Andrew MacLaren-Scott's Blog, page 36

Belhaven Black

This place recently seems to be veering toward becoming a beer review blog, but I like the images of everyday life within pubs, even though beer for me is not literally an "every day" event and is only ever one pint a day - well or on Sunday was two 330 ml bottles which is admittedly slightly over one pint. Anyway, I can report from today's research that Belhaven Black Scottish Stout is a perfectly acceptable beverage, but probably not one I would go to again, unless in a crisis, given the availability of plenty somewhat superior brews. I know that you needed to know that, or at least "Sean Jeating" did, probably.

Porter to Portobello

According to Professor Wikipedia "Porter is a dark style of beer developed in London from well-hopped beers made from brown malt. The name was first recorded in the 18th century, and is thought to come from its popularity with street and river porters." I am becoming very keen on porters. Today's came from California, were consumed in Musselburgh, then metabolised on a walk to Portobello.

The Venue

Venue - noun: The place where something happens. Origin: Late 16th century, from Old French, literally ‘a coming’, feminine past participle of venir ‘come’ from Latin venire

Old evidence

My son is currently fossil hunting near Lyme Regis. He cracked open a rock and found this fossil when a curved shell-like portion fell cleanly away. Imprinted evidence of ancient life. I don't know what it is, but it is nice.


Plenty ammonite fossils around too:

Photos courtesy of David Scott

Pond life

Are these coots in the first picture? Anyway whatever we call them they are what they are, which could be called anything and would make no difference. But the significant issue to me was that the mother was tirelessly catching tiny black fish and feeding them to her children even though the children were demonstrably able to catch and feed for themselves; thus in that little mother bird I saw the behaviour my own dear lady displays every time she journeys round town with our daughter who now earns about twice as much as her mother. Much animal behaviour is universal.

A woman walks in

Four guys chatting...Woman arrives... One guy loses all interest in chatting to guysand three guys look slightly glum.

Names awaited

A visit to the Black Watch regiment museum at Balhousie Castle is of personal relevance to me as at the age of 19 my father landed with the Black Watch in Normandy a few days after the D-Day landings and soldiered his way through France, Belgium and Holland until finishing deep within Germany. The most poignant moment, however, was standing in front of this memorial to the dead from much more recent and more questionable campaigns, and looking at that empty slab at the middle right that has been erected to bear the names of young men or women, currently still full of life, or perhaps who are not even men or women yet but are running carefree around Scotland as youngsters. The presumption that the names will inevitably arrive once the half-full slab at the middle left is filled is disturbing.

Laburnum cage

UHI, land, water, sky

A fine publicity image from the University of the Highlands and Islands, where I do some teaching

www.uhi.ac.uk

You want a "Happy Face"?

I am the one on the left, without the fur, and just about managing to look cheerful while my friend is her usual enigmatic and I suspect somewhat disapproving self. She understands me, I am fairly sure of that, and she is similarly aware that it is generally best not to betray too much from within. She does occasionally approach me and dunt my forehead with hers, and we both understand that.