Monday, September 14, 2026

Sublime.

The sun is warm, the skies blue, the breeze gentle. The busy pavement cafes are more St Tropez than Fife. Students paddle on the shore, others sunbathe on the castle lawn, young couples reunited after a summer apart dreamily hold hands. The weather isn't so much wonderful as sublime. Golfers can't believe their good fortune. We pass groups of formally dressed American parents standing outside chapel joking about how cold and wet they thought Scottish weather would be. 'The Font' observes that all the men ( and their student sons ) wear identical blue blazers, the women ( and their daughters ) pastel dresses. The 1970's era WASP is alive and well and overstaying their offsprings start of semester welcome. Every year the weather welcomes the students with this beguiling continental sunshine. The more innocent think this is the norm. Give it three weeks and things will change. Those 'layers' that they were told to pack will soon be needed as protection against the nip of the  wind.

Halloween biscuits for sale in the farm shop.


Sleeping Beauty is this years pantomime. Tickets are now available from the box office. Every year Christmas marketing seems to start just that little bit earlier than it did the year before. Or, is that yet another sign that I've become my father ?


This morning a group of students are gathering on the beach for a start of day lecture. I'd warrant a guess that this is a Marine Biology 101 class scheduled around the days tides.  Some of them seem shocked at being up so early. Life for these eighteen year olds has changed into top gear and they're in the driving seat.

6 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
I had seen the news of the wee Orangutans being discovered... who could not feel heart pangs for them? I am so glad that proper efforts are being made for their wellbeing - and classical music has long been understood to have calming benefits, whether it be Bach, Bhatkanda, or Dasa who composed. YAM xx

Lisa in France said...

I recall how beautiful the weather was in Glasgow when we dropped my son off at school there at about this time of year. Today, he has rediscovered that Tokyo is hot, humid and rainy in September. I enjoyed the story about birds. Whenever we look at our parrots' feet, we can have no doubt they are the descendants of dinosaurs. Oliver the elderly cockatiel had a checkup with his opthalmologist this morning. We are still amazed that he is being treated by a board-certified veterinary opthalmologist with a Ph.D from Michigan State. Her first degree was from the National Veterinary School of Lyon, founded in 1761 and, as she proudly informed us, the first veterinary teaching institution in the world. It is not an exaggeration to say that the descriptions of the care your dogs received in France over the years helped give us the confidence to move her with our menagerie, but even so, we continue to be surprised.

Travel said...

I should come to Britain in the winter, I have only ever been there in good weather - and I have been there 6 or 7 times. I know the Christmas theater needs to be in production, but it does seem early to be selling tickets.

Diaday said...

I went to a shop yesterday to buy wrapping paper and a card and Christmas merchandise is co-mingled with Halloween. Red and green along with orange, black, and gold...crazy color combinations!

Anonymous said...

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26546199.st-andrews-fountain-flowing-following-restoration-project/

Tigger's Mum said...

I enjoyed glorious weather in Scotland at this time of year 2024 (and no midgies). In fact I don't recall dreich weather on any extended visit to Scotland over the years.