Thursday, October 5, 2023

The bitumen carrier

 

Wednesday was a typically Scottish October day - cold and unrelentingly wet. Thursday dawns bright and sunny but blustery. We have the beach to ourselves. On the quayside we meet the lobster fisherman. He's being kept busy with orders from all the 5 star hotel restaurants.  Eating lightly and healthily is not something you associate with major golf tournaments. Cuisine tends to the 70's era steak and fries variety. Surf and Turf if you're more adventurous and have even deeper pockets. The fisherman points to a Dutch bitumen carrier that's spent the last 3 nights anchored in the estuary due to storms in the North Sea. Angus quietly wonders why a Dutch ship should be bringing bitumen to Scotland or possibly taking it in the other direction.


Passing the lock gates 'The Font' observes that it is fifty years to the day since Angus turned up here as an eighteen year old student. There was a flight from London on a BEA Trident and a night of celebratory wine tasting at a cousins house in Perthshire before I was dropped off at my hall of residence. Both of us agree that this seems like a long time ago but certainly not fifty years. Quite a lot has happened in the interim - little or none of it predictable at the time.  In those days the university year was made up of three terms. Now students are here for two semesters.


The wee Scottie in the bakers window has acquired a golfing cap and a backdrop of golfing paraphernalia.


Back at the wee house we can see the Dutch bitumen carrier slowly edging out into the Bay. It must be hoping for a spell of good weather for the voyage back to Rotterdam.


The Swedish water carbonator-  bought three months ago - has now paid for itself twice over. We ordered the professional size model but would have been better off buying the smaller and cheaper version. The great thing about it is you can adjust the carbonation levels and end up with something that could pass for Badoit.

12 comments:

The Life of Riley said...

I regularly used to visit that art shop while doing my OE in the last 80s and 90s. Good to know it is still there as I kept a photo of jars of pigments they made on my study wall until 2020. It's a small world!

The Life of Riley said...

That was late 80s.

Coppa's girl said...

I could spend a very long time in that art shop! It ranks up there with French cheese shops and their Patisseries.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
That shop itself is a work of art... as is life; I, too, can look back over fifty years since teenage and wonder at how much has flowed through them... YAM xx

waterdog said...

Can it be true that so many years have passed!? I’ve thoroughly enjoyed experiencing many of them through the blog.

Travel said...

You are three years older than I am. A lot has happened in the past 50 years. Things we couldn't even dream about within our lifetime.

Lisa in France said...

I figured out a while ago that you are about the same age as I am, and I honestly believe that reading about all of your adventures, particularly last year's decision to sell the house in France followed by the decision to buy the new house and the implementation of both decisions over a very short period of time, helped me believe we could actually carry off our own move from Tokyo to France. Absolute madness in retrospect, but here we all are and many thanks to you! Your description of a typically Scottish October day coincides perfectly with my husband's experience in Glasgow over the past few days. He was fooled at first, as his first few days were clear and sunny, but then he was fortunately able to experience the real Scotland. My son finds it all wonderful. Both my husband and my son think the restaurants are generally far better in Glasgow than on the Cote d'Azur. At least more authentic as to the non-French restaurants, I think. The Turkish restaurants in Glasgow are actually Turkish, whereas here they all serve tacos for some reason!

Jake of Florida said...

Was there a " meet'-cute" those 50 years ago...and red robes?

Gemma's person said...

Maybe the commercial larger one will last longer...like forever.

rottrover said...

P.S. Since we are no longer rating croissants, I must rate that first photo a 10/10. Beautiful.

Megan said...



Well I remember my first day as a student at St Andrews and yes it was a long time ago...1966... but also not so long really. I have recently moved house for the umpteenth, and hopefully last, time and one of the items coming with me was my red university gown, again packed away. But what to do with it? None of my four offspring needed it but it's something I can't get rid of. What did you do with yours Angus? Any suggestions?

Angus said...

Megan - I think many gowns are gifted to the Students Union for those who can't afford a new one.