Our return home is immediately noted by Puppy and one of her elder sisters. At the front door we are greeted enthusiastically. Both terriers look at us with that ' Where have you been and do you have any biscuits ?' look. 'Puppy' and her middle sister are arguing over who should be top dog. The eldest is now at a stage where she spends all her day in front of the AGA. The two younger ones had a go at each other yesterday and were only separated when a bucket of cold water was thrown over them by the farmers wife.
Rest or keep going ? The eternal jet lag question. We opt to keep going although our heads feel as though they're full of cotton wool.
The sound of the waves breaking on the shore can be heard from inside the house . A sure sign that the weather is being 'Scottish' . Exceptionally high Spring tides coupled to strong easterly winds have whipped up the water in the bay. 40 or so curlews watch us as we head down the path to the shore. Curlews , when seen up close, are remarkably large birds. It's rare to see so many of them together. They clearly enjoy the solitude of the untilled land on the bluffs.
Down in town the storms have washed away all the recent beach restoration work. The rangers will now wait until summer and calmer weather before attempting any more. This year the weather has been really extreme. The 3000 marram grass seedlings - planted only a few weeks ago - are gone forever. We spot a kestrel on the look out for breakfast in the dunes.
After a walk on the beach ( 5793 steps according to the tiny pedometers bought in Tokyo ) it's time to head into town for a coffee. University town coffee shops always have intriguing posters in the window. These advertise a whole subculture of musical events and theatrical performances and other things that a casual visitor to the town would miss.
Male barber shop singing still a thing in this distant corner of the kingdom. £5 for ticket sounds very reasonable. There again this isn't London. The groups music sounds more ' innocent' than expected when I track it down :https://youtu.be/XUdKyTUxWSc?t=178
In the afternoon a large and exceedingly jolly wedding . Ex students exercising their right to get married in college. The rain holds off but it's grey and gloomy. The bride is sensibly photographed under the shelter of the chapel arcade. Every so often the gale whips her skirt, Marilyn Monroe style, into the air. This also proves to a problem for the kilted groom. They will be photos to remember.
An unsold Mothers Day cake brightens up the bakers window. Who will buy a Mothers Day cake after the event ? Perhaps the staff will have it with their tea break ?Tonight we have a university dinner with two academics from DC who also teach at West Point . An invitation agreed to before we left for Japan. The two professors are here on a book tour . Pre-dinner they will be giving a talk in the large lecture theatre on the ' heightened risk of civil unrest and domestic terrorism after the November elections'. "Christian nationalism" is the up and coming phrase for Q2 2024. The lecture has been fully booked for weeks. I'm just praying that the two of us will manage to stay awake.
11 comments:
Puppy will be thrilled that Angus and the 'Font' are back home in Scotland. As is this reader, and no doubt many others.
Cheers! Gail.
Welcome home - and good to know you're safely back. What a welcome from Puppy and her sister. I wonder if they have been camping out on your doorstep since you went away!
It#s not just the terriers! Your return home was immediately noted by this reader who is another regular visitor at your front door. Her biscuits are the random glimpses and observations of life from that wee house Today's dog on a mission, the seascapes and the rest have been a very good start to the day.
The Other Guys are very big on the UK university a capella scene. Their St Andrews female counterparts are The Alley Cats. Much better than the name implies.
At least you and the Font are aligned on dealing with jet lag. We have a split in our family - I am on the "keep going" side, while my husband favors dropping off to sleep whenever the feeling arises. It always takes us a while to get back in synch.
Studies on dog cognition sound interesting. Some of our dogs have watched television avidly, while others have been quite indifferent. That's across a range of terriers, utility (companion) and working dogs.
A quick zizz before your dinner might be in order.
Ruth’s comments above captured my feelings also. I am delighted you two are home safely and your blog about the small things in life is continuing. I, too, wonder how long it took Puppy to realize after the first day that something had gone amiss in their routine.
I would try an afternoon nap, before the evening of meaningful conversation. Just imagine how much sand would have washed away, without the recent reinforcement.
PAWS Lab? Fantastic!
We're glad you are safely home and settling in to morning walks and visits from puppy and sister.
Look forward to hearing what the academics have to say.
Hari Om
Hope you are holding up as the day progresses... And that this evening proves to be inspiring enough to delay the lag. YAM xx (who has a prearranged appointment with a certain Aberdeenshire dug and his hyoomon to observe agility training this evening...)
At least you have an excuse for napping, just in case.
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