The builders did make some progress on Monday but the waves of heavy rain that swept in from the sea every half an hour didn't make their job any easier. It was also cold. A decidedly chilly 12 degrees when they started work. The zinc roof has gone on the garden room. One misery of a builder ( there is always one miserable soul in every group ) doesn't like the design. ' I wouldnae hae had such an overhang '. He is ignored. Perhaps he'd like us to take his advice, stop what we're doing and start again. Today, despite some thick morning cloud, it is supposed to be bright and sunny. Completion date is set for August 9th but it's going to be a touch and go thing. What ever happened to July ? You blink and its gone. We are both rather surprised to discover that August is here already. 50 weeks since we left France.
By the time we're heading home from the beach the skies are beginning to clear.
This is a week when youngsters thinking of applying to come and study here in October '24 can meet the staff and have a tour of the town and facilities. Waves of Japanese and Singaporean teenagers wander down the street to look at the cathedral and then, having seen it, wander back again. Due to Brexit the number of European students is in free fall but the number of US and Asian applicants is rocketing. The number of Chinese students wanting to come and study science also seems to be uncertain.
Down by the club house the first of the golfers are already teeing off. Shorts and bright plaids have given way to sombre rain wear. We turn away at right angles and head across the dunes and down to the sea. The wildflowers starting to give the first hints that autumn in these northerly latitudes isn't far away. We've agreed with the garden designers that they can come in for two weeks when we head off to Denver at the start of October. That will give us the better part of two months to settle back into the house.
The bar in the shopping street has had its exterior repainted. It used to be a jolly pillar box red. Now it's a rather military and utilitarian looking green. The signage has been updated and shows that satellite tv is available . Some new, and rather stylish, outside chairs and tables have arrived. What the ten am 'tipple' crowd will make of them will be interesting to see. So starts a Tuesday morning in a small Scottish seaside town where ( on the surface ) nothing ever happens.
10 comments:
Are you tempted to go inside when The Keys Bar offers over 300 whiskies or is that many whiskies a common occurrence for pubs around Scotland?
Political uncertainty in the far east must have a bearing on the numbers of students coming to study in the UK.
Sad that politics have such an impact on higher education and that those in EU countries have to suffer the fallout from Brexit.
300 whiskies! wow, how many try each of those in a weeks holiday!
The chairs look stylish rather than comfortable. But I guess you don't notice after sampling a few of the whiskies...
Life of Riley - 300 whiskies probably reflects the number of affluent golfers who can afford to pop in for a wee dram or two and who want to try something they can't find back at home.
Hari OM
The outdoor seating has one thing going for it, I suppose... looks thoroughly weatherproof! Crikey, eight and a half days and counting. You have us on tenterhooks. YAM xx
Oh I cannot wait to see the finished product. So much thought has been put into each aspect and those views!
My husband's response to anyone who doubts our taste in reno projects: "Don't worry. You can't see it from your house."
The Keys Bar is trying to be all things to all people, it seems. It's been successful for nearly 150 years, so must know its clientele.
It sounds so peaceful there, except for the chicks.
The bar does not look so welcoming to me, but maybe they know what they are doing. I can imagine that St. Andrews would be very attractive to some Japanese families who are willing to go outside the Japanese university system. My highlights from Japan today include an item to the effect that Japanese middle schoolers averaged 12% on an oral test in English, with 60% failing to answer a single question correctly. My personal theory is that Japan does this on purpose to avoid its workforce simply moving abroad to make more money, have more time off, etc., etc.
Hard to believe it's almost a year since you set off from the tiny village in France.
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