October sort of flew by in a whirlwind of activity or travel. Suddenly we found ourselves last Sunday moving the clocks from British Summer Time to…well to fool ourselves, really, because we still only get 8 hours of daylight. Now the sun rises at 7:30 and sets at 4:30 in the afternoon! We had our first really cold spell this week, brought in on a very strong north wind. There was frost this morning. Sadly, last night was another night when Halloween came and went with not the first sound of children in costume out Trick or Treating. We do miss that from the States, seeing the wee ones from the neighbourhood all kitted out as Batmen and clowns, witches and pirates. At least we save our waistlines and teeth from eating the leftover candy!
If you visited the blog in October, you would have seen from the 12th through the 22nd photos and details of our week-long sojourn in Cognac, France, with a French family. It was a marvelous week during which we had a tour of the wet marshes, visited La Rochelle and the nearby Ile de Ré, toured St. Emilion, enjoyed weekend meals and outings with our French host family, toured Cognac, and participated in several Perth-Cognac twinning activities: a folk ball and several ceremonies, including one to rename a Cognac street Rue de Perth. We learned much during that week and had wonderful and varied experiences. What a great opportunity to learn more about French culture.
Once back in Comrie, we entertained our friend Kathryn Hansman-Spice for a few days then concentrated on getting the last of our home decorating done. (Well, almost the last of it—I still need to order cushions and bolsters for the windows seats and get them covered, but that will be a winter project.) Now the long-awaited cupboard in my studio has been painted to match the existing ones. Don and I selected and replaced all the door/drawer pulls. You cannot tell by looking at the wall of built-in wardrobes that they haven't all been there from the start. Acorn Fabrics delivered and hung our living room/dining room drapes which make the room not only cheery but give us more privacy at night now that the leaves are coming off the trees. Further, it adds insulation against the cold. With our new windows, the gas fire, an additional radiator for the added space, and now the curtains, the sitting room is quite snug and comfortable at night. That wasn't the case before. Photos on the October 24th blog.
Just a week ago, I ran a day-long workshop teaching 18 women how to make raw-edge appliquéd flower quilts. Each one made a floral picture quilt that was unique although they all used the same technique. You can see some of the projects in progress on the blog from October 25th. It was great fun for all.
Our youngest grandchild, Cameron Reid Daniels, turned one year old on October 27th. The day before, his naming ceremony was held at the First Unitarian Society of Albany (New York) followed by a party attended by family and friends. Having had his first haircut recently, Cameron is looking more like a little boy than a baby these days. (See blog for October 27th .) We look forward to seeing that family in Albany this month as well as daughter Jill and her family in Rochester and Don's cousins in Buffalo. We leave here on the 10th and return home on the 20th. It would be fun to be in the States for Thanksgiving but not so much fun to be on the roads in a rental car at a time when there is such a high probability for snow.
We are having a beautiful autumn, although perhaps not quite as spectacular as last year's. Still, Perthshire, the Scottish region we live in, is like Scotland's Vermont when it comes to gorgeous autumn scenery.
Last Sunday we spent the day in Pitlochry at the last day of a 4-day folk festival put on by local singer and songwriter, Dougie MacLean, whom many of you have seen in concert. It was a marvelous event culminating in a terrific concert featuring musicians Dougie performed with 30 years or more ago, including members of the groups The Tannahill Weavers and Silly Wizard. (See the October 30th blog for photos and details.) We enjoyed the hour-long drive to Pitlochry under blue skies. I could have done without the hour-long drive home in the dark and in the rain, especially when we encountered a deer on the road. Fortunately, we didn't get to that spot in the road 2 seconds earlier! As it was, he zig-zagged along the road in front of us for about 50 feet before veering off to the other side of the road and up into the trees. Let's just say he was a healthy specimen and we're glad he stayed that way.
We hope you are preparing for a Thanksgiving with friends and family. Perhaps we'll make ourselves a turkey breast dinner after we return from our New York trip. We have a tin of pumpkin for the pie and can make our own stuffing these days. We are getting pretty good at making things from scratch (such as croutons and breadcrumbs) that we used to buy at the supermarket. Yes, you can get those things here but they aren't the same. Other more exotic items are a bit problematic. For example, I made an oriental meal last Saturday that started with eggrolls and finished with a stir fry. Why did I think I'd be able to find Vietnamese rice papers for the eggroll wrappers even at the "big Tescos" in Perth? Still, I had so looked forward to having eggrolls that I Googled "eggroll wrappers" and found a recipe to make my own. Believe me, it wasn't easy--and it certainly wasn't the same—but, by golly, we had eggrolls!
Today we sent off our absentee ballots for the midterm elections. One thing we're thankful for is not having to see or hear election campaigning. Happy Thanksgiving.
Love,
Lynn and Don
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