Tag Archives: Dollar

Fabulous Food and Fat Friday

Blog, Food, Scotland, The Vet Who Came In from the Cold, Vet, , , , , , , , ,

The remainder of my weekend in Armagh was very pleasing. Lara and I went to the Titanic Museum in Belfast. It would have been more enjoyable if six coach parties hadn’t been trying to look at the exhibits at the same time as us, but it was still interesting. They had all the witness statements from survivors on a huge wall. I only read a couple, but would be interested to read more. I expect I can find them somewhere online, if ever I have the time and inclination simultaneously!

In the evening, Lara introduced me to her pizza oven. Rather like the rambling, Victorian house, the garden and something I want to call the Mews (a lane round to some ramshackle garages – though those belonging to Lara and Mark have been rebooted, as it were) feel like a pleasant wander through a slightly overgrown past. The neighbours garden is filled with forget-me-nots. The yard where the pizza oven resides is overlooked by vines growing up the ancient wall and an apple tree (I think) festooned with multicoloured Christmas lights.

The blue door in the photo, as you might expect, leads to a room with a drum kit and a jukebox. Up a vertical ladder, in the roof space, is a miniature cinema. What a delightful house to grow up in!

The pizzas were predictably wonderful. Lara and I had bought toppings on our way back from Belfast. I’d suggested blue cheese with walnuts and honey, so with a creamy chunk of Cambazola and a handful of nuts, this one tasted wonderful.

More contentious, though equally delicious was the chocolate pizza Lara put together for dessert. She tells me she had to perfect the technique, which involves partially cooking the base first, then adding Nutella and chocolate, cooking some more, then adding the marshmallows for a final toasting. The result was a wonderful, melting concoction, not too sweet: utterly delicious.

I returned to Airth on Sunday night with a promise that I would return. Lara is arranging a McGonagall night as a kind of Scots Poetry balance to Burns night. I agreed to do a reading, though I will probably want to go with one of the more traditional Silvery Tay poems.

Sunday night was also punctuated by an unexpected call from my new boss, Eduardo. I told him about blogging yesterday afternoon and his response was, “Make me famous!” He’s kind of the opposite if a shrinking violet, so that wasn’t too much of a surprise. He cautioned me about client confidentiality and I assured him that I understood and respect that concept completely. Anyway, back to Sunday night.

He texted me just as I was leaving the airport, asking for a chat about Cumbria. I wanted to drive back with a clear mind, so I drove all the way to the edge of Airth, then pulled into the road to Airth Castle and called him. With hindsight, I think he was hoping I would volunteer to do it myself on Monday, but I missed that nuance and we discussed possibly going together on a different day. Anyway, a few seconds after ringing off, I got a text asking me to go solo. Slightly daunting I thought, but never having been one to shy away from a challenge, I agreed to meet him in the morning at the practice to collect kit and discuss approach, then I would do the call in the afternoon.

So much for all the promised training and expected introductions. First flights are always an adventure. I looked at the chickens, then carried out some post-mortems. It involved a lot of glove changes as I was taking photographs throughout. The liver and kidneys looked very odd, but I didn’t know what that indicated. I have a lot of useful and relevant experience, but once I was finished, I had to send the pictures to my other new boss. He asked me, “Do you understand what you are seeing?” Honesty is always the best policy, so I simply said, “No.”

Apparently my distinctive photos were enough for distance diagnosis. The birds had adenovirus. Back at the office, a treatment regime was assembled and sent out, while I washed my hands on the farm and discussed the fact that I would find out about cleaning regimes (and adenovirus) and would get back to them with the information the next day.

I learned a few things that day, other than about adenovirus. The most obvious one was that medicines are sent out from the clinic at around three thirty in the afternoon, so if I want farmers to get their treatment the same day, I either need to correctly predict what I need and take it with me, or I need to complete my visit before the three thirty deadline.

I must confess that, on the way back up the road, I sighed rather as I passed Gretna and realised that, instead of the thirty minute drive home, there were still two hours of motorway driving ahead of me. I sent Valerie my ETA and drove on.

Speaking to a friend on Tuesday evening, we discussed the fact that, in so many jobs, thorough training is offered along with mentoring and introductions. What actually happens is that something crops up and you are asked to go out because it’s busy and afterwards, there is no reversion to the plan. Once you’re out there, that’s it. This prediction proved correct as when I went in on Wednesday, I was asked to go out to two more cases. I can’t say I have any regrets. At 23 years old, the first time I stepped solo into veterinary work, I didn’t know if I would cope. At 57, it’s difficult to hold me back. I love fieldwork and I learn by doing. I’ll not forget what adenovirus looks like, which is just as well as I saw it again on Wednesday. There’s still a long way to go, but I love the journey. A steep learning curve (and the expansion of the mind that accompanies it) fills me with joy.

On Thursday evening, after a twelve hour day on Wednesday, I was exhausted, but Valerie persuaded me out for a fish and chip supper beside the cherry blossom trees in Dollar. What a magical evening, sitting on a picnic rug, shaded by trees, listening to the calming flow of the water.

Back in the office on Friday, I also told Naomi and Eleanor that I write a blog. They agreed it was fine with them. They’ve made me feel wonderfully welcome, so I’m glad it’s okay. There are a couple more people to ask, but hopefully I can do that next week. Naomi, as well as being a whizz on the topic of stressed hens does Fat Friday in the office. The photo at the top of the page was yesterday’s loaded fries. They were indeed, extremely loaded, as you see! I showed Val the picture and she says I have to order some and bring them back to eat one evening. That will definitely not be any hardship (assuming they do food in the evenings).

Anyway, after all that food, I’m looking forward to a weekend in Settle. Who knows what that will hold. In the meantime, thanks for reading and I hope you have a good week.

Perth Peaks and The Japanese Garden at Dollar

Blog, Hillwalking, In Darkness and In Light, Scotland, The Vet Who Came In from the Cold, , , , , , ,

I spent a good part of this week in Perth, doing duty vet training on Tuesday and (human) first aid training on Wednesday. I have so many photos to share that it’s going to be hard to choose. I was staying in the Salutation Hotel with my colleague Sue. It was an interesting hotel, built in 1699: all maze-like corridors, uneven floors and a breakfast room that looked like a Jane Austen era assembly rooms, with a huge arched window and vaulted ceiling. For the purposes of this blog however, perhaps its most significant feature was its lack of car-parking.

There were plenty of car parks in Perth, near the hotel, but all of them required tickets, except between the hours of six at night and eight in the morning. Having finished our duty vet training on Tuesday, Sue proposed a visit to Branklyn Gardens on the edge if the city. Mum and Dad stayed there earlier this year, so it seemed like a pleasant idea. Sue is apparently quite the gardener and she looked at the plants with great interest. For me, the foliage was the real draw. It will be even better in a few weeks when autumn sets in properly.

Lovely as it was, it closed at five, which left another hour to kill, before the car park was cost-free. Sue had noticed that there was a path from the gardens up to a folly on Kinnoull Hill that she wanted to see. The path was steep and rough though, and as I have been struggling with balance and fitness, I decided it was too much for me.

I set off to drive back to the hotel, but on the way, I saw a road sign that said Kinnoull Hill parking. I drove up the narrow lane, which took me round to the other side of the hill, where I found tracks up to the peak that were much gentler. I decided to head up the hill and see how far I got. Perhaps, if I reached the summit, I might meet Sue there, but if not, I’d still have had a nice walk.

It was very slow going, but I met two lovely dogs on the way and stopped for doggy cuddles. In Triar’s absence, that was lovely. Reaching the summit was a wonderful moment. It’s been a long time since I got to the top of any hill and the views over the Tay valley were stunning. I texted Sue to tell her where I was. I think she’d already been there, but she came back to meet me and persuaded me that, having come so far, I should walk a little further to see the tower.

The tower looks like a ruined castle, but it was actually built as a folly – ready ruined – by one of the Earls of Kinnoull, who thought it would look romantic in its rocky cliff setting. It was absolutely worth the extra walk.

The next day was the first aid course, which was very thorough. I had done defibrillator training in Norway, about five years ago, but I’d forgotten how useful they were, telling you what to do, even to the point of how fast your heart compressions should be during CPR. Here’s the lovely Lesley in a sling. For some reason, she was trying to remember the Brownie Guide spiel. It was that kind of day!

That evening, with the same car park restrictions, Sue suggested walking up Moncreiffe Hill. Again, we split up, and she found a car park with a longer, steeper climb. This time, we met at Moredun Hill Fort – or at least what is left of it. Built over 2000 years ago, excavations at the site have suggested that the hill may have had special significance as a Pictish royal centre. The only structure now above ground though, is a rough cairn that marks the top of the hill.

As Sue arrived at the top of the hill, she brought a rainbow with her, which added to the loveliness of the moment! My second hilltop in two days.

After another night’s sleep, it was time to head back south, but Sue had one last suggestion for the return journey. She had been to the Japanese Garden in Dollar and thought I would like it, so we met in Dollar for a coffee and then visited the garden. This was my first visit to a Japanese garden and I have to confess, it is stunningly beautiful. I took far too many photos! Everything was perfectly framed, as if designed for an enthusiast with a mobile phone, though the garden was designed long before those were even thought of!

We ended our visit with a scone, which was delicious. And now I want to take my parents on a trip to Dollar, so they can experience it too. Anyway, thanks to Sue, this was a very memorable trip to Perth. Thank you as well, for reading. See you next week!