September 5 - Day 18

Woke late, skipped breakfast, took leisurely showers and packed without haste or need to put bags out.  Took a stroll to the fancy Sainsbury grocery at Buchanan Galleries and picked up a few cookies.  Then up Sauchiehall Street to the Willow Tea Room.  Mrs. Cranston started tea rooms in Glasgow and was a friend of the designer/architect Charles Rennie MacIntosh.  Contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Roycroft movement.  MacIntosh designed the Willow Tea Room complete with furnishings in 1903.  Today the first floor is a gift shop and museum of sorts of his furniture designed for the space.  He uses mostly black, white, pink and lavender.  Very arts and crafts in design.  We get a small table before the crowd comes in and get the special tea service.  Pots of tea of our choice and a three tier stand of delicious things. First layer, tea sandwiches of cuke and cress, egg salad, beef and horseradish and salmon. Second layer huge hockey puck current scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, some of the best scones we’ve ever had.  Third tier, a round chocolate cake the size of a huge muffin, split with clotted cream in the center and thick chocolate frosting rose on top and two large ear muff size meringues with clotted cream in the center.  The meringues were not completely dry but had a bit of moist chewy center.  The whole thing was incredibly delicious!!!!!  It was our breakfast and lunch. Thankfully dinner would be late.  Cab to the Ferguson’s who had not changed the lock since we last left, thankfully.  Greeted warmly and sat down to a smalicious!!!!!  It was our breakfast and lunch. Thankfully dinner would be late.  Cab to the Ferguson’s who had not changed the lock since we last left, thankfully.  Greeted warmly and sat down to a smalicious!!!!!  It was our breakfast and lunch. Thankfully dinner would be late.  Cab to the Ferguson’s who had not changed the lock since we last left, thankfully.  Greeted warmly and sat down to a light tea f Dundee cake and biscuits.  Who were we to refuse?  LOL The day is sunny and warm, still lucking out with the weather.  Lots of chat and catching up.  Dinner, mixed seafood pie and sauté peppers.  Apple tart with custard.  Nice French white wine.  We brought back Groaties from John O’Groats in Caithness and stopped to pick up some Orkney cheese.  We had that as our cheese course.  Then coffee in the conservatory with fruit and nut Cadbury chocolate.  So, far all our walking has kept us able to zip up our jeans.  But we literally have eaten our way across Scotland.  Lots more time for chat and then bed and blessed sleep!  Nighty night.