- Ferry collides with harbour wall
- Further fall in house prices: Study
- Shop sales fall biggest since 1999
- MPs seek 'answers' on independence
- BAA warning on Heathrow hub plans
- Independence 'key to growth boost'
- Pilot run for domestic abuse court
- Trial date for murder accused, 13
- Unemployment rate up by 16,000
- Man charged in house attack inquiry
- Marchers support same-sex marriage
- Toddler death case report released
- Two arrested after house drugs raid
- Sheridan in legal bid over damages
- First-time buyers seize duty bonus
- Panda cake treat for zoo keepers
- Homelessness 'down by a fifth'
- Third man held in ear attack probe
- Rail signal staff on 24-hour strike
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Homes and Gardens
Lynne O’Rourke: ‘I check the basket and choke on my coffee’
I HAVE been trying to visualise our garden as a fragrant haven, which isn’t easy when all around is cold and dank.
Moving drama: Restoring an Edinburgh flat
For actress and businesswoman Monica Gibb, her role in the restoration of an Edinburgh flat was to allow its original character to shine
Interiors: Flat 1/2 Queen Margaret Drive, Glasgow
A mixture of old and new, practical and decorative ensures the Bells’ Glasgow home is far from boring
Gardens: A collection of Victorian glasshouses is the star of the show at Kailzie
THERE are so many dimensions to the garden at Kailzie in Peebleshsire that it is easy to overlook the striking row of colour-filled Victorian glasshouses that run across the south-facing façade of the walled garden.
Pat Elliott: ‘Specific patterns can narrow down options’
KITCHEN trends change rapidly. However, provided the bones of your kitchen design are in place, refreshing the look can be simple and cost effective.
Janet Christie: She was talked out by “The Nice People”
THE bathroom is Occupied. Youngest’s lock-in protest tactic shows no sign of abating and I’m working on eviction. The boys veto lock removal for fear of being walked in on.
Interiors: Beach house, Rosneath Peninsula
The reworking of a fabulously placed but uninspired bungalow has created a surprisingly un-Scottish beach house
Gardens: Exploring the story of Pteridomania
Beloved of Victorian collectors, the fern has fallen out of fashion but it’s still a fascinating addition to any garden
Allotment tales: They sulked on the windowsill, growing pale and leggy
I bought snow shovels and thick socks. I knitted a woolly hat. But the darkest days of winter were mild, wet, and ferociously windy.
Lynn O’Rourke: ‘The washing machine is accessible again’
I’M NOT imagining it, the days are getting longer and the nights are getting lighter. No matter how wintry it might still feel, there is a sense that spring may be on its way, which can make you feel a bit livelier.
Interiors: Windlestraw Lodge, Julie and Alan Reid
THERE are many hoteliers who claim to offer guests a home from home but few who manage it. Julie and Alan Reid, however, are one such couple.
Gardens: A desire for winter interest led rhododendron expert and author Ken Cox to experiment with a range of new plants
WHEN Ken and Jane Cox moved into Ken’s parents’ house at Glendoick in Perthshire, it was safe to assume that Ken, Scotland’s foremost rhododendron expert and plant explorer would experiment with the garden.
Gardens: Plant garlic cloves this month for a tasty summer harvest
It’s rare for me to be feeling spring-like at the beginning of February, but this winter’s mild conditions have burst most of the early flower buds already and made for some pleasant hours working in the garden when things are usually pretty bleak.
Janet Christie: “I’m sorry I have to pay a mortgage and buy food”
Youngest Child’s latest tactic is locking herself in the bathroom.
We’re late for school. Very. Apparently I was “snappy”.
Interiors: Fasque House, former home of William Gladstone
PREVIOUSLY the family home of William Gladstone, if Fasque House could talk it would certainly spill some fascinating stories. Built in 1809 it must have, after all, hosted many a political debate and even the odd Royal visitor over the years.
Janet Christie: “I didn’t give anyone the finger”
Middle Child has a book report to write. He sits at the kitchen table, overwhelmed, sad.
“Get on with it,” I say, encouraging.
Interiors: Sue Stowell’s home is a paradise of inspiration for a range of all-natural pampering products
SUE Stowell had been working as an interior designer for more than 20 years when she decided she wanted to take a new direction.
Interiors: Curtains and blinds have a big effect on your home’s ambience
A WINDOW is for seeing out of, right? Few windows in the home are there for purely decorative purposes (bathrooms excepted, perhaps) but with a window often being the main focus of a room it’s important that it enhances rather than takes away.
Gardening: The spectacular formal gardens at Guthrie Castle
GUTHRIE Castle, a 15th-century stronghold situated in rich farmland near Forfar, in Angus, is approached down an avenue of cherry trees flanked by woodlands full of rhododendrons.
Style doctor: ‘How can I lighten a dark brown leather suite to a more medium brown shade?’
The experts answer your interior design queries
Interior designs: ‘Creativity and individuality are on trend now’
IS THERE such a thing as ‘Scottish’ interior design? A visitor strolling down Edinburgh’s High Street might be forgiven for thinking we were caught in a tartan time warp and that the Balmoralisation of interiors I discussed last week was still the Scottish decorator’s way to go.
Interiors: The mess is plain to see but no-one wants to face up to it
WITH spring cleaning not too far in the future it’s worth remembering that too much clutter causes CHAOS – that’s Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome.
Interiors: Re-upholstering - a little work for a whole new look
EVERY home is different and every householder has his or her own taste when it comes to the furnishings they want to see adorn it.
Interiors: A Vespa is the focal point of Anne-Marie and Ross Sinclair’s Glasgow townhouse
ANNE-Marie and Ross Sinclair are quite comfortable sharing their home with a lodger. His name is Dougie, he’s pushing 60 and is generally happy to while away the hours in his favourite spot in the hallway.
Interiors: Hugh and Irene Cassidy’s stone lodge defies expectations with living space
SOMETIMES buying a house is about good timing: it’s about your ideal house being on the market just when you need it to be. Certainly, this was the case for Hugh and Irene Cassidy when they bought South Lodge on Woodmill Road in Dunfermline in 2008
Lynne O’Rourke: ‘The eldest one’s room doesn’t look too bad - I find that strangely disconcerting’
HAVING been at a work event one evening I returned home late to a quiet house. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t been there though, all I had to do was look around and the night’s events were laid out before me.
Interiors: Lorraine McGuigan enjoys interior design so much that she’s started her own business, and her Ayrshire home is testament to her talent
THE RECESSION has been less than kind to many braving the nation’s volatile property market, but Lorraine McGuigan is the exception to the rule.
Interiors: Flower designer to the stars Ruby Grimes wanted her Cambuslang house as soon as she saw the view of apple blossom from the living room window
RUBY likes to bring the outside in, as can be seen with the abundance of plants and blooms adorning her Edwardian Glasgow home.
Gardens: Seeing her snowdrops lit by her car headlights one evening inspired Catherine Erskine to create an illuminated walk through the gardens of Cambo House in Fife. Now visitors can also enjoy the magic
WHEN you hear of a snowdrop walk in the dark described as “fantastic”, “magical” and “incredible”, even on a cold, wet night with children in tow, it is time to investigate.
Gardens: The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is picking up the pieces after storms battered the country at New Year
JIM Gilchrist talks to David Knott, Curator of Living Collections on the damaged inflicted from the recent storms
Interiors: A retired consul and his sculptor wife have created a memorable bed and breakfast in Kirkcudbright
COOKING eggs the way guests like them is a far cry from a career in the diplomatic service, but Laurence Bristow-Smith is relishing the change.
Interiors: Sam and Kim Wightman had a vision for a luxury family home near Kinross where light and space were in abundance. The results did not disappoint
ANY HOUSE I’ve lived in I’ve built,” says Sam Wightman, reflecting on the home-building bug that seems to be part of his DNA.
Lynn O’Rourke: If we had started a detox, we’d be almost through it
WE DIDN’T make any new year resolutions in our household this time round, which is great because if you don’t make any, you don’t have to deal with the misery of having to admit defeat, generally by day three.
Lynn O’Rourke: ‘I attempted a clear out only to make a fatal error’ ’
ARE YOU raring to go yet, or still playing catch up and trying to get back into the school/work/nursery run of a morning with sanity intact?
At home with ... Aggie MacKenzie
Aggie MacKenzie insists her home is not a temple to cleanliness, but a functional, warm and welcoming space where she can relax or work on her latest project – a family cookbook
Gardens: The Edinburgh town house garden that looks good from above - as well as the ground
From its box hedge mini maze to slate path and woodland area, this Edinburgh town house garden has been designed with the view from above – as well as from the ground – in mind
Rebecca Govier: ‘Thanks to a chance conversation the purchase was made’
WHAT IS wonderful about working with plants is that you never get bored. With more than a million known flowering plants and new species being discovered all the time, you are always coming across something new.
Pat Elliott: ‘A design brief and schedule will keep a project on track’
AT A time when spending may be constrained, the planning of interior design projects becomes critical.
- Rangers run into the ground as furious HRMC battles to claw back tax
- Broken Rangers: Club signals intention to go into administration
- Scottish independence: David Cameron set to snub Alex Salmond’s separation talks bid
- Rangers blame HMRC for driving club to brink of administration
- Six Nations: Steadman given notice as ruthless Robinson seeks to strengthen team
- Scottish independence: No breakthrough in talks between Alex Salmond and Michael Moore
- Scottish independence: David Cameron set to snub Alex Salmond’s separation talks bid
- The Rumour Mill: Tuesday’s football news and gossip
- Devo-max merely a dodgy back-up plan to save SNP, says Jim Sillars
- The Rumour Mill: Monday’s football news and gossip
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Weather for Edinburgh
Wednesday 15 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South west
