Birthday celebrations, from a time before Ella. Close friends and family, gathering at Ascog House on the Isle of Bute to don Wellington boots and pop Champagne corks.
Exploring the seventeenth-century lairds house, stone spiral staircases, a secret bedroom in a turret, swinging brass chandeliers, blackened fireplaces and creaking oak floorboards....
A short walk down to the bay on a damp and slightly misty morning. All around us are grey shiny smooth rocks which, with a closer look, are quite clearly a pod of seals, dozing the day away.
Longer treks through muddy frosty fields, catching our breath in the biting cold air. A bull with a long copper fringe watches us, probably wondering why we have ventured out on such a cold day when a cup of hot tea and large slice of cake in front of a warm fire is so much more inviting...
When the evening draws in and the peacocks nesting in the nearby trees have ceased their eerie call, we light up the dark house with an abundance of tea lights.
Dressing for dinner, because it seems an appropriate thing to do in such stately surroundings.
Gathering around the long wooden table and with name tags on our foreheads from a game of celebrity Blind Mans Buff, we tuck into a hearty meal and clink glasses, laughing and chatting into the wee small hours.......
A golden diadem, catching the morning light through the warped glass of the Edwardian sash windows in the turret.
{9ct gold, pearl and crystal 'Willow' tiara by Sarah Hemsley}
Ascog House Landmark Trust
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