miss marie's miscellany

New book

I had time at my lunch break to pop into Waterstones and browse. My main objective was to get my hands on the latest William Boyd novel, Ordinary Thunderstorms.

 I am a big fan of this wonderful writer and have read almost all his books. I was totally gripped by Restless, his taut espionage thriller, which I read last year when on holiday, and Any Human Heart, his novel told in autobiographical form, is one of my all time favourite books; wonderfully crafted stories which keeps you enthralled from cover to cover. His collection of non-fiction writing,  Bamboo,  is an Aladdin's cave of glittering jewels to dip in and out of, essays,reviews and pieces of journalism on a fascinating  and diverse range of subjects. I can't recommend his books highly enough!  A few weeks ago I watched Mark Lawson interview William Boyd on BBC4, and enjoyed hearing his  thoughts and reflections on life as a writer, screenwriter and director, and listening to WB read from his books. (No longer available on BBC iPlayer, but if it's repeated,  it's well worth viewing).  William Boyd has his own website which is well worth a look, for a comprehensive overview of his books and films. I'm looking forward to getting lost in the pages of this new book, although strangely, I can't bring myself to start reading it yet, as once I do that, I'll have to finish it, and I don't want to! I love the feeling of great expectation, when you know you're really going to enjoy reading a book, and it will stay with you for ages. I'm going to prolong the suspense for a little while longer and then I'd better get reading! 

Last rose of summer

Perhaps I should have titled this post the first rose of Autumn! Sitting looking out of the window, my eye was caught by this lovely red rose. 

I've been busy over the last week so I have to admit to missing this flower completely till I sat down at the computer  this morning and there it was in front of me....... a lovely surprise. 

My first baby blanket!

Before you get all excited, calm down, I'm not expecting!! Still quite exciting though, I finished the blanket I decided to make for my friend and her new baby. This is the first crochet project I've made for someone else as a gift, so I wanted it to be good, and I'm delighted with how it's turned out. 

The granny squares were easy to make, but the joining up was a labour of love; I just about lost the will to carry on on Monday evening when I realised I'd joined a row of squares together with the wrong sides up, and later on, I did the same thing again!  What a muppet!  Anyway, I collected my thoughts and persevered, and it was delivered to my friend yesterday;  she really liked the colours (I think she's getting tired of pale blue baby presents!)  and appreciated the work that had gone into making it;  and it's just the perfect size for her little boy. Everyone's happy!

September Sun

A lovely day in the garden.

I love this hydrangea which looks at its very best at this time of year.

There are still touches of colour, flowers, leaves, berries topped off with a blue,blue sky

These sunny days are getting few and far between now, so I try to cherish them, so I can store up that sunshine feeling for when winter comes.

Enjoy your sunny moments this week!

Down by the river

Yesterday, I went to the Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour. I was there to take part in a fund raising concert, so my visit was for business, but I still managed find time to take some photos. I've driven past here many times but never visited, so it was good to take a few moments for a closer look.

The boat is a 19th century barque, permanently moored here. Inside it is a surprisingly large and well-eqipped space, they had ample room for all the diners at the function (about 150 people). The boat can be hired out for childrens birthday parties, how to impress your school friends!

By the time we left, it was getting dark, and the boat and harbour looked so impressive against the twilight sky.

Back on dry land now!

View from the castle window

Blue sky Sunday at Linlithgow Palace.

Bulbs and gardens

Yesterday  was another sun-filled day, and I went with my sister to Greenbank Garden, for a bulb fair, and a good look round this beautiful garden. The bulb fair was good,with all the usual spring flowers, with lots of different varieties. We both indulged in a little purchasing!

The Greenbank Garden is a National Trust property, in a quiet leafy area of Glasgow. It's set in between woodland and fields, and is a walled garden with a lovely mixture of formal and less structured planting.I visited once before in spring 2008, before things had really started blooming, which was still enjoyable, but it was more lush and colourful this time. The first thing we saw was this buddleia festooned with butterflies and bees; there must have been at least 4 of these butterflies!

There is an elegant Georgian house at the front of the garden which isn't open to the public, a shame as the views of the garden from inside must be lovely. 

Shades of Jane Austen!

Once we'd crossed this immaculate lawn in front of the house, we saw this gate inviting us into the walled garden

It really is a garden of delights, so much to see. Paths lead you round the garden

This one was lined with bamboos, which swished in the gentle breeze

There's some interesting topiary - I love the snail and the dog!

Lots of flowers of course

Some beautiful tall thistles

and teasels

This lovely water nymph fountain was hidden away behind a hedge  - only the sound of the fountain guides you to it

We both loved this sheep having a nap in the shade

There are plentiful benches to sit and take in the view- I liked this arbour with rose design

  

Exotic flowers and plants in the glasshouse

There are some autumnal touches here and there adding to the rainbow of colours

Wonderful to sit and feel the sun on your face and look at the blue sky

I'm so glad to have visited this garden when it looked so lovely, and to enjoy it with my dear sister. It was a real shot in the arm for us both; sunshine, flowers, shopping and tea and scones, that's got to be a winning combination!

Sunny Friday

It was a  lovely day in Glasgow yesterday.  There's been a distinctly autumnal air here recently, but an Indian summer is with us just now. It's lovely to feel the sun again. I spent the afternoon in the garden doing some tidying up, planting salad leaves and digging over the veg plots. I found these potatoes (I always miss a couple)

I have some cracking tomatoes growing too. I have to confess that I stuck 2 plants in the greenhouse (ie plastic covered shelving) and apart from watering them have done absolutely nothing nurturing to them. I think that's because of the last 2 summers of lavish care and attention for pathetic tomato yield; my expectations were low. But this is the result of my chronic neglect

There are about 8 or 9 plum tomatoes! Hopefully these will turn red, especially now they may get some TLC. 

I also enjoyed lunch outside in the sunshine, - do you like my new IKEA tray?!

A thumb through this library book whilst eating

to give me some inspiration  to make something for my friend who has just had a baby boy. She's a brightly coloured kind of person, so I decided to crochet a granny square blanket

I like the bold colours, and the fact it will turn out a bit more funky than the average baby blanket. I think my friend will like it too!

Little and large

I hadn't checked my veg plants for a few days, today I found these; liitle yellow squash and large courgette! 

The squash is in my tummy now, and very delicious it was too.

I also pulled out my windowbox carrots(they are meant to be this shape rather than pointed!)

I know, they're petite, but very cute!

Hill House

Charles Rennie Mackintosh is famous all over the world for his unique architecture and design, nicknamed the Glasgow Style.  There are many examples of his work in Glasgow, and to the west in Helensburgh is another of his designs, the beautiful Hill House. 

As its name suggests, the Hill House is built high above the town, with great views of the Firth of Clyde, although these were completely obscured when we visited because of rain (I refuse to let the inclement weather keep me inside!) The house is owned by the National Trust and they don't allow any photography inside, so no pics of the lovely interior: the main living room and master bedroom are a mixture of cream and pink with typical Mackintosh rose design and gesso panelling, and most of the rest of the house has dark wood panels with tall thin windows. I found these 2 images just to give you an taste of what it's like.

If you click here you can see a few more detailed interior views. 

 

The house was commissioned by Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie, who also had Mackintosh and his wife Margaret design the interiors and much of the furniture for the house. I like the fact that although the house appears to be built on straight lines, on closer inspection one can see it is anything but symmetrical. Windows are different sizes and shapes, the roof is on several levels with chimney stacks of different heights and there are some turrets and curves too. 

I like this curved wall at the back of the house which encloses the main staircase.

This is the view of the back of the house from the orchard 

I'm not sure what happened to this tree!

There was a small vegetable garden

and a huge garden, mostly lawned with flower beds nearer the house. My mum told me about a TV programme she saw recently about children from Glasgow who were evacuated to the house (still privately owned) during the war; it must have been wonderful to have the run of a huge garden like this, and to stay in such an original home.

 

There is a cafe which is in the old kitchen, although it's self-service it's still posh! Proper china cups and plates and the delicious cakes on stands with lids. There's a souvenir shop with much tasteful CRM themed merchandise and a design shop with some gorgeous glassware, pottery and jewellery.

Despite the terrible weather, I still enjoyed visiting this lovely piece of architectural and design history. It is beautifully preserved and restored, hard to believe that the house and many of its contents are  over 100 years old.