If you live in the northern hemisphere, as I do, you might be longing for a bit of summer sunshine round about now.
The UK has been exceptionally wet in recent days, with numerous flood warnings and TV pictures of dramatic rescues by the Fire Brigade of people in cars stranded in deep water. It’s also been very dark, with constant heavy cloud, and all of this has made my thoughts wander back to happy summer days of sunshine and warmth.
Scotland is prone to a lot of cloud, but that doesn’t always mean it’s wet and cold to boot. One particular day in early August was quite cloudy, but it was one of those still, jacket-free days where the sun, when it does break through the cloud, feels gloriously warm on the skin.
My dear mama had told me about a tearoom in the little town of Thornhill, in Dumfries and Galloway, in which she and the pater had taken a very pleasant luncheon while on holiday in those parts.
Thornhill is a fair distance from where I live, and a bit further than I would normally venture on a day out, but since the weather was fine and we got an early start, I whisked the small assistant (said maternal parent) off south-westwards towards the Dumfriesshire hills.
This picture was taken on a different occasion, but as it happens to be en route to Thornhill, I’m bunging it in to give an idea of some of the scenery we passed through:
We arrived there around lunchtime, but since we’d stopped for a snack on the way we took a stroll around the town to work up our appetites. I don’t appear to have taken any photographs of the main street in Thornhill and so I’ve borrowed this one from the excellent website, Undiscovered Scotland:
We ambled along the backstreets, which were quiet and had lovely views of distant hills, as well as some strange-looking trees:
Along one little street I was surprised to see a fairly impressive memorial, remembering one Joseph Thomson (Explorer):
According to Wikipedia, this Thomson (1858-1895) was “a Scottish geologist and explorer”, who not only has an African beast named after him (Thomson’s Gazelle) but “avoided confrontations among his porters or with indigenous peoples, neither killing any native nor losing any of his men to violence.”
The same article claims that he is the originator of this apparently oft-quoted motto: ”He who goes gently, goes safely; he who goes safely, goes far.”
I can’t say I’m familiar with the quote, but at least now if I ever come across it I’ll know who said it.
Thomson was born in the village of Penpont, a couple of miles from Thornhill, and some time I would like to have a mosey round there to see if there are any references to him. I seem to remember that Penpont, despite its small size, also hosts an interesting looking tearoom, which gives me an added reason to investigate it.
The memorial has rather a nice bas-relief (if that’s the term I want) on one side, showing a lady holding an unfurled scroll displaying a map of Africa:
Just beyond this memorial a sign caught our attention:
The lane in question enticed us to walk down it:
I’m assuming that the lane was named after the Scottish word for ‘cow’ because at the end of this lane there was a field, and perhaps in days gone by this was a busy highway for travelling cattle. There were no coos there when we visited, but there were some sheep, many of which were flopped out on the grass soaking up the rays:
The delightful assistant and I were both very warm by this time, after plodding all over the place in the unusually balmy weather, and luncheon was calling.
The tearoom we were bound for was called “Thomas Tosh”, which I think has a splendid ring to it. I particularly like the idea of using the shortened version of Thomas and ending up with the name “Thos Tosh”. Unfortunately, I don’t know who Mr Tosh is, or was, but he’s given his name to rather a nice eatery.
The building housed not only a tearoom, but an art gallery and a shop selling gifts, crafts and food. I believe it used to be some sort of church hall:
Each table had a little stack of blue serviettes packed into a rack made from two sets of crossed teaspooons. From a distance they looked quite like the Scottish flag. You can see them at the nearest table in the picture above, and close-up below:
We both chose to have salads, which were large and packed with interesting ingredients. The delightful assistant had a chicken salad:
And I had a tuna salad:
We were so full after our salads that we didn’t have room for pudding (a tragedy, since there were delicious looking cakes and hot puddings on offer), and so we tootled off back to the car and headed north for home.
About half an hour after leaving Thornhill we felt the need of a cup of tea, and ventured into Starbucks, which is handily just off the road in a service station at Abington. I don’t often admit to going to places like Starbucks, but I must say they do a very lovely chai tea.
Not being a very frequent visitor to Starbucks, I forget each time that I need to lie to the baristas. When I ask for a chai tea, they ask if I take milk. Being a reasonably honest sort of cove, I say ‘yes’, which results in them giving me what I consider to be a measly half cup. The problem with this is that a) I love their chai tea enough to drink a large quantity of it, and b) I only take a dash of milk.
My delightful assistant prefers the chai tea latte, which comes sweetened and puffed up with hot fluffy milk and the cup filled, as a good beverage should be, absolutely to the brim.
Here, for comparison is the difference between our two drinks, my black chai tea with a dash of milk on the right, and her chai tea latte on the left. I hadn’t drunk any of mine when this was taken:
I’m hoping that by reminding myself of this recurring misdemeanour, I will have imprinted the nightmare of it on my brain, so that the next time I visit Starbucks I go in fully prepared for their misleading and devious questions.
Thanks for this splash of summer on a wet and dreary day! Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous New year!
Thank you Darlene, and a wonderful Christmas and New Year to you too!
Nice adventure! You do really explore with so much excitement that it makes me want to join you on your tours some day in Scotland! Talking about Starbucks, I found it interesting when I visited London, they served Chai Tea in real cups, I loved it as we are used to paper cups in America
Starbucks Chai for me is an acquired taste, as it is not the real chai that I am used to drinking. I have them improvise for me each time I visit Starbucks 
I am sure they get annoyed with me…
Thank you Aparna, you’d be very welcome to join me any time. They do use china cups if you sit in at Starbucks here, that’s true, it’s only paper for take aways. I agree that their chai is not true chai in the Indian sense, but if you just think of it as a different, thinner spiced drink, it goes down quite nicely I find. Good for you getting them to do it as you like it, so they should.
No, you can’t convince me, Lorna. The Snowman’s on the telly. But it’s a lovely memory. Coo Lane indeed!
Ha ha, all you have to do is believe, the Snowman should teach you that. Coo Lane’s brilliant isn’t it?
I pinched the Thomson quote for a Tweet thanks to my researcher Lorna
– Have merry Christmas and fabulous New Year
I’m delighted that you’ve used it Scott, and a very merry Christmas and a lovely New Year to you too!
Thank you for this summery, warm post, Lorna! Just what I needed! I miss the color green!! Looks like a lovely tearoom. Next time you are at Starbucks, demand a full cup. What a crock!
Thank you Annie, I was feeling the need of some green too, I’m already looking forward to those lovely spring colours bursting through again in a few months’ time. I will endeavour to get a full cup out of those Starbucks baristas, in fact I’ll make it one of my new year’s resolutions.
Thanks for letting me tag along – a wonderful afternoon! I love Chai tea.
Thank you for tagging along!
lovely pictures, Lorna. the area is so beautiful and all rolling hills around there. i fancied some of that delicious ice cream advertised outside the tearoom and i liked the coo lane … the napkins/spoon combination was quite brilliant too. I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a special New Year.
Thanks Alison, I do love those rolling green hills, they feel like home to me. I haven’t yet been to the Cream o’ Galloway ice cream factory and tearoom, it’s something I must do soon. A lovely Christmas and New Year to you and yours, too!
what a lovely town and tea shop. It’s even overcast and a bit rainy in Southern California today…so the sun was a nice treat.
Thank you Linda, it is a nice little town. It was interesting to see the backstreets because previously I’ve only driven through the main street and had no idea what was hiding in behind. I’m glad the sun was a pleasant break in your cloud!
It’s a treat to see baskets of flowers and summer weather… Coo Lane is a wonderful name and I’m so glad you had a good look. I hope you have a lovely Christmas too!
Thanks Meg, I agree, seeing summery things at this time of year is uplifting. It’s always fascinating to walk round a place and find little treasures hidden away, too. A very happy Christmas to you!
A lovely post! A stroll in the summer sunshine is just what the doctor ordered. Love your header and background too! A very interesting visit, and I didn’t know anything about Joseph Thomson before. The lunches look delicious! Your photos prove that we did have at least one day of sunshine last summer… let’s hope we get a longer dose of it in 2013!
Thank you Jo, I enjoyed looking at these photos again as the rain was lashing down outside and the sky a dark grey. Glad you like the new header and background too, the header is of a lovely garden in Galloway. I felt I was needing a change. I’m hoping for a much sunnier and drier summer in 2013 too, I think we need it after this year’s washout.
The Christmas season came up so quickly it nearly gave me whiplash…so summer can’t be that far off, right? Before we know it, we’ll be lolling in the sun like those lucky “sheeps.” At least that’s what I keep telling myself. In the meantime, pass me my fleecy slippers and a hot cuppa! Lucinda xo
I know what you mean Lucinda, where did it spring from? I can hardly believe I’m typing this on Christmas Eve! As you say, this means spring and summer are just round the corner – hurrah! I am enjoying my hot beverages in the cosiness indoors, but yes, I am also looking forward to lolling around outside like the sheeps.xo
Oh yes I wish for some sun, but my next job is in the North Sea, so I’ll have to wait, hope you are not flooded, have a great Christmas.
Well, unless you’re very lucky I don’t expect you’ll be getting warm balmy weather on your next job, although I must admit I’ve had some lovely days in the North Sea (albeit, not at this time of year). The flooding’s not too bad where I am, although there is a fair bit not too far away. Hope it’s okay with you too, and have a lovely Christmas!
Ooh that was disorienting, and enjoyable. I really laughed over your mention of the devious and misleading questions.
Here we are being very Christmassy – have just watched the Polar Express and I’m having to remember, as every year, not to fall asleep before filling the stocking! Only one to fill nowadays.
Have a very Merry Christmas, Lorna!
Thank you Christine, you’ve reminded me that I have the DVD of the Polar Express myself and should watch it during the holidays. I hope you had a lovely Christmas Day and that the Dafter enjoyed her stocking.
On a cold, windy and snowy day, it is a delight to see an outing on a nice day.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
BTW, Lorna – forgot to thank you for being my Number One commenter in 2012
!!
Was I really? I’m chuffed!
Thank you Lorna for a lovely summery view of Scotland in the depth of winter. We are sizzling at 33 degrees today!
Wow, you are sizzling all right! Hard for us to imagine over here right now, but a lovely warm thought, thank you Heather.