We had a good journey back from the Mull of Kintyre on the 7th August which somehow feels longer than a fortnight ago!
It’s always nice getting home, less so having to catch up with the washing pile, but good to have a few days relaxing & getting the garden straightened out prior to going back to work on Monday 10th.
On the 10th, I had a days training up in Galashiels (or Gala as us locals refer to it…) which meant having to pick up a colleague from Doctor’s Corner in the village (we’re both relative newcomers to the village & have no idea what the road is actually called, but it’s where the health centre is!) and driving up pretty early as the course started at 9.30am.
I don’t know why people dislike training so much… this one, a Moving and Handling course, must be something I have done over the years about a million times but I still didn’t mind it – it’s usually a bit of a laugh when you get to try all the equipment & move each other around, although doing that is never quite like a real situation at work… anyway, for me the day whizzed by and the best bit? Getting paid hahahaha!
Last week was busy as ever… in between three days of shifts at work we had a morning in Carlisle for me to get my eyes tested & where we both ended up ordering new glasses & then we sat in the garden waiting for Dr Allison (Peter’s Oncologist) to call & the partial eclipse to occur…
The Oncologist was happy with Peter’s most recent results – she believes the cancer meds, because the Doc in Airedale (Yorkshire) started him on them immediately, have had a really positive impact which is great news that will keep us both going until the next round of blood tests in a couple of months time!
The partial eclipse was, some might say obviously (🤣🤣), spoilt by cloud here in the Borders &, despite having the colander at the ready, the only thing that we really noticed was it going a little dark!
Despite the warnings of the sun melting your phone, I decided to try and take a time-lapse of the eclipse as my phone is a bit knackered anyway and I could do with a new one… anyway, the film was pretty underwhelming…
… or so I thought until I noticed a partial eclipse reflection off the camera lens over the tree in next door’s garden (enlarged photo 🤣 – it’s the little blue reflection)! So it seems, although we didn’t think we’d seen anything on the day, it turns out we did witness the best eclipse there will be in the rest of our lifetimes… even if it was a week after the event! After noticing this and then re-looking at the video, you can actually make out the eclipse as it happens – 🤣!
Pete & his colander waiting for the eclipse
On Thursday 13th August, we got the news that our Aedan had passed his A-levels and was off to Hope University in Liverpool – woohoo! We couldn’t be more proud of him – the first Collins-Finnegan to go to University… it shows how well someone can do with a lot of hard work and the right support in place – well done Aedan! Now all he has to do is enjoy the experience and not worry about things like student loans too much! At least he won’t be too far from Mum & Dad’s if he needs to come home & get his washing done! 👍
Since returning from our Kintyre break, Pete has carried on with stripping the wallpaper in the white room which he wanted to get completed in time for Louise, Lee & Niamh’s visit this week – tick ✔️
With the exception of one section of plaster which came off in his hands, the walls are not looking too bad and we’ve decided to give filling, skimming and papering a go ourselves… Surely we are not too old to learn new skills? 🤣🤣🤣 We can always get someone in to fix it if it turns out a disaster! We shall see how we go in the coming weeks but we have a deadline as the new carpet is being fitted on the 17th September, a week before our friends Dave & Jane visit! It’s good to have something to aim for 🤣
We had another go at trying out the moth trap prior to Niamh’s visit & had another good haul:
Top Left = Small Phoenix & Pebble Prominent;
Right, Top to Bottom = Pug, Burying Beetle, Lesser Swallow Promiment & Chinese Character Moth (looks like a bird poo!).
Bottom Left / Middle = Antler & Sallow Kitten Moths
Last Saturday (15th August) we took a drive down to Yorkshire so I could attend the Summer Party at Mum’s place. You could see how dry the weather has been in England as the countryside moved from a reasonably lush green to dried out fields but it didn’t look anything like the pictures we’ve seen on the telly of places further south…
The weather has definitely got a bit cooler though and, although I think this is largely welcomed, it was a bit of a bummer for the Summer Party as there was a distinctive chill in the air in Silsden last weekend! Still, after a bit of time, I managed to persuade Mum out into the garden, finding her a chair out of the wind & wrapping her in a couple of blankets! They had a singer on (singing all the oldies!) and she soon warmed up after a bit of chair dancing 🤣🤣.
Monday 17th August marked our one-year anniversary of the first night we stayed in this new house in the Holm… a memorable year for lots of reasons! Doing this blog means I get to look back on what we’ve been up to and see what we’ve achieved – somethings always remain fresh in the mind whereas others can be easily forgotten so it’s nice to have a reminder 😊
Monday was also the day Louise, Lee & Niamh came to visit. Although the weather hasn’t always been great this week here in the Borders, we have managed to stay mostly dry and still got out and about…
We had a day at Vindolanda (remains of a huge Roman Fort) near Hexham and even had a windy stroll along part of Hadrian’s wall where we saw a deer.
A day out at Roman Vindolanda & Museum
A day out at Roman Vindolanda & Museum
Our brief visit to Hadrian’s Wall reminded me of when we walked along this stretch with Mum and Dad when we did the Pennine Way together. It’s hard to imagine that we ever did that if you think my Dad would have been in his late 60’s at the time (we did the whole walk over 5 years after having to take a year off due to foot and mouth, and finished it on my Dad’s 70th Birthday in October 2003!)
Like me, my Dad loved a good view, but when you look at the ups and downs of the wall’s route in the picture above, it’s no wonder he didn’t enjoy this part! Pete & I laugh about him grouching about why Hadrian couldn’t have put a bridge in across some of the deeper dips! I can still hear him saying it today! 🤣🤣🤣
We have also finally visited our local castle, Hermitage – described online as “a dark, imposing medieval fortress in the remote Liddesdale valley of the Scottish Borders” and I have to say, for a few quid, it’s well worth it as it’s a beaut!
Hermitage Castle in Liddlesdale
In and around Hermitage Castle.
Bottom Left = View of the Castle from the Chapel
An extract from the souvenir guide:
Liddesdale is a wld and lonely place, once known as “the bloodiest valley in Britain”.
Its atmosphere of foreboding is heightened by the dramatic ruin of Hermitage Castle. Local legends whisper of the wicked “Lord Soulis” and of a giant knight with impregnable armour. In its long and turbulent history, the castle’s walls have witnessed murder and treason.
For most of its 400-year existence, Hermitage Castle was the key to controlling the Scottish Middle March. Contemporaries called it “the strength of Liddesdale”, and it was fought over time and again. Even the building of it brought Scotland and England to the brink of war. Later on, Hermitage was central to a dramatic episode in the life of Mary Queen of Scots, during which she almost died.
The Castle has quite a dark history and includes tales of Wicked Lord Soulis who is purported to have been a dark magician responsible for kidnapping and sacrificing local children for his rituals. According to local legend, he was eventually overpowered by locals who then boiled him in lead as they believed he was impervious to iron weapons or hanging! Both Lord Soulis’ ghost and those of his child victims is said to be seen and heard at the Hermitage from time to time… more information is available on line:
The Chapel at the Hermitage Castle
It is definitely an interesting place to spend an hour!
After the castle, we headed to Wilton Park in Hawick for refreshments & so the nipper could have a run around the play park… unfortunately, the heavens opened which cut our time there a bit short but we managed to get most of what we planned done which was good. 😊
By yesterday (20th August) we were all feeling a bit knackered (me and Pete especially) so decided to have a day at the Holm!
As all the wasps from our bird box upped and left a few weeks ago, Pete had been saving clearing it out until Niamh was here… Yesterday was the day they decided to open it up and here’s what they found:
Exploring our Bird Box wasp nest with Niamh
After most of our Nasturtiums got eaten by Catepillars, Pete decided to leave a small patch so he could show them to Niamh! These Cabbage White caterpillars are certainly enjoying these plants!
We also went for a nice walk in search of fungi…
Searching the woods for Fungi with our family expert Lee!
… here’s some of what we found:
We then popped into The Olive Tree (our other, daytime only, cafe in the village) for a snack before returning home for a rest, followed by a nice steak dinner, courtesy of Pete who purchased them, and Lee who cooked them on the BBQ – lucky me!
And so to today, Friday 21st August, and home time for the family who left around 2pm this afternoon after Pete and Niamh had a last stroll down to the river so Niamh could collect some stones to paint at home.
We are a bit knackered after their visit but loved having them here this week! Roll on half-term in October when they will be back! ❤️
All the gubbins… 
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