Russian Around

This morning, my friend Margaret Coll phoned to say that inasmuch as our Keep Fit session was cancelled for this morning, did I want to join her on a walk around Aberuchill Estate? I most certainly did. So as Don went off to play golf with John Southorn, I went off with Margaret for about a 2-mile walk on an estate just on the other side of Comrie, near the settlement called The Ross.

This property was purchased a few months ago by one of Russia's wealthiest men (Forbes named him Russia's second-richest). Our newspaper, Scotland on Sunday, in a story last December about his buying the estate (for the equivalent of about $12 million), dubbed him "Oligarch of the Glen," but he came from humble beginnings. Vladimir Lisin started life as a welder and worked his way up through the state-owned company to become a steel tycoon and one of Putin's inner circle. He is just one of several wealthy Russians interested in Scottish estates but the first to successfully purchase one as not all sellers are willing to let their properties go to just anyone. (Word was going around our community last year, when the estate was on the market, that Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea United Football club, wanted to buy it but his bid wasn't accepted and not because of price. We don't know how reliable gossip such as this is, however.) The newspaper reported that the price Lisin paid for Aberuchill was 800,000 pounds over the asking price and the highest price paid for a Scottish estate in 2005.

At any rate, according to people we know who are on friendly terms with Alisdair, the caretaker of the estate, Lisin is a pretty good laird, when it comes right down to it. (There have been intimations that he is preferred to the previous owner, a Texas oil executive!) The estate has a 16th-century "castle" (you can see from the photo that it doesn't look much like a castle), 3,300 acres of gorgeous grouse-shooting, deer-stalking, game-fishing, sheep-grazing land which includes over 700 acres of forestry. The "house" has, in part, 5 public rooms and 13 bedrooms (all en-suite). In addition, there are 12 estates houses and cottages and a farm. (I probably won't be knocking on the castle door with a batch of cookies!) In the first couple of months after the purchase, each week in our community newspaper, we saw multiple applications to the Council for building permission for all kinds of refurbishment. Fortunately, we don't seem to be competing with Lisin for tradespeople.

We heard recently that among the crowd of revellers in Comrie's main square on New Year's Eve were Lisin and some of his multinational guests. In heavy coats and hats at that time of year, however, we all look Russian!

At any rate, I took this photo from the track that runs past the property as Margaret and I walked past. Most of the walk was on the estate, because with that many acres involved, it would be hard not to walk on estate property at least some of the way. It was a lovely walk although the weather was very cold on this overcast day. Margaret, who is a quilter, is a jolly person to walk with, very lively and interesting. The time just flew by.

The joiners are back at work on putting up the rest of the fascia for the roof. Turns out it wasn't our insulation which went missing after all. (And anyway it's been found.) Ours hasn't been ordered yet. The roof tiles are the latest hitch; they can't be delivered until Monday (or possibly, Tuesday) so Bill has had to put George the tiler off. He's actually finishing up the job at our friends Haig and Trish Hamiltons' house so we happen to know he's supposed to be finished there today or tomorrow. Timing seems to be working out okay on that front. Still no brickies.

Don and I had a lovely lunch today at the White Church Thursday Club: cream of broccoli soup, cheese rolls, and a pineapple sponge pudding for Don and brownie with whipped cream for me, followed by coffee.

Last night's Strathearn Music Society concert featuring the Maggini Quartet (Maggini is pronounced with a soft "G"), a string quartet we had heard 2 years ago and looked forward to hearing again. Last night they played Mozart's Quartet No. 18 in A, which was lovely but somewhat mesmerizing (or perhaps it was just too soon after dinner). Next came a concerto by Frank Bridge which, we both felt, was like listening to someone smashing glass for 25 minutes. After the interval, they played Beethoven's Opus 18 No. 6 in B flat which was absolutely delightful.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I'm off to Edinburgh on a bus from Perth with lots of other patchworkers to a quilt exhibition. That should be good fun.