This mornings weather forecast brief and to the point - 'Lots of cloud above the mist and murk'.
The young postman returns from his two week holiday in Dominica. He's sporting a ferocious tan that makes it quite clear he's been somewhere 'sunny'. I ask him if he'd enjoyed himself and am told it was 'Far tae hot and the food was awfy greasy' . He asks for a signature for my new passport . The comfort of the old European burgundy version replaced by a glossy post Brexit black. The British passports of my childhood had hard cardboard covers. This new one is flimsy laminate. I'm sure there's a parable about Brexit in that remark if I care to look.
'Puppy' shows up. She's been for a start of day swim with the farmers wife.
'Puppy' waits plaintively at the kitchen door while 'The Font ' goes in search of a biscuit. This is gratefully received.
Lemon turnovers brighten up the bakers otherwise 'brown' window display.
Graduation hats make an appearance in the fancy outfitters. How practical these haute couture creations will be on a windy Scottish day remains to be seen.
Town was packed solid yesterday. The May Monday holiday is a big thing in Europe. We made three complete circuits of the place in the vain hope of finding somewhere to park. One French visitor managed to park his Peugeot 5008 outside the front door of the Royal and Ancient in a spot marked ' Reserved for the Captain '. The sheer Gallican audacity of this makes us laugh out loud. There will have been much harrumphing inside the clubhouse.
This morning, with the students and the English tourists gone, parking is much easier. We find a spot near the small Italian coffee shop and admire one of the municipal gardeners street offerings.
10 comments:
The combination of seeing the new 'non-EU' passport and the flashmob performance of 'Ode to Joy' brought tears to my eyes. Then I thought about the prospect of President Le Pen in France and the rise of the AFD in Germany and wondered if I am longing for my country to rejoin a European Union that no longer exists.
Seeing Puppy always raises the mood.
Cheers, Gail.
Gail, sad but true I fear. And we may be longing for an America that may no longer exist either.
The blue ensembles are stunning but hardly suitable for a windy location though most of the activity will be indoors, I suppose.
I like the blue door and the windows with pink frames - very fetching.
Gail, your comments are true for every generation. Remember how our parents longed for the "old" days? In years to come the generation now graduating will be echoing our thoughts and possibly wondering what it was like to belong to a united Europe.
Photos of Puppy gladden my heart.
The blue ensembles seem more suitable for Ascot or a society wedding.
Gail replies: I see your point, but my parents, who lived through (and in my father's case fought in) WW2, very much welcomed all the moves towards a united Europe.
I think something must be in the air this month, as there seems to be a new wave of pessimism sweeping through in both the US and Europe. I think it will all be alright in the end, but we need to be vigilant. Reminds me I have to get my son registered to vote in Ohio, a "swing" state. My daughter and I vote in California, which is decidedly not. Nice to see Puppy today, especially as today would be the birthday of Parsley, our beloved Jack Russell/Norwich cross - hard to imagine she'd be 50 something!
I have seen this 'Ode to Joy' performance before. Once again it brought tears to my eyes. So beautiful. Interesting to then listen to the Mamas and the Papas song. I somehow doubt it will be celebrated at 200.
I first misread it as "Puppy wails plaintively at the kitchen door." The planter colors are joyful as well as is the music.
Ode to Joy and Puppy in the same post! I'd seen video of the flashmob somewhere in Spain (Madrid?) but this was a treat. The sidewalk planter is gorgeous, but what's with the marble columns on the house behind?? People's tastes never stop surprising me!
Wish I had a place to wear one of those hats. They are awfully pretty. The flash mob brought tears to my eyes too. Very moving.
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