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| Image: Colin Galbraith |
I don’t know about you, but if you had half as good a weekend as I did then you’ve had a great time. Mine was a belter: relaxing, great company, lots of fun with two great dogs, lots of fine wine, and some of the best home-cooked food you will find anywhere in Scotland.
We took off for The Borders around two o’clock on Saturday and arrived just outside Dolphinton mid-afternoon. We were there to visit friends – Gail used to work with Carol, and through that friendship we’ve all become friends – and along with Ian and their two fabulous Cruft-winning Border Collies, Alfie and Eve, we spent the day and stayed overnight.
Most of Saturday afternoon was spent catching up and drinking wine. There were nibbles and lots of playing with the dogs, but it was mainly wine and talking. Carol served up a delicious roast beef dinner with all the trimmings. Roast beef in this part of the country is different to the city, as it is literally off the animal and on the table as it was cut.
Carol also served up a delicious home-made Bomb and Chocolate Log for dessert, after which I was totally stuffed. Buttons were undone. I had room only for more wine, and while the food settled, Ian and I had another tipple, watched a Western and chatted about old movies.
Later, after more wine – we went through 7 bottles between the four of us – I took my daughter and the two dogs out into the paddock for their late evening walk. Carol and Ian’s house is a converted farm, which was then converted again into their home and a 4-Star B&B (I did their website for them www.millburnhousebandb.co.uk). It comes with a few acres of land that is used for, amongst other things, walking in, keeping hens, training the dogs to championship standard, and of course, it is perfect for exercising two energetic Collies. The only problem was that it was so dark we could hardly see where we were, and with so much wine and food in my belly, we had a great laugh.
A New Taste
For the second time in a month I discovered another drink I quite like. Leading on from my tasting of Jack Daniels at my parents’ house, I have now added Morgan’s Spiced Rum to my portfolio of ever growing beverages I’m fond of. It was with a furry head that I finally hit the hay sometime around 2pm.
After a great sleep, I got up around 8:30am, showered and dressed, and was back out in the field with Alfie and Eve giving them their morning constitutional. We walked for a couple of miles around the perimeter of the land, throwing their ball to them and giving them plenty of attention and exercise. It was good for me too, as my hangover had disappeared by the time I got back to the house. And what did I find waiting for me when I returned to the kitchen? A full Scottish fry up, made with fresh, local ingredients (the eggs came from the hens in the garden that morning!) and freshly brewed coffee. The only thing missing was a copy of The Observer and Andrew Marr on the telly, but hey, who can argue with that?
Gail Galbraith Photography Website Launch
We said our goodbyes and I was back home and in my home office by lunchtime. Yesterday was all about one thing: launching the new Gail Galbraith Photography website. It took a few hours to transfer the site and all the back-end code to make it live, check it all and ensure that everything was as it should be. You can now view the newly launched site by visiting www.gailgalbraith.co.uk
Before I go, here are some pictures I took of the Carol and Ian’s dogs. Trained by Carol to an exceptionally high standard, these dogs are absolutely amazing to be around; intelligent, behaved, cheeky, and just bags and bags of fun.
Until tomorrow!
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Freedom from the Mundane 