Studio and Schoolhouse Cottages

Fri 17th
Early out with Maeve the Deerhound this morning for a walk along the road towards the two farms which look over the Kyles of Bute just South of Kames. Blue sky again.

After another Al Fresco breakfast with our views across to Arran and Kintyre we drove round to Tighnabruaich and parked in the car park at Suzy's Tearoom. From there we took a slow stroll along the shore road to the boatyard at Rhubaan, stopping along the way to book a table for dinner in the bar at The Wellpark Hotel. Apparently it is Thai and Indian night on a Friday :-)

We had walked out to the end of the old pier at Tighnabruaich where the steamers and puffers would come to look up and down the Kyles and perhaps get a photo or two when I happened to see movement in the water. Otter! I whispered to Apothecary7 to look to her left and at the water and she managed to see it too before it dived under the surface. We quietly moved to the edge of the pier and were lucky enough to see it pop up again before it disappeared under water. I can only assume that it has its Holt somewhere over on the Bute coastline and had come over at low water to scout out the opposite shore.

Back to the car and the short drive to Millhouse for lunch at The Barn again. The sun was quite warm and there were some people enjoying their lunch outside. We we happy to see quite a few people there today. The more the merrier to keep these good places able to open and develop.

After lunch we took the car down to the shore at Kames and walked a little way South to Blair's Ferry where there are three tiny unoccupied cottages. Some of Apothecary7's ancestors lived round this spot at the end of the 19th century. In our living room at home we have two paintings of the cottages, one from either side, by the landscape artist John Lowrie Morrison (Jolomo). It has extra significance for us in being one of the favourite paddling spots of Mr Sandy, the lurcher we had when we first got Maeve. Sadly this was not to be for long as Sandy developed epilepsy and despite many months of veterinary treatment he got worse and worse. Sandy's ashes were scattered very near Blair's Ferry. We were thinking of him today.

We will finish the afternoon by sitting out in the cottage garden where I am writing this on the netbook. There is ginger beer in the fridge.

Later there will be exotic dining at The Wellpark Hotel :-)