It's the time of the year when invites to festive events arrive. Angus would happily ignore them all but is told that would be 'standoffish'. We settle on going to three St Andrews night gatherings on the strict understanding we'll spend exactly twenty minutes at each . This requires making small talk ( and drinking unremarkable institutional 'sparkling wine ' ) before returning home. There is that annual discussion about what smart casual means. Does it - or does it not - mean I should wear a tie ? You can be sure the academic gatherings will be tieless and heavy on beige corduroy jackets while the golf club will exhibit a more conservative - almost 1930's era - approach to dress. At the risk of appearing like an ageing wild thing to the golfing circles I dispense with the tie.
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With parking proving to be easy there's time enough to spend ten minutes in chapel listening to the organ scholars preparing for the St Andrews Day service. You rarely find a warm church but the chapel is as warm as toast - a feature that is much appreciated in the Scottish winter. The music is good and we have the place to ourselves.
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Saturday morning is cold - not bitterly so but chilly enough to make me thankful I put on an extra layer. The cold doesn't seem to trouble some teenage party goers :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7nXluH2its It's difficult to tell if they've got up early or are returning from a night out. This is, I'm sure, not the way St Andrews Day was celebrated when we were students here.
Swedish word of the week ( and yes it is illogical ). As for the Julbock don't even think of going there :https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3t1CLq5YqtY
Pity the porcupines:https://www.sequencermag.com/the-mystery-of-the-missing-porcupines/
A moon less ordinary :https://x.com/MoundLore/status/1994153758113333465
A kindness additive :https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-found-a-weird-way-to-make-people-kinder-add-batman
The end of a civilisation :https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/decades-long-droughts-doomed-one-of-the-worlds-oldest-civilizations
Danish dog scarves :https://teklafabrics.com/product/pet-scarf-chestnut-stripes
8 comments:
Hari OM
That first shot is a delight - would make a good greetings card for next year! Friends in Canada have a variety of critters on their "Crumbly Acres", including Porcupines. It would be such a shame if they disappeared... YAM xx
It is about -1C here this morning, I doubt the Georgetown students are anyplace near the water. The town looks delightful.
Christmas and all the holiday festivities make St. Andrews a charmed place to be. The Danish dog scarves are smart looking (and a little pricey) but I do especially like the equally stylish model.
Ye Gods, $75.for a dog scarf? Better served donated to the local rescue league and then, set aside $2.for a lovely piece of quilting fabric from Walmart. But yes, the model is adorable. St. Andrews looks magical in your photos.
That first photo is very atmospheric - and the lone Christmas decoration adds a touch of sadness to the scene.
Somehow I find the ridiculously expensive dog scarf totally underwhelming and doubt my Boston terrier would appreciate it as a gift! Am I the only one who finds the fabrics rather boring and lack-lustre!
Your first photo looks like a movie set :)
Today's photos are all wonderful, including the kids in the last one. The chapel is very beautiful, and I can't imagine anything better than sitting there quietly and listening to the organ music. I don't think Charlie would go for the scarf - I'd probably lose a finger or two if I tried.
The chapel photo is beautiful. The $75 dog bandana? Uff da!!!
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