The train leaves Kings Cross on time and arrives in Leuchars two minutes late. There is heavy rain across the Midlands so there's not much to see until we cross the Forth.
The Royal Air Force Scottie at the station is a fine fellow with a very Battle of Britain vibe. He's here because there's an old airbase on the other side of the road. The Army has taken over the base but of late jet fighters have made a comeback. This is a perfect spot for intercepting Russian aircraft coming south after they've rounded the top of Norway.
When we get home we find a small crowd of villagers standing in the courtyard. They've been watching Basking Sharks. Half a dozen have been seen close inshore by the ragged rocks the cormorants call home. The news has spread quickly and the crowd has gathered. A lady in her late seventies is overjoyed. ' They didn't come last year and to have them back is such great news '. To show her happiness the lady does a little jig. Another, equally excited lady , hopes that the dolphins will also show up. 'That would be just wonderful. I'd be so chuffed '. That's a phrase I haven't heard in a long time. Both ladies then jabber happily away to each other.
Basking Sharks :https://baskingsharkscotland.co.uk/
Dead trees : https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2314607120
10 comments:
Love the RAF Scottie and his 'made for Scottie ears' flying helmet. The ghost forest article is earmarked for later. 'Chuffed' is indeed a phrase not heard much theses days. My current book group read is the first of Elizabeth Jane Howard's 'Cazalet Chronicles' novels.She has a perfectly tuned ear for phrases and expressions I haven't heard since my grandmother died.
Cheers, Gail.
What fun to go on a Scottie hunt! Is some enterprising entrepreneur doing Scotties tours? The RAF Scottie is, I think, the best one so far, with such attention to detail. I should imagine he will command a high price at auction.
Hope the chick manages to find a few unsuspecting sandwich-eating students.
Hari OM
I adore both of these Scotties! ...and admit to getting lost in daydream planning for a Basking Shark Tour...YAM xx
Collecting all of the dogs sounds like a good goal. Most Washington DC is just a few feet above sea level, it could be an interesting century
The RAF Scottie is very 'chocks away'.
We still use 'chuffed' - maybe it's more of a south of England expression.
I also love the RAF Scottie, although the other more subdued Scottie with the tartan collar has its own appeal. I hadn't realized that "chuffed" might be outdated as an expression. One of my favorite characters in Elizabeth George's murder mysteries uses that expression all the time - but then again, Elizabeth George is American.
Thought it was nice that your station’s town had streets named after RAF airplanes from WW2.
Thank you for sharing the article about the dying trees. As a mid-Atlantic resident, I've noticed the phenomena in our area- MD/VA-Chincoteague & Assateague, and the Outer Banks of NC. Hopefully some of the climate change will lead to increased "biomass" inland from the rising seas. However, most of the "biomass" in our area seems to be that of humans encroaching on formerly undeveloped land.
My Google search tells me that "chuffed " can go two ways: pleased and happy or displeased and unhappy. The latter is how I think I've seen it used in some tales, but which is the more common nowadays?
Chuff is also a sound tigers, and some rotties, make.
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