Friday 14 August 2015

Theatre Group - Bookings for Christmas Pantomime

This year’s Christmas Pantomime at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We have made a provisional booking for the Matinee Performance at 2.00pm on Thursday 10 December 2015. Details of this, including how to book, have been emailed to members who are part of our Theatre Group.
If you would like to go, please complete the booking form attached to your email and return it
together with your cheque
as instructed in the form, to arrive no later than 17 September 2015.
Note: If you want to sit beside your friends, it would be easier for us to administer if you could all get together and send back a single form for the group of you.
If you are not registered as part of the Theatre Group, but would like more information on this, please reply to sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com and we will add you to the theatre group distribution list.

Outing to Glenturret Distillery and Drummond Gardens, Crieff - Tuesday 8th September 2015

Our fifth and final coach outing of the summer took place on Tuesday 8th September 2015, when we visited the Famous Grouse Centre at Glenturret Distillery, just outside Crieff. On the way there, we stopped for morning coffee and some retail therapy at Dobbies garden Centre near Stirling. In the afternoon we visited the beautiful Drummond Gardens, south of Crieff.
Around 80 attended this outing, requiring the usual 57-seater coach plus an additional minibus. We enjoyed high tea in the Queen's Hotel in Perth before returning to Edinburgh.

Many thanks to all involved in arranging our five outings this summer and to all who supported us by attending.

Strollers Walk No. 196 - Thursday 20th August 2015, Duns / Manderston Circle

Walk No:     196
Date:           Thursday 20th August 2015
Start Time:   11:00
Distance:     4.6 miles approximately
Duration:      2 hours approximately

On a surprisingly dry and very warm day fifteen Strollers met in Duns for the August walk to see the sights and sounds of the Manderston estate. From Market Square we headed up Castle Street over the road at Newtown Street and past the Horn Inn following the road towards Grantshouse and Cranshaws. Stopping to admire Christ Church, this Scottish Episcopal Church was built by Mr Hay of Duns Castle in 1857 to a design based upon a Romanesque style church which he had viewed on the banks of the Rhine. Looking over the cemetery to the right we had lovely views over the Merse, which means marsh but it was drained in the 18th century. Turning right for Johnsfield and Broomhouse we followed the road and then the track, avoiding stepping on the slightly flat frogs that seemed to be dotted about, taking us between the fields towards Buxley and past the entrance to the Manderston Cricket Ground founded in 1899.

Buxley has some interesting “A” listed historic buildings, and was built from 1897 to 1900 as the “Home” farm for Manderston. Here we met one of residents who works in the shop at Manderston House and did her best to try and entice us to visit the house  Continuing on we entered the grounds of Manderston House, the home of The Palmer family of Huntley and Palmer biscuit fame. Manderston is the supreme country house of Edwardian Scotland and was completely rebuilt from 1901 to 1903; the swan-song of its era. A house on which no expense was spared, with opulent staterooms, the only silver-staircase in the world, and extensive "downstairs" domestic quarters. It stands in 56 acres of formal gardens, with magnificent stables and a stunning marble dairy. We stopped off at the stables to have a chat with the horses and admire the stables with the horse names on the wall that all began with M.

We then made our way back to Duns along the edge of the A6105 following the wide grass verge that runs along the side of the road. Why is it all these roads seem to get busier just as we are walking along? Most Borders drivers think they are all Louise Aitken Walker and by “planning” we pass the Aitken Walker garage founded by her and her husband as we walk back to Duns. Louise's career began in 1979 when she was entered in Ford's 'Find a Lady Rally Driver' competition, without her knowledge, by her two brothers and was a winner from 2000 entrants. It spanned fourteen years up to 1993 when she retired to have a family. During those years she was the first woman to win a National Rally outright, survived a horrific crash in Portugal and became the first, ever British driver to win a world title - FIA Ladies World Rally Champion. Passing the garage we walked back into Duns down Bridgend returning to the Square and time for the Strollers to replace the calories burnt off on the walk.

Thanks Moira for organising this walk. Lets hope the weather stays as nice for September.