Tag Archives: cottage

Pensioners purchase Perthshire sporting estate popular with Germans (Rousse)

My elderly in-laws bought a sporting estate in Perthshire. It came complete with a majestic main house, numerous workers’ cottages, stables and other outbuildings, and a stretch of prime salmon fishing (normally let out to rude German tourists who had … Continue reading

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Northumbrian holiday secrets of ABBA (Rousse)

Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson bounded down the narrow staircase. Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad followed more quietly behind them. Nobody had ever spotted the four members of ABBA on their regular visits to Northumberland. It was our family secret … Continue reading

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A holiday cottage and wedding invitations (Rousse)

I was worried about the safety of the family’s holiday cottage. Although the front door to the building that we shared with the neighbours was secured with a Yale lock, the door to our porch and the second one from … Continue reading

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Left luggage in Pitlochry, the shame of Hull (Rousse)

It didn’t make sense to carry everything that we had packed on the second part of our highland holiday, so we left our excess baggage at the self-catering cottage in Pitlochry. We would call in to collect it on our … Continue reading

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Secret ceramics slicer swindler (Rousse)

I knew that I had overstayed my welcome, living out of the contents of two large black bin bags in the spare room of my new, elderly friends. My gift of three pretty decorated saucers cut in half was probably … Continue reading

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Shaft jumping in Exeter (Rousse)

SY and I were more adventurous than the others during our holiday. While NY, AH, CS and TPR stayed indoors at the cottage, SY and I drove all the way along the coast and then inland as far as Exeter. … Continue reading

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A cottage in Lanarkshire (Rousse)

TPR bought us a second home in Lanarkshire – without making a single viewing. The details in the printed sales brochure was enough to convince him that this was an excellent investment. On arrival at the cottage for the first … Continue reading

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Ian Rankin lends a hand to highland housewarming party (Rousse)

Ian Rankin was amongst the guests invited by JS to view her new highland holiday home. In the vast sitting room he showed me a collection of cheap, mass produced porcelain deer figurines. He explained that these ornaments were very … Continue reading

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Le Creuset mini-pan measuring spoon set (Rousse)

I was relieved to learn that the messy holiday cottage in Lanarkshire was not, in fact, ours. My parents had bought it with my middle sister and her husband – and then filled it to the brim with junk. I … Continue reading

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Gout-afflicted friend kills coronavirus fun in the Yorkshire Dales (Rousse)

It was an easy drive in two cars to the Yorkshire Dales for a weekend away to celebrate my birthday. It was only when we reached our destination that we understood why the roads and villages were deserted: coronavirus pandemic … Continue reading

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