Christmas music #5

 

The Met Office has issued a red storm warning for Wales and the south west of England. The media are working themselves into a frenzy. Here, it rained overnight and there were, and still are, some theatrical  gusts of wind. There again in these North of Moscow latitudes most winter days have rain and 'noisy' gusts.

For some reason the fields around us have become home to thousands and thousands of crows. When we set off on our morning walk they rise and circle round to form a huge crawing flock. I can't remember ever having seen this many crows in previous winters. Add the worm grubbing seagulls to the mix and the skies overhead our quiet little corner are as busy ( and noisy ) as an avian Piccadilly Circus.

The owner of the cottage at the crossroads is putting up his Christmas decorations. Every year a few more flourishes are added. This year he's expanded into the orchard where the apple trees have been wrapped in fairy lights. During the day you could pass by without noticing but come nightfall when all the lights are on it is a quite remarkable sight. Travellers heading north on the coast road stop and stare at this most un-Presbyterian display. Some people still believe in old fashioned Christmases.

Charging the hybrid battery is a lengthier process than we'd imagined. Everything- heater, lighting, radio - seem to drain it at a rapid pace . We've now taking to topping the wee car up at the charging unit by the golf course.

Students out running on the beach this morning. During exam time 'they' like to do things communally. This conviviality is presumably stress related. The runners make it 400 yards before they decide that the wind is too strong and reverse course.

Down to the fishmongers for the days catch. We opt for some Lemon sole, cod and on the fishmongers recommendation some  halibut .

So starts a quiet Saturday in a small university town hunkering down into exam season.

Christmas music #5. Chosen beacuse it's simply beautiful : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxTCKN8FBbo

The young lady in the background at the 0:38 and 1:12 marks seems to be enjoying this 'saucy' song :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4774ITb30w

North Sea changes :https://hakaimagazine.com/features/conjuring-the-lost-land-beneath-the-north-sea/

Christmas music # 4

 

The young gulls have finally shed their brown adolescent plumage and have made the transition into adulthood. There's a line of them sitting atop the lobster creels on the quayside. They ignore us with a level of disdain that only young seagulls can muster. There can be no doubting that they consider themselves to be the real rulers here.

After the excitement of the winter graduation ceremonies life has returned to normal. Much to the chagrin of the local hoteliers proud (and high spending) parents have dispersed to the four corners of the globe. Exams start today and the footfall on the path to the library is heavy long before the sun has risen. With the students hard at work revising ( which means no lectures and no lecturers ) parking is a doddle.

Posters reminding us to look after hibernating neighbours are much in evidence. We still don't have a Christmas tree but I've found the Christmas lights and baubles in the garage. The wine crate that contains the creche has been brought inside.

This mornings excitement - or what passes for it around here - is provided by a large truck which parks on the shopping street and disgorges a series of bulky  stainless steel contraptions. The fish and chip shop by the supermarket is having its kitchen upgraded. Old  fryer units are taken out and new, environmentally friendly ones, are installed. This technology upgrade, it seems, will 'scrub' the smell of cooking oil from the air and reduce the risk of unintended oil 'spills'. The fish and chip shop owner says they will be back up and running tomorrow.

Christmas music #4 . From Santa Cruz CA some Scottish winter sounds  :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gh8Xye_ZX0

Dogs :https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/man-and-dog-friendship

Christmas music #3

On our return from town we've just learnt the sad news that Gail has passed on. May she rest in peace until that day when hearts are brave again and arms are strong.https://nicenobbynaughtynobby.blogspot.com/2024/12/gone.html

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Yesterday, a small fishing boat lost its engine as it was coming into the harbour. Within minutes the boat was smashed against the razor sharp rocks. The two fishermen were pulled up the pier wall and rescued by the Coast Guard with some difficulty. Ambulances were called and the injured men taken to hospital :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXwDdOWgff8  This morning pieces of the boat and some buoys are all that are left.

Outside chapel some students are on duty ready to answer questions from parents visiting the town for the winter graduation ceremonies. Although it's nearly three hours before the first ceremony they've already had a stream of people asking where to go and what to do. A woman in a very fine sari brings a touch of colour to an otherwise grey morning. She seems oblivious to the cold .

The Christmas trees on offer at the delicatessen in town are small and expensive.

We drive out to the garden centre which has larger and less spindly options. We order an 8 foot one which will be delivered either tomorrow or over the weekend. 'Almost certainly by Monday' says the man behind the counter with that studied imprecision shown by garden centre staff all over the world.

Some of the houses in town are separated from their front gardens by a road. We've never understood the logic behind this odd layout. You have tocross a busy street before you can reach your front lawn. This morning a gardener is busy trimming the privet hedges in readiness for the holidays.

Work has started on the Tiger Woods / Justin Timberlake sports bar. It is supposed to be open for next summers influx of high rolling golfers. The leisurely pace at which the interior is being stripped out raises question marks over whether it will, or will not, be ready. There are four men in orange hi-viz jackets standing outside so perhaps the tempo will pick up ?

Christmas music #3 from South Africa:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh0HBKh6DsA

And here for any fellow Scots a brief Christmas freebie thanks to the choir who diligently continue to appear at graduation ceremonies even though it's their revision week :https://youtu.be/VfB9vKh8GJw?t=4969

This contains sensible advice an is worth reading with the morning coffee: https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/art-gallery

Christmas music #2

The Manhattanites puzzled by overnight developments in South Korea. Add on the logjam in the French parliament and the stalemate in the German one and you can understand why they are more than happy to keep their investments at home.

It's the first day of the winter graduation ceremonies. We're in town early to find a parking space, do the shopping and have a coffee before the crowds show up. Downsizing the car has, on balance, been a blessing. It fits into the parking spots with lots of space to spare on all sides. Depending on the light the new car looks green, at others blue. In this mornings pre-sunrise half light it looks grey. We find this chameleon like quality to be really quite remarkable. 

A brass band is bringing the Christmas spirit to a motely collection of dog walkers and visiting parents. The parents seem to enjoy this festive start to their  day and, from what we can see,  prove to be healthy charitable givers. Visiting parents seem to fall into two categories. Those who want to experience all that a small seaside town on the North Sea coast can offer and those who shelter from the cold in the warmth of their hotel room for as long as humanly possible.

Down by the bandstand a well wrapped up couple and their dog are sitting taking in the view over the beach. They don't seem to notice the chill wind nor the occasional shower. Visiting passers by look at them bemusedly in a way that seems to say ' You must be 'Scotch folk'. 

We went to this Path of light two years ago. It still surprises us there's such a thing as a Pagan Chaplain .... even an Honorary one. We thought the path might be lit with candles but it turned out to be strings of fairy lights which could be pulled out of the ground by inquisitive toddlers. Once one toddler discovers they can do this - they all want to. This did little to accentuate the magical.

Give it a few more days and we'll be into full on Carol Service season. You'd think the students were too cool for things like this but they're oddly more traditionalist ( quite possibly much more traditionalist )  than you'd imagine.

This years Svenskt Tenn trivets have an oddly English flavour : https://www.svenskttenn.com/se/en/range/table-setting/placemats-trivets-coasters/trivets/trivet-bless-this-house/102925/

Christmas song #2 played cheerfully joyfully by Yo-Yo-Ma :https://youtu.be/wGuv9comstQ?t=91

Not for everyone but mathematicians might find this fun :https://bristoliver.substack.com/p/the-final-cut

And here, although not Christmas music , is Scotlands gift to love poetry as sung at one of yesterday small graduation ceremonies :https://youtu.be/TaWxPHEMtnY?t=4694

Christmas music #1.

Is there any sight more Scottish than that of a tractor being followed by seagulls ? There are three tractors busy ploughing this morning and there must be all of five hundred gulls looking for worms  ... with more birds on the way. News travels quickly on the gullvine. The crows that are wintering in the barley field are not at all happy about this influx of immigrants.

The bookstore setting up its stocking filler table by the front door. A few students are already in looking for something suitable for families back at home. It's the time of year when 'browsers' are offered a cup of tea or coffee. The students make good use of this facility. This book , based on the two copies we see being bought this morning, seems to be a best seller. It is the perfect ' Hey Mom. I saw this and thought of you ' present. It is also easy to fit in a suitcase.  I'm guessing overseas buyers have problems with the authors name and just ask for 'The Scottish Cookbook'. 

Quite a collection of candles in the farm shop. There is a Christmas market here tonight. We shall steer well clear. People go into manic locust mode at Christmas markets and sweep the shelves clean of anything that isn't nailed down.

The bakers has thrown itself wholeheartedly into the seasonal spirit. We buy a couple of St Andrews day cakes.

The bakers lad is busy stacking the central display stand with chocolate Santas. These come in all sorts of varying sizes and prices. They are perfectly positioned where toddlers can see them.

Back at home we taste the St Andrews day cakes. 'The Font' takes one mouthful, says 'delicious' and passes the remainder over to be finished off. I can report that they are indeed 'delicious' although the Saltire blue colouring is quite a shock to the system

Radio 4 has moved into Christmas mode with music from the North of England :https://youtu.be/dWFR1Fa0qqo  Guess this makes it Christmas music #1.

Some sweaters are more equal than others. Whoever thought Guernseys would be so fashionable ? :https://x.com/dieworkwear/status/1862998004640403798

Liminal Christmas decorations at the Holiday Inn at London Heathrow. 10 out of 10 for trying ?  :https://x.com/liminalspacess_/status/1863417814490522078

Shock

 

Every day for the better part of fifteen years one of the first people to comment on the blog has been Gail at https://nicenobbynaughtynobby.blogspot.com/ . She has seen generations of PONs come and go and through her blog we have met and laughed with her dogs Hamish, Bertie and now, most recently, Nobby. Her daily presence as a commentor  has been a welcome constant.

Sadly, a few weeks ago we received a calm, dignified letter informing us that she had been given one of 'those' life changing doctors diagnoses. Subsequent events have moved more quickly and turbulently than anyone could have predicted. The enormity and rapidity of what has followed can scarcely be believed.

In the short time since the diagnosis she reached out to ensure Nobby her Wire Haired Terrier would be well looked after ( he is off to a farm where he will be much loved ) and dealt logically and sensibly with a world not so much in turmoil as over turned. A remarkably kind lady at  https://inimaynaelcammeno.blogspot.com/ has been an angel at a time like this. The latest blog post describes what has happened.

To be mourned by a world of people you've never met has to be a testament to a life well lived. It is also, perhaps,  a sign the world  of dog blogs retains a courtesy and humanity and intelligence  lacking elsewhere amongst 21st century social media . If you get a chance do drop by her blog and say a little prayer for Gail and her family in the days ahead.

Scotch folk.

 

Over the weekend proud parents have been arriving for the winter graduation ceremonies. The black Volvos much favoured by prudent locals now heavily outnumbered by large shiny Range Rovers and Mercedes with Home Counties  registrations. Three bright red Ferraris are seen on our morning walk. These are perhaps not the most practical vehicle for rural Scotland. Wee boys on their way to school stop and peer excitedly into these expensively exotic machines. The cafe where William  ( reputedly ) met Kate is already open and doing a roaring business with mothers and fathers wondering what to do in a small windy seaside town in December.  A woman standing outside the cafe informs her husband that the 'Scotch folk' are always so cheerful. Give it 24 hours and she is likely to be disabused of that strange notion particularly if she keeps on referring to them as 'Scotch folk'. 

We detour into chapel to warm up and listen as someone practises an organ arrangement of this : https://youtu.be/LGHC5U6vTMk?t=40  The composer is unknown to us but the piece is magical. What better way to start a Monday morning ?

An enterprising Chinese couple have somehow managed to clamber over the railings around the cathedral and are happily taking photos amid the ruins. They have the place to themselves. I wonder what they make of it ?

Exuberant door displays appearing outside the local restaurants. 

Some of the displays are more tasteful than others. 

Hogmanay dinners are now being advertised. All the ones I've seen seem to keep just the right side of the £100 mark. By the time a few drinks have been consumed  the £100 threshold will have been decisively crossed.

A very clever lady at Oxford  ( with an untidy bookcase ) talking about the Middle East. Even she is finding it diffiuclt to keep up with the pace of events :https://youtu.be/rIfCEHjVtDk?t=150

December starts with a small victory.

 

A northern  December morning. Sunrise is at 8:19 and sunset a mere seven and a bit hours later. The positive way to look at this long winter darkness is to remember that in three weeks time the days will start getting longer.

Strange tracks in the sand down on the beach. A small white animal can just be seen moving slowly towards the sea.

It's a seal pup that's got separated from its mother and is dragging itself from the sand dunes down towards the water. It manages a couple of yards , stops to rest, then does a couple more. It does not move in a straight line which makes a 200 yard journey more of a 400 yard expedition. Progress is agonizingly slow. By the time it's got halfway to the waterline it's exhausted. 

We stand by the seal for a full half an hour protecting it against friendly but inquisitive dogs out for their morning run on the beach. Owners are happy when I politely ask them not to let their dogs stress the wee thing. There is genuine concern for the pups safety . Of course there's always one who shows another side of human nature. An exceedingly snooty forty something woman in a waxed Barbour jacket tells me it's most certainly not my right to stop her dog doing what it wants. I bite my tongue and position myself between her lively young Giant Schnauzer and the worried pup. She wanders off muttering ... but with her dog now safely on its lead. ' Thank you for being so understanding. What a well behaved dog you have  ' I say to her arrogantly turned back as she storms away. It's rarely dogs that cause problems. The same can't always be said for their owners.

Never has a half hour been so fraught with anxiety. Sunday mornings are a peak dog walking time. Finally a Hallelujah moment. With a flick of its tail the pup is into the water and off into the waves. This is its natural home.  So helpless on land so lithe in the water. We see it heading off to the sandbars at the mouth of the estuary where it will hopefully find its mother. December starts with a small Advent victory.

This : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBDdLgBO0Nw and this which puts it in perspective  :https://tracksontracks.substack.com/p/life-exploding-in-every-direction

A British take on music in restaurants :https://www.alexoconnor.com/p/please-stop-playing-music-everywhere

On the radio Sunday morning Scottish music for those in hospital :https://youtu.be/rqxVz1D6low?t=71

An awesome sight.

The unknown gentleman ( I'm assuming it's not a lady ) who writes 'poems' has put his latest offering  up on the town notice board. He is not at all happy that the council have allowed restaurants and cafes to expand onto the pavement. This would seem to be grumpy retiree syndrome of the highest order. The words 'greet' and 'fie' tell me he's a real local.

A fine sunrise. We have the beach to ourselves apart from the lady with the yappy  Pomeranian. 

Half an hour later, as we head back to the car, a small army of students come  running down the sand towards us. The arrival of exam season is clearly triggering the healthy body, healthy mind interconnect.

By the cafe we meet a professor walking his two very fine labradors. He wonders if France has become ungovernable. His view is that a 'technical government' is the only solution. We think it more likely Macron will resign in order to 'reboot' the political scene. Our conversation drifts away as we watch thousands and thousands of high flying geese pass overhead heading due south. A literally awesome sight.  Does this mass migration mean the cold winter weather is about to hit us ?

The installation of the new sewer pipe continues apace. There are three more weeks to go if Scottish Water are to complete it on schedule. The workers seem to start early and finish late which may indicate that pre-Christmas overtime is not an issue and that the Royal and Ancient are taking a keen interest in the rate of progress.

Even though it's a Saturday there must be thirty workers busily digging trenches  when we pass by.

Back at The last wee house before Denmark one of the farmers has left us some Brussel Sprouts harvested this morning  from the field by the Doocot.

The English food critic who visited the Anstruther fish and chip shops has now moved on to Scotlands capital city. In its lack of restraint the decor of the restaurant he's visiting looks more Glasgow than Edinburgh. The man with the vacuum cleaner at the 1:08 mark seems suitably unimpressed. What would you do if someone doing this sat beside you in a restaurant ?  :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An5pOfiaV3M

Good news :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sN5cA8ZUjI

Fake Vermeers :https://scottsumner.substack.com/p/school-of-rembrandt-fake-vermeers

Battery life

 

The young BMW salesman is on the phone bright and early. " Just a wee courtesy call to make sure you're enjoying the car and know how to use all it's features ". This is a not so subtle way of reminding us to fill out the manufacturers survey scoring our pre-purchase sales 'experience'. 

A chilly minus three this morning. Lesson #1 about the new car -  if you use the heater to defrost the windscreen the battery drains very quickly. In fact it drains remarkably quickly. The promised 50 mile range seems to fall by half. Heated seats, ambient lighting and a system that projects the instruments onto the windscreen all seem to 'gobble' range.

The sacred turf of the Old Course blanketed in frost. The fancy 5 star hotel by the treacherous 17th hole busy but not full.  We discover from a Texan visitor in a Stetson that father and son golfing  tours are an American thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNBPLB9lrD8  Mothers and daughters and non-golfing sons are presumably happy to fend for themselves at Thanksgiving.

'Quiet Please' notices appearing on doors in town. Exam season proper starts a week today but some poor souls are already being tested. Lets hope they have the consolation of finishing early.

The shoe repair shops mechanical mascot has not yet been decked out for the festive season. I'd give it a week before a Santa hat appears.

The esoteric things you find on Substack. Purdah :https://www.ggd.world/p/can-architecture-reveal-the-spread

Borderline bizarre. A comparison tasting of local fish and chip shops :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qmiz-tT-vs

New options to stay near Edinburgh :https://www.penicuikestate.com/

A time to be thankful.

 

A late November afternoon. The first of the planets already glinting in the sky. Both Saturn and Mars spectacularly bright.

The days lectures drawing to a close. Back pack wearing youngsters come rushing out of seminars and head home....or to a bar.

The first Christmas gathering of the year glimpsed through a brightly lit window. There's a gaudily decorated tree and the sound of someone playing the piano. People are wearing red party hats. The clink of glasses and the murmur of laughter waft onto the street.

The owners of the old houses by the castle haven't returned home yet. Give it an hour and all the windows on this side of the street will be lit.

Evensong is underway in chapel.  A few late running choir members sprint across the lawn ignoring the 'Keep off the grass' sign. A college porter looks at them judgementally but says nothing. 

Absent the tourists and the golfers the town is quiet and you could almost believe you'd stepped back fifty or a hundred years. In a hectic world the peace of a small, unchanging  town by the North Sea is something to be thankful for .

And for friends and family in the States a little 1950's Thanksgiving music. They don't make them like this anymore  :https://youtu.be/zEyLFqapbP4?t=26

Here's some optimism:https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-best-case-scenario-for-trumps