Mon banc dominical / My Sunday Bench - Ayr

In the walled gardens at Belleisle counrty park, Ayr.

Jim jobs and getting your ducks in a row...

 

When staying with Pauline's sister Eileen in Ayr there have been what are now referred to as 'Jim-Jobs' which I have worked my way through. Where normally I am delighted to help, on our recent visit she again asked if I could put up her flying ducks. This is something that I had been putting off as the pressure of getting them in a row on her new wall was a bit scary. Anyway, to do the job I made paper templates of each duck to get the two hole positions and voila!

Happy to report she is pleased with the result.

The Oleanders open up...

 

When we left for our trip to Scotland our Oleanders were yet to produce a flower so it was a joy to arrive back to this display on our return after ten days!

Back home...

 

Arrived back in La Guerche around 10.00 pm last night to this lovely sunset and 26 deg. - left Edinburgh in the pouring rain although we were lucky enough to have lovely weather for our stay. 

Is it too early to complain about the heat?

Monday's walk...10 km around the best of Ayr.

 

We did our favorite Ayr walks yesterday along with Eileen, combining shore walk, old railway line and two parks which meant a total of over 10 km in lovely sunny conditions.

Along the old railway line...

and through its tunnels.

Great views over the river Ayr.

I was delighted to see the progress of the Alloway Railway Tunnel (ART) Project ** which has successfully installed the first section of a mural that will eventually become one of the longest murals in Scotland.

After the tunnel (and a coffee stop) we headed over to Rozelle country park...

then crossed over Golf Course to the pretty walled gardens of   Belleisle  Park before checking out the sea swans on the way home.

**Like to think I helped influence this project by contacting them re the possibilities of doing a similar project to that of the Colinton Tunnel 

Great day bad night...

 

Eileen's delightful garden played host to us yesterday afternoon for a lovely wee family gathering in perfect conditions.

Sadly then spent the evening getting depressed in front of the telly...but then history has taught us that it never ends well! 

Mon banc dominical / My Sunday Bench...three lochs,three benches in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh.

 

                                         Dunsapie Loch

                                           

Duddingston Loch

                                   St Margaret's Loch

Je suis ingénieur...

 

This is the actual bus we travelled on to get to the Commonwealth Pool for the start of our 'Three loch trail' in Edinburgh on Monday. The unscheduled repair stop I mentioned was due to a back panel of the bus flapping loose. The driver had been alerted by another driver who pulled up alongside us in the Grassmarket to let him know. Our driver went out and had a look before returning and asking if any of the passengers had an 'allen key' and seemed exasperated when no one had!!! Many of the passengers decided the delay wasn't for them and left the bus. I told him I was an engineer and would have a look at the problem for him. On inspection I found that it was actually a square socket he needed. I tried in vain to turn it with a key I was carrying but to no avail. We decided to ask a nearby pub if he had some tools we could borrow, He provided a comprehensive toolkit but without the right one for the job but I was able to use a pair of long nose pliers to solve the problem. He thanked me and said I was 'a Legend' but no, just an engineer!  

Lunch at the oldest pub in Scotland...allegedly!

 

After our walk around the three lochs on Monday we rewarded ourselves with lunch at the Sheep Heid Inn in Duddingston village which dates from the 12th century. The original inn on the site is said to date from 1360, although the current building is much later. So the site claims to be that of the oldest pub in Scotland.

It is quite charming both inside and out and the food was tasty.

In 1580 King James the 6th presented the landlord with an embellished rams head, not sure if it is the one they have on the wall though.

Other claims to fame are that the queen popped in for a wee dram back in 2016... 

...it was also probably the local of  the Reverend Robert Walker who was immortalised in the painting by Sir Henry Raeburn ** 'Skating on Duddingston Loch' - an affectionate portrayal of mild eccentricity and serene contentment. There is of course a copy in the inn with the original being in the National Gallery of Scotland in the city. 

We also took a wee walk around the Kirk which dates from the 12th century as well as the gardens of the manse.

The gardens included 'Craig's garden' so we had to seek it out (below).

** You know I love a coincidence...on the night before we left for this visit we had dinner with some French friends who had done a Scottish road trip last year and loved their visit to Edinburgh. They enjoyed their visit to the National Gallery of Scotland and showed us a photo of their favourite painting there...can you guess what it was?