The service history.

 

I chat with the Old Farmer about getting him a 'medallion' from Mercedes to show he's done nearly 750 thousand kilometres in the silver saloon - ( a service kindly brought to my attention by  ' The Life of Riley ' a few days ago ) . As the old car is his pride and joy this would , presumably, give him great satisfaction. Mercedes need to have the mileage certified before they'll consider the request. 'The service records from the dealership will do' a man at the head office in Stuttgart informs me in accent free English. ' When did you last take it to dealership ?' I ask The Old Farmer. " Oh, about thirty years ago " comes the reply. The Old Farmer is a believer in self servicing his vehicles.  Some other method of certifying the mileage will need to be found.

The exterior of the silver Mercedes may be pristine but the interior has the 'feel' of 750 thousand kilometres of use.

The grass verges bursting into bloom with wild flowers. Sophie plows through them, nose down, in search of anything the owls might have dropped. This morning she bounces, ever so slightly, as she walks through the grass. Happiness will do this to a girl.

The orchids in the field at the foot of the hill coming into bloom. It looks as if they suffered in the strong winds on Monday and Tuesday.

Angus goes to the hospital. It's time for his six monthly post falling off a ladder check up.  He is passed from one doctor to the next for a full two hours. There is almost no waiting time between specialists. A brisk young German surgeon finally informs him that ' Everything looks acceptable but avoid climbing ladders at your age '. Angus makes a mental note to make sure the first thing he does when he gets home is climb up a ladder. The cost of this check-up ? The grand total of 70 euros.

For once, Sophie looks almost presentable. She sits with 'The Font' at a cafe on the Place de la Republique waiting for Angus to reappear. A cheerful Newfoundland is told in no uncertain terms that she doesn't want to make his acquaintance.

Last night we dine, virtually, in Glasgow. Post Brexit fish shipments to Europe are down so a new breed of Scottish sea food restaurant is taking off. The sort of place that offers everything from fish and chip suppers to oysters :https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61f6af2eda35940165dc0042/t/6250075cd256d97cc8b32c88/1649411934458/Crabshakk+Finnieston+Website+menu+April+2022.pdf