Canny cash flow management.

Progress. The builder arrives in shiny new electric Range Rover in red with a jazzy black roof. 3 weeks old and he's already had a run in with a lamp post that's left a nasty bump on the front bumper.  It's agreed that the garden room will be built at the same time as the new conservatory. Work will start in mid-July and and is set to finish by the end of August. The builder ( finally ) sees the logic in getting all his men on, and off, site at the same time. We thought, when we moved, that the work on modernizing the wee cottage might take six months. That proved overly optimistic. It will take a year. What we'd not allowed for is that the good contractors run a ten to twelve month backlog of work. This is presumably canny cash flow management as they head into a slowdown.

Neither Angus nor Sophie are prepared for the wind. It's blowing at 70 mph this morning.  The red fishing boat out in the estuary can be seen swaying alarmingly from side to side. You'd certainly need good sea legs to be onboard today.  Four deer are grazing , happily, on the grass down by the shore. They look surprised to see us in a ' Who in their right mind would be out in a wind like this ?' sort of way. Who indeed ?

The wind gives Sophie a very aerodynamic look. Even the PONette thinks twenty minutes in this gale is quite long enough to be out. She is more than happy to head off into town in the warm car.

First stop the vets to pick up some air dried cod treats . The vets, the supermarket and the VW garage all open early so that university staff can be in their offices for nine am lectures. That works fine for early risers.

The piles of unsold haggis on the Burns Night display stand at the supermarket are slowly thinning out . I assume the remainder will soon be on their way to the food bank.

Danish painting in NY :https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2023/beyond-the-light

Well I never :https://twitter.com/historyinmemes/status/1619861523513626624