The track that runs from the potato barns down to the doocot bordered with geraniums. This year is clearly a bumper year for geraniums and for the sprightly village octogenarians who have planted and look after them . Three of them are out cheerfully weeding their flower borders as we head off into town. We stop and have a 'wee blether' with each of them. In a small Scottish village woe betide anyone who doesn't stop to have a 'wee blether' with the octogenarians. The church elder is wearing his beanie hat and a pair of cargo shorts that his grandson has given him. He thanks us for the copy of the local newspaper. He enjoys reading so every week we drop of the paper, The Economist, Which and the London Review of Books in his letterbox. All of our neighbours want to know what will happen between Iran and Israel and will it lead to a bigger war ? They all seem determined to head off into town this afternoon and fill up their cars with petrol. Memories of 1973 ?
Parking in town - for now - remains easy. 'The Font' claims to have spotted a gaggle of youngsters on the sand by the cathedral. The first of a growing number returning ahead of the graduation ceremonies. A last chance to chat with old friends and get some serious partying in before they start their new jobs in September .
How tastes change :https://www.popsci.com/science/ancient-rome-fast-food/
A theory that will not go down well in Warsaw :https://theconversation.com/were-the-first-kings-of-poland-actually-from-scotland-new-dna-evidence-unsettles-a-nations-founding-myth-258579
Something I didn't want to know :https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/fish-feel-intense-pain-for-20-minutes-after-catch-so-why-are-we-letting-them-suffocate/
I would rather have been left in ignorance about the suffering of fish.
ReplyDeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteThere's a very good reason I'm a vego. As for the velvetiser cafe - Ice Chocolate in summer would be the option - something I miss greatly from OZ. YAM xx
St Andrews would be a great place to escape to in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI remember being so impressed by the street food stalls in Pompeii, which reminded us of Japanese "yatai". I'm sorry to learn they were eating thrushes, but Pompeii was a powerful reminder that our differences across space and even time are not so great as we may imagine. As to Hotel Chocolat, it was one of our great discoveries in Glasgow, as it is one of only a very few shops I've found anywhere that sell orange milk chocolates. My husband loves orange chocolate but he doesn't like dark chocolate and for some reason all of the other chocolatiers seem to believe that all orange chocolates must be noir.
ReplyDeleteOne of Britains culinary gifts to the world is the Terrys chocolate orange. It is much in evidence at Christmas - https://www.terryschocolate.com/product/chocolate-orange-milk-ball/
DeleteAngus and Lisa in France. After my "OE" in the UK and experiencing a chocolate orange, I still buy a Terry's Chocolate Orange for Christmas every year here in NZ and savour each segment!
DeleteA small amount of dark chocolate (5 pieces of 90% cocoa)) is acceptable, even on a diet, but milk chocolate isn't. Interesting that recently in a survey of the best chocolate, Hotel Chocolat didn't come out as a leading brand. Not being a chocoholic, I will eat dark chocolate orange - Aldi make a good one, but as tastes differ, it may only be sold on the continent. The packaging is very similar to Lindt.
ReplyDeleteI didn't need to know about suffering fish...
ReplyDeleteThe flowers continue to delight. The thought of deep-fried songbirds and suffering fish are. It happy thoughts. I’ll end the post with visions of orange chocolate!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn in Maryland
The roadside flowers are glorious. Since you raised the issue, Angus, I believe we should know how our actions cause suffering and decide how to respond. Turning a blind eye doesn't make it go away.
ReplyDelete