We're out early. The shops open at seven this morning but many will close at lunchtime and not re-open until Friday. We stop off for some extra milk and a pineapple and are surprised how busy the supermarket is. Young mothers roam the aisles with a killer look in their eyes.
The EV charging unit by the club house is not being used. A chance for us to get a partial top-up . I spoke to the BMW garage yesterday and they promise to get ( another ) replacement charging unit here by the weekend. The phrase ' Good luck with that !' springs to mind.
By the time we've followed the path that runs parallel to the fourth hole on the golf course the sun is rising. We watch the quail running in and out of the gorse bushes around the bunkers. There are lots of quail this year. Twenty or so live in the brambles that line the farm track that leads to the wee house. They are not the smartest of birds. They like to congregate in the middle of the track and every morning I have to get out of the car and shoo them away .
The cathedral ruins stand out sharp against the sun rise. In its day the cathedral must have been quite a sight. The trenches that had been dug so the hedge fund manager could have fibre optic cables laid have all ( finally ) been filled in. Our neighbours in town can once again park outside their front doors.
Starbucks have decorated their Christmas tree with aprons and coffee cup shaped decorations. At least they've made an effort. Do the same decorations appear in all their branches ?
The warship has returned ( look carefully and - despite the camouflage - you can see it ) and is now anchored peacefully in the bay. Looking out to sea I'm more than ever convinced that what our neighbour saw earlier in the week was fishermen retrieving their creels. The likelihood of Marines clambering across these razor sharp rocks must surely be remote.
The ravens and crows are still settled in the fields around and about . They seem to be over wintering here. The garden at the last wee house before Denmark continues to attract scores of sparrows and even more finches. They happily consume grain and fat balls at a feverish pace. The feisty robin which settled on the kitchen windowsill every morning in early December has disappeared. Let's hope he returns soon. On our way back up the track towards the courtyard we see a most wonderful rainbow.
So begins a quiet Christmas Eve in an unseasonably warm Scottish town on the North Sea coast. The weather forecast says this may be the warmest Christmas Eve on record which is not to say it's warm in the accepted sense of the word.
16 comments:
Hari OM
It's only just getting light here in Dunoon at 0830h because, of course, we are under a pall of dripping cloud... and now I have just spent a wonderful few minutes enjoying your music choices and reading about Bing (delightful) and finding the Clinical Trials "Syllabi" quite fascinating - this could be a useful resource as it expands. Nice find! YAM xx
It’s 10.30 pm here in NZ so Xmas is almost here. Wishing you both a peaceful and happy day celebrating together and thank you for all the wonderful links leading up to Xmas.
I also wish you and The Font all the best for Christmas from Auckland, NZ.
I hope that rainbow is an auspicious sign! We are almost ready for Christmas here. In Tokyo we always went out on Christmas Eve, but this year we are roasting a turkey. In my family it was always ham on Christmas Eve, but we don't seem to be able to find a proper ham here. I am surprised by how short the Christmas break is in France. Most of the shops are open all day today, at least until 5:30, and then taking off only tomorrow. A lot of second-home owners and other visitors from out of town are here this week, and all the shops are very busy.
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to you both. Will think of you enjoying your Betty's mince pies etc. Hope the Robin comes back to see you.
Wendy (Wales)
I'm in NJ and haven't seen any drones. Probably because I'm tucked in bed at an early hour. I HAVE seen the occasional lone drone moving overhead on a Saturday while I'm mowing the lawn.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Snowing here in central NH with up to 6 inches expected, which makes for a very pretty Christmas Eve day, but I'd much prefer your lovely sunrise rainbow. Wishing you and 'the Font' and all your readers a wonderful Christmas.
Wishing you a warm and cozy, happy Christmas.
Frohe Weihnachten ! Merry Christmas !
Here in the Bavarian Alps it snowed just at the right moment for Christmas Eve.
Wishing you and the fond all the best.
Grüße aus Bayern, Barbara
All your readers also: a very Merry Christmas, Frohe Weihnachten für Euch alle!
Barbara
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all from the north shore of Lake Ontario Canada. We had about 5 inches of snow last and the sun is now shining. I hope the roads are clear tomorrow as I drive to visit family.
.Merry Christmas to you both and all.your many fans of this blog from rural.Tennessee where we are visiting our younguns. Household includes five goats, a llama, chickens, a rooster, two cats, and a service dog named Obi for Obi Wan Kenobi. A bit different for this urban woman but fun for a day or two.
Indeed about Starbucks tree. Perhaps the saddest tree I’ve seen this season but not to discount their effort. MS Nell
By second home owners I presume you mean 'Parisians'. When we lived in Menerbes they would arrive, book all the restaurants, remain aloof and then disappear.
Wishing you and all your followers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Happy Christmas and New Year to you both from the desert SW. Looking fwd (as I am certain are you) to BMW's solution to the charger issue.
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