Another one!

And today came the news that my cousins in Sutherland had a little boy yesterday too! No photos yet! He's called Finlay! I must get up for a visit soon too! Haven't been up there for a while! Congratulations to you two! I wonder how Nuala likes having a wee brother!!!

I'm off to Edinburgh today to look at samples of granite! It seems my fireplace idea is perfectly feasible, and the plinth the stove will stand on will be granite - but what colour? That's what I intend finding out today! It strikes me I may not have mentioned the alterations I am planning here! I intend swapping over the living room and my bedroom!

Both overlook the river, but there's a balcony outside my bedroom window - accessible from the living room - and I thought that if it would be nicer to have the living room overlooking the balcony with French doors instead of the existing window.

<<<From this, as it is now.....

.........to this - I played with my computer>>

So I plan on swapping over the two rooms.

As well as getting the new doors, the living room gas stove can be moved from the one room to the other, to the corner of the room, to the left of the window as you are looking at it, with the flue vented through the roof, and hey presto I have a new living room! I'm quite excited about it all!

My new bedroom will then get a built in walk-in cupboard, and a utility cupboard will be accessed from the hall! I do wish I had had the chance to study architecture when I was young. Wasn't an option when I was growing up, but I think I've played with the arrangement of every house I've lived in - for the last 28 years anyway, and I even designed a house that I could have had built instead of moving here! It's really only the last house I had in Peebles, and the little self-catering flat I had for a while, that have actually had the work done, and now I'm starting all over again with this one!

Later.......

Well, I went to Edinburgh and had a lovely day - but the granite showroom was closed! The ad had said "Open 6 days" so I assumed it would be Monday to Saturday! I can't see it being open on Sundays so it maybe shuts at lunchtime on Saturdays! Oh well, just have to make another visit!

However, Linda and I went for lunch at the famous inn in the old fishing village of Newhaven, the Peacock, which was first opened in 1767 by a Thomas Peacock, vintner in Newhaven. The story is on the website.

The north-facing entrance in my photo is a new one. Originally it was at the other side of the building, facing Newhaven High Street, which seems logical! It would have served many generations of fishermen as a drinking place, and visitors to the village who stayed there.

In 1959 the inn was derelict and was taken over by Peter Carnie - by his name he has to be a local man - who I expect was responsible for the present nautical theme, and the peacock decoration.

The small restaurant where we ate lunch was like the rear cabin of an old sailing ship, and from where I sat I could see into the next room to the Peacock fireplace. Even the carpet had peacocks on it - specially woven for the inn, I should think.

The menu is extensive and includes a lot of "old fashioned" choices! Up till about 40 years ago, for a starter you generally had the choice of soup or fruit juice, and maybe egg mayonnaise, but where today will you be offered a fruit juice starter? Well, at the Peacock you will, alongside the egg mayonnaise, the soup and several more current favourites! Haddock and chips (fries) have always been a favourite and are a speciality at the Peacock. Then Baked Alaska features among the present desserts. That was a real favourite when we were kids, but you rarely come across it these days. (It's what I had today though!)

After lunch and the discovery that the granite showroom was closed,we decided to drop briefly into the nearby mill shop and look at what they had for sale. I actually found three shirt tops I rather liked, which for me is a miracle! I can never find stuff I like, so over the years have developed a real hatred of clothes shopping. However, I came out with the three tops, because Linda persuaded me to go and try them on, and lo and behold, all three fitted and even looked pretty good. So, on to another shop - just to look - where this time I found a pair of trousers and a top I liked. Linda also found some clothes to buy, and we laughed when she reminded me that although we have known each other since we were three or four years old we have never ever done the girly thing of shopping for clothes together before! She likes clothes shopping as much as I do, so neither of us does it very often. When each of us finds something we like we tend to buy two or three the same but in different colours and almost wear them out rather than go shopping again. I think we both find it's better to go looking with no intentions of buying, so if we find something it's a bonus!

Well, I think I'm kitted out for the summer now! My last year's t-shirts (same style, different colours) that I wear constantly all year round are still fine, and the trousers I've had for a couple of years are OK too!

So, that was today's little escapade! Maybe I'll get up to the granite showroom sometime this week to pick a colour I like for the stove's plinth!

Talk again soon!