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Press and Journal
01-06-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Dave and Alison's dream renovation on £1.2m Ellon home
Who: 'F1 addict' and retired managing director's advisor Dave Forbes, 74, and his wife, Alison, 66, who worked in logistics at Conoco, plus their adorable golden retriever, Blue. What: Milton Of Leask House, a gorgeous countryside home with five bedrooms, a dog grooming cabin, views of Bennachie, resident swans plus a self-contained flat above the double garage. Where: Around five miles from Ellon, less than a ten minute drive from Collieston. Back in 2011, I had just retired from working as managing director's advisor at IPIC (International Petroleum Investments Company). We had a very busy life in the Middle East – mainly Abu Dhabi – for 27 years. At the end of my career, I worked with the Mercedes Formula 1 team which was particularly enjoyable for me. I was a lifetime Formula 1 addict, and got to meet drivers like Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Coming back to the UK meant that we could have our own property. Because, living overseas, we lived in rental accommodation all the time with no opportunity to make it our own. So that was the driving thing for me. We finally had our own house and we could do whatever we wanted to do with it. We saw the property on the ASPC website, and it was like a dream come true. Our first impressions were of the lovely ponds and wildlife, including resident wild ducks and swans, the spacious and lavish greenery of the woodlands, and the unspoilt tranquillity of the area. It was in good condition at the time, but we felt that it was perhaps a little dated, and it didn't take full advantage of the available space. The way it was configured never really worked for us. We wanted to change the flow of the property so that it suited us better. We started in 2011 with the utility room. It was basically just a porch at the back of the house, and not really usable as a utility room – that, for me, was the most important change that we make quickly. Then we started on the bathrooms, and upgraded all of them. We just ripped everything out and started again. The self-contained flat above the garage wasn't really habitable for more than a night or two, so we upgraded that completely. And we installed the office. The biggest area we had to tackle was the kitchen. When we came here, the flooring was really outdoor flooring and it definitely wasn't suitable for domestic use indoors. We took it all up, dug it all out and re-laid the slab for the house. It was a a big job but it was a pleasure to get rid of the flooring because it was such a pain to live with. But it gave us the opportunity to rearrange the layout of the kitchen, install other electrical points and cables under the floor. The kitchen is my favourite part of the house now. I love to cook, so it's all based around that for me in the kitchen. For me, my favourite part is the office. I can sit in peace, surrounded by my computers and play to my heart's content. I don't mean playing games, I don't do that, but I can mess around with IT to my heart's content. It's comfortable, well-lit, quiet. It couldn't suit me better. As for outside, we added a greenhouse, dog cabin, tool shed, and henhouse. Before our golden retriever Blue, we had his mum and a couple litters of puppies. We get a lot of rain here and the retrievers would come home covered in mud, so it was essential to have a dog spa. Blue, in particular, is a large dog with the equivalent of size 12 feet. If he comes into the house at any time after being out for a muddy walk, it's a catastrophe! There's a dog bath which has a hydraulic lift so it can be lowered for the dog to get in and lifted to waist height so that the dogs can be washed and dried. It makes it easier for us humans as well. There's a dog hair dryer installed too. And we have an infrared ceiling mounted heater so that in winter they don't get cold. Blue loves the outside space here too. We have ponds, and we get a lot of wild ducks. We have had resident swans here every year since we moved here. They have bred here every year till this year. They have been phenomenal. Mr. Swan and I have had a few run-ins over the years, but we get on pretty well now. I was once helping get the swans back over to the pond when they found themselves in a field surrounded by cattle. I put them into a tub one by one to bring them home, and Mr. Swan didn't fully comprehend that I was trying to help, and he launched a full-blown attack. The swans were reunited within a short time as well – and my bruises healed pretty quickly too! Mr. Swan and I have had a great relationship since then. We feed them as well. It's really nice to have them right there on our doorstep. In renovating our home, we wanted to achieve an authentic, quality finish, that was consistent with the look and feel of the house when we purchased it. Our greatest challenge was to ensure that all our renovations were internally consistent, and conveyed a common theme of top quality. We like to think that we were largely successful in this endeavour. It's nice to reach a point where you can draw a line under all the improvements you wanted to make, and see them finished. It has been really rewarding.' Milton Of Leask House, Ellon, is on the market for offers over £1,200,000. To arrange a viewing contact Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace on 01358 720777 or check out the website
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Florence Pugh looks sensational in a skintight leather dress with racy cut outs at Thunderbolts* screening
Florence Pugh looked nothing short of sensational in a black leather outfit as she attended a screening for new film Thunderbolts* on Wednesday night. The British actress, 29, turned heads at the photocall in New York City for the Marvel film in which she plays main character Black Widow. She wore a black leather halterneck maxi dress with a slit, adding some classic black heels for the glitzy event at the IPIC theatre. The We Live In Time star flashed a glimpse of her sensational figure in the backless garment, which featured racy cut outs. Co-star Lewis Pullman, who is Kaia Gerber 's boyfriend, hit the red carpet in a double-breasted pine green suit over a pine shirt, wearing his brown locks in a middle parting. Julia Louis-Dreyfus donned a tie-dye dark blue, white and black maxi dress, accessorising with a simple black belt and some black-lensed sunglasses as she entered the venue. Meanwhile, Law & Order star Christopher Meloni sported a camel shacket over a white shirt, adding some admiral blue jeans and tan shoes for the premiere. And Wyatt Russell, second son of Tombstone star Kurt, looked dashing in a double-breasted black suit with a wide-collared white shirt. They joined stars Geraldine Viswanathan and Hannah John-Kamen, as well as director Jack Schreier, for a cute group snap ahead of the film's release. Thunderbolts*, which hits UK cinemas on Thursday, sees a quirky group of antiheroes embark on a perilous mission to stop the dark phenomenon known as the Void. Florence served not one but five incredible looks during a whirlwind press day out in NYC. The actress kicked things off with a laid-back outfit as she arrived in the Big Apple, donning a white Wrangler tee paired with matching white jeans. She completed the casual look with blue Adidas Gazelle trainers and a pop of colour from a chic yellow handbag. Florence added a brown baseball cap and shielded her eyes with classic aviator sunglasses as she stepped out of her cab alongside her team. The We Live In Time star accessorised with silver rings on each hand and one silver hoop on her right ear, as well as two on her left, wearing her blonde hair in a wavy bob Just hours later, she amped up the glamour as she arrived at Good Morning America in a crisp, all-white ensemble, to promote her latest Marvel blockbuster. Florence looked sophisticated in a tailored white suit jacket and coordinating mini skirt that showed off her toned legs. She elevated the look with silver pointed heels and accessorised with sleek silver-framed sunglasses. Her blonde hair was styled in a soft half up-do, complemented by rosy pink lipstick for a polished finish. The Black Widow star looked radiant and confident as ever as she posed for cameras ahead of her appearance. But the fashion show didn't stop there. Later in the day, Florence turned heads yet again in a dramatic black off-the-shoulder maxi dress. She added a pair of silver statement earrings and a fresh palette of make-up with a deep pink lipstick. The actress, who has been busy promoting her new movie Thunderbolts*, arrived at the Live With Kelly and Mark show in the city for her latest stop on the press tour. For her final look of the day, Florence put on a leggy display in a black strapless mini dress embellished with bold silver sequins. She completed the edgy ensemble with towering black platform heels and chic black sunglasses. The actress was all smiles as she greeted fans in SoHo before hopping into her cab. Last week, she put on a show-stopping display at the star-studded Thunderbolts* premiere, where she was joined by her friends and family. Her beloved Granny Pat was firmly by her side after sweetly becoming somewhat of a permanent fixture at Florence's movie premieres. She was also joined for the first time by her boyfriend Finn Cole in their red carpet debut. Though the Peaky Blinders star, 29, and the Oscar-nominated actress didn't pose for any photos as a couple, he joined her family for a sweet group shot. Finn looked in high spirits as he beamed for the camera beside Florence's best friend Olive McHugh. The couple are thought to have been dating for several months, however neither of them have officially confirmed their relationship. While she wouldn't name Finn, Florence confirmed her relationship status during her October cover shoot with Vogue, and has confessed she is very much in love and is approaching their romance differently to things in the past. She confirmed: 'I am [in a relationship]. OK, so something that I resonate with is that I believe that if magic is real, then it's falling in love.' Florence candidly revealed that she and her partner were 'figuring out what we actually are' and admitted she wanted to start a family one day. She and Finn have been friends for years, but were first reported to be secretly dating after they were seen slipping out of the after-party for the London premiere of Netflix hit The Perfect Couple together in September. They had previously been seen partying at Glastonbury Festival together, while Florence had been spotted liking his Instagram posts and shared her delight when it was revealed he had landed a role in the theatre production Red Speedo. She commented on the post: 'Oh my gosh this is unbelievably exciting!' and added that she'd be bringing her famous grandmother, sharing: 'Granny Pat wants to come... #obvi.'
