Last week 'The Fonts' laptop turned three and the extended warranty expired . A few days later it began to show signs of technical absent mindedness. Shortly after it became completely comatose. We hastily head down to Edinburgh to see what John Lewis have in stock as a replacement. The answer is not much. We head on to the Samsung store where a Lithuanian gentleman patiently explains the latest in chip technology to us.
The model we want isn't in stock but will be delivered to us first thing in the morning. Having chosen and paid for the new lap top we make a bee line to Valvona and Crolla for a restorative coffee.
The cafe is busy but the shop is empty. With the exception of the chairman of a large Scottish insurance company the cafe is entirely populated by Americans who have read about this Edinburgh institution in the LA Times. Edinburgh has somehow become the fifth most popular destination for American tourists. London is of course first and Paris second. A group of four men are talking loudly and seriously about the attack on Fordow. Their conversation becomes extremely heated. Our recent ( and not entirely relaxing ) trip around Japans inland sea has taught us just how passionately explosively partisan our American cousins have become. Two of the table of four storm off leaving the other two sitting there. An embarrassed silence descends .
We buy some some Pecorino ....
... and some freshly made artichoke ravioli.
Before we go a chance to have some Prosciutto sliced thinly.
The train back is supposed to have 5 carriages but only has two. It's busy and in the weak northern sunshine soon becomes overly warm. As we leave Edinburgh a young woman is escorted onto the train by two police officers. She must be in her mid-twenties but is cuddling a teddy bear and is prone to what might be best described as 'random bouts of emotion'. They seat her by a window and take the two seats on the corridor . The bearded policemen look fierce but they talk to her calmly, smile and display great skill in keeping her calm. I'd never thought of the police as being so well trained in psychology but they are. Professional kindness appears in the most unexpected places. Why she should be on the train and escorted by burly officers rather than driven in a police car is a complete mystery .
5 comments:
Hari OM
Oh, V&C deli - what a treat! The passenger - I am thinking these would have been Transport Police, rather than the regular force and the lady in question may have felt at risk (or been identified as such, if the bear was an indication of special needs). Just a chance she was lost and they were seeing her home... YAM xx
I suppose it is a good thing that Americans with differing opinions are still sitting down together (or at least trying to).
Kindness has better outcomes, than firearms. The deli sounds heavenly. An explanation of the latest chip technology sounds mind numbing.
Is the V & G the deli in the Alexander McCall Smith novels? I think it was the series with Bertie.
What an amazing shop. Artichoke ravoli...is that tonight's dinner? Policemen go through all kinds of training to be able to effectively deal with peoples' situations.
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