Mechanical elves

 

Lots of activity this morning. The 30 something New Zealander with dreadlocks is up and about in the pre-dawn with his family collecting seaweed. He's driven his (very ) old Land Rover and equally old trailer down to the shore. The collapse of the farmers gate has enabled him to gain access to this stretch of beach which is an unexpected and presumably welcome commercial opportunity. The wet suited New Zealander wades into the sea while  his Scots wife and three (very) young children sit on the shore with torches and shout out encouragement. Angus can't help but think that any rational soul would need ample doses of Gods ambre nectar to walk into the North Sea in November in the half dark. We understand that the New Zealander ( accepted by the locals as a de facto Scot ) and his wife have a small company that produces sea weed relishes. This seems to be a highly improbable niche market.

In town we stop to chat to a very sad looking fellow waiting for his mistress outside the Post Office. By Starbucks we pass a man at a pavement table deep in conversation with his Labrador. ' Isn't it great ! We're both dry' says the man. At  Cafe Nero another man is chatting happily away to his 'mutt'. Angus isn't the only dog conversationalist in town. 

We head off down the coast to see the Christmas window displays. We take our excitement where we can find it.. 

The local furniture shop has set up a RNLI inflatable in the shop window. This is populated with mechanical elves singing ' Can you see what I see ?' A group of six foot tall mechanical penguins off to the side are swaying happily and singing 'O Holy Night'. This mix of music makes for a very seasonal - if atonal -  sound. 

The local art gallery has its Christmas show. The show is big ( I mean BIG  ) on pictures of Highland Cattle. Angus can't help but feel that the artist has thrown a plate of spaghetti over his subjects.

Thanksgiving tips. Substituting baby food for butter ? :https://www.npr.org/2022/11/22/1137466569/inflation-thanksgiving-recipes-substitutions

This dog toy is the cause of a major lawsuit :https://mydogtoy.com/p/Silly-Squeaker-Liquor-Bottle-Bad-Spaniels  - See more here : https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/22/supreme-court-to-hear-jack-daniels-trademark-case-against-dog-toy-company.html