Visit

Last Thursday I took 4 trains up to Perthshire to visit textile designer Mhairi Wild and her lovely family.

(Ok so a picture of clothes pegs doesn't quite convey it but I love the colours:) 

I had slightly sweaty palms when I alighted the final train in the early evening as we had never met before! But I needn't have worried... We chatted continuously as her husband drove us on the short drive from Perth to where they all live in stunning surroundings. 

Quite honestly I had such an interesting time that for the most part I completely forgot to take pictures.  We drank two flavours of local wine with our first meal together : raspberry and elderflower wine with a spicey chorizo paella - heavenly!!! With Alan topping us up... which proved to be quite painful as morning materialised! It wasn't until then that I discoverd that between 3 of us we'd had 3 bottles. Ouch.

Mhairi (pronounced Varry) has great style :just look what she produced for my breakfast!!

 

All three of us felt rather delicate and instead of the hub-bub of Glasgow we decided to visit Crail via St. Andrews. Somehow the part of Scotland we were in escaped rain virtually the whole time I was up there! The sun certainly shone in Crail and we browsed a 2nd hand book shop where I found an extremely useful book called something like "100 things you don't need aman for" , Mhairi bought greengages, Alan peas! And we all had a wee tipple in the pub - a very medicinal "Crabbies" over ice. Delicious ginger beer with just a touch of alcohol. Wonder if you can get it in England?

 all these are Crail pictures....

Here's Mhairi stalking on ahead... see that wall.. we climbed it and wobbled along in the wind - can't say I enjoyed that with a hangover and dangling camera!! :)

Feeling very much better the next day after Thai noodles and pavlova ( no alcohol that night) we set off on the bus to Perth - just Mhairi and I. It's years since I've been on a bus - "such fun"! 

A view from the top deck, I really love the tiny stand alone houses in the hills:

 

We got off early to walk to a fantastic wool shop called Elena Costell Yarn & Fibre Studio. A treasure Trove of a shop! I'm only starting out as a knitter and potential crocheter but excitedly perused the wares! These I bought:

Biggest needles and biggest - dubious looking - crochet hook with warm wool and brown sequin thread.

 It rained while we were in the shop but as we walked into Perth over the bridge you can see it moved:

Mhairi and I popped into the Perth Art Gallery/ Museum to see a fantastic glass exhibtion and then instead of more shopping sat happily quaffing Chardonnay and getting to know each other better.

Giant knitting began that night and somehow we squeezed in crochet tuition too... photos of my efforts another time. Flowers bloomed while I was there and I hope that a new friendship has too x Much love to you and your family Mhairi for a wonderful break.