Does Sharon take sugar in her tea?

Sharon went to the excellent Cinnamon Cafe in Newton Stewart yesterday. She had been invited to join a small bunch of friends who are blind or partially sighted and meet regularly for a chat and a laugh. Of course an enormous Cappuccino, with chocolate sprinkles on top of the froth and a big moist fruit scone with home-made blackcurrant jam was the first thing to be ordered.

“It was so nice to make new friends who share some of the same problems I have. So we were able to talk about things that we all understand without having to explain everything all the time to people who can see. It was so relaxing and we had such a good laugh.

“Everyone who looks after us is to be highly commended but it is nice to be with people like me. We talked about lots of the things that we have to deal with every day but not in a depressing way. Nobody moaned.

“Just because we can't see, and I can't walk, doesn't mean that we can't answer questions and talk. There is nothing wrong with our brains. So, if people want to know something they should ask us directly. One lady said she hated hearing people asking whoever was with her: “Does she take sugar in her tea?” Why on earth can't they ask her directly as she is quite capable of saying yes or no.

“One thing that I find very difficult is when people talk to me without telling me first who they are. Many times I can identify people from their voices but not always. So, for me it is heart warming when somebody says “Hullo, this is so-and-so” before they start talking. I am sure I miss a lot by not being able to see facial expressions but if there is anything untoward you can generally hear it in the sound of someone's voice. So you can keep up a bit. But raised eyebrows and things like are beyond me. I suppose it's a bit my fault as I don't 'look blind' and can't carry a white cane as it would get tangled up in the wheelchair wheels.

“One lady, Charlotte, had brought Major, her lovely golden Labrador guide dog along. I was amazed to see that he just lay under our table for the whole of our gassing session. Although I did manage to give him a few pats. My old Sam the Labrador would never be so quiet for so long. He would have to go round and greet every single customer with masses of tail wagging and generally getting in the way. But, then, he isn't a guide dog – just one of my best friends.

“I can't remember all the things we talked about but it must have been quite amusing because we did have lots of laughs. It was so good to be with people who have disabilities the same as me so I didn't feel as if I had to try so hard. I found it so relaxing. This was a wonderful way to spend a Monday afternoon and I am very much looking forward to our next coffee and cake extravaganza. We're planning outings as well, to Port Patrick and Castle Douglas so that will be great fun.”

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Creehenge and Gem Rock Museum well worth a visit

If you go up to the Balloch Wood at Creetown you will find a set of stones that isn't quite as ancient as Stonehenge but is every bit as beautiful.

“Creehenge” is a stone circle at the entrance to the wood which features seven large blocks of granite that will stand for centuries to come amidst the trees. Balloch Wood has areas that include some of the oldest trees in the country, dating back thousands of years to the times when the whole of Scotland was covered with forest.

The unique idea of setting up the stones attracted a great deal of local support, not least from Galloway Granite which is a long-established Galloway business specialising in architectural and monumental masonry.

Creetown has a surprising connection with Japan. For many years a Japanese sculptor, Hideo Furuta, worked in the town using the local granite to create his works. A large stone globe he created stands in the centre of the town near the clock tower and there are other works dotted around.

The Japanese connection is continued at Creehenge, or “The Whinnie Face” as it is properly named. The words on the stones are in the Japanese poetry form known as haiku.

Pupils from the Creetown Primary School visited the woods and worked with Galloway-born poet Lucy Burnett. The leaflet distributed at the opening ceremony for the stones explained: “The class had recently been on a visit to the woodland and what they saw, heard, smelt, touched and tasted forms the basis of these poems. While retaining certain traditional features of haiku, such as brevity and a reference to nature/the seasons, a modern flexible approach is taken. Rather than strictly counting syllables, the focus is on the essence of haiku: capturing images in words and creating emotions through these images rather than personal expression. The poems were written by the class as a whole, with fragments of writing by all pupils combined and adapted to create the final poems. The illustrations follow sumi-e principles. This form of Japanese art is often used to illustrate haiku in order to turn the words of the poems back to into the images in which they originated. Copies of some of these poems have been inscribed on standing stones at the entrance to Balloch Wood, Creetown.”

Poet Lucy Burnett explained: “The class took the central concepts of haiku in their stride and were fantastic to work with. Some of the images they came up with were startling. Hopefully the result is a modern, fluid set of haiku which are offered to share our experience of the woodland, or to enhance your own visit.”

Here are two of the haiku on the stones:

animals come out
from hibernation
until grass sways
with the slow wind

light between larch trees
the overlapping echoes
of children's voices

To find the stones go up the road that leads past the church. You will need to leave your car at the bottom of the track where the road runs out as there is no parking. The stones are only a short walk away, although you need a powerful pusher to get up there in a wheelchair.

After the ceremony, Sharon was invited back to the tea and cakes session held at the fantastic Gem Rock Museum at Creetown. This is a must-visit place with an outstanding collection of rocks and gems presented in a fascinating way. Ideal for the family. There is a 4.5 billion year old, three kilogram, meteorite and the fossilised egg and dung of a dinosaur. The “Maverick” gold nugget is one of the largest natural gold specimens on display in the UK.

“Exhibits include world class specimens of fluourite from Weardale in the North of England, an outstanding smoky quartz crystal group aptly named the 'Crystal Crater' found in the Cairngorms Scotland, rare 'nailhead' calcite from West Cumbria, unusual 'Blue John' fluorite from Derbyshire and deep red 'Dulcote' agate from Devon. An alphabet of cut gems on display includes alexandrite, andalusite, aquamarine, beryl and chrysoberyl, diamond, emerald, fluorite, garnet, hessonite, iolite, jade, kunzite, lapis lazuli, morganite, nephrite, opal, peridot, quartz, rub, sapphire, tourmaline, unakite, verdite, Wyoming jade, YAG and zircon.”

The tea and cakes were served in the Prospectors' Pantry where Sharon loved sampling the special home baked Scottish cakes. Her favourite was “Rocky Road” which was absolutely delicious (see picture below). With a name that reflects the Gem Museum's interests it is one of the pantry's most popular items. “People know me and cakes and I am a bit of a gourmet. The Rocky Road was so yummy and it is on my list of all-time best cakes. I will be going back for more.”

For more information on the Gem Rock Museum see www.gemrock.net email: enquiries@gemrock.net. Telephone 01671 820 357. The Gem Rock Museum, Chain Road, Creetown, Dumfries and Galloway, DG8 7HJ. The museum is wheelchair friendly, as Sharon found out as she rolled along the ramps.


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Fishy business in Galloway

Passing through Castle Douglas this week Sharon had a chat with Wyllie who was at his stall in the car park near the tourist information centre. He travels around Galloway selling wonderful fresh fish and seafood from the waters of Scotland.

Wyllie told Sharon all about his great range of food, and she was particularly interested in his home made fish cakes. Meanwhile, the traditional kippers and Arbroath Smokies were interesting the power unit that pushes the wheelchair. However, nothing could be bought that day as an overnight stay in a hotel was coming and Sharon put her foot down at the prospect of sharing a room with a brace of kippers.

However, Sharon was delighted to hear that Wyllie calls to various towns around the region, including Wigtown, which he or his wife visit a couple of times a week. The business is called Ferry Fish and its motto is “First For Freshness No Bones About It.” “Ferry Fish is a family run business in South West Scotland. For the past two decades we have been selling the finest quality fish to households and restaurants. Our aim is to supply you with the freshest Scottish fish, hand-boned rather than machine filleted for a higher quality product.”

For deliveries, the food is only sourced after the order has been placed. So, for instance, if you want a delivery on Wednesday place it before noon on Monday. If you want it for Friday, place the order before noon on Wednesday.

White fish on offer includes cod fillets skinned no bones, haddock, halibut fillets or steaks, and plaice fillets. Farmed sea bass is always available while wild sea bass can be supplied from May to September. With oily fish there are whole salmons or no-bones fillets, steaks, and trout. Herrings, mackerel, tuna, swordfish steaks and anchovies. The list of shellfish includes dressed crabs, crayfish tails, fresh mussels, prawns, white crab meat, and cooked crevettes. There is plenty of smoked fish to choose from, including naturally smoked haddock, Tarbet kippers “the best ever”, Finnan haddock, Arbroath smokies and smoked mackerel. In the luxury goods section you will find smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, marinated herrings in a variety of sauces including dill, sherry, honey mustard and dill, and “plain – luxury”, and even caviar.

www.ferryfish.co.uk enquiries@ferryfish.co.uk Telephone 01671 820 748

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A touch of luxury with quail eggs

When it comes to tasting a bit of luxury quail eggs fit the bill perfectly. Sharon went for her Saturday roll in the sunshine around Wigtown market and spotted the last box of the eggs at the stall run by her friend Richard.

She bought a dozen, together with a selection of the fresh green vegetables that are appearing with the arrival of Spring. She made another visit to the new delicatessen which has opened near to the County Buildings for a bright red pepper and a courgette, two of her favourite veg.

She had decided on a stir fry for dinner. Here's what to put into into the wok:

One small onion
One small courgette
Half a red pepper
Mushrooms
Green vegetables
Mango
12 quail's eggs
A scatter of salt
A little oil

Boil the quail eggs and shell, put aside. Chop the onion, courgette and red pepper and gently fry in a little oil. In went a couple of roughly chopped mushrooms for a minute or two, followed by the green vegetables. The greens were spinach, rocket and purple sprouting broccoli. A bit of salt. Then chop up mango (use tinned). Finally, add the boiled quail eggs. Serve with plain boiled rice.

The quail eggs came from Glenkens Eggs, Trochie Farm, New Galloway, DG7 3SD. Telephone 01644 420 471.

As we were unaccountably out of aspic, we were unable to make the ultimate luxury dish – quail eggs in aspic. Readers, of course, will have this essential item in their larders. Trochie Farm explains how to make this aristocratic dish.

Boil the eggs, shell and slice in half lengthways. Place in china pots. Decorate with shrimps or prawns. Mix aspic with a little sherry and add to pot. Set in fridge. Garnish with parsley and serve.

This should be a very good season for upper class food – if the number of cocky cock pheasants wandering around the country roads and in the hedgerows is anything to go by.

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Galloway beef is best

It's a fact – Galloway beef is best. Who says so? James Mackintosh who is the executive chef at the Masonic Arms at Gatehouse of Fleet.

James knows what he is talking about as he is devoted to food and learned his craft in places such as the the Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles Hotel, which is Scotland's only two-star Michelin restaurant. When asked if Galloway beef is better than the nation's famed Aberdeen Angus he reply is immediate – yes it is.
There is something about the grass and weather in Galloway, he says, that just makes for beautiful beef. Certainly, the area has always been known as prime cattle country and its breed features a distinctive mid-section white stripe which has led to the name Belted Galloway.

One of James' signature dishes is his beef daube. He travels to his favourite abattoir to select the beef for the Masonic Arms. The daube takes two days to make and it is finally braised in an alcohol reduction for eight to ten hours until it is meltingly soft. It is served with roast salsify, spinach and caramalised spinach puree. For steak lovers there is an eight-ounce rib-eye and a 16-ounce sirloin, Galloway beef of course, served with a range of sauces.

James' menu features dishes that meld local ingredients into tempting creations. One of the starters is a haggis and tattie scone tower with Drambuie sauce. Lovers of seafood are well catered for and on the day that Sharon called in the daily fish special was halibut, served with vegetables Dauphenoise, confit beetroot and wilted spinach.

James runs the Masonic Arms with his partner Danielle and she is equally enthusiastic about good food, the couple having met while working at an outstanding restaurant.

Although there the signs of the Freemasons are engraved in the door to the pub, the Brothers no longer meet there. The restaurant is open and light while the bar offers treats, including a guest beer from the Sulwath Brewers, of Castle Douglas. When Sharon visited this was John Paul Jones traditional ale, named after the founder of the US Navy, a local man. The heraldic arms above the door are intriguing.

Masonic Arms, Gatehouse of Fleet, Open noon to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm. Telephone 01557 814 335. www.themasonic-arms.co.uk

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Toffee sauce is easy

Sharon so enjoyed the toffee sauce that was poured over her pear pudding at lunch during her Newton Stewart Hospital visit last week that she rolled around to the kitchens in search of the recipe.

The cheerful ladies there insisted that there wasn't really any recipe – they just made it on autopilot.

The ingredients couldn't be simpler: brown sugar, evaporated milk, margarine, cornflower. The girls said that all you do is mix the first three ingredients together in a pan over a low heat and then thicken with the cornflower.

That's it. All the best recipes are simple.

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Why suffer at Harrods?

The trouble with Harrods is that it is crowded with tourists and other rif-raf and no cultured person darkens its doors preferring, instead, to seek out individual suppliers where local products are made with the highest quality ingredients.

If you are a chutney and jam gourmet then the place to head for is Galloway Lodge Preserves, at Gatehouse of Fleet. This is a truly local business owned by Fiona Hesketh who, with her team, lavishes love and care on their products at their kitchen in the royal burgh.

Sharon called in at the shop in the wonderfully-named Horatio Square, surely a memory of Nelson. She enjoyed chatting with Lynden and inspected all the shelves which carry not only Galloway Lodge Preserves but also a range of fine foods and items by other quality producers.

She selected a jar of the famous Galloway Lodge Poachers Pickle and a bar of ginger fudge for her mother. The pickle, a Gold Great Taste Award winner, has fans around the world and it is, in fact, sold at Harrods. But there are fewer crowds in Gatehouse of Fleet and only elegant and refined customers.

Sharon and Lynden chatted away and she was very enthusiastic about the food. Galloway Lodge preserves was founded by the late Nigel Hesketh as a small marmalade-making operation. Today Fiona runs things and she has introduced a select range of new products.

As well as the Poachers Pickle there are other chutneys, including beetroot chutney, Bramley apple chutney with cider, hot tomato pickle, mango and chilli chutney, mulled cranberry chutney and peach chutney.

There are also jams, marmalades, jellies, mustard, and a chilli range. Crunchy Original Galloway Mustard is described as being “made from scratch ourselves. The addition of honey and cinnamon makes this a very versatile condiment.” Chilli jam tempts with “a mix of chilli and spices from two continents,” or how about chilli and honey relish? Amongst the marmalades, there is Bladnoch whisky distillery marmalade, made with a dram from the nearby distillery, the most southerly in Scotland, and heather honey marmalade. Rich cranberry and port jelly tempts, as does bramble jelly, and there are many other tasty jars.

So, avoid the vulgar mob and head for Gatehouse of Fleet instead of a certain over-rated store crushed with crowds in South Kensington.

Galloway Lodge Preserves. Shop in Horatio Square, Gatehouse of Fleet, next to the clock tower. Shop telephone 01557 814 357. Kitchen 01557 814 007. www.gallowaylodge.co.uk fiona@gallowaylodge.co.uk.

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Gardeners are a Bolshie Bunch

Gardeners are awkward people. Who says so? Scotland's top gardener for one.

Professor Stephen Blackmore is Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and he says that gardeners are stubborn people who keep on trying, ignoring failures. They think in terms of decades or centuries, often planting things that will not fully flourish until long after the gardener is dead.

Sharon enjoyed talking with Stephen yesterday at the Logan Botanic Garden. This is one of the world's most remarkable gardens. Despite being located in Scotland, it features many plants that need warm or mild climates, such as palms and exotic flowers. The sight of clumps of daffodils growing beneath palm trees is a little unusual and exotic bright coloured flowers are in bursting good health even after the recent savage winter. The reason for this is that the Rhins Peninsula, at the far west of Galloway, where Logan is situated, benefits from the warming effects of the Gulf Stream.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh dates back to 1670 and today it also operates the Logan Botanic Garden, the Benmore Botanic Garden and the Dawyck Botanic Garden. It is a major force for research and conservation and works in more than 40 countries around the world. Recently, for instance, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Queen Sirkit Botanic Garden in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the two organisations are to work closely together. A project relating to Thai ferns is under way. There are many plants from Asia at the Logan Botanic Garden, and the rhododendrons and camellias are particularly beautiful.

Sharon enjoyed talking to Stephen as he is an old Hong Kong hand, spending years of his childhood there and still visiting regularly. Sharing a common interest in the former British colony there was lots of talk of food and happy times.

Logan is well worth visiting. Although things are a little behind because of the long winter the plants are about to burst into bloom. In fact, some already have, including a dramatic purple magnolia from southwest China that produces giant flowers before bothering with leaves. “In the Walled and Woodland Gardens you'll encounter species fascinating and colourful, endangered and bizarre. Nearly half of these have been collected from the wild, and most are from the southern hemisphere. The majesty of antipodean tree ferns and gum trees, the vivid colours of Southern African flowers, the fragrance of tender rhododendrons and the stands of massive gunnera will delight and surprise you.”

There are plenty of facilities for the visitor, including the licensed Potting Shed Bistro, where Sharon tucked into a delicious carrot cake – studded with walnuts and with a “yummy topping”. The shop is packed with interesting items and books. This is also the place to pick up the little machine that provides a self-guided audio tour for a pound. There is a basic language version for children, no doubt it leaves out all the long Latin names of plants. First stop on any visit should be the Discovery Centre, which explains the history and purpose of the garden and includes microscopes to give a really close up look at how plants work.

Most of the garden is accessible to the disabled, although a bit of hefty pushing can be required in places as the paths are gravel, which isn't friendly to people on wheels, but wheelchairs are allowed on the grass. There is a fully equipped disabled toilet and wheelchairs can be borrowed on request. Access to the Potting Shed Bistro shop and Discovery Centre is no problem. Guide dogs are welcome, although Sharon smiled at the notice at the entrance which says that only “accompanied guide dogs” are admitted. Is there a problem with packs of unaccompanied guide dogs trying to get in?
The Logan Botanic Garden is 14 miles south of Stranraer on the B7065. Don't confuse it with the Logan House garden close by, which is also worth visiting. Also visit the remarkable Logan Fish Pond, the world's only larder for sea fish built 200 years ago for a local dignitary.

The botanic garden is open from 15 March to 31 October and on Sundays in February. From April to September it is open from 10am to 6pm. In March and October it is open from 10am to 5pm. In February it is open only on Sundays, from 10am to 4pm. Admission is five pounds for adults, one pound for children, and four pounds for concessions. A family admission is available for 10 pounds and discounts are available for pre-booked groups of 11 or more. Members of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are admitted free – so it's well worth joining as free admission to the other gardens is also included together with other benefits. From April to September, a guided walk is offered, starting at 10am on the second Tuesday of the month. Car and coach parking is free and there is even shaded parking for dogs.

Logan Botanic Garden, Port Logan, Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, DG9 9ND. Telephone 01776 860231. www.rbge.org.uk/logan.

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No potatoes and no bread in Galloway

It wasn't so long ago that people living in Galloway had to do without two staples of life – potatoes and bread.

The History of Galloway from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Volume II, page 404, published in 1816 in Kirkudbright by John Nicholson, gives some interesting information on food.

“In 1725, potatoes were first introduced to Galloway, or at least into the Stewartry of Kirkudbright, by William Hyland, from Ireland. This new species of food being accounted a luxury, few potatoes were used in the district for some time; for Hyland regularly carried his whole crop to Edinburgh, where he sold them in pounds and even ounces.

“At this period, there was perhaps not one baker in Galloway. Only one resided in the town of Dumfries and he baked half-penny baps, or rolls, of coarse flour, which he carried in baskets to the fairs of Urr, Kirkpatrick, &c., where they met with a ready sale. No wheat at this time grew in the district, and it was believed that the ground would not produce it. Even so late as the year 1735, no mill existed in the south of Scotland for grinding this sort of grain. The first flour mill was built at Cluden, in the parish of Holywood, some years after this date.”

No doubt everyone existed on good Scottish porridge which is made from oats. Dr Johnston defined oats in his great dictionary as “a grain which in England is fed to horses but which in Scotland sustains the population.”

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Life on the ocean waves

When Sharon was a young girl she used to travel back and forwards to Africa where her father worked as a railway engineer.

There were long periods in the bush, punctuated at intervals by trips home to England by ship. Sharon's mother and father enjoyed the long leisurely dinners taken properly dressed while Sharon ate in the nursery. She can't remember anything about the food but says she was never hungry.

Neither were her parents. Here is a menu from a voyage to Nigeria on the M.V. Aureol, dated June 5, 1963. The Captain was W.E. Humphreys, the Chief Steward, W.H Neild, M.C.F.A., and the Chef de Cuisine, P. Brindley, M.C.F.A.

Cold Buffet

Jellied beef consomme, Vichysoise, prawns in jelly, sole in aspic, gammon ham, veal and ham pie, lambs' tongues, roulade of veal, haunch of venison. Salads: lettuce, tomatoes, beetroot, yam yam. Dressings: mayonnaise, French, creme crue. Lemon and vanilla ice cream, iced coffee.

Dinner

Appetisers: Juices: Prune, pineapple, tomato, grapefruit maraschino.
Soups: Consomme Dumont, cream Marie Stuart.
Fish: Fillets of Plaice, Meuniere.
Farinaceous: Risotto Milanaise.
To Order, 10 minutes: Eggs Princess.
Vegetarian: Dutch potato mould.
Entree: Sweetbreads, Guizot.
Chef's Special: Guinea Fowl Orleans Style, sauted, deglaced with red wine and veal stock garnished with button onions, mushrooms and diced ham.
Roast: Quarters of Canterbury lamb and mint sauce.
Vegetables: Garden peas, creamed parsnips, parsley, browned, creamed and Pont Neuf potatoes.
Sweets: Golden pudding, coupe Singapore, bombe chocolat, lemon and vanilla ice cream.
Savoury: Croutes au baron, fruit bowl, assorted nuts, coffee.

“Coffee and liqueurs will be served as Passengers desire, either in the First Class Lounge or in the Smoke Room.”

On the front of the menu above the words Elder Dempster Lines, is a colourful picture of a bird. The caption on the back tells us: “West African Bird Series, No 18. The Orange Weaver (Euplectes franciscana). These are the loveliest of the species and are often wrongly described locally as the Firefinch. They are polygamous and have a characteristic bobbing flight.”

Of course the menu was printed in England by Forman of Nottingham.

Sharon says: “I always used to sit on the rocking horse in the nursery because the motion of the boat going up and down over the waves used to make it go by itself. So, I didn't have to make it go, I just used to sit on it and I would be rocked. When we used to pass through the Bay of Biscay and it was a bit rough, I used to pretend I was a rodeo rider because the rocking horse would rock more vigorously.”

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A quiet Sunday drive

“Yesterday we went for a quiet Sunday drive in the sunshine. I used to make scathing remarks about cars tootling along with Sunday drivers but I am so glad to be alive that I loved the drive. There were lambs in the field, buds on the trees and clumps of daffodils everywhere. It's a lot better than being dead,” Sharon.

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What more could a girl want?

Sharon's nephews, Cameron and Connor, called round to see her and brought her some lovely gifts.

Cameron presented her with a giant bottle of Irn Bru, the Scots' favourite soft drink, and Connor gave her a jelly rat and a jelly centipede.

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Tea and cakes fuel recovery

Sharon writes about her weekly visits to the rehabilitation group at the local hospital which includes physiotherapy and social activities. She been to four sessions, with two more left.

“We always start with a morning cup of tea and toast and a good old chinwag,” says Sharon. “There can be up to nine of us in the group and we all get on very well. After the chatting, we go one-by-one for physiotherapy.

“I find the workouts very intensive. There is lots of walking up and down while hanging on to the parallel bars with my good hand. I have to walk backwards as well as forwards, and sideways. Then I have to stop and do bending the knees, which I am actually getting the hang of now even with my bad left leg. I have to wiggle my hips.

“Then I have to walk all around the room with my new quad pod, which is a walking stick with four little feet which makes it very stable on the floor. It doesn't wobble like my crutch does. I do lots of arm exercises as my left arm and hand are of no use after my stroke two years ago. So I have to hold my left hand with my right hand and wiggle it around and lift it up and down above my head. I am not very keen on this because at night I get a terrible ache in my neck and shoulder. It is obviously doing my muscles good but I need plenty of Deep Heat rubbed in before bed time.

“Then I go back to join my group and we play bingo, curling, scrabble, dominoes, word search. Then we have voice therapy with singing. There is nothing wrong with our minds and we can nearly all speak fairly well, it's just our bodies don't always do as they are told. Because I am also blind the therapists photocopy my bingo card to the most ginormous size so I can make out the numbers. I have won once.

“Lunch comes at 12.30 which is always a lovely cooked meal with enormous helpings. There are three courses, soup, main course and pudding. Last week I had shepherd's pie with green beans and fruit yoghurt. I couldn't manage the pea and ham soup. Followed with cup of tea. About an hour later there is a tray of cakes and another cup of tea. Last week I had a treacle scone. Of course, I can't manage to eat anything when I get home so just have something very light at night.

“I must give a ginormous pat on the back to all the lovely staff who are so considerate, helpful, thoughtful and kind, to put up with all of us and our limitations. This needs the patience of saints and they always have a smile and an encouraging cheerful word as we struggle along.

“At the end, when we are having our afternoon tea we play the Oldies CDs that I bring in. We all sing along and have a good laugh at ourselves. Visitors always sing along as well.

“All this might seem very simplistic activity to many people but to those of us who are fighting to get back to normality it is essential to our well-being and recovery. I am so grateful and I always look forward to my Wednesday sessions.”

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Sharon studies Spring

Sharon took a trip down to a garden centre just off the M6 across the border in England today and was keen to work out whether Spring was any more advanced there than in southwest Scotland.

In fact, Wigtown is south of a good part of England, and so the daffs are probably doing better here than elsewhere. But Spring is taking its time to get going.

Back in Wigtown after the outing, the buds of an ancient horse chestnut tree are bursting into life in the grounds of Hillcrest House, the award-winning gourmet hotel in Wigtown run by Sharon's sister Deborah and husband Andrew.

Sharon's nephews are keen on this tree as it produces plenty of conkers for the ancient kids' (and adults') game. The nuts are strung onto strings and hit against each other with competitions becoming quite exciting.

Although it is a staple of the British landscape, the horse chestnut is actually native to the Balkans and surrounding areas.

“I just want to see all the dafffs come out that are right on the verge of flowering,” said Sharon. “There are great clumps about and they are trying their very best to burst forth. Let's hope there is a lot more yellow around soon.”

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What shall I make for dinner?

This illustration comes from a 1950s cookbook and shows the neat hair and lipstick that all cooks should wear in the kitchen when trying to think of a recipe.

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Love it or loathe it

Fifty per cent of our household loves blue cheese and the other fifty per cent can't stand it.

But if you are with the half that thinks a fragrant and rich cheese speckled and shot through with veins of blue is a delight then keep an eye out for a fine Scottish cheese made at Tain, in Ross-shire by Ruraidh Stone of Highland Fine Cheeses.

Strathdon Blue is a wonderfully rich cheese, made with the milk of Friesian and Ayrshire cattle, with a taste that is all its own and which is less sharp than Stilton and Roquefort. Our smelly cheese enthusiast bought his slice of Strathdon in Morrisons supermarket.

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Keep yourself warm and the kids happy

With the awful weather of the past few days there is no incentive at all to move onto the lighter food of spring and summer. Good old-fashioned fare is needed to keep the cold out.

Here's a recipe for Beef Steak Pudding from an 1847 cookbook.

“Make into a very firm smooth paste, one pound of flour, six ounces of beef-suet finely minced, half a teaspoonful of salt, and half a pint of cold water; line with this a basin which holds a pint and a half; season one pound of tender steak, free from bone and skin, with half an ounce of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper, well mixed together; lay it in the crust, pour in a quarter of a pint of water, roll out the cover, close the pudding carefully, tie a floured cloth over, and boil it for three hours and a half.”

That should keep the cold out.

If the kids have the trots, you could try Dr Baillie's Mixture for Children, from the same book.

“The following was a favourite remedy of Dr Baillie in protracted case of diarrhoea in children:- diluted nitric acid, six drops; syrup of cloves, four drachms; laudanum, six drops. Mix. One or two teaspoonfuls to be given in barley water.”

Laudanum is opium. So that should keep the little ones happy.

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Time for traditiion

A staple of Scottish food for generations has been the ever-popular potato scone. Here is one traditional recipe.

One pound of potatoes
Two level teaspoons of salt
Four ounces of flour
Two ounces of butter
Some flour for rolling out

Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes then drain and mash well. Add the butter and salt, then work in a little flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured board and roll until about half an inch thick. Then cut into three-inch rounds and fry in a lightly-greased pan for five minutes each side. Serve well-buttered when still warm.

Modern health experts would probably look askance at the recipe, as reducing salt in the Scottish diet is a major target today. Excessive salt can also to high blood pressure and other problems. It's probably best not to think about the two ounces of butter in the scones and the lashings of butter that have to go on top before eating.

Meanwhile, Sharon was asking her mother for a recipe for Toad In The Hole. Liddy is a Yorkshire girl born and bred but, like many people who have made things for decades, is a bit vague about the details. “You just mix up eggs, flour, salt and a bit of milk,” said mum. “A bit like a pancake mix. Lightly fry the sausages first and put then in an oven dish. Make sure the oven is hot. Then pour over the mix and cook until brown.” Hmnnnnnn...maybe it is that simple.

An attempt to bake another favourite from Sharon's childhood days, Sad Cake, “very easy”, ended in a quick trip from the oven to the bin.

Talking of easy simple dishes reminded Liddy of Sausage Pie which she used to make when the family was living in Kenya in the 1950s and 60s. Liddy worked at the Donovan Maule Theatre in Nairobi and the pie was a favourite at social functions there. Actors arriving late in the evening after long flights from the UK devoured it on arrival at the theatre.

“Roll out some ready-made shortcrust pastry and put it into an oven dish. Lay chippolatas or other thin sausages on the pastry. Sprinkle sweet corn over the sausages. Beat up two eggs and pour over everything. Put in a hot oven until cooked. Eat warm, or allow to cool and then cut into squares before putting them on a plate and serving.

“We also used to always serve these at our parties at home,” said mum. “My friend Delia would come along and get everyone into the swing of things. She would dress up, grab a sweeping brush and start singing.”

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Not dead yet

Sharon likes to sleep with a night light in the room. Since her stroke darkness frightens her. “I need a bit of light so that I know I am not dead,” she explains. When she hovered in the half world between life and death while battling to survive her brain haemorrhage she became terrified of the dark.

On March 31, gales blew and brought down power lines. Trees fell and damaged other parts of the electrical supply system. The power failed in the early hours of the morning of Wednesday, March 31. Sharon noticed when she woke up and found she was in the dark as the night light was not glowing. However, we had a good supply of candles and had even remembered to buy matches to light them. These were only bought a few weeks earlier “just in case.” Sharon was reassured that she was still alive. Out came the little emergency battery-powered radio, although there was no news about the power cut on the news bulletins until much, much later, and even then it was just a quick mention, the glamorous Highlands receiving all the coverage of the storms. But for the 20,000 or more people affected in Galloway it was very big news indeed.

The Spanish owned company that supplies the electricity, Scottish Power, quickly had its teams out in the terrible weather working on getting things going again and we are all grateful to the men and women who worked so hard. A phone call to the hospital at Newton Stewart produced the news that they had power supplied by their emergency generator, so Sharon went to her rehabilitation clinic as normal on Wednesdays, taking a CD for the music and winning a bottle of fragrant shower gel in the bingo. Life goes on. The physiotherapist was proud of her efforts as she walked with her new “quad pod” four-footed stick. Of course, the power cut was the major topic of conversation. One lady, Daisy, who was to celebrate her 90th birthday the next day, was born in1920, the daughter of a shepherd and the family lived near a loch in the hills with electricity not even thought of.

No-one knew when the power would come back on again, including Scottish Power as their staff worked flat out in the cold wind and rain. One rumour had it that things would be repaired by 4pm, then 7.30pm. Later in the day it was said that 10pm was hoped for then early the following morning. That's the problem with a crisis, no-one knows what is going to happen – if they did it wouldn't be a crisis. The mobile phone system also failed. Petrol stations were unable to operate as their pumps needed electricity. Shops were closed as their electric tills wouldn't work.

After rehab had finished, we went to Hillcrest House Guest House where Sharon sat with her mother, well wrapped up and with a tiny camping gas fire providing the heat. A little before 8pm, there were flickers and then the light returned. What a relief. We went home and so to bed – with the night light.

The Friday local newspaper reported a lot of anger about the power cut, which lasted 17 hours. In particular, the lack of information about what was happening and when power would be restored annoyed many people. More than 8,000 properties were said to have been affected.

The power did return and we were all reminded of how fragile are the systems that underpin modern life. We are only a big blow away from the darkness.

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A proper cup of tea

When Sharon wants a cup of tea when out and about she wants a proper cup of tea. And a proper cup of tea is what she certainly got when she visited Stranraer a few days ago.

The Star Restaurant in the centre of town gave her a cup “the size of a boat.” And there were two cups worth of tea in the pot that came with it. The Star is obviously very popular with locals and it is a fish and chip shop with extras. Cheerful waiters and waitresses provide table service and there is a great Scottish menu to choose from.

As you would expect, there is fish and chips, haddock or cod, which are delicious and served with enough chips for a Scot or three or four normal people. The scones are served nice and warm and are enormous, with a choice of plain, fruit or treacle versions. Sharon decided on a fruit scone. It was enormous and served warm with butter and jam.

For the gourmets in search of truly local food, haggis, black pudding and chips is a popular dish and when we visited mince and tatties was the daily special. Of course Scotch Pie and Chips is on the menu. For puddings, how about, chocolate lumpy bumpy or toffee crunch? There is a good children's menu, including pizzas. There is an afternoon cream tea set.

The Star Restaurant is in the very centre of Stranraer, almost opposite the Tesco. Look for the distinctive blue awnings. Things are disabled friendly, with a wheelchair ramp at the entrance and a disabled toilet. If you fancy a flutter there is a Ladbrokes on the opposite corner to the restaurant and a Coral across the street. If you go to W.H. Smith, nearby, in a wheelchair or on sticks don't be put off by the step at the main entrance, go up the side to the other door and ring the bell for the disabled. Someone will let you in with a smile and without any steps.

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