Easter 2021 + Competition

Happy Easter to all friends of Balintore. It is amazing to think that Easter Saturday 2 years ago was the castle's first, and joyously very successful, Open Day. I had been hoping that this would become an annual event, but Covid has determined otherwise. By way of compensation, we have organised an Easter competition to win a free stay at Balintore Castle. Today (Easter Sunday 2021) is the very last date to enter. The competition may be found here.

https://www.facebook.com/BalintoreCastle/

Indeed, don't say goodbye to a 2021 Open Day yet. A joint Open Day and Appetite for Angus event is planned here for Saturday 10th July. We anticipate social restrictions will be largely lifted by then, so you just have to go for it. Further details will be published nearer the time, but there should be quality food and drink on offer.

So what about Easter this year at Balintore? Some friends joined me yesterday (Easter Saturday) to do some painting. I had been wilting under the strain of doing the prepping, taping and painting all on my own . I do not suffer in silence, and my friends Jonny, Solveig and Paul rose graciously to the occasion.

There was not a cloud in the sky, so we decided an al fresco lunch on the castle terrace. The temperature would have been above 20 and it felt like a gloriously warm summer's day, even though the trees are not yet in leaf.

lunch on the terrace

We then decided to be naughty and have a walk round the former boating pond as it was such a lovely day. It felt idyllic. There were frogs and toads mating fecundly, clouds of frog-spawn everywhere and many desiccated black carcasses on the grass and many bloated white carcasses in the water of amphibians who had spent their all in this Bacchanalian revelry.

the boating pond

We collected water cress from the burn, and stuck 3 pheasant feathers in the turn up of Jonny's woolly hat! Paul sat in the dappled shade of a tree on the bank.

a sun-dappled Paul (note castle in background)

Let's put it this way - not a lot of painting was done PM. :-) Even when we returned to the castle, we were exhausted from the uphill journey back, and we needed a sit down and a coffee on the sunny terrace. 

My guests took this last photo just as they drove off around 4PM. It had been lovely all day.

blue skies at 4PM

Today (Easter Sunday) is cold and windy, so taking advantage of yesterday's miraculous weather feels justified in hindsight.

Hope you enjoy your own unusual Easter!