Bridging the gap…

March roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, or so the saying goes. And I am most definitely ready for some prolonged warmer weather. We’ve had some lovely brief glimpses recently - Tanya and I escaping for a wonderful night in Newport-on-Tay at the amazing Newport Hotel, followed by South Queensferry and an overnight in North Berwick for her birthday; and then a weekend away for us all with the hillwalkers in Pitlochry. Lovely catching up with each other and with folk we’ve not seen in a year. And lovely to see the sun.

We've also had some birthdays with Tanya turning 21 and Ly turning 17 - celebrating with her first ever birthday presents. And I also popped down to see my Dad and the High Wycombe crew. Dad's still here - and seems much more content, but spends most of his day bridging the gap between sleepiness and sleep. And Emily is also bridging a gap between childhood and adolescence, she's growing up fast. She's also got sleep issues too; being half asleep in the morning when we want her awake, and then wide awake at night when we'd like her to go to sleep. It's a throwback to when she was a baby, only this time she has no excuse!

March feels like a season of change, the bulbs and buds appearing bringing some colour to the garden, brighter evenings and mornings (my cycle commute now firmly in daylight), and sunshine with warmth reigniting my soul after winter. I find myself making changes, re-evaluating things, making plans. It’s a great time to feel alive again after winter. So the coming weeks are a whirlpool of activity – a ski holiday and then a week in Northumberland for Easter. I can’t wait. March bridges the gap between winter and spring, and I smell change in the air. Exciting times ahead.

Smoked Haddock Ravioli - one of 9 courses on the tasting menu at the Newport Hotel

The view from the hotel

The Tay Railway Bridge

The Forth Bridges

The Forth Railway Bridge

The early morning birthday crew

Loving being 17

A snowy Ben Vrackie