Saturday was spent trying to get the kitchen fitter to coordinate with the electricians and plumbers. 'The Font' is less than happy to have discovered that the the wall units have gone up before the piping for the cooker hood has been fitted. Come Monday morning the wall units will need to come down again. Angus volunteers the view that changing the kitchen fitter might not be the best way of progressing things . I put the fitters 'mistakes' down to poor communication skills. 'The Font' who always tries to see the best in people is struggling to do so.
Six am and all is quiet. The street outside the university chapel has been blocked off with traffic cones. In the run up to graduation there's a sudden rush of youngsters wanting to tie the knot. Anyone who is a graduate can get married here. This is now peak tying the knot season. On the train up from London there were groups of friends and family heading north for one or other of the weekends nuptials. The old chapel bells will be hammering away all day . Tourists of course love it. Nothing like a group of folks in kilts and the inescapable sound of the pipes to reinforce the view that Scotland really is Brigadoon. This afternoon Duke University Choir will be giving a concert, yesterday it was a choir from Pomona College. Italian and Spanish over nighters must think that this is a very 'cosmopolitan' place.
Every morning we try to take a different route so that Sophie can find new smells to mesmerize her. Not easy in a town this small . Today we opt to head off along the shopping street. The staff at Pret a Manger, Starbucks and Cafe Nero all wave at her. Angus is ignored. Groups of young men in black tie can be seen returning from whisky powered stag nights.
We pause where the new International Relations campus is being built before detouring to the Mary Queen of Scots thorn tree. This proves to be in full bloom. Not a bad showing for such an ancient thing. Sophie trots along behind me. Sometimes, when she sees a seagull, she sprints ahead. Her approach to seagull hunting might be improved by maintaining a degree of silence. The head back full on howl doesn't make the cut.
Finally we turn towards home. En route there's a five minute pause while the family diva has a lengthy drink from the dog bowl outside the ice cream store. By lunchtime there will be a queue a couple of hundred yards long waiting to get in here to try their exotic flavours. What the tourist sees and what the early rising dog owner experiences are two different universes.
9 comments:
Hari OM
Oh, I don't know... even this Scot thinks St Andrew's sounds very cosmopolitan based upon observations of the dynamic due of A&S! YAM xx
Poor Sophie, she must be missing the part of PON DNA that gives her silent hunting skills.
How I sympathise with your problems with the builders and their lack of co-ordination. It seems to be the same everywhere these days.
I'm amazed at the differences in weather - you in Scotland with endless blue skies and sunshine and me here in Spain with a week or more of torrential rain and grey skies. Dog walking has to be taken in-between deluges, and sometimes not at all when the roads flood. Once again I'm aware of the truth in the saying "be careful what you wish for" after our prolonged drought!
It's always best to be out before the crowds - everything's fresher.
Your kitchen saga brings back my own nightmare of our just-installed cabinets and appliances being taken down because the electrician hadn't put in an essential wiring connection. That doesn't help you and the Font much except to confirm that everything in the universe is indeed connected...except perhaps your poor cooker hood. There's a lot to be said for Brigadoon.
Early morning walks with my dogs were my favorites. The quiet segueing into the world slowly waking up, the freshness of the new morning, taking our time to discover and notice without interruption. Thank you to you and Sophie for sharing your mornings.
Is there such a thing as a General Contractor in Scotland, because if there is, engaging one to manage the tradespeople would likely alleviate the problems they are causing you.
Jim D - The kitchen fitters are supposed to be the general contractors but they adopt a unique attitude to this role !
Sophie! You're sporting your new summer cut! Looking fabulous!
Re the fitters being the general contractors, seems some project management skills would help them. Thanks for the answer, hope the rest of the project goes well.
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