The Luncheon Quickstep

Having discovered that the Waterwheel Tearoom in Selkirk was trialling a bring your own wine option Mum and I (OK mainly me) decided it would absolutely be rude not to try it out. We had hoped for a dinner slot but managed to miss the August ones (next up 5th and 6th Sept) so resolved on a pleasant ramble up the dam side to whet the appetite then a boozy lunch. Mum was insistent that it took her, Sybil and Willa the dog but half an hour to get there on a typical dog walk, so I settled down to knit a couple more rows (having arrived for my sleepover prepared) before we headed off. The usual rigmarole of checking the weather and deciding that yes we did need raincoats meant we left 5 minutes late or thereby, but it all sounded doable. Part way down the road Mum recollected that when they went to walk Willa Syb usually drove down as far as the Cricket field (so half way….). We shifted into top gear and yomped at commando pace the whole way. As it turned out we were only 10 minutes late (though totally sweltered in the raincoats). “See Mum said, if we hadn’t set off late we’d have been fine….” Anyway lunch was excellent, the wine was only slightly too warm, my body heat having defrosted the wine sleeve (note to self take red next time) and we had an excellent afternoon sat on the veranda recalling similar al fresco dining on holidays of yore. We returned at a slower pace.

Back at home a few days later, Keith and I were filled with good intentions about weeding and very nearly got on with it. However, Lachlan popped back from Edinburgh unexpectedly to pick up some things for his Uni flat and there was nothing for it but to make a family perambulation of the Coo Circular and thereby justify lunch at the Hirsel Cafe. It was a perfect lazy day. The ducks and swans were snoozing on the grass and Alexander the bull was in the big field with all the family. Since then I really have buckled down to some serious gardening. After much dithering, and poking around to find the hidden daffodils, I finally found homes for a selection of the campanula I grew from seed this year in the new border by the hedge. I have also dug out and split a clump of pink day lilies from the gravel garden which had annoyingly been infiltrated by a pink geranium. Having replanted a goodly clump I now find myself with a large bucket of spares so my next job will be finding these a home. They are a lovely variety and much too good to relegate to the compost bin.