Choron sauce and a wowzer of an introduction.

The last day of July. The farmers brassicas are swelling by the day. The recent rain has done them no end of good. It's bright and sunny but there's a hint of autumn in the breeze blowing towards us from the sea. We've recently taken to carrying jackets in the back of the car just in case the weather changes. This practicality is a sure sign the seasons are about to change.

Yesterday we went to Edinburgh to hear a piece of music by an American composer :https://youtu.be/FCW_DaWth2M?t=22 . We'd never heard of the composer before but Edinburgh in festival time has a wealth of unexpected cultural riches just waiting to be mined. This is a last minute decision that takes spur of the moment' to manic levels. We park the car and scramble over the bridge onto the platform as the train appears in the distance.

 

The train is quiet and on time. As it rolls in a lady in a white dress appears on the platform to tell us that next week the train company will be opening  a new lounge in what used to be the waiting room for the overnight sleeper to London. " Do come along. We'd love to see you " she says as if we're long lost friends. She will go far in her marketing career.

As we cross the Forth Bridge a large cruise liner is coming into anchor. It's too tall to get under the bridges so moors out in mid-stream. Tenders are already heading out in readiness to pick up passengers wanting to visit Edinburgh. I wouldn't want to do this in winter when the seas are uncongenial.

Edinburgh is super busy in the run up to the Festival. We go to the concert ( which was good ) and then head to the coffee shop in the Balmoral for lunch. The service is friendly and efficient and the food reasonable. For a hotel brasserie it's also affordable. Angus has gnocchi served with a most un-Italian Choron sauce which he doesn't think he's ever had before but is told he has.

Across the aisle from us on the train we overhear a couple from Oregon (travelling to St Andrews to see if it would be suitable for their daughter) strike up a conversation with a couple from Seattle ( also travelling to St Andrews to see if it would suit their son ). One of the women introduces her husband with the unforgettable line " This is Arthur. He's an audiologist. He started off working on ears in Boise and things kinda took off from there ". As introductions go this is a gem. There are so many questions I'd like to ask Arthur.

Back in town ( the train on the return leg was an hour late and full ) the young gulls continue to look plaintive.

Vanilla :https://www.dw.com/en/how-vanillas-history-is-not-so-vanilla/a-78035296

A Norwegian take on using olive oil :https://www.sciencenorway.no/food-and-health/how-to-use-olive-oil-correctly/2693363

Things you didn't know about Australia :https://ozhistoryandpolitics.substack.com/p/40-interesting-facts-about-australian

Refrigeration :https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/the-king-of-cool-mobile-refrigeration-and-the-remaking-of-global-logistics