A Japanese bird watcher is standing stock still in the barley field when we head off on our morning walk. He's still there , in the same place, when we return half an hour later. We peer at him from the window of 'The Fonts' cabin. I'll try to have a chat and find out what's brought him to this remote spot. Could it be corn crakes ?
The poppies having one last fling. The field verges all the way down to the heron pond now lined with them. By next week they will be gone. They're fun while they last.
Town suddenly busy and bubbly. People arriving from far and near. Range Rovers with personalised number plates much in evidence. Graduates are allowed to get married in chapel so not surprisingly this is peak season for the ' he graduated in '23, she graduates next week ' crowd. Parking spaces have been blocked off by yellow cones to allow large bridal limousines to arrive and depart gracefully. One of yesterdays brides set off to the reception in a vintage Aston Martin. Getting her , and the groom, into the back seat after the wedding was a challenge. Bridal trains do not lend themselves to the rear of 60's era two door convertibles. They drove off, smiling, amidst the cheers of friends and a large group of bemused but delighted Italian tourists who fully entered into the spirit of the moment. La vita e bella.
I would like to go to Qom but have a feeling the chance has gone. However, demand to learn Farsi seems to be robust. One of the villagers, a professor of Iranian politics, gives an excellent summary of the regimes succession crisis on Radio 4 this morning.
This is our favourite time of year. The town is filling up with cheerful youngsters, serious looking fathers wondering if they need to 'feed the meter' and proud mothers determined to wear the broad brimmed hats and 'outfits' they've brought with them. Broad brimmed hats and Scottish wind can surprise the unprepared. Husbands or teenage children are despatched to collect hats that become separated from their owners by particularly muscular gusts. Restaurants and hotels are full. In the evenings the buzz from outside tables is almost Parisian. 21 degrees forecast for today. Even the weather is smiling.
7 comments:
Hari OM
When the Quebecois brought forth Poutine in the 1950s, there was a tendency to knock and mock the dish of fries and toppings: now it's considered a classic Canadian dish and a favourite street food. They even have vegetarian options, which I greatly enjoyed... so this Scottish version might not be that bad... although breakfast may be pushing out the boat a bit! YAM xx
I wish I had the patience of your birdwatcher.
Another superb picture of the red poppies; this is one of my favorites. Enjoy your favorite time of the year; those moments are so fleeting.
I’d love to have the patience needed to watch all the brides come and go. The assigned scheduler must soon be driven to drink before the end of the month.
Your post is busy and bubbly, too...happy moments in St. Andrews. The red poppy photos are beautiful. Their beauty is fleeting but something new will arrive to show its beauty.
Filthy breakfast sounds like 'hangover food.' Perfect for a university town as well as golfers! I have California poppies in my yard right now. They, too, are fleeting, but my favorite flower by far. More of an egg yolk yellow orange with some fringy leaves.
Agree that "filthy breakfast" sounds like a perfect hangover dish. The Aston Martin-designed house intrigued me, as we used to live in Minami Aoyama. Minami Aoyama is a fairly big place, broken down into several "chomes" and I can't figure out where this house is from what is available online. It's interesting, as Aston Martin is not a well-known name in Japan. Lots of Chinese investing in Japanese properties these days, so maybe it's a Chinese buyer?
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