As a summary of how May was the title of this post is pretty accurate. We were very, very dry, so dry in fact that the trees we planted in mid-april have suffered hugely. I guess everyone thinks of the west coast of Scotland as a place with heavy rainfall, watery sunshine and midges. Well this spring we had a mini-drought. And this is becoming a regular occurrence: the same thing happened last year and two years before that. In fact the first year we were here it was so dry between April and early June that Sadie and I thought we had discovered a mediterranean climate!

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For those of you who haven’t come across the inestimable greatness that is flickr.com, all you’ll need to know is it is the place on the web that photographers gather to publish their efford to the worldwide community. Often a source of inspiration, sometimes truly magnificent. We did an ego-search for the castle and came up with a couple of wonderful images which were taken at the beginning of the year.

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The last week the weather has been stunning here at Dunans, and along with the fact that we have had some very willing house guests, time has been spent working in the grounds. Spring has certainly sprung, sprinkling even the tenderest of the deciduous trees with motes of green and making sure that the early wildflowers, such as the primulas have finally decided to put on their show. Wafting subtly through these visual displays has been the enticing and surprising aroma of Garlic.

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As you’ll have gathered from the pages on Scottish Laird, Dunans Bridge is perhaps the finest example of a triple-arch rubble-built bridge in Scotland. Certainly all the official-types who visit, professors, heritage workers, architectural societies, engineers, architects etc etc. are deeply enthused as soon as they see its 3 gothic arches, the 8 octagonal stanchions, the three gruesome gargoyles and the sheer size of the structure. Then when we mention the names Thomas Telford and his colleague Nasmyth, their eyes positively sparkle. And I suppose this sense of the bridge’s uniqueness is heightened by the fact that as you drive over it, you’re not “seeing it”. Instead your attention is drawn to the castle itself, and the way it sits above the Ha-ha. You miss the A-listed structure you are traversing to get to the B-listed house. Read the rest of this entry »

Every March over the last three years, around the 10th, 11th, 12th we have experienced heavy snowfall. Snowfall moreover which has melted within 36 hours, but which has caused calamitous amounts of disruption and destruction. The year that I took the photo of Dunans we use on our greeting cards we lost over 40% of our small, native trees. Read the rest of this entry »

This card has just arrived from the printers and we are so pleased with it. Not only are packs of 10 for sale on the ScottishLaird.com site, we are using them ourselves to send greetings to our friends. They love them! And this is not only because the photo itself is gorgeous, but because our friends and family have been an integral part of our effort to put Dunans Castle and bridge on a solid footing.

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January brought a call from a gentleman researching The Monument Men and in particular my Great Great Uncle Ted, or rather Squadron Leader J. E. Dixon-Spain. I’d always known Ted’d been involved in the saving of great works of art during the Second World War, but what I hadn’t realised was that he was at the D-Day Landings and that, incredibly, he was nearly 70 when he set foot on French soil. Ted was one of the three original ‘Monument Men’ to land in France during operation Overlord.

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Tonight over our Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, our wee dram of malt and a fair few loudly declaimed favourites from the bard’s canon, we’ll be remembering the poet Robert Burns. The Bard of Ayrshire has been celebrated in our house every year since Sadie and I met, not least because of our love of fine malt whiskies, haggis (Vegetarian as well as carnivorous) and of course, the opportunity to have a celebration in, what often seems, the darkest part of the year.

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This is just a note really, to say that the stationary order page is now set up. We’re sorry it took a little longer than expected – something to do with some big storms which swept up from Ireland this week and lines down all over the place.

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My wife is often in the limelight, literally. Not only does she run an innovative and highly successful theatre company “The Walking Theatre Company“, she also hosts Corporate events and is often published in the local newspaper. This week, and I am afraid it will only be for this week, Sadie is featured on the BBC Radio Scotland programme “Out of Doors”. The programme can be heard here, but the interview with Sadie will only be accessible until next Saturday! (She’s about 15 minutes in …) Read the rest of this entry »