Bright and sunny morning ....

26th June 2022 (Sunday)     07.45 .... It looks like being a lovely day;  we have

Balcarres Gardens 'Open' day.

a ‘bright and sunny start to it, with a brisk breeze from the ESE.... so it shouldn’t be too hot.   However, showers are forecast for the afternoon, but, being hit or miss things they, with a bit o’ luck, might miss us.

20.30    Unfortunately the above mentioned showers didn’t miss us, but not before Alice and I had enjoyed a walk round most of the Balcarres House gardens.... along with loads of other visitors.   We decided to make for the tea room, but so had everyone else so we louped intae the car and made our way to Alice’s and had our cuppa there.   Alice lives in Methil: her husband George, a former workmate and friend, died a few months ago.   We had a pleasant (if slightly damp) afternoon.... but it was very enjoyable.

Alice admiring the roses.

The gardens were looking really good;  it’s always a nostalgic visit for me having served my apprenticeship (as a painter and decorator) from 1953 – 58:   a brilliant place to learn a trade.   Back home at Ivy I happened to find an episode of Nick Knowles’ ‘Heritage Rescue’, which just happened to be about ‘rescuing William Morris’ house.   Sanderson’s Design Group is reproducing the wallpaper for the house, from small pieces discovered while renovations were going on.   I visited Sanderson’s Wallpaper Factory (Perivale Middlesex) as it was then, in 1956, as one of a group of three (two students and a tutor) from Kirkcaldy Technical College... and had a go ‘block’ at hand printing wall paper.   It was brilliant seeing it that still being done today:  at a cost £1200 per roll.

21.30   The showers appear to be moving away, but it’s still breezy (and cool) with threatening looking clouds around:  tomorrow is going to be much the same as today, ‘light showers with a moderate breeze’.  

This has been a different and enjoyable day for me;  it was good going to Balcarres with


Alice instead of on my own.... I really enjoyed that.   Oh I have ordered ‘The Lindsay’s of Balcarres’... a book by Ludovic (Lindsay) about the family, with photographs taken from the Lindsay family archives.

 

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