The family diva sits in the library listening contentedly to a seminar with the Pasadena astrophysicists. The lecturer is a serious young man with a buzz cut. He wears a thick green fleece and carries an enormous Styrofoam cup of coffee in his right hand. This he places on the desk in front of him. It must hold 2 pints of coffee. He is apparently an authority on gravitational flux. From time to time he stops and takes a lengthy swig. The microphone picks up the sound of coffee brushing past Adams apple. This is ever so slightly disconcerting. When he finishes a point the lecturer asks '' Everyone cool with that ? ".
Bob comes with me to the greengrocers. We note the arrival of smoked garlic. Angus looks down and asks Bob if he's ever heard of smoked garlic. This causes a middle aged woman to move quickly away. She gives me that unmistakable '' community release isn't a good idea " look . Clearly not a dog person.
Four different types of pineapple. Two have come by boat and two by air. The ones that have come by air are the same price as those that have come by boat. Angus wonders why this information about the mode of transportation should be provided. Perhaps pineapple aficionados prefer boat borne to airborne? We chose a small dark variety from Benin for tomorrows breakfast.
Bob spends his afternoon sitting on his stump seat by the front gate and guarding. He does this with ''lamb'' in his mouth. Passing pilgrims laugh. I try to explain to him that the deterrent effect is undermined by the lamb. Bob is unconvinced.
The air has that glorious end of autumn feel to it. Bright and clear. Too bright and too clear. The local farmers seem to think that winter, red in tooth and claw, is on the way. On our late afternoon walk we pass no less than seven tractors ploughing away. Perhaps the local farmers aren't literally making hay while the sun shines but they're certainly tilling the fields while it's still dry.
Some beautiful photos in this NYT slideshow : http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2016/10/20/blogs/on-scotlands-western-isles-glimpses-of-life-tradition-and-reflection/s/20-lens-scotland-slide-2W4A.html?WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_id=NYT-E-I-NYT-E-AT-110316-L8&=&=&em_pos=medium&emc=edit_el_20161103&nl=el&nl=at-times&nl_art=5&nlid=44843085&ref=headline&te=1
11 comments:
Practical as ever and keen to give a warning....Bob is simply using lamb as a prop to clearly demonstrate what will happen to trespassers who dare to invade his territory.
Bertie and I both want to join the graviational flux seminar (a statement which reminds me why I too sometimes get that 'care in the community?' look, especially if I mention Bertie's blog...)
The photos from the Western Isles are indeed beautiful, although a bored teenager there might cite no.5 as a reason why they want to leave.
Cheers, Gail.
Big takeout cups of coffee are one of the things I miss most in France.
The best way to pick a pineapple is to sniff it. Forget that pull-out-a-leaf thing. Fragrance is what counts. However, sniffing fruit is another behavior likely to draw side eye from other shoppers.
When we lived in Alaska, we used to get pineapples from Hawaii, but I never thought of how they'd gotten there -- Mostly in someone's suitcase from their visit.
Catching up on missed posts from here in Kentucky - Bob looks like to be in fine form, as does Sophie.
Gravitational flux - a lecture on that must be better than sleeping pills any day. Is that as severe as gastrointestinal flux?
No, we can see that Bob doesn't look convinced - who knows, most of the population are probably terrified of a handsome chap with a lamb in his mouth.
Where else in the world would a young man work as a postman and weave tweed in his garage during his time off? Not one blue-sky photo in the entire lot I notice.
There's not a lot of post to deliver on Harris.
I love this blog so much; look forward to it every morning!
Those photographs took me right back to September and made me long to be there again.
I'm not giving up hope for you and Rodel.
Thank you for this peaceful and lovely place, a much appreciated haven from a chaotic world.
Lecture on gravitational flux probably requires lots of caffeine, though one would assume more for the listeners than the lecturer.
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