Winter graduation meets the pantomime

The town busy and full of happy graduands and parents. Winter graduation isn't as large as the summer and the age profile is a different one ( there are more PhD's being awarded ) but it's enjoyed just as much. It helps that nature is being kind - the bright, dry, sunny weather of the last few days is forecast to last until the weekend.

On the streets the kilt is much in evidence.

With the sudden influx of visitors getting a restaurant reservation or hotel room is well nigh impossible. Large cars from Wimbledon and Esher glide silently around looking for parking spaces.  We see a man in a camel hair coat and a trilby walking away from a duo tone silver and lavender Maybach. His wife is wearing furs. Neither of us can remember the last time we saw a mink coat. Come to that neither of us can remember the last time we saw a duotone Maybach. After dark the streets are unusually busy ...

... and the shops are staying open late. A piper is playing 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' outside the auld kirk. This is a tune that lends itself to the pipes.

The ' awfy braw' pantomime is sold out. A group of eight year olds are getting off a bus and being shepherded into the theatre foyer. For them the Christmas school outing is the high point of the year. It shows. They are already in the hyper ' It's behind you !' pantomime spirit.  The teachers deserve a medal - or a calming dram or three.

After a rather dull dinner at one of the golf clubs we find a group of sixty or so youngsters out for an evening run heading towards us along the pavement. 'They' seem oblivious to the existence of anyone else. We step off the pavement  into the space between the parked cars to let them pass. Angus mutters. 'They' seem to find anyone over the age of 35 completely invisible.

Things we miss about France. Paris chocolate :https://debauve-et-gallais.com/

and here :https://chapon.com/collections/noel-2025

All our dogs were super intelligent - if you believe the ability to understand the word 'biscuit' in 84 languages is a sign of super intelligence. By every other measure they weren't :https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/news/study-suggests-curiosity-and-focus-could-be-key-factors-that-make-mans-best-friend-a-genius

A driven woman :https://www.audubon.org/magazine/meet-woman-mission-photograph-every-species-of-hummingbird-world

What remodeling says about the householder :https://www.coolidgereview.com/articles/how-presidents-change-white-house