All the news (good or bad) from Summerhill Stables

Robert got it wrong... this is the 99th post ..next week's will be the 100th.

Just in case you all missed it Dermot Chichester, the 7th Marquess of Donegall, has died aged 91.

He had two claims to fame. Firstly he was a 7th Hussar like Robert – the slight difference was that he actually fought in the war and Robert was just a smidgin too young for that ruckus.

Secondly, as 7th Hussar, he inevitably knew how to drink ; when he was admitted to hospital his doctor said he was not drinking enough. He replied "You’re the first person to tell me that."

Before he joined the regiment in Egypt, his father had told him on no account to own a racehorse but his fellow officers persuaded him otherwise. This led to a crisis when his father arrived on the weekend his horse was running at a meeting. So he asked a friend to go early to the course and buy up all the race-cards with the result that his father never realised he had seen his son’s horse win.

Robert can just remember some of the mess silver presented to the regiment by him. It’s just so nice to be reminded of yesterday’s characters but enough of this nonsense……


We drove up to Strathyre, north of Callander, on Friday and found that we had booked into a delightful restaurant with accommodation called Creagan House – they take pets, so Brindley came too - and the food was out of this world although a trifle rich for Pikey’s now rather temperamental stomach.

On the Saturday we went to the local Highland Games in Lochearnhead – great fun – all very local and un-commercialised. It was also the clan gathering for the Maclarens and one of the guests at Creagan House, Michael Holder, a cousin of the proprietor’s wife, is a Maclaren and unfailingly supports his clan at the Games and takes part in the clan parade in full Highland dress complete with broadsword. The games had the usual caber tossing, tossing the sheaf, highland dancing and enough bagpiping to last a lifetime. We have added some photographs to give you a flavour of the event which was thoroughly old fashioned and so appealed to us both. We had a wonderful time and Pikey drove round the rather muddy games field on her Ferrari.


Donald Maclaren of Maclaren, chief of the Clan Maclaren, doing his full time job at the games complete with eagle's feathers in his bonnet; his part time job is H.M. Ambassador to Georgia.

Michael Holder in the clan parade threatening me with his sword.

The Victor Ludorum from New Zealand who beat all comers at every event and won all the first prizes of £70 -probably about seven in all

Tossing the sheaf not tossing the sheep as Pikey thought they said! Why would you want to toss a sheep on to the top of a hayrick?

Which one is out of time???

A lightweight competitor and a heart attack waiting to happen!

..and some more.

Two important Scotsmen......

... and another.

On Sunday Kate and Charlie came over from Dundee to see us and we had a lovely if rather midge ridden walk up Loch Voil, the ancestral home of the Maclarens.

On Monday we took the Ferrari up into the forestry opposite the hotel and ......

....... Pikey saw a possible replacement for her Ferrari.

The whole purpose of the trip was to collect Pikey’s latest quilt masterpiece from a lady in Lochearnhead who was quilting it on a long-arm quilting machine – photo to follow when Pikey has bound it in the next few days.

We got home yesterday and are busy getting ready for the visit next week of Edward, Susie and Hugo from New York and also Kate, Charlie and Patrick. It will be great fun to see them all so long as they do the cooking.


Love from us both Robert and Pikey.