under another sun

While springing out of bed at 9:30 making Lorraine and I tea at Burnside Cottage, I got the migraine spangles and had quite a wussy morning. We had a nice breakfast and I went back to bed. However, we zoomed off to catch a bus to St. Andrews at 1:30. It was steamy upstairs, and full of incredibly well behaved school kids.We had pleasant afternoon's lurk in St Andrews, and popped into the Gorgeous Cafe for cups of tea and two panini,  and looked in the wonderful bookshop, but this time nothing insisted it was worth carrying back to Seaford. Later had a cheeky coffee in a student filled bookshop. After dark and Jade had finished work she drove us straight to Anstruther. We hurried through the rain to the Bank, where Sam was being a magnificent barman, looking commanding and very handsome and his gym work paying off. Had a couple of drinks there, catching up with Jade before we said goodbye to Sam and made off to The Wee Chippy, for excellent fish and chips. It looks quite wee on the ...

I got up early, and learned that I had been highly commended in one of the a pamphlet competitions, but had not won. A bit like getting to the FA cup final and losing. Gah. But at least I will not have to explain myself now, should the other one win.  I put all this behind me as it was Lorraine's birthday turned my attention to having fun instead.  In Roger Road, Lorraine and I had tea in bed and Lorraine opened lots of cards and had some presents and had several messages coming in. After a leisurely breakfast, we jumped on a bus to St Andrews and Sam hopped on the same one down the road at Kilrenny. Jade of course, on her way to New York today. We had a gorgeous journey sitting upstairs at the front of the bus, next to us were a couple from New Mexico, who were entranced. The woman said she felt energised by the grey days, and everything was like a Disney film. Lovely countryside there, and I loved how the coastline looked so blue in the distance.  In St Andrews Sam came...

Slept pretty well, and wandered downstairs and out of Mog and Jerome's house and into Sam and Jade's home. A strong Sam style cup of coffee and toast and Lorraine's seedy breakfast and all was well. Jade drove us to St Andrews, where she works. She was a great tour guide today. We looked at the amazing building Jade works in, and the castle ruin, and along the coast for a couple of hundred metres to a small harbour, where people were fishing for crabs with ground lines. Looming behind us were the remains of a medieval castle, framing sections of the sky. Next food. Went to eat on the pavement outside a cafe, and as the day was warm and fine, and the whole thing felt unexpectedly mediterranean. I ate an unbelievably healthy salady vegan style dish. Afterwards Jade became guided us through town through academic courtyards of mowed lawns and centuries old buildings and into a wonderful bookshop, where I bought Alasdair Gray's  The Ends of Our Tethers, 13 sorry stories , an...