Hogmanay

For the past few hours I've been waist-deep in preparations for our annual Hogmanay party in Arlington, TX. A far cry from the mac-daddy of all parties, Hogmanay in Edinburgh. But, it's our own nod to the ancestral home & home of my heart. Many hours days spent compiling & organising a musical selection of purely Scottish artists. Many hours spent cleaning & prepping the house; lights strung, plaid hung, pavilion set, twigs snipped. Soon, the traditional Wassail will begin it's creation and the kilt will be donned. A right blythe Hogmanay to yese aw! Wastrel On! (Listening to: TCU vs ISU)

Well, what else do you need?

A phonebooth & an abandoned wagon wheel. What else is necessary? On a previous trip to the United Kingdom, I had focussed on the staple "Red Telephone Booth" as a photographic subject. I experienced much ridicule for that. This time, around I found a differnt subject, pubs, on which to exert my photographic energy. Sometimes, the two just go hand-in-hand. I suppose it's just as well, for the "Red Phone Booth" is slowly being replaced by modern non-enclosed booths that are more functional & considerably less decorative. I find it the end of an era and am saddened by it. By the time I return, i expect that there will be far fewer "Red Telephone Booths" to photograph. Sad, really. This is the side of the Old Smiddy Restaurant in Errol, Perthshire, Scotland. A day full of distilleries & a winery deserved nothing less than a pub for dinner; and a pub we had. A delightfully charming location on High Street (the only street, really) in Errol. It was impossible to miss. The Old Smiddy even had a selection of Cairn O'Mohr wines by the bottle or by the glass. I, if memory serves, switched back to beer at this point, and likely had a pint of the 80 shilling. I recall my dinner being delightful, however. So, should you find yourself in Errol, Perthshire, make sure you drop into the Old Smiddy and let them know you found them on the Wastrel. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Mercedes Boy by Pebbles)

The Millstone at Cairn O'Mohr

Truthfully, I have no idea. None. However, here I am walking alone at the back of pack (as per norm) and I round the corner to find Kelly waiting for me. Dear Kelly, always there when I need her. I'd been taking photos and fallen behind and she espied this millstone propped up in the corner of a falling down soon to be dead building. I'd have missed it, being in the hurry I was. Our party was out of sight, but I snapped a couple of quick shots of this nonetheless then we hurried on to catch up. The Cairn O'Mohr winery is on this mazy piece of land that is spotted with little buildings & farm equipment, most of which seems to no longer have a purpose. Frankly, once the rest of them were out of sight, they were truely away. We wandered and wandered, but eventually did find them inside the cask building (multi-hued, plastic casks at that). I meant to ask our dear addle-pated guide/owner about that millstone, but failed to remember to do so. Thus, it is a mystery. Wastrel On! (Listening to Bus Stop by Government Mule (cover of a Holly's song))

CAIRN O’MOHR

CAIRN O’MOHR AWARD WINNING SCOTTISH FRUIT WINES ARE MADE FROM THE BERRIES, FLOWERS AND LEAVES THAT GROW NEAR ERROL IN PERTHSHIRE, SCOTLAND BY THE GILLIES FAMILY. That's what it says on their website, and I can attestify to it's truth. What can be said about the Cairn O'Mohr winery that cannot be summed up in a single word? That word would be odd, and encompasses neatly without prejudice or belittling everything about this precocious winery in Errol, Scotland. From the charmingly eccentric couple to the outlandish surroundings and garish colours, odd seems to fit the bill nicely. But mostly, odd describes the wine; and here's where I MUST protest that odd is in way a deregotory term, just one that indicates we've stepped outside the norm. Or, at least, my own comfortable norm. I'm a wine-drinker. I have been a wine-drinker for 'lo many a year now. However, I'd not until this day tried a wine that used anything other than grape as it's source. At Cairn O'Mohr, they grow no grapes, they instead make wine out of the various natural resources they have to hand. Rhubarb, heather, elderberry, grass, oakleaves &c. Odd? Yes. Delightful? Most definitely. I must say that both the Rhubarb wine (with it's decadently sinful label) and the Autumn Oak Leaf (with it's delightfully simple label) were excellent wines. These are not snob wines, I hasten to add. Do not buy this wine & expect to put it back and re-sell it fifteen years down the road, I expect you would be disappointed. Buy it & drink it now, while it's in its youthful prime. And, should you ever find yourself in Perthshire then find your way to Errol and visit this odd winery. Well worth your time. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Madness by Zee)