Easter Arr Cottage and a Beautiful Drive to Cornhill

Tuesday, October 25, 2016 ~ by Amy

Morning sunshine flooded through the window, highlighting the deep walls of our ancient cottage.  Looking out, I could see that a layer of white frost covered the ground.

Thick wall on the old stone cottage

Our hostess, Celia, had kindly stocked the tiny refrigerator with milk, orange juice, butter and jam. She also provided bread, croissants, coffee and teas. We had ourselves a nice little breakfast before heading outside for a walk around the lovely grounds.

Well stocked breakfast bar

The first thing we saw as we went out the door was the little wooden settee where we'd sat last night to look up at the stars.  It brought back sweet memories of the night before.

Celia had told us a bit of the history of the house. Originally a sawmill, at some time the long, low, “L” shaped building had been made into three small dwellings. Those had all been abandoned and had fallen into disrepair. The area surrounding the house was pretty much impenetrable with tall tangles of brush and bracken (ferns) when Robin and Celia bought it about eight years ago. They cleared everything and made beautiful ponds and gardens.

Heather lit by morning sun

Robin, Celia said, is a bit artsy and likes do do things right. When they bought the place, he tore down the center cottage and rebuilt it as a two-story. He used concrete block and matched the exterior finishes perfectly, but of course the walls aren't two-feet thick like the original.

Our apartment, the unit on the right.  Entrance around back

Alyssa was trying out the tree swing when a guy in a catering van flew up the driveway at a rapid speed. A gray haired guy got out and cracked some joke to me about raking the leaves. He introduced himself to us as Robin. He told us all about he and his wife doing the catering business together. She does weddings and he does pig roasts and other parties. Earlier, when I had taken my bags to the car I thought I saw out in front of one of the outbuildings, a pig carcass on a spit, with a woman picking meat off of it. I was too grossed out to go any closer.

The day was so splendid, we really hated to leave, but finally rolled out of the narrow driveway around 11:00. We wound back through the rolling hills, dotted everywhere with sheep. Many areas looked to be recently baled fields. Round bales were scattered here and there or lined up in neat rows.

Fluffy sheep dot the countryside

We drove only as far as the little town of Brodie, where we had eaten dinner last night. We'd noticed a big building called, Brodie Country Fare. It turned out to be an amazing shop full of local crafts, clothing and food. We bought a few souvenirs and groceries and also ate lunch at their cafe.  In the UK it seems that they add something green to every meal.  Alyssa was less than please to see the pile of peas on her mac n cheese plate.  I don't mind the salad but it never comes with any kind of dressing.

They had a great coffee and tea counter also where we were able to get good mochas. You'll notice that they have stacks of china dishes. “Take away cups” have to be specially requested.

Coffee counter at Brodie Country Fare

Our home for the evening, The Bothy ~ Milton of Tillynaught, wasn't too far away but their addresses and directions can be quite confusing so it was late afternoon by the time we finally arrived there.