Tonight was Bungay's late-night shopping evening, with the switching-on of festive lights. Last year, Al opened just to join in with the spirit of things, but this year Dilly has been making some jewellery - just necklaces and suchlike with beads and things - and so he transformed half the shop into a showroom for her, and the Sage borrowed some turned wooden bowls from a couple of his wood club friends, and they joined in that way.
My meeting went on until 4.40. I'd forgotten how early it becomes dark, and it was. I rather long for Scottish independence, in part because then there could be a genuinely free vote in Parliament about sticking to Summer Time all year round. I found it needed a certain hardiness to brave the late afternoon traffic on a bike in the dark, although I was gratified to find myself treated with consideration, in that cars didn't pass me if the road was narrow and, once I was out of town, oncoming cars dipped their headlights.
I gave the babies tea and then their other granny and their aunt arrived, so I left them to deal with bedtime. I went into town.
There were loads of people, the Town Reeve in her robe and chain and the Mayor in his, various other people dressed up and all the shops decorated and lit. Lots of people, who were having a lovely time. There was a dance display under the Buttercross and an announcement that there would be live music on the Castle hill, where there was also a hog roast and beer tent. There were other amusements too, and shopkeepers were sending out trays of wine, mulled cider, mince pies and other goodies. It was sheer old-fashioned pleasure.
Now I must check out what's on in London - being a dull sort of fart at heart, I mean of a cultural rather than festive nature. I have a day to enjoy tomorrow - particularly because I hope to meet, at last, the Boy. I've emailed the other people who said they might be around, but haven't had replies yet, which is my fault for leaving things so late...I explain to those people who say "You're splendid, you're so spontaneous" that this is only a polite way of saying 'disorganised and unprepared'. Not too late, however, I'll be here until 8 tomorrow morning and would, with a blithe heart, ditch the best of exhibitions.
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9 comments:
Admire your bravery cycling after dark. Not sure I would.
The time thing is a sticky one all right. It's not properly light until about 8am here on Orkney at the moment and by 4pm it's dark again, although the light starts to go about 2ish. By next month we're down to about six hours daylight.
Independence is long overdue for a lot of reasons, although I doubt the English will want to let go of the oil and Scotland is hardly viable at present without it. But since moving here you feel increasingly uneasy about decisions about your life being taken 800 miles away when we are a lot closer to Oslo. They don't even like the Scots on Orkney!
I didn't have much choice, as I'd cycled in. I wasn't actually scared, although I felt brave for doing it, you know?
A genuinely free vote for independence is very long overdue. The Scots feel that the English pinched their oil revenue and the English feel that the Scots are taking more than their fair share of per-capita spending. I think we'd be happier as close allies, part of the same country, but independently governed. I was being facetious about the daylight thing of course, but one does feel sometime that the tail is wagging the dog - and I don't mean to give offence with that, I mean it rather in the sense that you do with 'your' government being so far away.
I'd forgotten all about how lovely Yagnub is at Christmas. The evening sounds great.
You notice that I felt so warm and fuzzy that I didn't reverse its name as usual. They were very lucky with the weather, which was fine and still and not too cold.
I was just about to comment about the non-reversal of the name, but I see that you have yourself. Never mind; I still seem to have said it.
Hello. You're coming to London? I saw Women of Troy at the National last night - excellent but harrowing. I gather War Horse is brilliant too.
\Sorry for not getting back to you sooner Z but I went to the country without my apple. We will meet for sure next time you visit London,if we are still here.....
If you look at the way the 'oil lines' were distorted when they were initially drawn up (ie not according to international convention), you will find that what Scots claim about the oil is absolute rubbish.
Redraw the oil lines as they should be, and get rid of the unfair burden on the English taxpayer that is Scotland say I! Luckily the political pendulum is at last swinging in the way of my long-time thinking on this issue.
Dave, I'm quite glad that someone had noticed. I'll probably revert, as I don't want to go high up the Google listings.
War Horse had excellent reviews. I haven't been to the theatre in London for a while - I never mind going to concerts and the cinema on my own, but the theatre seems to cry out for a companion. I've been thinking I need to start getting over that - which means just do it, of course.
Martin, I'll make a special trip to come and meet you. Try not to whizz off at a moment's notice though! I'm fairly busy between now and mid-January (unless I get an offer I can't refuse, of course) but then I can start to plan ahead again.
Well, BW, I'll always take the diplomatic standpoint if I can and would hope that a solution can be found that pleases everybody (apart from those who think that independent rule would break up the United Kingdom). I'm tired of being resented by Scotland, though - for example, in the way that a Scot boasts of supporting the other side in any match England is playing, when I, and many English people, support Scotland as part of this country. I think it's rude and offensive, as well as boring.
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