Christmas song #18

Blue sky and a near tropical 9 degrees this morning. All traces of the snow and ice have gone. Wet, gloopy mud has taken their place. Sophie is a firm believer in the health benefits of walking through wet, gloopy, mud. She is, of course, also a believer in the health benefits of walking through snow and belly surfing on ice.

Today the carpet fitter and the electricians are expected. With the better weather there's a chance they'll show up. By Christmas we may have  super jazzy stair coverings and downlighters in the garden. The downlighters come from Germany. The manufacturers manage to make and deliver them on time despite snow and the pre-Christmas chaos. This German efficiency is an annoyingly trite, but true, insight into national stereotypes. 

From France the man with anger management issues calls. He wonders if there might be some way his son could come to Scotland to learn English next summer. 'Perhaps he could work in a hotel ?' he suggests brightly. Anger Management Man then diverts into a lengthy diatribe against the French President. It seems Monsieur Macron had the audacity to go into the dressing room and give the French world cup team a pre-match pep-talk. 'No wonder they lost' he says - although he doesn't say it quite like that.

Down to the wee house in town. On our way we park by the cathedral and walk to the end of the pier to look at the cormorants who look, silently, back at us. The tenants at the house in town left for the States last night. They must have packed suddenly. Piles of trash, bed linen,defrosting freezer food and wet towels everywhere. This is why we usually have the cleaning lady go in first.

The modernist bleached oak kitchen table is looking the worse for wear after someone has put a hot saucepan on it . There's a deep circle burnt into the wood.  A circular plastic coaster has been placed over the mark. Perhaps they thought no one would notice. 'The Font'  speaks to the manufacturers in Copenhagen but there's nothing that can be done. To make a new leaf  would be as expensive as a new table and the colour and grain would be different. Sanding it down or polishing it out won't remove deep burn marks. 

We'll buy a new table. Until now we've had pretty good tenants. There is an unexpected upside. The local painters have had a cancellation and can come in for the next couple of days to paint scuffed and stained walls. Now, that is good luck.

Christmas song #19:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wit-jGD4wCw