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!