Friday, November 25, 2022

Pink flamingos.




The bay is busy this morning with supply vessels heading out to the new windfarm that they're building twenty or so miles offshore. This is of no interest to Sophie who has headed off across a ploughed field in search of adventure. She ignores the village Jack Russells who rush out to say hello. Having said hello, and been ignored, they rush away again. 


Out here on the edge of civilization we see delivery drivers either first thing in the morning or last thing at night. There must be an algorithm  that dictates remote houses get done first .... or last. This morning we meet the Amazon guy who's dropping off a new book we've ordered - 'The Fall of Boris Johnson'. For some reason all the drivers who come to the house are cheerful and polite in a way that I can only admire after they've bounced down an unpaved farm track for half a mile.


Sophie and Angus are early into town. This makes ordering at the coffee shop easy. I pop my head through the door, shout out my order and voila ! - coffee and pain au raisin appear. A bowl of water is already awaiting my fluffy companion. There was a nationwide strike by teaching staff yesterday. For some unknown reason a small crowd of junior lecturers were standing outside the university dressed as pink flamingos. To the delight of the local teenagers the  school teachers were also on strike. 

In the run up to Christmas the train drivers and the postmen are planning (more) stoppages. The radio says the nurses may also be about to take industrial action. Private sector workers can get pay hikes but public sector employees suffer from the fact that the government has shambolically run out of money.


A couple of days ago we marveled at the green up-lighting on the tree outside the biochemistry building . Today we notice more creative lighting. The arches by the old chapel are glowing deep red in a Hammer House of Horrors way. Perhaps this is meant to convey a touch of  seasonal cheer ?


Out here on the coast this week has seen an uptick in the tempo of tradesmens visits. The plumber  comes and promises faithfully to have a firm plan of action by close of business today. 'It's been two months since you said you'd get it fixed ' I tell him. " Don't you worry Angus. I'm on it now " comes the reply. The electrician fits new garden lights, the gas man mends the boiler and the carpet layer measures the staircase and orders the new carpet. At this rate the wee cottage might be close to habitable by Christmas. 'The Font' thinks this enthusiasm on the part of the local artisans may reflect pre-Christmas present buying cash flow 'issues'. 

9 comments:

Virginia said...

I think 'The Font' is probably correct (again!) if you don't do the work, there will be no cash flow.

It's the same over here in New Zealand. I'd ordered new ovens ($$$) and rang for the umpteenth time to hurry them along, only to be told "Let me check delivery dates... Oh, one is available now, but the other is out of stock. New stock is due to land in the country on 31 December." I said that as they were also advertising a substantially lower price on it it was not worth persisting with, therefore please cancel the whole order. "Oh, let me check ... there are some in our Auckland store. I can get one down and we will absorb the delivery costs. We can deliver next week"!! Getting action, sometimes requires stamping one's little foot!

WFT Nobby said...

I'd love to know the background to the pink flamingo costumes!

Coppa's girl said...

Pink Flamingos - we have real ones on the town lake at this time of year. A great tourist draw.
Glad to hear that things are starting to happen at the wee house. Amazing what the realisation of a shortage of cash will do to a previously disinterested business! Normally workmen here are not too bad at coming when they promise to. Having said that, I'm still waiting for the plumber to come to flush out the radiators before I turn the heating on. When I mentioned it last spring, I was told to ring again in the autumn to remind them. Of course, they are now very busy, but they'll get back to me!

Travel said...

Maybe the Amazon drivers know that they may encounter the Wonder Diva when they deliver at your house?

Lisa in Tokyo said...

Very eye-catching headline - I would not have anticipated the context. I wonder where they found pink flamingo costumes in Scotland?

Gemma's person said...

That sun is AMAZING!

Angus said...

Travel - There are delivery drivers who know Sophie's name and who understand that the way to a girls heart is a biscuit, an ear tickle and a wee chat. It goes without saying they are all dog owners who need a 'dog' fix during their work day. Perhaps one day we'll have links to pictures of Amazon, Waitrose and DHL delivery drivers dogs !

Jake of Florida said...

It's true. Getting a "dog fix" when missing your own puppy is high priority. Once we'd been away for a week or so in Maine. While having lunch at a restaurant in Portland, I spotted a woman with a wire fox terrier outside and rushed out as fast as I could for a chance to pet, scritch, and exchange stories. Many other times as well, accosting strangers on the street in new destinations!

Janet said...

The collie looks as though he is thinking She asked if I would like to go for a walk. If she’d asked if I would like to be abandoned on the cold, wet pavement while she flounced around in heated spaces, I would have stayed on the sofa.

I, too, chat with dogs.