Evidence of a good night’s eating and drinking is always a fine sight on a Sunday morning.
 

We drank the new Lovre Prosecco Spumante which was recommended recently in The Sunday Express, followed bu Verus whites and Queulat Merlot, with Verus late harvest for the Lemon Meringue Pie.
The point of this is not to gloat about [...]

 
I tell you what; Shetland’s the place to live if you want a hangover-free life. I’m surprisingly perky, all things considered.
 
Outside we finally have a dull day. There’s no more putting off culture, today we’ll HAVE to do the Shetland Museum in Lerwick. But by mid-morning the early gloom has cleared and we have another [...]

Crystal clear blue skies again. Sorry, this is getting boring. Tomorrow should be miserable and we’ll definitely visit the museum. Caroline & Peter have decided to take a day out of their busy lives running a home and three hotels to spend the day with us, and suggest a drive across two of the larger [...]

With Chilean wines being so much in my mind thses days I was lucky enough to have a chat with Alejandro Galaz, Chief Winemaker at Ventisquero. He not only oversees the entire Ventisquero range, but also works closely with John Duval on Pangea.
In my opinion Ventisquero have achieved that most remarkable of feats; to make [...]

The sky’s a flawless blue and we’ve lost count of how many people are telling us that it’s usually cold and wet. So our visit to Lerwick’s swanky new museum is kicked into touch again as we opt for another day outdoors and head for the west side of the island
 
Our destination is Sandness, at [...]

After years of being on a stand being nice to prospective trade buyers it’s great to be able to visit this excellent Fair in this excellent venue (Excel) with little to do but refresh old acquaintances and see a couple of specific suppliers.
First call was Verus who are here to try and develop more UK [...]

The weather’s incredible. The skies are clear and the airs chilly. This is an outdoors kind of day.
 
Caroline sends us south to visit a beach from which we can cross to a smaller island connected to Shetland’s mainland by a tombolo. No, I didn’t know this word either, but it’s a sandbar stretching from land [...]

Local Hero revisited - 10 May
 
 A couple of minutes from the ferry, and we’re at Peter & Caroline’s house, Sea Door.
 
Sea Door? They’re not kidding. At the far end of their elegant living room, the main window is all that separates us from the ocean. The sun peeks out through the early morning haze and [...]

Edinburgh just isn’t so breathtaking today.
 
It doesn’t take long for the weather to change in Scotland and Friday’s sun, with gale force winds on the side, have died down to be replaced by drizzle and then full-on rain. The drive to Aberdeen is gloomy and wet.  The big question looms: what will be the state [...]

9 April, Edinburgh
 
Whenever I enter Edinburgh I’m gob-smacked by its sheer beauty. Arriving from the south you pass Calton Hill where the city pays homage to the Acropolis with a replica temple that should be incongruous, but which unifies the multi-layered drama of the Medieval Old Town and the stately elegance of the Georgian New [...]