Last night I exorcised my dining rites at Corpus. I took my husband with me, and luckily, this time he did not commit any politically incorrect faux pas. We discovered another dramatic change in British culture. During the long evening drinking bottle after bottle of fortified wines, we found that cigars we not available. Instead we were offered snuff. Yes. Really. Snuff! ..and I'd thought it was only Japan that was culturally still in the 18th century.
The ghost of commerce past.
Actually I thought Ayr was looking a lot happier than when we last visited 1.75 years ago. Back then there was the depression of almost every shop being in a state of closing down bankruptcy. The still open cafes served recession specials and the remaining shops had special recession deals. Now all that has gone and one notices more the signs of carpentry indicating new shops about to open.
This street down by the harbour though was another story... I think only one establishment was still in business, and it was closing down.
I've not noticed recession elsewhere - not in Glasgow 1.75 years ago, nor Cambridge now. Glasgow is far shinier than it ever was and Cambridge about the same, although the roads are busier.
The house prices everywhere are unbelievably enormous. Clearly, when we retire, we will all go and live with our parents.
More cultural change over the last decade. Horrible dog shit replaced by horrible signs.
Ayr beach again. One way in which Scotland is superior to Japan is that when the sun does eventually shine the light quality is never far from "Golden Hour".
Mother-in-Law is very proud of the herd of these purple flowers that she nurtures in pots in her tropical Scottish garden. Luckily she did not excommunicate me from the clan when I asked if they weren't a kind of onion and mentioned that they grow as weeds in Japan.
