Monday, July 15, 2019

Diane Stars in: Livin' Large in Dumfries and Galloway



Diane and I giggled with glee when we saw this place on Airbnb...so we booked it!

The lodge in all its glory A side shot

A view from the garden, the lodge  in all its splendour From the field...also part of the lodge

The garden The conservatory which hosts breakfast


The sitting room with its  period pieces The deluxe room

The deluxe room with its four poster imported from Boston U.S.A, as is the other furniture. There is a story to all this. The sitting area in the deluxe  bedroom

A cute twin room ideal for those travelling Nice double

The twin
Viv claimed this room.
 The double The single

The double in the family room View of the garden
Diane's Guest Blog Post:

So, arriving at our last stop as a group of 3 we were not disappointed in our charming, chocolate box style cottage. A rambling house with room after room, all filled with imposing antique furniture, and a picturesque view from every window.

Our hosts gave us very warm Scottish welcome, even though Andy was from Newcastle, and made us feel extremely welcome from the get go. As we explored the ‘Hoose’ and we chose our rooms, I started to feel like someone in a Jane Austin novel, and my bedroom, with the most sumptuous 4-poster bed was certainly worthy of Elizabeth Bennet herself.

Having ‘slept like a baby’ (I always wonder which baby was this saying derived from?) breakfast awaited us in the conservatory, always my favourite part of being away, not only someone else making the breakfast but also clearing the dishes…bliss!

I then gathered my wash bag and headed to what we call in Ireland, ‘the smallest room in the house’ and having decided not to wash my hair, (this would then result in hair drying with several brushes, followed by Ghd straightening, and as I have a considerable head of hair, this would be a lengthy process) I stepped into the bath and I turned the tap, faucet for the non-native Anglo speaker, and awaited the rush of water.

Now at this point, standing as naked as the day I was born, I was a little perplexed on realising there was no water festooning over me, so after several turns of the tap a trickle of water finally arrived, bringing with it one very long-legged spider. I have to say that in normal circumstances spiders do not usually bother me, but feeling a little vulnerable this visitor was not welcomed with open arms.
The water increased and I did the only thing I could, I washed Mr spider down the drain. Oh oh…. what I didn’t realise was that my 8-legged friend was not alone, it seems he had a wife, several babies, a few aunts and uncles, and one very very large big brother! This was now turning into my fight for survival. 

Armed with the shower head as my lethal weapon, and my sponge as my shield, I took a long deep breath, took aim and fired. They fell one by one, several fighting back as they charged up the bath, but they fought in vain and they all met the same fate flowing down the drain, only two of us remained.
He was a big lad and I tried not to make eye contact, it was him or me, but I could smell victory, it was within my grasp. He made a dash down the wall, I cut him off with a blast of hot water, he fell, I slipped, but regaining my footing I gave a final blast and as he followed his tribe down, I’m pretty sure I heard him scream They may take away our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!

the pond beside the entrance to the lodge...stunning

Aaaaaaaand...back to Cristi (sorry):
The house is a stone's throw from a tiny little village and The Sweetheart Abbey (tell us more, Wikipedia!). The Abbey of Dulce Cor, better known as Sweetheart Abbey (Gd: An Abaid Ur), was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1275 in what is now the village of New Abbey, in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, 8 miles (13 km) south of Dumfries.



Diane in the 4 poster bed.

Let's do looking!

We video chatted with James, who I think was jealous of the cool digs.



Not bad, Scotland.

























Viv taking a break with word games.


Diane reading in a wee nook.







Remember when she was crabby? All she remembers is ice cream.


Screech to a stop -- pastries!

No lack of distilleries.

Cute arts and crafts sale.

This is a town on the way to our Airbnb. There were a couple charity shops, a toy shop, and a pay-to-use toilet.

And a painted cow, of course.


Whatcha lookin' at, Diane?

Oh, right. A gorgeous view.





Yeah. I'd like that.









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