Saturday, August 30, 2025

The garden centre e-mails.

How can it almost be the end of August ?  Spring and summer have gone by in a flash and autumn is knocking at the door. As if to drive the point home the first Halloween displays appear in the supermarket. Even worse the garden centre e-mails to ask if we want to order a Christmas tree. Through it all talk of tariffs seem to have been a constant presence. 


The Scottish weather in September is usually as good , if not much much better, than it is in July and August. This late burst of balminess is something to do with the interaction of wind and water currents in the North Atlantic. 


Our morning walk is disturbed by a large Chinook helicopter thundering overhead. We can hear it from miles away. Every bird on the shore takes to the air as soon as the sound waves arrive. After it's gone they settle down again. The King is in residence at Balmoral so perhaps the helicopter is something to do with him ? He has a busy month ahead with a state visit by the American president  in mid-September.


Younger sister has gone for a swim with the farmers wife. Elder sister shows up in the back garden for a morning Grissini. She has no intention of joining her sister in the North Sea.


A quick haircut. The barber and I have our usual language constrained  conversation. " What you want " he asks. ' A trim' I reply.  I could ask for anything but would get the one and only style they offer - a short back and sides. Angus is surprised to discover that in front of each chair a small television screen has recently been installed. This  plays ' Afro Hip-Hop' in a never ending loop. This is a cultural trope that I have, until now, been ignorant of. Kurdistan meets Africa meets Scotland and everyone is the better for it. 


'The Font' meets me for a coffee in the fancy hotel on the road home. It has had a make over. We spend a few minutes trying to count the number of styles the designer has strung together in the lobby. This is the Gothic meets China meets Milan meets nuclear bunker style that golfers all over the world seem to feel at home in. 'The Font' declares all the chairs to be insufferably uncomfortable.

So starts a quiet but sunny Saturday in a small town on Scotlands east coast.


Xylophones. I'm guessing the 'intern' is still choosing the breakfast music on the local radio station  :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b2GKp70LzU&list=RD8b2GKp70LzU&start_radio=1

Underground Toronto :https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/torontos-underground-labyrinth

'Involution' - prose a bit of a heavy read but worthwhile :https://jasmi.news/p/china-2025?hide_intro_popup=true

Sadly, I'd have to agree with every word of this :https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/with-allies-like-these-steve-witkoff

Think I know what they're getting at :https://news.artnet.com/art-world/marshmallow-horror-2509289


11 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Will return to Jasmi's article, but the opening has pulled me in... the art piece was a bit muddled, but yeah, the world is absurd - but hasn't art always reflected that? To the point of stretching taste and credulity (which I think was his point). ... and has Puppy finally been contained?! YAM xx

Lisa in France said...

Your links are always interesting, but today's are especially so. The China piece demands time, so I will finish that later, and I confess I did not listen to the Flight of the Bumblebees - somehow, marimbas disturb me, maybe too perky? As to the art piece, it reminded me of a long-ago conversation between my husband and the artist who is visiting with us this week. She had done a rather disturbing portrait of him, and he recalls her telling him that art is supposed to be disturbing. She doesn't remember saying that, but the pictures in the linked article do seem to illustrate the point. And then Witkoff - there was a remarkable piece on Reuters this week about how he simply misunderstood what Putin was "offering" in the much-touted "land swap". He apparently doesn't use note-takers either. I guess that Trump is comfortable with him because they are both NY real estate guys. Hope the haircut worked out OK.

Camille said...

Strangely enough, I had just mentioned to my husband a few days ago that one rarely (or never) sees a Xylophone being played and then up pops your link.

I once owned four of those brown leather barrel chairs which were indeed, insufferably uncomfortable. Cute, but I swear the floor offered more comfort. It was a good day when they left my house for the local charity shop. They've probably still being passed around today.

The Bougalou Bear said...

This Torontonian was very appreciative of the piece on the Path. There is so much griping about the state of the city that it is good to see something positive.
It can feel a bit tentacular; I remember getting lost a few times when I first moved to Toronto, but even remote corners were perfectly clean and- more importantly as a woman-perfectly safe. With both private business and various levels of government now mandating the return to the 5 day in the office workweek, I hope it can return to its glory days.
Enjoy your fine weather. Disappointingly for my vacation, the South- Eastern Mediterranean coast (La Grande-Motte) feels decidedly autumnal.
I, too, want to know how the haircut turned out...

Pam in NH said...

Knowing that art can be a weapon against kings and wanna-be-kings alike, I recommend my favorite political marshmallow art : the.droobiee Though the art is childlike arts and crafts, the messages are adult and humorous. PS, the views are Canadian and a "duster" is Canadian slang for a player who sits on the bench. Enjoy friends.

Coppa's girl said...

Elder sister shows the wisdom of her years - no contest between a crispy grissini or a dip in a very cold sea!

Travel said...

I do hope that the King, tells Donald what he really thinks.

Angus said...

You can count on him being the perfect host.

Angus said...

The chances of containing Puppy are slim to non-existent.

Diaday said...

African hip-hop during a haircut...cultural enrichment where you least expect it!

Stephanie said...

Elder sister (Noreen?) has not chosen to walk on the wild side with her younger sibling, but a quiet life may offer its own rewards.