Sunrise seen from the garden 'cabin'. The larks are out in force this morning.
Judging from the number of sheep asleep in the cauliflower fields we can assume that they now feel completely at home here.
A few 'wild things' in the herd have found a gap in the stone wall and are heading off to the shore. There may be seaweed for breakfast.
In town a brief shower sends us running to the shelter of the cloisters where we get caught up with the university mace bearers emerging from the chapel. The university great and the good follow on behind. Deans and vice-principals and professors in all their grandeur.
One of the mace bearers tells us there's been a service of 'gratitude' for the families of those who have gifted their bodies to the medical school.
Attendance is presumably 'recommended' for the Med students but their numbers are so great hundreds of them have had to watch the service streamed live into a lecture hall. Some students wear suits and black ties, others wear gowns, some wear both. Each of the bereaved families is escorted across the Quad by a soon to be graduate. A chance to tell them again how important this decision was. We are struck by the dignified gentility of the occasion. You'd expect the university to do this sort of thing well but what stands out is the response of the students. What twenty year old wears a tie on a weekday morning or would break off from revision to attend a memorial service ? We are again left with the ever growing belief that coming generations will handle the world with greater kindness than ours has managed.
As we head off two groups of teenagers on an 'acclimatization' trip appear outside the lecture halls. Probably a hundred or so in total. They're heading off to hear a talk on ' A day in the life of a St Andrews student '. I wonder what they make of the scene in front of them?
This evening we plan to take the train over to Glasgow to try out a new Indian restaurant. I'm not sure about the hotel we're staying in . It has a line on its website informing us that " Calls to the front desk will be charged at 14 p per minute. Calls from mobile phones may be more expensive ". I presume this is to make you book on line although the logic behind this seems self defeating.
10 comments:
Lovely to hear of the dignified service and response of the students. When I worked at another ancient Scottish university we had to pause the scheme for donation of bodies for a while, because the number of people wanting to donate was too great.
When an elderly friend of mine, a man of impressive vigour, died a few years ago, age 92, he left instructions to donate his body to Aberdeen medical school. But they refused to take it, saying the body was too old to be of use, and in the end I believe it went to St Andrews. It's good to hear about the gratitude service.
Hari Om
That begs the question, 'is the front desk actually a paid booking service?' This is something that had started in Sydney about 12 years ago and caused quite a bit of consternation. Don't know if it still goes on. YAM xx
Reading about the ceremony was very moving. I imagine it must mean a great deal to the families to see that the students appreciate what they have been given. I hope the Indian restaurant is good. My son is with us here in France for the moment, working on his dissertation, but he is missing the food in Glasgow, which is way more diverse than what we have access to here - although we do have a pretty good Indian restaurant, no doubt thanks to all the British expats in the area.
Lisa in F - Better to be writing a dissertation in France than be facing the 2 degree temperatures and rain bearing winds in Glasgow.
One of the things I did as a lawyer was body bequeathal contracts to a Medical School. Some donated to save money, some did it out of a hope of making a difference in the future of medicine. It was gratifying volunteer work (I also did volunteer work for Hospice.)
Any news about the Pon?
Oh, what a beautiful morning!
What serenity in your lovely sunrise picture.
Second time in two days I’ve read or heard a positive comment about coming generations. I have noticed it, too, in the actions of my twenty something grandchildren and their friends. So worth sharing.
MS Nell
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