Sophie's new and forever home.

We get the keys to the new house. The first time Angus has a chance to see inside it . It's a quarter of the size of The Rickety Old Farmhouse and an eighth the size of what went before that . The sort of place that can be locked up and left alone. .... and kept snug and warm in a Scottish winter. It has breath taking views of the sea across the wheat fields. Come out of the drive and you have three options. You can go straight on to the sea, turn right to the sea or turn left to the bridge that runs over the burn and heads along half a mile of unpaved road to the village ..... and the sea.

We'll do the bathrooms as a priority and then decide what else needs to be done to the kitchen and room layout. Rather than have bedrooms that are never occupied we shall keep one guestroom and open up the other rooms to make them bigger and brighter. In a perfect world all the building work would have been done before we moved in but planning permission takes six months and we have yet to chose an architect. Family and friends can stay at the neighbouring hotel which is a twenty minute walk away along the cliffs. This is a much more practical and cost effective alternative to maintaining a large house that is only ever partly used. The kitchen, the drawing room, the library and the bedroom seem to be where these empty nesters spend their time.

Sophie will have company in the village. A Jack Russell in one house and a one year old 'mutt' in another . Outside the front door hare, deer and rabbits aplenty to chase ineptly but with gusto.

The furniture is due to arrive next week but we discover, to our horror, that major road works are about to start. They effectively cut off the village and require a twenty minute detour along back lanes for anyone wanting to get here. A call to the removal company will be the first item on Monday mornings to do list . Number two on the list will be a call to the Parisian bed company that had arranged for a new bed to be made in time for our moving in at the end of the month. Shipping to Scotland has proven to be quite a challenge for them. At times I think they must have Scotland and Alaska mixed up. This latest news will drive them to despair.

Sophie, as you can see from the photos, has taken enthusiastically to this first introduction to her new home. While we wait for furniture to arrive she will, go back to the 'wee house' and the morning half sausage from the French breakfast chef. Last night she discovered the delight of Lanarkshire Blue with pear as a starter. In the cheese stakes Scotland can hold its own.