Peradventure.

Another blustery but bright morning. Our mornings here on the coast seem to fall into one of two categories : blustery and bright or blustery and wet. Sophie's is enthusiastically at home in either although blustery and wet brings the added extravagance of  mud. 

The family diva bounds off up the hill at high speed. A flock of startled larks rise vertically into the air.  It's clear we are in for a long walk. She is soon engrossed in delightful scents in and around the hay bales.

Dog, owner and the ever changing but largely frigid Scottish climate spend fifty minutes in close proximity. Sophie seems oblivious to the 'freshness' of the morning. From time to time she turns and gives me her ' Isn't this great ?' look.

While the PONette opts for a restorative nap Angus heads off , alone, into town. In the cheese shop queue the father of a man who owns a goat farm on the Isle of Wight starts to talk to him. The father of the man who owns a goat farm explains the intricacies of goat farming in great detail. By the time Angus is served he knows as much about rearing goats as anyone rightfully should.

This evening a roundtable with some Ukrainian MP's. Why in heavens name did I think it was good idea to agree to do anything on a Friday night ?  'The Font' informs me that 'You can't go out in public with your hair unkempt'. Angus quietly wonders what the difference is between ' your hair's getting a bit long' and 'unkempt'. He goes to the Turkish barbers on the side street. There's no doubting that it's a Turkish barbers because it has a large sign saying 'Turkish barbers' displayed in green and gold letters above the door. This must be some sort of thing 

The three barbers chat to each other, constantly, in Turkish. The topic of football seems to keep the conversation flowing . From time to time one of them will stop and ask a customer a question. As he settles into the chair Angus is asked 'How you want it ? ' and five minutes later ( just as he's moved into that halfway place between consciousness and barber chair sleep ) he's jolted awake with the enquiry   'You think Christmas coming soon ?'. The first question gets a cursory ' A light trim, please ' but  the second question requires thought. He opts for a  'Yes indeed' to avoid any cultural or linguistic misunderstandings. The barber shop has two strips of wallpaper with  etched scenes of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge pasted on the wall. This choice of decor raises so many questions - not the least of which is why just two ? Perhaps they're striving for a minimalist industrial vibe ? I'm in and out in ten minutes which is just as it should be.

Tomorrow is the towns memorial service for the late Queen. After tonights Ukrainians the second suit and tie event in as many days. Just goes to show - you can go for ages without wearing a tie and then you're wearing one all the time. Post funeral this piece of music has entered the national psyche - or at least that part of the national psyche inhabited by memorial service organizers. I'd assumed it was old, as in in three hundred years old,  but the composer is still very much alive. Generations of choirs will now struggle with 'peradventure' and other gems of Jamesian English  :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqm3iJKHpH4