I’ve been neglecting ‘Pining’ the past couple of days because yet again I’m up to my elbows in wallpaper paste – doing Gordon’s old bedroom now. No don’t say that I should get professionals in to do it because in my experience they are just expensive bodgers so I would rather do it myself, I can bodge just as well for free!
Anyway, a couple of weekends ago we decided to go for a walk around Aberdour (again), just about six miles along the coast going towards Edinburgh. It’s too long to walk there so we took the car and by the time we got there it was chucking it down with rain. But you wouldn’t think it from the photos, it was one of those ‘April shower’ days in September.
We went to Aberdour so that my husband could take a photo of the war memorial there, he’s sort of ‘collecting’ them, which is a Sisyphean task if ever there was one as they’re all over the place and sometimes in the most unexpected locations, but I leave them to him. I was more interested in this ancient doorway leading into the grounds of Aberdour Castle. It dates from 1632.
And this is what you can see when you get through the doorway.
It’s still pretty and colourful even in September. Aberdour Castle is one of the few castles which I think would have been quite comfy and pleasant to live in in its heyday and it’s worth a visit if you’re ever in that vicinity.
By the time we walked around Aberdour my feet were absolutely squelching wet, completely drookit. What is it about modern footwear manufacturers? They seem to have lost the ability to make shoes and boots waterproof. I had on my fairly expensive hiking boots and after about a year they started to leak. Am I expecting too much? Is it just me or do other people have the same problem with footwear nowadays?!
You live in such a gorgeous place! And with such interesting buildings and beautiful gardens.
I agree with you about both your wallpaper hangers and your boots. It seems we’re surrounded by shoddy merchandise (no matter how expensive it is – currently we’re fighting with a very expensive Wolf gas range that either won’t light or decides to keep all it’s electric burner lighting clickers clicking even after the burners are off and whose oven pops when the gas goes off! If it hadn’t cost about the same as a small car, I’d drag it out onto the sidewalk, except that it’s the size of a small car, too!) and people who don’t do their jobs well (and, in this category, the list is too long). Seems nine out of ten of the people we hire or meet are totally inept at their jobs. And people wonder why I’m such a pessimistic grouch! I am in the Dorothy Parker camp of ‘What fresh hell is this?’!
Joan,
I decided a while ago that I wasn’t going to pay out huge amounts for technical things because then I just worry about them going wrong and it costs so much to have them fixed that I could’ve bought a replacement basic model cheaper. It used to be ‘buy cheap – buy twice’ but nowadays expensive often means ‘rip off’! I can never understand why it is that the unemployment statistics are huge, but the people who are in employment are often the useless ones. I think it must be corruption, who you know is more important than what you know! It’s hard not to be a pessimistic grouch at times! I hope you can get your gas range sorted out – or get your money back!
I’ve never been to Aberdour Castle! I must visit it sometime.
I wear Crocs nearly all the time, no socks in the summer, so always get wet feet when I’m plowtering through the puddles, but I know what you mean about shoes that leak! My boots are ok though – lots of Dubbin over the years!!!
Tell your husband there’s a very beautiful war memorial in Peebles.
Also well done for doing the decorating. I usually do mine too, though I’m not to happy about painting ceilings. Well, I wasn’t, but I got one of these non-drip, pour the paint into the centre of the roller, type of things on a long pole, so am now rather looking forward to trying it out – once I’ve cleared out the clutter!
Evee,
I can only remember a statue of a sheep/ram in Peebles! I want to go back sometime to have a closer look at the town that DE Stevenson lived in, so we’ll look out for the war memorial. My husband’s grandparents lived in nearby Innerleithen years ago. I’ll be interested to hear how you get on with the new fangled roller thingy! Thanks so much for the award!
Aha! The sheep/ram – with no ears – is in Moffat! Is that where DE Stevenson lived? A nice town. Some of my ancestors on mother’s side came from there, but Peebles is nicer! Well, I would say that! I’m biased – should that have two S’s?
It will be a wee while till I can get the roller thing out! Bags of clutter to clear out first!
Evee,
Just call me – confused of Kirkcaldy! I realised after I logged off that I was getting mixed up with Peebles and Moffat. Yes she came from Moffat, I hope the good ice-cream shop is still there when we go back. You should see my house at the moment!. Kids will leave home and not take all their stuff with them, but it can’t be chucked out. I’m trying to decorate around it!
Darn! Forgot I wanted to add in the other comment that I have an award for you on my blog. Your blog rocks!