CONTRIBUTION TO PITLOUR
Since I arrived at Pitlour I have been involved with many aspect with regard to the running and organising of the Estate and the House. I think it might help if I just list them:-
Running the house – employing staff.
Organising the rooms for guests
Organising the housekeeping
Participating in the household duties
- washing
- ironing
- cleaning
- cooking
- shopping
- care of contents
- maintenance of all equipment
Gardens
Finding and employing gardners and handyman
Gardening and helping with general tasks on estate – West Lodge
Instructing gardner and handyman on tasks on estate and in conjection with horses
Restoring West Lodge garden with the help of the handyman
Grounds
Cutting down trees
Helping with clearance work
Taking tubbing off saplings
Clearing debis and rubbish in preparation for restoration work on stable block
Cutting and clearing trees in Courtyard
Office work
Assisting Hamish with his office work
Setting up his office, filing and sorting out his files and
Books,
Keeping records
Organising diaries
Receiving corporate and estate persons
Organising visits
Ordering Goods
Sourcing
Picking up goods and delivery goods
Plans
Discussing plans for the Stable Courtyard
Discussing plans for Pitlour House
Attending meetings with Ben Tindall Architects
Attending numerous meeting with Henry Dempsey (Harry Taylor)
Discussing all manor of details on landscape, design, room design,
Kitchens, finish (final decision always with Hamish)
Sources paint samples
Organising paint – negotiating discounts
Dealing with contractors in Hamish’s but only with his strict instructions in
His absence
Estate
Organise all the shoot lunches, elevenses and teas
Receive guests at Pitlour House
Organise staff
Food
Presentation
Flower arranging
Setting up of the shoot complex
Hospitality and hosting of the shoot in general
Hiring of staff both for the catering and childcare
Childcare
Looking after all my children (all four)
Making sure they are fed
Making sure they attend their activities
Making sure they enjoy Pitlour and all it has to offer
Walks, riding, swimming in the lake
Entertaining
Looking after our guests
Dinner parties
Supper parties
Large events e.g. Christmas parties (50+ people) plus decoration
Teenage parties
Teenage dinner party
Small children’s parties 2 every year
Children’s friends staying overnight
Hamish
Shoe cleaning
Dry Cleaning
Sewing
Buying clothes
Organising shooting guests for him
Organising hair appointments
Organising dental appointments for all the family
Organising doctors appointments
Etc etc etc…………
Saturday 15 April 2000
PITLOUR
PITLOUR
We had countless friends to visit and stay. I took them to their friends. Picked them up from friends, shopping trips, arranged holidays. Looked after their clothes, washed, hand washed, ironed,comforted them in their time of need, took them to Pony club, organised all their school uniforms, tagging, equipment.
I was a mother to them. They call me mum and mum I was.
It is difficult to mention all aspect of being a mother but my life was totally taken up with looking after his girls initially and then when Ruairidh and Rosalind arrived I tried to give time to everyone but I did not give enough time to myself. Hamish was there to drive them to their various destinations but that was about the sum total of involvement. He was and is so utterly obsessed with Pitlour and putting back to its former glory at any cost
We had countless friends to visit and stay. I took them to their friends. Picked them up from friends, shopping trips, arranged holidays. Looked after their clothes, washed, hand washed, ironed,comforted them in their time of need, took them to Pony club, organised all their school uniforms, tagging, equipment.
I was a mother to them. They call me mum and mum I was.
It is difficult to mention all aspect of being a mother but my life was totally taken up with looking after his girls initially and then when Ruairidh and Rosalind arrived I tried to give time to everyone but I did not give enough time to myself. Hamish was there to drive them to their various destinations but that was about the sum total of involvement. He was and is so utterly obsessed with Pitlour and putting back to its former glory at any cost
April 2000 - PITLOUR
April 2000 - PITLOUR
PITLOUR
We moved to Pitlour in April 2000. I was pregnant with Rosalind. The girls attended Kilgraston on a flexi-boarding regieme. I thought this was the best way so that the girls could enjoy family life and boarding life. The best of both worlds. I have never really liked the idea of ‘boarding’.
I packed all the contents of our house in West Court and unpacked all the contents when we arrived at Pitlour.
We enjoyed some happy years here. Hamish insisted that I look for horses for the girls. I was not going to buy a riding horse for myself as I had a toddler but was happy to organise, buy and look after the horses. We had employed a nanny and she lived in our basement flat. I juggled between running the house, taking children to school and looking after various aspect of the running of Pitlour (including helping Hamish with is many directorships, office work etc).
We began to bring in various staff, a handyman, a gamekeeper etc.
Hamish was obsessed with Pitlour. He spent many hours showing friends, family, business colleagues and anyone who was interested around Pitlour. We began work on the stables and this took up the majority of Hamish’s time. We would sit up till 2 and 3 in the morning pouring over plans for the stable conversion, the big house, the landscape gardens.
We entertained many friends and had many friends staying overnight.
Rosalind was born on 22 November 2000. We had various staff ranging from a nanny, to various au pairs. I employed a cleaner (Lynda Mitchell) who assisted me in the house. I worked in the house regularly (house cleaning, washing, cooking entertaining (business colleages, friends of the children overnight, family) We always invited both families at Christmas time. We held Rosalind’s Christening at Pitlour and Mhoraig’s 18 Birthday party not too mention many more parties, and events.
Hamish decided to get the Pitlour Shoot up and running as quickly as possible and set about refurbishing our West Lodge so that Scott Lindsay (gamekeeper) could move in. I worked with the handy man (Roy Nicol). We pulled down old buildings and took down trees and cleared away debris (summer 2000 – pregnant).
Hamish spent most of his spare time either with the contractors, on site or with me pouring over plans and discussing the projects. Henry Dempsey of Harry Taylor (Chartered Architects) visited our house on a regular basis. I would go as far as to say he practically lived here. I provided him with numerous meals both during the week and often at the weekend. Hamish did not take the girls to school very often nor did he attend any of their matches at Kilgraston. He did not spend a lot of time with the children in general.
The children ate dinner at around 5.00- 6.00 and Hamish and I ate at around 8 – 10 pm. Life was very hectic.
PITLOUR
We moved to Pitlour in April 2000. I was pregnant with Rosalind. The girls attended Kilgraston on a flexi-boarding regieme. I thought this was the best way so that the girls could enjoy family life and boarding life. The best of both worlds. I have never really liked the idea of ‘boarding’.
I packed all the contents of our house in West Court and unpacked all the contents when we arrived at Pitlour.
We enjoyed some happy years here. Hamish insisted that I look for horses for the girls. I was not going to buy a riding horse for myself as I had a toddler but was happy to organise, buy and look after the horses. We had employed a nanny and she lived in our basement flat. I juggled between running the house, taking children to school and looking after various aspect of the running of Pitlour (including helping Hamish with is many directorships, office work etc).
We began to bring in various staff, a handyman, a gamekeeper etc.
Hamish was obsessed with Pitlour. He spent many hours showing friends, family, business colleagues and anyone who was interested around Pitlour. We began work on the stables and this took up the majority of Hamish’s time. We would sit up till 2 and 3 in the morning pouring over plans for the stable conversion, the big house, the landscape gardens.
We entertained many friends and had many friends staying overnight.
Rosalind was born on 22 November 2000. We had various staff ranging from a nanny, to various au pairs. I employed a cleaner (Lynda Mitchell) who assisted me in the house. I worked in the house regularly (house cleaning, washing, cooking entertaining (business colleages, friends of the children overnight, family) We always invited both families at Christmas time. We held Rosalind’s Christening at Pitlour and Mhoraig’s 18 Birthday party not too mention many more parties, and events.
Hamish decided to get the Pitlour Shoot up and running as quickly as possible and set about refurbishing our West Lodge so that Scott Lindsay (gamekeeper) could move in. I worked with the handy man (Roy Nicol). We pulled down old buildings and took down trees and cleared away debris (summer 2000 – pregnant).
Hamish spent most of his spare time either with the contractors, on site or with me pouring over plans and discussing the projects. Henry Dempsey of Harry Taylor (Chartered Architects) visited our house on a regular basis. I would go as far as to say he practically lived here. I provided him with numerous meals both during the week and often at the weekend. Hamish did not take the girls to school very often nor did he attend any of their matches at Kilgraston. He did not spend a lot of time with the children in general.
The children ate dinner at around 5.00- 6.00 and Hamish and I ate at around 8 – 10 pm. Life was very hectic.
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