Time to let you know more details about the Discussion Weekend for 2011 --
... this is the introduction Ann Sinclair gave at the event in 2010 to whet our appetites for the event.......
"In September 2011 the SRGC will make a long awaited sortie into bandit country.
In times past raiding parties known as Border Reivers criss-crossed the badlands between Scotland and England and 'Shook Loose the Borders '.
Three groups - North Northumberland Rock Garden Group, North
Cumbria Rock Garden Group and Ayrshire Rock Garden Club -
Henceforth known collectively as the Reiver Group- will welcome
Scottish Rockers to a long week-end of wee plants, big gardens,
bonnie scenery, guid craic and perhaps a libation… or six.
Dumfries, with its excellent road and rail links and the ferry not too far away, is our centre and is well placed with one side looking to the Borders and Lakes and the other facing Galloway.
Dumfries folk are known as Doonhamers and Guid Nychburries ; the town itself
is steeped in Burns lore and historic events of a gie tragic nature, but today is a bustling town with some good shopping, theatre, cinema and a state of the art leisure centre.
Many years ago Elizabeth Crichton dreamt of building a
University in the town but she had to be content with other good
Works; building the Crichton estate from 1834. Now her buildings
at last house a University.
The reason given for taking such a long
time is the heavy nature of the air in Galloway- Nae guid fur buik
learnin'.
There’ll be nae zizzzin after lunch at this week-end though - the
Reiver Group as raided through Scotland, England and as far as
the Low Countries to bring you a crackin' range of Speakers to
keep you entertained and AWAKE.
Gracious only knows what this will cost but I am sure Tony
Mitchell and the other Reivers will sort that out - somehow!
Galloway is a stunning area to visit particularly in Autumn - in the
Land of the Mountain and the Flood there are gardens aplenty,
some really good nurseries, coastline, hills, red kites, geese by
the bucketload, red squirrels. . . .
We get to look across the Solway to the high hills of the Lake
District; Carlisle is in easy reach as is Hadrian's Wall and the
fabulous walking in the wilds of Cumbria and Northumberland.
The hotel is the Cairndale, a town centre establishment,
comfortable and with a good range of leisure facilities.
Full details and prices will of course be in the Journal and here in the Forum later….
We have arranged a visit on the Saturday morning to Charles
Jencks' Garden of Cosmic Speculation at Portrack House at Holywood just outside the town.
So join us, the Reiver Group, on September 23rd. 2011 in Dumfries
and shake the borders loose once again."
A.S.
