News
Easter
I can’t believe it’s almost Easter - only 3 days to go until Good Friday. I will have to get the feather duster out and get cracking with some cleaning. The winter has whizzed by, I guess Easter being that much earlier this year has taken us all by surprise.
MacDuff is growing on a daily basis and looking after him is keeping me on my toes. He is a good dog on the whole but on occasion has that stubborn streak when he just tests you to the limit. Conan doesn’t seem to have grown much at all in comparison, we all think it must be stress living with MacDuff - trying to avoid being eaten and ducked down the toilet is just many of Conan’s daily adventures. The funny thing is he always seems to come back for more - what is it they say about cats being masochists?
The children are now all living in Glasgow, although frequently visit. Kim is the only one planning to be home for Easter week-end.
Jenny’s exhibition is on at the Byre Theatre in St Andrews with drawings from her residency covering last year’s Stanza Poetry Festival. It’s on until the end of March.
Ben, as well as being at Business College, is managing a bright young band called The Yellow Bentines. They are a very talented group featuring piano, trumpets and guitar, have a lot of energy and I’m sure will go far.
A Happy Easter to you all from us at Roineabhal when it arrives. I’m off now to do some baking – I must get that Simnel Cake finished.
No animals were harmed in the making of these pictures…except, the crocuses are no longer with us.
(And that’s a toy mouse, not a real one: Conan – yes, the cat - likes to play ‘Fetch’ with it – hours of fun!)
Dinner Party with Great Company
March 2008
Here is a photo of our new puppy MacDuff
Early December 2007
Roger and I have now been back from our holiday for over a week. We saw many old friends and caught up with all their news. We enjoyed lots of wonderful French food and sampled some very good wine. We visited and discovered lots more of France and clocked up an impressive 4,000 kilometres. We managed walks in the mountains above Provence, in the foothills of the Pyrenees and up in the Haute Pyrenees just below Pic du Midi.
We are now busy preparing for the festive season and this year with our effort to reduce negative impact on the environment we are sending a message of goodwill in our newsletter via email rather than by post.
Today Roger, Kim and I have been busy splitting and stacking logs. The cellar is now full of firewood and we are all feeling satisfied with a hard day’s work.
My success in Porridge making and winning the title of ‘The Worlds Best Porridge Maker’ (for those who haven’t read about me or heard me on the radio or even seen me on the television) has brought me some unexpected glamour. I was in Edinburgh this week, being filmed for the new Bowmore Whisky Documentary. I’m now famous at the age of 50 and all because of Porridge! Though, I promise not to make it compulsory at breakfast.
We will have all the children home at Christmas, as well as Conan our new Burmese cat and MacDuff, our new Spinone Puppy will also have arrived by then.
The Soep Clan wish you all a very happy time over the festivities. Anyone nearby that would like to join us on Hogmanay is very welcome. We will be raising a glass at the Bells to all our friends and acquaintances.
Autumn
Well it has been very busy lately. Apart from the house guests booking that last Autumn Break and staying with us at Roineabhal lots of other events have been happening.
Conan our latest addition to the family is keeping everyone busy and entertained. He is our new Brown Burmese Kitten of 14 weeks.
If those who don’t keep up with the media, I would like to announce that I now hold the Golden Spurtle Award for the Worlds Best Porridge. Nothing prepared me for the onslaught of media coverage it has provoked. Apart from being on Scottish and National Television and National Radio I have been interviewed live so far from Canberra, Australia, Tasmania and Dallas Texas. www.goldenspurtle.com
Jenny’s first solo exhibition is opening tomorrow .As well as her art work she has 3 west coast Scottish contemporary bands who will be playing. Kim is exhibition organiser and Roger, Ben and I will be there to help when and if needed.
www.jennysoep.com
Tuesday 31st July
I can’t believe that it’s the end of July already and that we are half way through our summer season. What a summer although the weather has been kinder to us than down south we have still seen quite a lot of rain. As well as our regular guests we have seen lots of new faces from Britain, Europe and other far off places.
Earlier on this year two of our guests flew a power kite next to the house, we had to help Fiona from being flown away by holding her down by the strimmer harness. Another young couple flew in by microlite via Oban Airport, they had been camping for two nights and were relieved and thankful to have a warm room with dry sheets and a …… shower.
Today we have had the T.V cameras from STV filming our eldest daughter Jenny about her art work. She will be having her first solo exhibition in October at Resipole which will include musicians from the west coast and highland region www.jennysoep.com
Along with so many others Denis Ribas, ( a passionate world renowned artist from Catalan) and his family stayed with us for a couple of days.
Another visitor earlier this summer was Nelson, a 3 month old Labrador Pup, as you can imagine he kept everyone entertained but was well behaved and has even been asked back.
We have had the three children home this summer Kim has now graduated and Ben has finished his first year of his Strathclyde business course in Glasgow.
Thursday 22nd March
After several days of cold wintry weather today was sunny and warm with alpine skies.
The Dippers are busy nesting in the banks of our burn along with the grey Wagtail. which I saw for the first time
this year. Spring is here at last.
Our local village hall is now refurbished and looking very smart. Apart from the weekly events of Scottish country
dancing, Spanish, bridge and art classes, there has been a successful ceilidh dance, quiz night and on April 12th
the Ian Thompson Band will be performing. They are a Traditional Scottish folk band from the Isle of Mull and
have been compared to Blazing Fiddles. The band features the world class accordion player Gregor Lowrey who
happens to live just down the road.
We had vegetarians in this evening for dinner so we had Hummus with Persian Flat Bread hot from the oven
and salad to start, Aubergine Parmigiana served with a selection of fresh vegetables for the main course,
rounded off with little pots of chocolate and Spanish meringue biscuits, all freshly made today.
Regards the garden, the daffodils, primroses, and crocuses are bursting with colour. The vegetable patch
however is requiring some love and care after the hard wet winter, and thankfully my part time gardener is
back from his jaunt around India to give it some well needed attention.
