Tag Archives: cottage

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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Cliff-top holiday cottage beach huts on the beautiful Isle of Lewis (Rousse)

We spotted a few changes during our winter visit to our favourite guest  house on the Isle of Lewis. For example, the big sitting room was now serving as the kitchen, and the high tides delivered huge waves all the … Continue reading

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Huge nuts in a hazel wood, and horrid pickles (Rousse)

My sister-in-law S and her husband A had a reputation for buying ridiculous properties. Their most recent purchase was a cottage in the woods. Our first impression was of isolation and inaccessibility along a rough track through hazel trees. However, … Continue reading

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Holiday cottage plant thieves (Rousse)

Given that they were about to start a holiday rental operation themselves, I was astonished when AH and CS lifted three or four pot plants from our cottage on changeover day. Even when I asked them to hand over the … Continue reading

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An heiress makes plans (Rousse)

I was trapped inside the house that I had inherited from my maternal grandmother. I could happily entertain myself by revisiting all the rooms that I remembered from my childhood, and perusing the contents of the cupboards. All the crystal … Continue reading

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Topless David Beckham’s River Tweed tattooist (Rousse)

David Beckham’s tattooist lived with his family on the banks of the River Tweed. I discovered the artist’s identity the day that TPR drove us to the tiny riverside cottage in his new black sports car . I admired the … Continue reading

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