Deserted

 

The retired farmer who lives in the cottage at the crossroads wanders by to give us his opinion on our recent garden makeover. We've had rowans planted. He approves both of the rowans and the fact they've been well staked up. They've come from a local nursery so ' They'll nae have any problem wi' the wind '. The old fellow has got problems with  his lungs. He's had a wheeze that he can't shake off  and is going for a scan at the large hospital in Dundee To begin with he thought it was the '100 day cold' but now the doctors are rethinking the diagnosis . His daughter caught Covid in Italy at the start of the outbreak in early 2020. That early form of the pandemic was - in his view -  more potent than any of the variants that followed and the cause of his wheeze.  He joins us as we walk down to the shore. Seems that what we thought was an old cow byre is in fact the remains of a life boat station built after a ship ran aground on the rocks in the 1850's with the loss of all on board. 

A burst of cherry blossom adding a touch of colour to one of one of the old buildings down by the cathedral. How many golfers come to town and leave again without discovering there's more to the place than the Old Course ? This morning we seem to have the streets to ourselves. I stop for a wee chat with the man who sleeps in the optometrists shop doorway. He's an old soldier who spends much of his day deep in animated conversation with himself.  This morning he seems cheerful enough and tells me he's just fine. He heads off to Greggs  for a coffee and a bacon roll. 

A quick detour into chapel. There's usually one of the organ scholars busy rehearsing for a concert or the Sunday service. 

We warm up and enjoy the music. For a moment or two the altar is dappled with the sun streaming through the stained glass windows. As we leave a group of a dozen youngsters run by , clearing their heads before heading off to the exam halls.

On our way home we pass some students wheeling one of the carriages from the procession back to the barn where it will remain safely in storage until next year. The days are getting longer now . Much longer. Soon we'll be at the time of year when there's never ending light.

Thoughts on the Caribbean :https://www.mercatus.org/ideasofindia/rasheed-griffith-explores-complexities-caribbean