A drizzly one minute sunshine the next type of morning. Puppy and one of her elder sisters race to meet us. What can make for a better day than mud and drizzle ... and the promise of an oat cake ?
On the path down to the shore a rainbow. Off to one side an offshore support vessel is heading into the bay. It's coming in quickly so there must be a storm in our immediate future. The ship sails through the rainbow and , for a moment, is covered in psychedelic light. The Jack Russells accompany us down to the waters edge and then rush off in pursuit of something only they can see. Fifteen cormorants are standing wing tip to wing tip on the rocks. A comical sight. From this distance they look like a rugby team lined up, shoulder to shoulder, before singing the national anthem.
On the sand the outline of where the dunes used to be before Novembers high tides very visible in the morning sunrise. Clumps of snowdrops to be seen everywhere. Eight South African golfers are waiting by the Old Course. They couldn't sleep with the excitement and have arrived half an hour before their tee off time.
Town filling up with tourists. Lots of parents visiting to see if this is the place where their 'little angels' should spend four years. This must be peak application time for those wanting to come here in September. Student guides wearing their red gowns do their best to answer worried mothers questions. They block the pavements and look skywards to admire another weather beaten example of Scottish architecture. Some of the fathers seem to be quietly wondering if any place can be this windy.
In the church the Scottish Chamber Orchestra staff are clearing up after last nights concert.
11 comments:
Thanks for the fascinating article about Equatorial Guinea and the impact of oil. The point that natural resources are not innately a blessing or a curse to a country, it's down to human agency, is well made. And relevant to Scotland and the UK.
I shall be thinking of the cormorants when the teams line up for the anthems at this weekend's Calcutta Cup game.
Cheers! Gail.
This is peak "offer-holder days" season for UK universities. The SCO has an annoying habit of emailing me with news of their provincial tours AFTER they have passed through my corner of North East Scotland. Will you be visiting any snowy regions in Japan? The personal trainer I go to occasionally spends January to March in Japan teaching snowboard instructors how to teach snowboarding. His photos look beautiful and make me long to go there, if you take the snowboarding element out of it (not a sport to my taste). Nigel Slater is also a fan of winter Japanese holidays, but for the tranquillity of the onsens, traditional inns and food rather than snowboarding.
Exciting times ahead. Enjoy your packing, if such a thing can be enjoyable.
Hari OM
Oooh, Afrobeats... Like. The EG article was fascinating; having lived in Nigeria in the 1970s and seen what the oil situation there was creating, a lot of it made a great deal of sense. As one who is getting The Grey packed and ready for the first big trip of the year, I wish you well in your own travel! YAM xx
I'm a fan of Burna Boy. Didn't realize he was "Gucci," though. It's nice to see Puppy and her sister again. The Jack Russell we had when I was a kid had her tail docked, the theory being it should be just the right length for the huntsman to grab onto if the dog went down a fox hole. I'm so glad they've ended that practice, and it's lovely to see that long, happy tail. Happy travels to you and the Font!
What a beautiful start of the day walk to the beach! Safe travels to Japan.
My father's packing advice was take half as much stuff, and twice as much money as you think you need. It always worked for him.
Light meaning she isn't taking her whole closet and every pair of shoes.
By the way, has she asked if you have any spare room in your suitcase?
Safe journey. Looking forward to seeing photos of your travels.
I echo Travel. Pack and then remove half. You will be grateful as you move from place to place. Nobody knows (or cares) that you're wearing what you wore yesterday!
Thanks for the music and the article, and Gail's excellent summary! Happy and safe travels! Puppy will miss you.
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