Arthur's Seat

Into Laos

Up early tomorrow and over the river into Laos - then down the Mekong by boat for two days. Next report from Luang Prabang, provided we haven't fallen in. Maybe photos too.

Mind yon futret

Overlawyered reports on the case of the ferret and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a clear example of two nations divided by a common language, as all Pedants-General know ferrets are futrets, viz: -

In this monologue from 1982, the owner of a toy shop in Ballater, near Aberdeen telephones the Princess of Wales to ask what her son would like for Christmas.

Noo, fit wid he like for his Christmas, the loon? Fit aboot a pair o’ fitba beets? Beets. Beets. B-O-O-T-S, beets. Weel, I ken that, but he’ll surely grow intae them. Weel I’ll tell ye fit I’ve got. It’s something very suitable. It’s oor ain special line in soft toys, and it is a cuddly futret. A futret. Div ye nae ken fit a futret is? Futret. F-E-R-R-E-T, futret. Now, cuddly futrets is exclusive tae the Toy Shop, Ballater. We get them specially made up by a wee wifie, in Hong Kong. Oh, an’ fit a job I hid explainin’ tae her fit a futret is. Ye wid like a futret? Oh we’ll fairly manage ye a futret. Noo fit size o’ a futret wid ye like? We’ve got a dinkie futret, a mini futret, a life-size futret, a jumbo futret or a mega-futret. Ye’d like a jumbo futret? No, it disnae hae a trunk. No, it’s got a string that ye pull, an’ it sings Run, Rabbit, Run. Weel, fit else div ye expect a futret tae sing? Now is there onythin’ else the loon wid like? Fit aboot a rubber duke...for his bath? A duke. No, no, nae that kinda Duke. D-U-C-K, duke. A quack quack duke. Like Donald Duke. Donald Duke. He’s a freen’ o’ Mickey Moose...Moose...M-O-U-S-E, Moose! God, div ye nae understan’ English, lassie?

All this and you get a qualification too...

Homeward bound...

Last day on the beach.

Still on holiday

The market (ladies fashions):

On holiday

Away for ten days in Italy - infrequent postings, but here are some views:

Back from Italy - and it's still raining

Arrived back this evening from Naples, and Edinburgh is wet and shivering under a steel grey sky.

Meanwhile in southern Europe this is what we left behind.

Beyond the archway is the garden where the roses are about to burst into bloom, and the jasmine and wisteria flood the air with scent.

Beyond the garden is the deep blue sea.

We spent the weekend helping in the garden and even now the earth is so sun-baked that many of the beds required a pick-axe to break up the soil. Good therapy after several months in the office.

We drove up to relatives south of Amalfi on Sunday for lunch, and stopped in at the local garden centre to buy half a dozen climbing roses which should add to the perfumery in the garden.

My father in law insisted we help him try out a consignment of wine from Puglia, which made the gardening all the more rewarding.

Arrived home this evening to find the door jammed with election leaflets.

Off to Italy

Away tomorrow to the in-laws, so posting will be light over the next several days. Today the weather in Edinburgh is: 

The BBC forecast for Naples is:

and 26c at the weekend. Almost summer.

Glen Tromie

Spent this weekend in glorious sunshine in Badenoch. There are age old routes north and south, and we followed one up through Glen Tromie and down to the ruins of Ruthven Barracks, and the earlier seat of Alexander, Lord of Badenoch - the Wolf of Badenoch. In April 1746 the remnants of the Jacobite army gathered here after the battle of Culloden, and dispersed "sauve qui peut". 259 years later under blue skies and strong sunshine, we had the place to ourselves.

Highland Council must allow the use of street furniture for election posters earlier in the campaign than elsewhere. Every lamp-post in Kingussie was festooned with posters for Labour, Lib Dem, Tory and SNP - and the newly formed, we'll have no smoking ban here, Publicans' Party. This is one of the most marginal seats in Scotland, but when we strolled into town in search of an ice-cream, (and it being Sunday), there was no discernible activity of any description.

Home from the Range

Mr and Mrs Seat have returned to Edinburgh after some retail therapy in the USA. We arrived in Arizona after some unseasonal rain, and found the desert in bloom:

Normal posting resumes shortly.

Arthur's Seat abroad

Mr and Mrs Seat are off to the US on Thursday for ten days. Posting may be light to negligible.