Purchasing Power

16.5.17: Georgian Grandeur

Noel, ever ready to be of service, took Nicole and I up to the Cumnock Outlet centre. We had our shopping fix while Noel waited patiently in the coffee shop. I bought a pale green waterproof jacket with which I was well pleased.
From here, he drove us down to the 18th century Dumfies House, a pet project of Price Charles who mobilised its 11th hour acquisition for £45m when there was a risk of the estate, house and furniture (a large number of original Chippendale chairs) being sold separately. It's not just a preservation project; there's a social element too with the regeneration of the surrounding ex-mining area that was decimated during the time of Maggie Thatcher. https://dumfries-house.org.uk/about/history
We had lunch in the old stables, dodged the showers while looking around the beautiful grounds and visited the house with a charming young guide who made it all so interesting. I'm not big on guided tours but the house was on a human scale and she certainly kept my attention. Even better, the group was small and there was no "clever clogs" with us. At the end of the tour, I got talking to a pleasant Australian couple; (Nicole says that she doesn't know how to get into conversation with people that she doesn't know. I reckon, it's because she's picky about her contacts and is just not interested enough to make the effort.)
Noel came and picked us up by which time, the sun had come out. He then took us on to visit Angus (Ann's brother) and Maureen for a cup of tea and ginger cake (mmm!). With the sun shining, the view from their conservatory over the green fields was lovely and peaceful.
Arriving back at the house, we found that Ann was feeling a lot better but still not readyto eat.
Weather:
Sun, rain showers