When last we visited, I was welcoming September
and here we are welcoming October! Yikes!
What can I say? September was a trip--literally.
To the home of golf and Scotch; the land of St. Andrews.
Sheep, quaint towns, lochs, narrow roads, gorse and haggis.
For that story and some quilty stuff, grab your cuppa and let's go.
As I said, it's been a few weeks. Let's catch up on
how things look in the quilty world around here first.
Week 37 Priority
Petite Antique Lace
Here is my only area of progress:
As you can see, this one has about a bajillion (or 950) HST's.
My timing here has been pretty good because I've only had
small bursts of time available. When you have that many HST's
to sew, cut apart (8 at a time methold), trim and press open,
oh boy can that drag out! I've just been chipping away at it
and it still has dragged out--into weeks, actually--but I'm only
now finding myself with some real time to work on it and lo,
behold, most are done so the fun part is almost here.
Meanwhile, I might have to switch gears because project #2
is more pressing--but not before I finish those HST's.
2) Scrappy Garlic Knot: cutting started but no further progress
3) Tarrytown: A "Halloween house" quilt.
I've been slowly collecting fabrics for this one but it's just
waiting in the wings. At this point, I'm pretty doubtful it will
be made before Halloween. I plan on making it anyway but
I will probably have to set it aside for next fall's collection.
Speaking of collecting fabrics, this week is Shop Hop!
I've been so busy that I haven't stayed on top of my
I've been so busy that I haven't stayed on top of my
fabric usage game but so be it. Shop Hop comes once
a year and so I will imbibe...even though the weather
will be hot and yucky and hardly quilt-inspiring.
But hey! Let's talk great weather: Scotland delivered!
We packed mostly cool and wet climate attire but then were
surprised to find they were having unseasonably nice weather.
I love me some mist and coolness so I was actually a little
disappointed that we only encountered a few hours of
the famed Scottish mist but hey, no complaints.
On day 1 we went straight from the airport to Balcomie Links
in Crail where we enjoyed the beautiful views of the North Sea while
we took in our first round of golf (on only an hour or two of sleep).
Because this was also my birthday, hubs had a reservation for
a beautiful dining experience at Craig Millar, a Michelin Star
restaurant with, again, a lovely view of the North Sea.
Day 2 found us in Edinburgh for a tasting tour at the
Johnny Walker distillery (a hubs fave).
This was our only "down" day so we did a lot of shopping
and just walking around, too.
I have long been a fan of Harris Tweed and was excited to finally snag
a purse while on this trip. I haven't used a full-size purse in years so
it's taking some getting used to but I can always just grab just the
wallet for golf and other quick outings. I'm nuts for plaids
and there were so many choose from! The decision was so
difficult--they are all so pretty!
(A search on Etsy will give you a small idea.)
Day 3 had us going through Glasgow, stopping to take in
a few sites, and on up the River Clyde a bit to the lovely
Gleddoch Hotel and Golf Resort.
This was our favorite lodging of the trip. If you ever visit
Scotland, we sure recommend this place!
Here we took in Round 2 of golf and another lovely dinner
with a view of the course and an amazingly huge moon.
(Not the lake, just a pond on the lower part of the course)
On Day 4 we headed up to Loch Lomond where we golfed
the Carrick, a course known for having the front 9 in the
Lowlands and the back 9 in the Highlands.
The views overlooking the lake were spectacular!
A girl could get used to this, ya know!
We followed this round with a nice lunch in the club house.
When in Great Britain, btw, I take every opportunity to enjoy all
the fish, chips and cider (for lunches) that I can get my hands on.
A little side note: Sticky Toffee Pudding. It's a Scottish thing.
And so yum! I've already made it here at home. This recipe
is about spot-on though the cake is lighter. It could be that
I need to use more dates but I kind of like this lighter version.
Other Scottish things
Scotch Eggs: big win
Haggis: it's okay but too strong
Porridge: I love oatmeal and it's pretty much the same thing
Tattie Scones: oh yes please!
Back to the trip...
Next, at the suggestion of a caddy,
we headed over to Glengoyne Distillery
After a fun tour, we enjoyed a tasting that included...
pairings with some very fine and exclusive chocolates--yum!
That night we checked in to the beautiful Dalmahoy Hotel
and Golf Resort for the remainder of the trip.
This hotel has two courses: The West and the East.
I wasn't doing too well with the jet lag, and when you add in
new-to-me courses, I just wasn't finding my game so we thought
taking in a relaxed round on the easier course was a good idea.
So we set off on the West course in the morning. And we had
a great time on it, too...but kept looking over to the East.
Wasn't that grass greener over there??
As we walked off #18, we went right in and booked a round on
the East for that very afternoon. Golf is what we came for, afterall!
Fortified with more cider, fish and chips, we went back out.
(Coming up on #18 of the East course as the sun was setting)
It's a tough call but this James Braid course is likely my favorite
of all that we played on. Yes, it was hard but it was also a blast
and I'd play it again and again if I lived there.
For the grand finale, we spent the next day on the links of St. Andrews!
It was here on the New Course that I finally decided to start playing
but, hey, if you're going to save the good stuff for one course,
shouldn't it be St. Andrews!?
(Fyi, the Old Course was unavailable due to a tournament)
Yep, that's right: we played St. Andrews. And had a blast!
We were paired up with a father (from Georgia) and his son who
is stationed in Italy (Air Force); both were a joy to play with!
Was it hard? Yeah, I guess so...but not unbeatable.
(Btw, we felt the hardest thing with all the Scottish courses
is just trying to read their greens.)
I saved my ball from that round and have it on a shelf in my
studio as a constant reminder of the day (like I could forget?!).
Just about every golfer has St. Andrews on their bucket list
but how many actually get to play it!? I feel so blessed!
I also feel very determined to go back!
I'm a pretty big homebody so I think it says a lot that I was
truly NOT ready to come home. That is a first for me.
So yes, I've been pretty busy outside of the studio.
I'm looking forward to once again having lots of progress
to share along with any acquisitions from the shop hop.
I'll see you back here next week!
Happy quilting!
Linking up to:
Monday Musings by Songbird Designs
Tuesday To Do by Quilt Schmilt
Sew & Tell by Melva Loves Scraps
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