Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Christmas music # 9

Sunrise at 8:40 this morning. The club house by the Old Course glowing in the pre-dawn darkness. We have the beach completely to ourselves. A friend in Athens phones on my mobile to inform us that Ms. Kimberly Guilfoyle is to be America's new ambassador to Greece. At first I think this must be Greek humour .... but it isn't.


The university end of town is deserted. Exam season is concentrating minds on what is - and isn't - important.


The baker may have shifted into Christmas mode but alongside the mince pies old favourites are still on sale.


The fish and chip shop that has had the new environmentally friendly fryers installed is branching out into festive smoked seafood hampers. Angus thinks Arbroath Smokies with Aioli is a brave offering for a small northerly town where culinary conservatism is the norm.


The Christmas tree arrives. It is 8 feet tall, almost symmetrical and delivered by a cheerful retired gentleman whistling Away in a Manger. This causes 'The Font' to observe that people don't whistle as much as they used to. This may be true. Perhaps children consider whistling to be 'uncool'. When was the last time you heard someone whistling ? Our first impression is that the garden centre has perhaps taken off too many of the boughs near the base which gives it a walking on tiptoes look. We soon discover that the top two thirds of the tree is healthy but the branches on the bottom third are keen to shed their needles if you so much as look at them. We shall see what happens when I get round to putting up the lights. For a while we toy with the idea of setting the tree up in the courtyard but decide it would soon fall foul of the wind.


Christmas music #9. An old favourite from Pennsylvania included again because the womans voice is so clear and beautiful and unexpected :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyEjH7YDmMM

Robins were an American delicacy :https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/dining-with-robins

Amazing  Stunning photographs of flowers :https://www.haraldaltmaierphotography.com/

Chocolate Christmas Crackers. The French and Italians had no idea what Christmas Crackers were :https://meltchocolates.com/product/melt-christmas-crackers/

13 comments:

Ruth said...

That history of hunting was a fascinating read. I have to admit that I'd never considered robins on toast.

Coppa's girl said...

I found the idea of the chocolate Christmas crackers somewhat underhelming - somehow I'd imagined that the crackers themselves were chocolate, which would make them a novelty. The wrapping paper is hardly seasonal - more suited to a 60's early teens party!
So glad that Robins are no longer considered a culinary delicacy, they would be sadly missed from our gardens.
Could you complain about your tree and ask for a replacement that doesn't shed so much?

Lisa in France said...

I saw posts yesterday about Don Jr. being seen about town with another woman, so maybe this is a diplomatic way to remove Kim from the DC picture? I'm sure that Greece will be just as thrilled with this pick as France must be with Kushner. I don't think I want to read about people eating Robins, but the flower photographs were amazing.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Thank you for the repeat of the beautifully operatic choral item... YAM xx

jabblog said...

Small birds have often been considered fine food. Weren't larks tongues as delicacy once?
The flowers are glorious.

Pam in NH said...

Your tree reminds me of "the year we undecorated the 1st tree & bought another" because the 1st dropped almost every needle in 2 days. My husband tried to convince me that it would be okay. I told him to get in the car and bring his wallet. Two trees and no fire. A merry Christmas indeed.

Anonymous said...

My first boss, much beloved, never missed an opportunity to say "whistling girls and cackling hens will always come to bad ends" in response to a young woman in the office who loved to whistle. This wasn't taken as an affront to women as it was in the early 1970s when men still called women girls. It also taught me that what people said did not reveal who they were - he was terrific and taught me more than any other single soiurce in my life.
Nina

Travel said...

A lot of presidential appointments are amazingly unqualified. I expect four years of shaking our heads at the lunacy. I would try the hamper. A rare glimpse inside the last house before Denmark.

Diaday said...

My mom whistled all the time while cleaning, cooking, driving, gardening, etc., etc. It was such a joy to hear her music.

rottrover said...

I just watched a video of Cynthia Erivo whistle the other day. As expected, it was beautiful!

Jim Davis said...

You are absolutely correct regarding the picks of US ambassadors to France & now Greece. And let's not forget the choice of Kari Lake as ambassador to Mexico, I am embarrassed to be an American.

Teena and Lala said...

The cake display reminds me of an Anthony Gormley 'Fields' installation, which I've always found rather joyful.

Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers said...

I definitely am not watching anything about eating Robins. Thinking of ambassadors I have followed an American who was here at the time of our earthquake based with the American ambassador inWellington. His blog at the time was Life in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Today he wrote on his other blog, about meeting Assad in 2002- Worth a read. http://adrianprattamerica.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-road-to-damascus-my-interview-with.html