Apologies

Sorry everyone. I have been away so much lately that I haven't had time to get out around Peebles to take many photos. I'll be back as soon as...
Take care.

A tiny garden

The high brick wall was part of a walled garden, and Rosemary has managed to landscape her tiny garden beautifully. She has the patio, the raised flowerbed, the rock water feature, the wavy path that draws the eye to the back. I think it's beautiful and so low maintenance. If anything I think the large flowerbed to the right would have been pretty as a lawn!

A leafy suburb

On the edge of town a new development has shot up around what used once to be a Barnardo's children's home and a private school. I had never been here till last week, invited for lunch by a friend who moved up there from the town centre. It's very tranquil!

A secret garden!

Flowers, fruit and vegetables are all mixed together in this tiny garden hidden from general view.

A courtyard garden

This is a lovely garden, just recently constructed. The cement was laid in batches, and slab shapes marked into it.

Gardens

I could do a series on the Gardens of Peebles - in fact I just might. There are plenty of them! I love the red acer in the garden of this Victorian house.

Satellite city!

Someone once asked me "What do they call the box at the back of a satellite dish?"

The answer was "A council house!"

Now don't go all PC on me. The guy who told me that joke lived in a council house himself, and was amused at how many dishes had appeared on the walls in not just his street, but others round about!

These flats were indeed built by the local council for renting out, but a lot have now been bought over by the occupants.

Quack quack

Not many ducklings survive this long on the Cuddy Burn these days. Too many crows, the heron, even an occasional mink, all count among their predators. Here's a mother with two of her three offspring, foraging along the edges of the water for goodies to eat!

Summer flowers

Love this window box!

Pretty!

The High Street has lots of little lanes leading off it. We have various names for them in Britain, but in Scotland, the most common are "closes" and "vennels". Closees are usually passageways that are enclosed, altogether, or in part, and vennels I'd say were open for their entire length! Others may disagree with that, but that's how I see them. Closes are also the entry passage into a tenement building in some areas! This, is the other end of a close - you've come through the enclosed part and are now in the open again. The owners here have made a beautiful job of brightening it up!

A Neighbour

Well. let's get away from the shops for now - after all, it's not that I'm the world's happiest shopper - and let me introduce you to a neighbour who often drops by to say hello! Now I do love cats, so of course I love to stroke his head and tickle between his ears, which he adores..... for all of 50 seconds. Then the ears go back, the paw comes up and SMACK! You have to be aware and move fast!
I think he's looking for mousies here. He wasn't going to look at me, that's for sure!

CALZEAT

OK, so how do we pronounce this name CALZEAT? Well, personally I would have called it Calzay-at - I learned Latin at school in my youth and some of it stuck in the old brain!. However, I was told by the young assistant that it was meant to be Calate - often a z is silent in Scots! The locals call it Calzeet - that's what it looks like - so the owners have gone with that too now!

Oh, it sells throws and cushion covers etc.

The Sugar Mountain

The Sugar Mountain! Now what did it replace? It's awful how memory fails you - and this hasn't been there for that many years! Lovely icecream! Lots of flavours.... and sweets/candies/lollies till they come out of your ears - as we say colloquially! If you don't know that saying it just means that there are lots and lots and lots of them!

More shops

I've only been in Peebles for 23 years, but nearly every shop in the High Street has changed hands in that time. Baguette Express was Sclater's Hardware Store. It was a treasure trove and is sorely missed. Head to Toe? Well I can't remember what it was when I first came here. Now it sells, nice perfumes, soaps, toiletry gifts, cards..... Then in the tiny shop at the end, next to the courtyard of the Tontine Hotel is an optician. Again I can't recall what is was, but it has had several incarnations over those years, I think.

Looking back at all these shops in another 23 years could be very interesting! I just wish I had pictures of them from 23 years ago.

Back soon

Back soon! Got the chance of a wee holiday, so I'm having a few days off.

The Cook Shop

Castle Warehouse, the local department store is a bit of an institution in Peebles. It has been open for about a century of Peebles people to buy their clothes, furnishings, carpets and furniture. However, the day of the small town department store is over now and the owners have to find new ways of encouraging customers through the doors. This building on the corner is the Cook Shop, full of kitcheny cooking things, crockery, table mats, gadgets.....
Incidentally, across the road where the steps look as if they belong to a church, are sheltered apartments for various people with "learning difficulties". I can't get on with that expression. I mean don't we all have learning difficulties of some kind or another? The people who live here can only live on their own with the help of a team of carers. And yes, the steps did lead to a church once. It's not that long ago that it was demolished, maybe 25-30 years or so? Not long at all.

The Daft Dug

Strange name for a hairdresser's shop! This only opened about a week ago, replacing Steve's wet fish shop and deli. Oh, sorry - for those who don't know, DUG is Scots for dog, and DAFT, in this case, means silly!

The Chippy

I go here for the ice cream you understand, not for the fish'n'chips and other offerings, not even the pizzas - just the ice cream - and if you believe that, you'll believe anything!

Anyway, here are Gino and his brother Giuseppe behind the counter. It has been a quiet evening! Once the football is over they'll be run off their feet!

Down a close you will find the glazier and decorator. This double paned glass door must be years old. I wonder if they still hang bells these days?

La Petit Chambre

Don't correct my French! I know there should be an E on the end of Petit but the owner of the shop must have a reason to be calling it La Petit Chambre! Anyway, there's some nice stuff in this shop to furnish a room or home French-style.

New shops 2

Two more new shops in Peebles. The hot chocolate deluxe at Cocoa Black's is sublime, to die for!
Hullaballoon is all about partying!

New shops

Two newish shops in the High Street, one a gift shop and the other also a gift shop but with its emphasis being on things Scots. Some nice reflections in the windows.

Tweed Bridge

You can see quite clearly here the width of the original 14th century stone bridge across Tweed. It has had to be widened twice since then - and now it can't cope again with the traffic crossing it. There is talk of a new bridge being built, probably a bit further downriver.
The other thing I was going to say is that if you remember when we had the floods during the winter, the water rose to the level of the tops of the arch supports! Look at it now! The tree branch is a remnant of the floods, caught up behind the bridge.

Wild flowers

This is the best time to see the wild flowers along the riverside. Apparently this is borage! Correct me if I'm wrong!

Grasses

I liked this one too - the way the light caught the grasses by the river. The water is pretty low as we've had hardly any rain in weeks!

Composition

The top of St Andrew's old church tower from Haylodge Park, and a large crow sitting on a tree stump! What more can I say? I just liked the composition!

Sundown

After a walk along the riverside I came back to Peebles as it was beginning to get dark - about 10.30p.m. - and captured this shot of the Parish Church against a coloured sky.

Postcard for Peebles?

I was going to enter this photo in the Postcard for Peebles competition this year, but as usual I didn't do anything about it and the closing date came and went!! If I'd won - as if - would you have bought my postcard? No you really don't have to answer that one! It was taken from Fotheringham Bridge way up Tweed, and zoomed in to see the Parish Church behind the trees.

At Beltane

The High Street during Beltane is always decorated with red and white bunting, banners and flags. The group in black is the Rugby Club dancers - the funniest thing going, but I have to say they really do their routine well!

Apologies for absence

I'll be back! Just got a lot on my plate right now! Sorry. Keep dropping in though!
Evee
xx

A spring evening

Taken from the riverside path just below Caley Station, this is the Parish Church tower on a sunny spring evening a few days ago. The low building in front of the church is the swimming pool, built on the site of one of the old woollen mills, which was destroyed by fire in the 1960s. Even earlier it was the town's corn mill that stood on the same site.

Old railway embankment

What a lovely view travellers by train had on the journey out of Peebles towards Galashiels before the line was closed in 1958. The embankment is now used as a footpath, and probably acts as a flood prevention measure as well. To the left, the river, to the right the carpark and then Springhill Road. It is hard to imagine trains using that line as I look across at it from my windows!

Caledonian Station

Where the houses are now was where "Caley" station, one of two stations in the town, was situated. I believe there was a turntable here and sizeable railway sheds too.

The railway bridge

The railway bridge here must have been cut through the approach to Tweed Bridge when the line was built, unless Tweed Bridge was extended. Just beyond the bridge was Caledonian station, only to be seen in old photos today. You can see the complex of sheltered housing built over the old line and approach to the station. From here the line continued west, through a long tunnel (passengers missing the sight of Neidpath Castle on the opposite bank), emerging to cross the river by the Skew Bridge (its local name, I believe) to continue by Lyne to the west.

The old town wall

Sorry, not a very exciting photo, but an interesting one. The old roadside buildings once formed part of the town walls, which were built and maintained by the owners of the land at that point. There were no rules as to height or width so the wall would have been a bit of a hotchpotch of high and low. To the right is Tweed Green and off the picture, the river.

Springhill Road

This is Springhill Road, on the south side of the river. One of the main carparks in the town is on the left, disguised somewhat by the beautiful cherry trees. There are some attractive houses along here!

My mistake!

Andrew has informed me that the house on the "Dilkusha again" post, isn't the Lodge, and he should know because the Lodge was where he lived before emigrating! I got it wrong! So, hoping this view will make up for it for now. It was taken on the same walk as the Dilkusha pictures! I'll have to go and have another look for Andrew's old house.

This is the view to the left of Dilkusha, up Springhill Road. I know the house facing us on the right is the Coach House, and realise now that it must have originally been the Coach House and stables belonging to Dilkusha. If you have read Andrew's comment you will see he says the original entrance was hereabouts.

The coach house and stable block is now divided into three flats/apartments, two smaller ones on the ground floor and one taking up the whole of the upper floor, its access being by a flight of steps to the garden behind.

Before posting this, I just had to go investigating, so Andrew, here, just for you is your old home, maybe somewhat changed from when you knew it!

Rainbow over Springhill Road

As I crossed Tweed Bridge to take the photo for Andrew yesterday, I saw this beautiful rainbow - double rainbow - arching over the river. It was a perfect arc, and just a shame I didn't have a wide enough lens on my little camera to get the whole thing in!

Dilkusha again

Here's Dilkusha's other side. You can see what a commanding position it holds, and below it is Dilkusha Lodge, especially for Andrew!

Dilkusha

Dilkusha in Hindi means Happy Heart. I wonder if this house was built by a gentleman retired and returning from India, perhaps from Lucknow, where the Dilkusha Gardens are to be found.

It was and still is a splendid house, its back windows commanding a view over Tweed bridge and the north side of the town from its elevated position on the south of the river. This is the front entrance. To the right peeping up above the hedge you can see the top of the floor-to-ceiling rounded windows of what was probably a small ballroom. Some years ago the Dilkusha was a small hotel, with the dining room in that room. I had Christmas dinner there one year and it was quite spectacular with a tall Christmas tree in what was possibly the alcove where the musicians sat to play for the dancers of that long ago ballroom.

A Peebles worthy

One of the characters of Peebles is Dorino in the Tatler Cafe, with his gravely voice, giving out insults to his friends and regulars! No-one takes offence, mostly giving back as good as they get! In fact he often has the whole cafe laughing!

Expanding Peebles

So many new homes are being built, extending the town to the southeast. Whitehaugh was probably the last new housing estate till Kingsmuir began. A three bedroom house for £200K doesn't sound too bad - not that I'd want to live there. I like my quirky little flat in the town centre!

Neidpath

A view of Neidpath Castle from the east. You enter the castle through the gate in the outsie wall, across the courtyard and in at the door constructed in the 18th century. Before that the original gate was on the wall facing south.

Haylodge daffodils

Well, the daffs have caught up and are looking fabulous! This is just one swathe of them in Haylodge Park.

Talk of the town

Look what got washed away today!

Some idiot decided to drive across the ford while the Cuddy was in spate. No idea why, as there's a bridge only yards away! I was standing on it taking this photo! Anyway he must have driven into the water, and with the extra strong current was obviously swept off his wheels! There's a weir just a few yards downriver, with a footbridge right over the top of it. Luckily the bridge stopped the vehicle going over the weir, or things might have taken quite a different turn. The driver managed to climb out of the window on to the roof and from there on to the bridge, but the 4x4 stayed wedged.

Youcan read more about it on my other blog

Go with the flow?

I said the other day that the daffodils were coming away well after the snow! Well, look at them now. With all the melting snow and the rain we've had, Tweed has risen and risen, swamping the poor daffs growing along its banks. I'm sure that once the water goes down again they will in fact pop back up again, but right now the current is so strong that you begin to doubt it.

Snow?

Yep! More snow! This was the High Street this afternoon! It was still snowing!

The daffs?

Usually by now the daffodils are blooming, tall green stems and yellow heads nodding in the March wind! Well this is how most of them are looking right now. The last few days have been reasonably mild and the buds have appeared, but they still need to grow a bit. They almost look like overgrown crocuses just now. Yes, they have a way to go before they'll be "fluttering and dancing in the breeze"

Just last month this new primary school was opened to the pupils of Kingsland School. Despite great controversy about location and later the name, the new school was built on the edge of town beside the main road into town. Originally the school was situated on Tweed Green and was known as St Andrews. Then, about a century ago, the pupils of St Andrews moved into their new school on the King's Land. I thought that as the newest school overlooks St Andrew's tower it should have taken the school's original name, but pupils and teachers voted to keep the name Kingsland. For all its controversy I think it's a very attractive building and I hear that its students like it very much.

An award

Got this Sunshine Award from Gerald Hyde! Thanks Gerald! Glad you enjoy the blog! You've been a faithful follower for a good while - the first, I think too! Thanks for your support.

A picture from Haylodge Park looking back to the Parish Church at the head of the High Street and St Andrews Leckie Church at the other end. In the distance is Lee Pen, still with some snow on its higher slopes.