Author Archives: Gus the Estate Head Gardener

About Gus the Estate Head Gardener

I'm the person responsible for both the grounds and the livestock which are raised here. I live with Bree (my wife) in one of the cottages that has been here for centuries. I actually enjoy Winters here as my work load is considerably reduced as I let the younger staff members handle the needed work which leaves me time for reading, ice skating and skiing, not to mention just being with my wife. Bliss!

A Kinrowan Estate story: Skating and Other Pleasures

Posted on 12th January 2020 by Gus the Estate Head Gardener

One of the great pleasures of winter at this Scottish estate is ice skating and other ice-related activities. That’s all done on the Mill Pond, made possible by the restoration of the mill dam for generating low head hydro power … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Elven Contradance Band

Posted on 11th September 2019 by Gus the Estate Head Gardener

It was one of the oddest contradance bands I had the privilege to call for, as it was comprised solely of musicians from across the Border. Now the Elves tell us next to nothing about their culture, so what we … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: An Estate Ramble

Posted on 25th August 2019 by Gus the Estate Head Gardener

It’s early one morning, barely past dawn, when I head down to the Kitchen for an early breakfast of tea and a buttermilk biscuit (as the Americans called them) with cheddar cheese and ham in it. After that, I pack … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Hedge Witches (A Letter to Anna)

Posted on 14th July 2019 by Gus the Estate Head Gardener

Dear Anna, As you well know, I, unlike you, was schooled in the university of the land. I don’t regret it but it was a very good thing that I apprenticed to Macpherson, the Head Gardener before me, as the … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Gutmansdottir and The Wild Wood

Posted on 19th May 2019 by Gus the Estate Head Gardener

Gutmansdottir was her family name and the only name she went by. She said she was a botanist and was interested in studying our Wild Wood, the area of the Estate that’s  virtually unchanged for over a thousand-years, if not a … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: A One-Armed Queen

Posted on 24th March 2019 by Gus the Estate Head Gardener

Dear Nick,  A storyteller regaled us in the Pub late one night. She showed up on a spring night so horrible that no visitors from the nearby Estates was to be seen here. So it was with some surprise that … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Leylines

Posted on 10th March 2019 by Gus the Estate Head Gardener

The Kinrowan Estate has myriad ley lines, minor and major ones alike. I’m not sure if they are the reason that the Estate was originally settled but it certainly explains the long, eldritch history of the Estate. So let me … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Estate Gardener

Posted on 27th August 2017 by Gus the Estate Head Gardener

Though I’m called the Estate Gardener, my job covers far more than that, as it’s been enlarged many times over the centuries. So let me detail what I do. Of course I’m responsible for both the edible gardening and the … Continue reading →

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