Introduction

My name is Sadie Dixon-Spain of Dunans Castle, Glendaruel, Argyll. In 2007 my husband, Charles and I moved from our flat packed, pop-up red shed, that had been our home of 4 years, into the partially restored 16C stone hunting lodge, known as Dunans house, along with our 2 infant daughters and 3 large dogs and many, many wheel barrows full of treasured stuff!

10 years later and the house is now warm, almost dry and a much-loved family home, providing sanctuary and support to a 21st Century castle family, living and working in a rural community in Scotland. The girls are bigger, the dogs are fewer and life is hectic. In the last decade the vision Charlie and I grasped, a crazy, wild impulse that saw us purchasing a ruined castle in Scotland in 2003, has set the foundation to our life together. We now both run our own successful businesses, we are parents to two modern teens, no mean feat in itself and we are still working, living and creating together, even if not always on the same page.

My business is theatre and the making of. www.thewalkingtheatrecompany.com. I am playwright and writer, a director and an actress, with 56 produced plays and a new theatre methodology to my name, you could say, there is always a story going on in my head. Charlie has set about the business of bringing Dunans Castle and estate, back to life, which he has done in his own extraordinary visionary way. His business www.scottishlaird.co.uk, gives Dunans Castle a wonderful community of people all over the world, who visit us, communicate with us and share our, and their stories.

This new Blog, ‘Diary of a Lady Laird’ (keeping it real) is for our community and for anyone who is interested in a life that is just a little bit ‘left of field’.  I aim to share my experiences and our story, not just history, heritage and Castles, but also the living of this life, the ups, the downs and the day to day stuff, the experiences, what works and what doesn’t. Wish me luck and

Thank you.