A surfeit of Haggis

 

We spend more time than you might think possible glaring at a plump pigeon sitting on a stone wall down by the shore.  My suggestion that we ' hurry along ' is ignored. When it becomes apparent that Angus is going to do nothing about the pigeon , or the wall, Sophie  resumes her tour of the village.

Yesterday we went to see the joiner . We arrived as the first graders were off for a walk through town with their teachers. Sophie and Angus quickly cross the road to avoid them. A crocodile of enthusiastic four year olds in day glo yellow jackets might make for an 'unpredictable' start to Sophie's day.

All is hunky dory at the joiners. The new patio doors are almost ready and the bookcase is starting to take shape. The 'gaffer' promises to let us know when he will start work on the kitchen. Mid-May is a possibility. ' I'll work out the costs and you can send me the deposit ' he says as I'm ushered out of the workshop.

The village Burns night is on Saturday. From the piles of Haggis left on the supermarket shelves I'm guessing that most folk in town didn't throw a party last night and are waiting until the weekend to celebrate. It goes without saying that the students partied last night and will party again at the weekend. For a while town looked like the stage set for Brigadoon -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74KLtoXy0ig

Milans newest hotel :https://www.lungarnocollection.com/portrait-milano/

Additional space.

 

The joiner has asked us to go to his workshop this morning to look at the new bookcases. He'd planned for seven shelves of 25 centimetres height and one shelf that's 31 centimetres. Seems he's ended up with some additional space at top and bottom.  I'd have thought this could have been sorted on a video call but he's insistent we be there in person. We'll also try to get him pinned down on when he's going to start making the kitchen units. So far the closest to a date we've got from him is a vague ' Aye Angus. It's all in hand '. 

Progress on 'The Fonts' garden room. The architects have come up with a new, slightly smaller, 'perfect' cube design with a flat roof. One entire wall will be glazed to take in the view down to the sea. Finding a way to have a glass wall while keeping the warmth in and the Scottish weather out is not as simple as it sounds. I'm hoping the garden room and the conservatory can both be put up by the builders at the same time. This of course is highly improbable. As it stands the conservatory goes up in June, the garden room in late August.

This morning dog and companion have a long walk on the path that runs alongside one of the golf courses. Sophie is keen to go and say hello to a group of cheerful Minnesotans. To avoid her retrieving their golf balls from the rough she is put on her lead.

Having finished the Mike Pence book Angus has now started on Jared Kushners memoirs. Neither of them is what you might call a work of great literature. The word 'I' is used with great frequency in both.  The Pence book was stylistically hard going but this one has an even more self justificatory style. Getting through it without major page skipping may prove difficult.

Highland cattle have become the must have souvenir of a visit to Scotland. I'd say a full twenty percent of the shops in St Andrews have a collection of them in their windows. Angus thinks they look rather  intimidating. Quite what a six month old would make of them is a question best left unasked. 

Burns Night poetry : https://youtu.be/xJjPeDRClkk

Busy

 

It's been cold south of the border . By contrast the weather up here has been unseasonably mild. This morning we head along the track to the salt lake. The geese look at us and honk to make it clear we're disturbing them. A couple of large naval vessels are anchored out in the estuary. The grey of their hulls  almost invisible against the cloud. Not often you see two of them together. Guess the Russians are still busy out in the North Sea. An old friend from Berlin calls on the mobile. As Sophie explores the rocks and the seaweed her companion talks about France and Germany. It's strange how Poland is fast becoming Americas most important ally in the EU.

Town is busy . Despite the early hour folk are enjoying the mild weather and taking  their dogs for a walk. Students - either early rising or, just as possibly, late to bed , are walking up and down the beach. A group of female wannabe kayakers are learning how to paddle in the inner harbour. The young male instructor does his best to maintain some form of order. The kayakers are having too much fun to pay him any attention. Ducks and herons scatter as they approach. Some American girls appear with a tray of Starbucks coffees. Three young men try to impress them by hanging over the side of the railings on the quayside. This clearly does the trick.  They are soon chatting away like old friends. When the students are around you can always catch the sound of laughter.

The wee red lobster boat has been out in the deep waters just in front of the cottage. It potters in and ties up. The fisherman sells us a dozen langoustine . The lobsters are all pre-sold to the large 5 star hotel on the hill. They're on the lunch time menu at £75 a pop. The fisherman asks if we'll be at the Burns Supper. I tell him we will. 

Never in my life have I seen a town with as many dogs as here. The canine population falls into two general categories. Those that require coats to keep out the cold and those that have thick cold repelling  coats of their own. The later group are more numerous. It goes without saying that in a crowded field Sophie wins the 'cold repelling'  category hands down.

You'd really need to be into coffee to use this :https://www.hario.co.uk/collections/coffee-brew-cold-brew/products/hario-water-dripper-wood-2-litre

Avoided.

Another glorious sunrise. Sophie heads off across the ice covered fields in pursuit of adventure. At this time of the morning the only noises are the sound of the sea on the rocks, the honking of the geese by the salt lake and the fluttering wings of the local dunnock population. The PONette finds that the ice cracks as she walks across it. This discovery, as with all things that create a noise, provides her with great satisfaction. 

Todays telco with the Manhattanites a replay of last weeks conversations. Sleaze ( Brit politicians no slouches in this regard ), Ukraine and the debt ceiling all to the fore. Monterey Park is discussed.

While 'The Font' segues into the new day Angus and Sophie head into town. Angus can be up, showered, dressed and out in eleven minutes. This is not the case with everyone in the family. We park by the cinema. The sunrise outlines the chimney stacks on the houses . How dirty the town must have been when every fire in every grate was alight.

We think of going to the trendy coffee shop . A dog owning couple walk in ahead of us.  Angus hastily adjusts our plans. A chance encounter between Sophie and two Huskies in an enclosed space might be a 'noisy' start to the day.

 

Pink tinge.

Sunday morning. First light. A Polish Lowland Sheepdog lady sets off down the icy track in pursuit of two plump pigeons. She wears the determined look of a family diva that knows there's a whole village to be checked and made safe before breakfast. The frozen puddles are carefully bypassed. Skating can wait. The sky has a pink tinge to it that hints at snow so dawdling is not an option.

Later, weather permitting, Sophie will head off for a shared pain au raisin at the good coffee cafe. Life for a 10 year old PONette is busy ... but good.

Hyacinths in the window.

 

The spell of dry , cold weather continues. There's a  thin layer of frost on the old second world war coastal defences that line the beach. To stop erosion the council have cleared access paths to the seashore through the old tank traps. 

Sophie skips as she heads off . Difficult to say whether she's skipping with joy or whether it's the 'bracing' effect of the frozen sand on her paws. The PONette and the frozen sand glow pink under the rising sun. A group of track suited youngsters are practising rugby passes down by the shore. Sophie gives them a wide berth.

Volvos are a very popular car here. This may have something to do with the key fob function that allows you to warm up the interior and defrost the windscreen while you're still 100 metres away. On a morning like this it's more than useful.  Sophie has a long, leisurely drink in the back of the car. Angus stands in the cold waiting for her to finish so he can lower the tailgate.

No queue at the good coffee cafe. It's a weekend so the students are recovering from their Friday night partying. Sophie gets a piece of shortbread from the American barista. Sophie decides she loves the American barista. 

A touch of old Scotland. Some of the houses down by the good coffee cafe have bowls of hyacinths in their drawing room windows. This is a Scots tradition that Angus remembers from both his mother and his grandmother. From the empty bowl alongside on the windowsill I'm guessing that there have been hyacinths in this window for Hogmanay. I also notice that there's a van parked outside that's unloading the parts for a stair lift. This may be a clue as to the house owners age.

So starts a Saturday morning with a Polish Poland Sheepdog who's determined to find mischief wherever she can.

These knives ( unless specially ordered ) are only sold at 1 pm on a Friday :https://blok-knives.co.uk/the-story/

A miserable companion.

Our day starts with a 'howling' . At some stage during the night Sophie has settled down in the metre deep space between the curtains and the patio doors. She wakes to find herself alone and in the dark. This is a state of affairs that needs to be remedied ... and fast. 

The family diva emerges from this trauma wearing her patented 'wind swept' look. What she looks like after an hour in the wind is not an improvement.

The black sheep seem remarkably untroubled by her appearance. Perhaps they don't recognize this shaggy bundle of fur as a sheep dog ?

In the car park a  van with a cat wearing a cape painted on the side catches my eye . Next  to the cat a sign saying 'Committed to keeping Scotland safe'. Closer inspection shows that it's a company that sells fire extinguishers. The caped cat is dutifully holding one between its paws. My initial thought is ' who dreams up these things ? Then I realize that it's attracted my attention. The psychology behind the design must work.

Yet another sunny morning. The west facing clock on the chapel tower is missing its hands. Presumably the 'public time keeping is our passion' company that was here last week has taken them away to be gilded/straightened/ restored. Who knows? 

All three of our usual watering holes busy with students. The good coffee cafe has a queue that stretches out of the door and twenty yards along the street. We stop off for a bacon roll at the cafe on the beach. Sophie gets a bowl of water. The two young ladies behind the counter wonder if she'd like a small bowl of ice cream. This would not be a good idea. I tell them she'll share my bacon roll. Sophie is once again left to ponder what life would be like without such a miserable companion. What could be better on a January morning when the temperature outside is well below freezing than a start of day tub of ice cream ? She leaves the cafe casting a longing look behind her. Maybe tomorrow ?

A dapper ensemble

 

Another beautiful but cold morning. Sophie is out of the car, over the dunes and onto the beach at a break neck pace. This morning there are crows to chase. Archie the arthritic labrador is greeted like the old friend that he's become. How quickly are new routines formed and old ones forgotten.

There are 'fishy' scents to be found amid the seaweed. After forty minutes Sophie has had a full olfactory workout.  I try to discuss the surprise news that the New Zealand Prime Minister is stepping down but Sophie is entirely focused on a washed up razor clam.

We head back to the car, passing as we go a thorn tree reputed to have been planted by Mary Queen of Scots. Sophie sniffs it but after the scintillating discovery of  razor clams a thorn tree is just a thorn tree.

A detour to the Jaffa Cake cafe. The sound of 'Abide with me' echoing out of the town kirk on the other side of the street. The organist is putting his body and soul into it. As there's no hearse waiting outside I'm guessing it's the choir practising for a funeral. We leave as they get to the line 'Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies' . The ladies of the choir are attempting the 'challenging' descant. The old stone walls of the kirk filter out any imperfections and as we walk by the taxi rank they sound almost angelic.

A formal outfit in the doorway of one of the kilt makers. This dapper ensemble is presumably targeted at a a youthful wedding audience. Perhaps a different tie might be more successful ? Angus approves of the sporran.

So starts another January day with a Polish Lowland Sheepdog lady.

Snug.

Three feet of snow in parts of Switzerland overnight. The Los Angeleans say it's the same in Soda Springs. Angus has never heard of Soda Springs but keeps this thought to himself. Winter finally seems to have found its groove. Here, it's another cloudless, cold morning. The sort of weather the PONette loves. Under that three inch thick double layer coat she's as snug as a bug in a rug. George Santos and a dying dog makes it into this mornings conversation .

We think of parking by the band stand and wandering from there down to the beach. It is not to be. All the spaces are taken. Term time is well and truly under way and with it an influx of student cars. We opt instead for the fancy golf club car park. We're not supposed to park there but the grounds men know us - or at least know Sophie. Rules are ignored - or are more malleable -  where dogs are concerned. 

Sophie pays careful attention to the herd of black sheep. She maintains a close physical presence to Angus in case of trouble. The family diva knows that when it comes to black sheep a girl can never be too careful.

Down on the beach there's a small overly friendly dog of indeterminate breed. This is studiedly ignored as are the early rising joggers. A group of bearded male runners are chased. They are of the serious runner variety and ignore her. Arthritic Archie is nowhere to be seen.

Daffodils in the supermarket. £1 a bunch. Usually they appear just before Easter. This year they're early. Retailers must be looking for every chance they can to get people to start spending. 

There's time for a quick walk along the track outside the gate to check to see whether the ice on the puddles has melted. It hasn't.

 Unusual video of the day :https://twitter.com/weirdterrifying/status/1615035537299230722

Small certainties

 - 7 this morning. The sort of weather that has both dog and dogs companion walking briskly along. Angus finds it intriguing that the piercing wind blows in his face when he walks up the beach and again when he walks in the opposite direction down it. This morning joggers are ignored but a group of serious student runners are chased. Instead of stopping to play with her they speed up and carry on running. Sophie stands and looks as they disappear into the distance. This is not the the response she expected.  Disappointment is writ large on her face. Archie the arthritic labrador is greeted. His tail wags - slowly. He's enjoying himself but I'm not sure how many more days Archie will be out walking on the beach. The PONettes days centre around such small certainties and routines .

On our way back along the track to the house we meet one of he local vets and his wife. She's a doctor. They marvel at Sophie's coat. Sophie greets their Collie calmly . This is surprising . Silent restraint is not always the family divas approach when meeting new dogs.

The Collie heads off to be replaced by a local farmer and his cocker spaniel. He informs me - apropos of nothing -  that great care should be taken when feeding pigs - they have very sharp teeth. Sophie stops for a lengthy drink from a frozen puddle. To get to the water she has to stand on the ice so that it cracks. The air is so cold and clear this morning that we can see the wind farm that's being built  far out at sea.  I'm beginning to think that the super smart Los Angeleans might be right about the end of month 'cold bomb' that they've been forecasting.

Five months since we left France. How time flies.  The joiner has now started work on the bookcases. Installation is expected next month. The conservatory designers are drawing up plans for a garden room for 'The Font' that will be built looking out onto the sea. They may ( or may not ) try to install it at the same time as they're working on the house. Drainage run off is proving to be more complicated than you might imagine. The kitchen makers have started to build the new cabinets. They say they'll work 'around' the folks building the conservatory but this sounds - to me -  like a recipe for disaster. The plumber remains resolutely incommunicado. The new term has started so car parking is once again a nightmare.

Sensory pique

The cold weather has arrived but it's sunny and the chill wind has disappeared. This makes it the perfect day to head down to the beach for some sea gull chasing. We end up spending an hour on the sand. The water along the tideline has frozen. The PONette finds this intriguing. Sophie says hello to two fast moving runners, three  joggers and three golf course grounds men. One of the grounds men is an old misery who ignores her. The others are happy to have a wee chat. None of them is carrying Jaffa Cakes.

On our way home we take a short cut through the back lanes where there's an old medieval chapel. It has a side aisle that used to be used by the inhabitants of the medieval leper colony that once stood here.

After the gales stones have been dislodged and have started to fall from the ruins of the cathedral. Visitors are kept safely away from any dangerous areas by a series of metal fences. They do not deter Sophie and her companion. 'Inspections' are underway.

Dog and master share a bacon roll. Sophie, who is now recognized as a cafe regular, gets a shortbread finger alongside a bowl of water. The parking spaces outside the cafe aren't big enough for the  Volvo.  Angus has to drive over the kerb to get it safely in from the road. Proximity to a lamp post makes the sensors on board have a fit. Lights glow and klaxons blare.

 

Padded rump.

The wind this morning is blowing down from Norway and bringing an arctic chill with it. The weather forecast now expecting temperatures to fall to minus five this afternoon. Adjust for the wind chill and it will nearer to minus ten.  Sophie deals with the cold wind by standing on the low wall in the courtyard and turning her well padded rump into the gale.

The family diva stands like this for some time before opting to move towards the relative shelter of the gate piers. She transmits PON ESP that makes it quite clear she would like to begin her tour of the village.

Angus finally arrives and we get underway. We meet the surgeon walking her dogs. She reminds us about the Burns Supper. It is the high point in the village social calendar. This year the farmer who has turned one of his hill top barns into a venue for private parties will be giving the address to the haggis. This choice of speaker is not without controversy. The farmer has converted his barn by inserting large plate glass windows into the walls. It is made 'welcoming' by a liberal use of fairy lights which hang in swathes over the windows and cover the trees along the drive. Palm Beach meets Scotland.  The venue is popular with students and raucous wedding guests. Loud music is played and designer cocktails are served. It is implied, although never actually said, that the 'young people' who frequent these events may use marijuana. Outside caterers are used ! There is some dispute between the village elders and the farmer as to whether planning permission is, or is not, required. The elders had a vision of a place where men in chunky knit sweaters would sing folk songs around a peat fueled fire. The farmer had a more profitable vision.

Down to the bakers for a loaf. The cake selection looks like a carry over from yesterday. It is of the high sucrose/high dairy fat variety needed to deal with North Sea gales. We consider the cream trifles but decide to pass.