An absolutely wonderful Scots Adventure .: I'm a buyer.

Thursday, November 5, 2026

I'm a buyer.

The eye exam is now done with the help of a set of virtual reality goggles. It takes ten minutes to complete what five different machines took three quarters of an hour to do . This is the first time I've ever come across AI medical technology and if this is what it does then put me down as a believer. The plan was to be in and out of the hospital in an hour but the consultants flight from the South of France is late arriving thanks to yet another French air traffic controllers strike. At least he shows up this time.

Why is it all hospital waiting rooms have non-matching chairs with saggy cushions and scuffed legs ?

Dinner at a modern restaurant in Marylebone Village that 'The Font' thinks will be fun. It's busy, trendy and has had good reviews but I can't help notice that our arrival raises the age profile several notches. My Scottish quarter zip and corduroys look fails to win plaudits in the inner city fashion stakes. They only have four staff working front of house but somehow they manage to make the service efficient and the place feel relaxed. We shall go again. London still seems to act as a magnet for cheerful young Australians and New Zealanders wanting to spend a year or two working abroad.

On the wine list there's a 1976 Chambolle-Musigny. It's one of those solitary , unloved and neglected bottles that never gets sold and is passed on from one generation of restaurant owners to the next until serendipity plucks it from obscurity.

Pentons the hardware store continues to supply all those things that other hardware stores no longer stock. They still have those old fashioned high sheen metal watering cans.

Some restaurants are already in the Christmas groove. The Ivy has a life size polar bear by the front door. Despite the twinkling lights customers aren't yet festive enough to want to sit outside.

Daunts have a late night book launch that is packed solid. Afterwards people mill around on the pavement chatting affably. Life in London can still be very civilized.