Tuesday, April 26, 2011

New Beginnings


What do you mean that doesn't look like the sort of holiday place you're thinking of for a dream vacation in Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park? The patio areas certainly need a good sweep and, if there were any windows, they would need a good clean so that you could see the splendid views.
RENOVATION WORK STARTS 16th MAY 2011, hurray!
The sun is shining and we are very excited at the prospect of renovating these lovely but very very tired buildings and creating two tip top holiday cottages for visitors.
The plan is to create this. As you can see by the date of the archive entry this has been 'work in progress' for a long time. Lots of unremarkable reasons for that - life work family balance - but we are really keen to see these buildings brought into vibrant and viable use and to share this lovely part of the world with a few people. We'll post more detail on the design and construction approach in due course but, yes, they will have the same high standards as the house we built 3 years ago (can't believe its been that long!). We'll be adopting the AECB silver standard as a target for high levels of thermal efficiency and air tightness to ensure excellent comfort levels for our guests and to promote a more environmentally conscious approach to renovation and building.

In the meantime here's a few moments of Spring beauty present at this time of year...



daffodils at the very end of their prime, blossoms coming forth on the fruit trees...


clusters of primroses in the shady spots...


and a wee bit more apple blossom to show how pretty it is. We planted some fine old varieties of apple 2 years ago to create an orchard and I'm pleased to see that is really taking shape and providing interest now. We planted a mix of culinary and dessert apples and hope the mix will provide a decent long season of apple picking for us and our guests.


















6 comments:

Bella Bheag said...

Welcome back to blogland! You must be very excited - will watch with interest! Glad you got your card ok. BB

Ian said...

I stumbled across your blog while doing genealogy research on my family, the McNaughtans, who seem to have lived on or near your farm. At least two siblings of my great-grandfather, Peter Jack McNaughtan, listed their birthplace as "Cambusmoon" and married/died in Gartocharn which seems to be a nearby town. Looks like a pretty place!

Debs said...

Thanks for your comments. Gartocharn is our village and you can find more about the village at www.gartocharn.org. There are, I think, 3 Cambusmoons locally - East, West and Mid Cambusmoon - but they are all very close to each other. Can I ask what sort of era your family history is drawn from? Best wishes.

Ian said...

wow, I forgot I'd left a comment here all these months ago! The family lived in the area from the mid-1800s to about 1900, and may have been involved in forestry - one ancestor lists his occupation as "Woodman". Peter Jack McNaughtan, my great-grandfather, moved to Glasgow at some point and ran a fish-and-chip shop. My grandfather Walter - the oldest son - moved to Canada in approximately 1930, but the other two sons stayed on in Glasgow. My mother last spoke with them in the late 1960's and subsequently lost contact.

Debs said...

Thanks for adding your comments and knowledge here. I've always thought that properties should come with a 'log book' of all those who have lived in a place.

Ian said...

Here is some more specific information. My great-great grandfather, Walter McNaughtan (1828 - 1898), married Christina Jack (1837 - 1887) in 1866 in Gartocharn. A son, John, was born in 1868 at Cambusmoon, and other children followed. They lived in the area until at least 1898. Walter's listed occupation was Woodman.