adore amy

a tale of two cities…

And another wonderful Edinburgh visit sadly reaches it’s end, although the leap from Leisurely to BusyBusy after nothing more than a brief train ride, a latte and a poppyseed muffin came not unsurprisingly as something of a shock to the system. I did eventually have to give in and let it all catch up, the result being my awakening on the Thursday evening in a state of fuzzy-headed confusion at 8.30pm having settled down to eat my M&S packed lunch and watch The Simpsons, following an extremely lively hour with a charming returnee to round off the day (and the subsequent putting-back-together of the hotel room).

I returned home to Scarborough and my warm apartment, happy fishes and newly opened local chip shop (and about time too) last night with sleepy eyes and tired limbs (and still-tender ladybits) but also a refreshed and invigorated demeanour thanks to not only the ever-fabulous punters of the town, but the fortunate opportunity to catch up with a good friend over superior pakoras, chana chaat and a celestial biryani at Kebab Mahal (plus a few pints after), a visit to the National Gallery and an unexpected lunch with a friendly new gentleman, where much was discussed including the Criminal Justice system, the lack of availability of Pizza Crunch (exactly what you think it is) in the fish shops of the rest of the UK and the relative merits of new music radio post-Peel. All in all, an entirely successful enterprise in all senses of the word (and so was Glasgow in all senses bar one) and a very enjoyable week. It is unlikely that I will be back in Scotland much before the Spring, but I am planning a jaunt the length of most of the East side, since apparently the gentlemen of Inverness and Aberdeen have been feeling a bit left out. Sorry!

Longer standing readers may remember my dealings with the Scottish Justice Committee a few months ago here, and as mentioned in my last post the developments around the country as regards the paid sex ‘scene’ have been undergoing a worrying precedent for some time; less so in Edinburgh for now (although rumour has it that the shenanigans in Glasgow may be expanding cross-country) but the police harrassment of individual ladies touring in Aberdeen last April/May, plus odd goings on in Dundee, Inverness and others has led me to ponder the reasons, and whether the same breathless determination by the Scottish authorities to ‘improve’ society applies to other aspects of lifestyle choice and personal freedom which most would consider to be nobody else’s business; diet, alcohol consumption, smoking and the like.

I wonder, because a commonly-shared character trait in many of the Scottish gentlemen (and ladies) I meet both here and in situ, seems to be the strong belief in standing up and fighting against the erosion of their civil liberties and often a willingness to stick one’s head above the parapet to do so. Since their English counterparts can often be well, decidedly apathetic by comparison, I can only imagine that this stems from centuries of being told what to do by a Government hundreds of miles away in a different country, but it is a definite recurring theme and one that, being not only Edinburgh born but a bit of an awkward non-conformist myself on the quiet, I like and admire very much. I also rather like kilts, Pizza Crunch and the huge variety of lovely Scottish accents.

Back to the coming week, and I will be about until Thursday afternoon although availability is not what it might be; I have Other Business to attend to as well as afore-promised new pictures and some embarrassingly disorganised month-behind accounts. However I will be back from Manchester on Friday evening and promise to be mostly available for the whole of the next week before my Jersey trip. Appointments only, and anyone not cursed with a pathological fear of suitcases (since mine is on virtually permanent display in the living room) is welcome to get in touch!

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