Progress of sorts. The rules for 'aliens' to visit the US have now been announced. Starting on November 8th fully vaccinated visitors can fly into and out of the country. Three days before they arrive they must take a Covid test. We are now left to find out what sort of tests count and whether foreign travellers can use the e-gates or will have to stand in line to have their documents checked.
Once again those of us that hail from the 'North' are the only ones to venture out onto the bakers terrace. It is 12 degrees this morning. Warm by our standards but the locals sit inside and look at us with a combination of bemusement and irritation.
Sophie has a somewhat 'unkempt' air to her today. She stops in the middle of the lane and watches the cows emerge in a long line from their pasture on top of the hill. The cows are far away so Sophie is not intimidated and is in no rush to head home.
This is a day for clambering up onto the wooden table to survey the garden. After three minutes of concentrated watchfulness the family diva opts for a restorative nap. This is accompanied by gentle snoring.
11 comments:
The croissant does look good.
After a year and a half of either picnicking or sitting outside at cafés, this resident of Northern Scotland has toughened up further and now considers al fresco to be quite acceptable down to about 5°C, so long as it's dry and sheltered from the wind. Cheers! Gail.
Interesting that the shape of the two croissants is so different. I am glad that Sophie was finally able to fully enjoy today's outing, with the cows keeping well out of the way.
The caveats ' dry and sheltered from the wind' must make alfresco coffee drinking difficult in NE Scotland.
Hari OM
12 degrees? A summer's day in Invergordon, according to my late father... YAM xx
A travel tip: we went to the U.S. in August, being fully vaccinated Americans. We still needed a negative PCR test. We left from Toulouse on a Monday morning, and Toulouse is a good hour away. That meant we couldn't risk getting results on Monday. Nothing is open on Sunday. Only one local lab was open on Saturday, only for one hour for Covid, and it would give results sometime on Monday--possibly after we took off. We went on Friday afternoon and got the results within an hour. That's why the rule is three days (before your first flight; we had 3 flights that took a total of 18 hours) and not 72 hours, what with time differences and lab hours etc. Had I thought about the Sunday lab closures, I would have flown out on a Tuesday, so a Monday test would have been fine.
It's up to the airlines to enforce the rules. So you show your Covid test and vaccination proof at check-in. There was a basket at the boarding gate in Paris where we had to deposit an attestation saying we didn't have Covid. Not sure whether that still exists. I think a similar attestation still is required to re-enter France; we filled it out before leaving, and the stewardesses passed them out as well. No more crazy customs forms. We encountered no lines anywhere except to board the trans-Atlantic flight, which was completely full.
If you are in Washington DC, I'll buy the croissants and coffee, probably the best we can muster is Paul (there is one on the block near my office.)
It's to be hoped that the cows don't decide to stampede next time they see Sophie in the distance!
Not sure what marks Inca gave the curly end of my friend's croissant today - it went down so quickly it didn't touch the sides!
17º first thing and very windy, so we were only 5º warmer than you this morning - the coldest it's been since last winter! By the time I'd popped into the supermarket, shopped and loaded up, the thermometer in the car had risen to 23º as the sun rose between the gaps of the adjacent apartment blocks. Breakfast outdoors at our favourite café as usual, overlooking the beach. Lots of sunbathers and plenty of people in the sea, which must be warmer than the 21º in the pool.
Each afternoon it's clouded over - dark thundery clouds - and I wonder if it's the ash from the La Palma volcano moving north in the jet stream?
I'm so pleased that you'll be able to see the Cost Centers soon!
The lateral, less "invasive" tests are fine. We got ours at Inverness airport, and they let us do them ourselves. Results in fifteen minutes. No one checked our status on arrival.
I do hope you received my email. Your surprise at The Fife Arms was so kind, and delicious. x
Hi Great to hear from you. No letter but delighted that the Fife Arms coordination with the 'teuchter' side of the family worked. Much time spent on the wine list which from a distance had the appearance of great depth.
And more recent Cost Centres. Guess that's CCs to the power of two.
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