We have tickets to a 'meet the author' event. I think it's J K Rowling speaking but it turns out to be Val McDermid. She writes tartan noir murder mysteries and her partner teaches Geography here. In fact her partner is Geographer Royal for Scotland. This is one of those old honorifics that sounds terribly grand but probably pays a stipend of 5 guineas a year and requires you to wear a tricorn hat on the Kings birthday.
There must be 300 people filling the downstairs pews. We head upstairs where the seats have better views but the acoustics are 'iffy'. It's an enjoyable night with the audience entering into the Q&A session with the peculiarly ferocious spirit that is the mark of retired gentlefolk. At one point passions rise and Mary Beard is consulted on the likelihood of ginger being an ingredient in the witches brew in Macbeth. Seeing an audience as involved as this I'm reminded that Scotlands great contribution to humanity is the belief that intellectual curiosity is the right of all.
The architecture of the church is uninspiringly Presbyterian. 'The Font' spends some time trying to work out if the shape of the stained glass wall niche above the pulpit has a technical name. We settle on 'rounded triangle'.
The weather forecast promised a week of rain. Instead it turns out to be contrarily bright and sunny. It's forecast to hit 20 degrees today. It seems odd to be heading out of the house in shirt sleeves without at least four layers of protection against the North Sea wind. The suns warmth has caused the grass to shoot up. From 'The Fonts' hut we look out across the courtyard to green fields and the sea beyond. A group of sheep from the cauliflower field have managed to escape and are heading down to graze on the seaweed on the shore. I'll drive into the village later on and tell the farmer. It's not as if they can come to much harm.
In town the early rising dog owners are recolonizing the student hang outs. There's no tourists out and about at this time of the day so morning chats have an unhurried and leisurely pace to them. The cafe owner tells us that there are still a few students about during the 'extended exam diet'. We have no idea what this means.
A little Nissan SUV parked on the main street attracts our attention. Two large golden balloons sway in the breeze. It's someones 40th birthday. They're going to be surprised when they return to the car.
11 comments:
At my stage in life, I prefer to visit the oral hygienist at our local dental practice every six months. I live in terror of loosing any teeth. Vanity is still relevant to those over 60 years old.
Spring weather is here, it seems early, then I realize it is May.
I think your and The Font's rounded triangle is a reuleaux triangle.
I like the expression 'tartan noir'.
Val McDermid is a smart and impressive woman (great performance on Christmas University Challenge a few years ago) and I feel a bit guilty at not having read any of her books. Any recommendations anyone?
Cheers, Gail.
I am also happy to learn about Val McDermid and tartan noir. For some reason, I sleep best after a half hour engrossed in a good murder mystery. I also enjoyed the article about denim. I knew that denim originated in Nimes but I did not know about jeans and Genoa. Now it seems that Japan is the center of denim artistry.
Such a beautiful view from The Font's hut.
I googled Val McDermott and found a fascinating narrative about her Queen Macbeth. Judy Dench has a fun new book called Shakespeare, the Man Who Pays the Rent, in which she talks about Macbeth as well as many other Shakespeare plays she had a role in.
Jake of F - Queen MacBeth is her latest book. It's a small thing only 127 pages in length. In it she tells us how MacBeths wife was the real story and not the woman Shakespeare portrays. When , last week, she went to read a chapter of her new book to a group in the church where Shakespeare is buried apiece of plaster fell off the ceiling onto her. The bards revenge !
Great story about the falling plaster.
Judy Dench also thinks Macbeth's wife is the real story.
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