Saturday, October 14, 2023

A bright night.

 

Into town to meet old friends. Winter nights in the north are special. By seven the streets are quiet. The shops and coffee shops closed or closing, the restaurants opening. A crescent moon shares the sky with the Pole Star.


Most of the students are in the warmth of the library or getting ready for dinner. Lights in upper storey flats hint at meals being readied. The wine shop has a sprinkling of young male customers buying wine ahead of a dinner party. Bottles are studied with that furrowed browed intensity only a teenager can muster.  A  group of  twenty or so American golfers have filled the tables outside the whisky bar.  Despite the cold they seem to be enjoying themselves. Two, possibly three, glasses of Gods amber nectar on an empty stomach help things along. The Americans have been playing Carnoustie and are looking forward to getting on the Old Course. One gentleman observes that you can't get Scotch this good in Raleigh. 'This is damn fine stuff'. He repeats this twice for the benefit of anyone who might be listening. Two passing Scots lads are invited to join them for a drink. 'You guys from around here ?' They willingly accept.  Caol Ila's - doubles - are ordered. The drink buying kindness of Americans must be one of the hidden benefits of being a student here. Hints on how to play the Old Course are soon being shared.


Behind chapel the lecture theatres are bathed in blue light . Someone must have thought this architectural son et lumiere touch was a good idea. Angus thinks blue lights and cold winter nights are a uncompromising combination.


The tide out this morning. The lobster creels lining the quayside. After the tournament the demand for fresh lobster is slow. It will pick up again when the Thanksgiving tourists arrive.


In the supermarket the Halloween displays are joined by Christmas puddings. 20% of the shelf space must now be given over to Halloween / Christmas products. An entire aisle has been devoted to boxes of festive chocolates.



10 comments:

Coppa's girl said...

The description on the box of the Christmas Pudding made me laugh - it looks terrible. Are those "jewels" Smarties? Exactly what is wrong with an old fashioned pudding? There are some things you shouldn't mess with!

WFT Nobby said...

I'm wondering how a double Caol Ila affects the golf swing?

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
I had exactly the same thought as Coppa's Girl re the pudding! Perhaps it is the appearance of Christmas fare that has Angus calling the nights of October as 'winter'... What's he going to do when December, January and February are here??? YAM xx

Travel said...

You can find good whiskey here in Virginia, for a price. Actually good single malt has been easier to find than really good bourbon. My Friday was about baking and maturing holiday fruit cakes.

jabblog said...

'It's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the nicht' - well., someone had to say it . . .

Diaday said...

The last few years of my mom's life was a journey with Alzheimer's. We took her out on weekly drives around town to look at familiar sights. At Christmas we bundled up to look at light displays. There was one that was all blue lights strung on the fence that went around the property and on the little bridge that went over a small pond in the yard. Mom always commented that she didn't like those blue lights. "They look cold." Every time we drive past that light display, I think of Mom's cold blue light comment.

Maudie said...

Beautiful evening light.

Anonymous said...

Glacé cherries

The Bougalou Bear said...

And we are in October...Good grief, how long exactly does a Christmas pudding need to ’mature”?

paphosmuseum said...

Is that a serious question?🤪