Sunday, June 15, 2025

Summer storms.

The weather yesterday was dire. Thunder and heavy roof pounding rain. By lunchtime the cold front from the Atlantic and the warm front over the mountains were battling noisily away. Scottish thunder has a deeper pitch to either French or Italian thunder. Gardening will become much easier now that the roses ( and anything else in the garden ) have been stripped of their blooms. Around four we managed to get out for a half hour afternoon walk in a welcome pause in the downpour.


A small tanker has overnighted in the bay to shelter from the rain and winds. That seems a very sensible thing for the captain to have done. This morning the lobster fishermen are out in force and the farmer is in his tractor busily beavering away in the sodden soil. I'm guessing the unrelenting rain is of the sort that will percolate into the soil and make the potato tubers grow. This should make the farmer a happy man or as close to being happy as a Scottish village farmer can get.


Even though it's the Lords Day two workmen are busily at work repairing a window in one of the local pubs. Do they get triple time for working on a Sunday morning ? They seem to be repairing a window sill damaged by yesterdays gales.


More asparagus in the farm shop. At this time of the year we can live on fish, fruit and vegetables that have all been sourced within five miles of our front door. Don't ask me why but local food that's unfrozen and untreated simply tastes better.


Six months ago I read a biography on Chinas President Xi by a former Australian prime minister with a writing style that was very 'worthy'. This new book by a member of the Stanford faculty is ( so far ) much easier going.


'The Font' will be reading these this week. The water company have finished their installation of  a new water pipe and courier access to The last wee house before Denmark is once again possible.

Life here in the run up to graduation week remains delightfully quiet although the influx of summer school teenagers from all corners of the globe continues. They lounge indolently around the counter at Starbucks oblivious to any queueing locals.


Driving rain does awful things to a sporran :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TW40IUTnhA  And here is a pipe band and a large yellow duck :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHVlufhhbCo


9 comments:

  1. Well I doubt that any farmer anywhere in the world could be described as "Happy". At best you might get "can't complain" even when farmers are getting currently in New Zealand record prices for beef and lamb due to high demand (at the moment) in the USA market. Currently a sheep is selling for NZ$421, which is about 186 pounds.

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  2. Well, now I want to hear Scottish thunder.

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  3. Hari Om
    The thunder never rolled this far north, but the rain made as good a sound on The Grey's roof! There's some potentially good reading lined up there... YAM xx

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  4. Interesting to see a Gurkha in the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

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  5. Oh, the duck parade made me laugh. Comparisons with other parades should be eschewed

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  6. Fresh local food is always best.

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  7. So happy that the farmers’ prayers have been answered.

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  8. Your first photo is beautiful - looking over the garden, the farm, the dramatic sky, the light. Local produce does have its own fresh flavors. That asparagus...wow!

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    1. Well, Diaday wrote exactly what I was going to!

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