs”, the play Lynn is directing, in the village hall. It’s a sell out so we’d better get there early.

Recently we heard that the Duke had made over Rothbury Estates to a younger son. The bad news today in young Lord Percy has put up Rothbury Estates up for sale. If you have a spare £35 million it could be yours. It has been part of the Ducal Estates for 700 years. The Simonside Hills are included, as well as tenant farmer land, salmon fishing and open moorland (nice shooting I’m sure). Now it will go to the highest bidder, no doubt to offset tax in some way for a large commercial outfit. It’s possible huge swathes will be put to commercial forestry. .