Elaine prepared a wonderful breakfast this morning – yogurt with plum compote, juice and tea as a starter. Dick has the smoked salmon with egg and avocado toast and Mary has the continental that consisted of some cheese and sliced meat and little pastries. Elaine prides herself on using local suppliers – her eggs came from a friend who runs a company called ‘Just Got Laid at Culross’.
We had booked a tour of the area years ago with ‘Mary’s Meanders’ which ended up being cancelled as today is the Queen’s funeral and absolutely nothing is open. Charlie and Elaine have been kind enough to turn on the funeral ceremonies in the Guest lounge and Mary spent the day watching the ceremonies. Joyce is still under the weather and hangs out at the B&B while Don alternates between walking the village & watching the ceremonies.
Dick took a nice long walk on the village overlook with views of the gardens and across the Forth, on up to the abbey & castle and a loop of nearby Preston Island. The island is the site of historic salt pans now reclaimed as a park. There are some interesting sites along the route. The ‘Town House’ in the center of the village was originally used as a toll house. Witches were imprisoned in the attic. A pathway known as the ‘Haggs’ or ‘Stinking Wynd’ is a cobbled pathway with its center some six inches higher than the edges. The center is where the town ‘worthies’ walked – poorer folk had to give way to them by stepping into the gutter.
Elaine offers a prepared dinner for guests. We scheduled a meal with her months ago and it is a good thing we did. We offered to let her cancel it given the historic nature of the day, but she insisted she prepare the meal (thank goodness or we would have starved!). Wow, Elaine is an excellent cook. The meal begins with individual mushroom tarts w/haggis (except for Mary who’s in anti-haggis mode), then the main – a smoked Haddock in a classic Mornay sauce accompanied with Hasselback Potatoes and a roast vegetable medley. Her coup-de-grace is a homemade Meringues w/cream fraiche and berry compote. We share the bottle of wine out taxi driver gave us in St. Andrews. Wonderful!
It’s Don and Joyce’s last night in Scotland and they have an early flight out in the morning. Don has scheduled a 3:00 AM (!) pickup by Tom with ‘Glasgow Chauffer’. We’ve used Tom a couple of times now – a fine chap.
Bon Voyage Clarks!
