An oceanographer neighbour tells me that climate change may make Scotland milder .... but possibly 60% wetter. I didn't think Scotland could get any wetter. Yesterdays non-stop rain and this mornings unrelenting downpour tells me that I'm wrong. Think chilly monsoon. Sophie is, of course, in her element. The family diva is able to pursue her penchant for walking through, rather than around, puddles. On the farm track she halts for a lengthy break of day drink. PONs instinctively know that water always tastes best when you're standing in the middle of a puddle.
No sooner is Sophie indoors than she wants to go out again. That PON ' Why waste a moment inside when we could be outside ?' approach to life. 'The Font' positions a small mountain of dog towels in the porch. Our fluffy companion will spend her day trying to transfer mud and water from the garden into the kitchen. Angus decides this is a day for doing 'paperwork'.
Our start of day tour of the village takes us by the farmers pig . This is glared at. Sophie carefully ( and sensibly ) positions herself so that I'm between her and this grunting 'thing'. A girl can never be too prudent. Village pig is now imprisoned behind an electric fence. Pig had discovered how to open the farmers gate with its snout. Not everyone was happy to find a free range pig arriving in their garden and eating the rhododendrons. As a consequence pig has been incarcerated. Despite this it looks very happy. This morning it's feeding on a bucket full of windfall apples.
At the supermarket we park next to a man from Argyll and Bute Council. We know he's from Argyll and Bute Council because his car has very visible local government signs on both front doors telling us this. ' Braw weather' he says before adding ' I've come a long way' . " Yes you have " replies Angus not entirely sure what to say next. With that he gets in his electric Mitsubishi with his bag of groceries and drives off. He's wearing a three piece suit which suggests he's attending a serious local government meeting of some sort. There was a time when you'd have seen lots of men in suits in St.Andrews. Now the towns professionals tend towards a more relaxed dress style - the Stanford academic circa 1980 seems to be the prevalent look.
10 comments:
An unrelenting downpour accompanied by gale force winds is what we have in Aberdeen right now. On Nobby's early morning walk it all proved too much for the exceptionally robust golfing umbrella I obtained as a corporate freebie from Phillips Petroleum 35 years ago!
Nobby thinks he would like to make friends with the pig. Gail will be happy looking at antique teddy bears (and wondering if her two 1950s models have any value beyond the purely sentimental).
Have you thought of doggie welly boots for Sophie's morning walks during the very wet weather? You could persuade her that they are a "must" and all the best Diva's wear them! I once wrapped our Lab's paws in small plastic carrier bags - don't know who was more embarrassed by the doggy "down and out" look - the dog or me! But it did save having to wash his paws on return from a very muddy walk across the fields.
Those teddy bears are lovely, but sadly not for children to play with - they are collector's items. I understand a Sieff (spelling?) teddy bear commands the highest price.
Clear and dry here in DC this morning. Maybe the kitchen redo can include a doggy shower.
Hari OM
ABplace2b! Though Dunoon has officially held the place of the second wettest town in Scotland (after somewhere in Lanark), the idea of it getting any wetter is almost moot. That said, it has rained as if to refill the Clyde of late... and any weather that isn't "stair rods" could well be called braw! YAM xx
Those bears are quite different to the ones I'm used to. I have my Grandmother's Steiff bear. I'm not sure how old he is, but I have pictures of him from the 1950's and my Grandmother was in her 70's. Somewhere over the decades he lost his ability to growl. I think Sophie might enjoy our current weather (Eastern Ontario, Canada). Lots of snow blowing in from Lake Ontario that is supposed to continue for the weekend.
A mountain of dog towels that will undoubtedly turn into a hill of dog towels by tomorrow.
Very interesting assortment in the auction catalog. The ice bucket with granite tray caught my eye. Good thing there are no auction houses near us.
I know those bears are collection pieces now, but looking at an ear missing here, a tummy bereft of fur there, I'm thinking they had to be much loved at some point. Or at least I hope so.
What is Braw weather? (Dude, I'm from So Cal...)
That lake is never a puddle - no? You'll be soon be needing a rowing boat to negotiate that track.
A friend's daughter has lived on the west coast of Scotland for ten years or so. She tells me that some years they get only fourteen days when it doesn't rain - and not all consecutively!
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