Not Just a Bed, but a Breakfast

Keeping with the food theme, our breakfasts deserve a post to themselves.

Our hosts explained when we arrived, that there was always cereal, tea or coffee, and rolls at breakfast, but we could also have eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes (and some number of other things I've forgotten) if we let them know the night before. The first night we decided to just stick to the basic breakfast and not trouble them for anything fancy the next morning. This greatly distressed our hostess who offered to at least make us a fruit salad. I said this would be wonderful, and it was.

The next morning, we were presented with a bowl full of kiwi, grapes, apples, and melon all chopped up into delicate bits and left to sit overnight in juice. It was quite a treat. In the middle of the table there were Scottish pancakes (much like US pancakes, but sweeter, denser, and served cold). There was also a back table with a selection of cereal, yogurt and grapefruit slices. Shortly after sitting down, we were presented with tea and a basket of warmed buns, and we had two selections of jam - Elderberry and something that looked like apricot, which Russell warned me against.

It was the very definition of tasty.

Breakfast was in the dining room. The table was set with a full china service and we were sharing the table with two other couples, a pair of ladies from Canada and a couple from Denmark. Our hosts ate breakfast in the kitchen nook, so we were left to socialize with each other as we could - which ended up meaning not at all, unfortunately. At one point, however, we heard our hostess yell to her husband from ustairs:

"Is Buddy with you?" (referring to their elderly golden retriever)
"No, dear" and
"The door to the room is open, I'm afraid he's gone Walkies!"

The Danish fellow nearly choked on his toast. The expression had us all laughing. The escape artist was soon found wandering around across the street and was quickly ushered back inside.