Sunday, August 22, 2004
Sun, Sea, Sand and Romance
I'm so glad we went to St. Andrews for our short break to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It is nineteen years since I was last there - the same day that Live Aid was broadcast all over the world. I was 11 years old, but this weekend I saw things I had never paid attention to before, and appreciated just how beautiful a setting it is for romance to flourish. There is still the long, wide open bay, the same skyline telling the history of the town, and naturally, the love of golf is self-evident. I should maybe take it as a sign that I am finally maturing into something resembling a "grown up", or maybe it is a sign of getting older, but I found myself wanting to visit the town's castle and cathedral.
Friday was spent walking round the town and doing a bit of shopping. We went for a drink in a bar and stayed for quite a while, then went out for a meal - which proved rather difficult. Everywhere we went was fully booked but we found a nice wee place eventually. We spent Saturday morning walking along the miles of sand, and then in the early part of the afternoon we visited the Castle and Cathedral. Before we arrived the weather was due to be "cloudy with rain". For once they got it wrong - it was glorious sunshine the whole time, so despite us packing out kagouls and jumpers, I should have been packing the suncream. As a result, and somewhat inevitably, I burnt my napper!
With the sea air tiring us out, we saw the latter part of the afternoon away drinking Jack Daniels and lager. This then turned into wine, and the evening progressed in a similar vein through to when I asked Gail to dance with me in the restaurant we had gone to for dinner. She refused, citing my inebriation and her embarrassment towards me as excuses - so I danced with myself. Our waitress gave us free coffee for the display though, so I couldn't have been that bad.
Over the weekend I had my trusty notebook with me, and scribbled many scene's, characters and ideas into it over the course of the weekend. All the history of the town, the views, its location and people; it all made for a stimulus injection of the literary kind. And yet, despite all this culture and stimulus, the one thing that I am continually drawn to is a sign I saw posted behind the bar of The Tudor Inn on North Street. It said simply, "Memo to all staff. It is advisable not to give Alan Chalmers ice with his drinks." That was it, and I am going to use it to build a story round. It just set me off in laughter, then the questions came; who, what and why?
Friday was spent walking round the town and doing a bit of shopping. We went for a drink in a bar and stayed for quite a while, then went out for a meal - which proved rather difficult. Everywhere we went was fully booked but we found a nice wee place eventually. We spent Saturday morning walking along the miles of sand, and then in the early part of the afternoon we visited the Castle and Cathedral. Before we arrived the weather was due to be "cloudy with rain". For once they got it wrong - it was glorious sunshine the whole time, so despite us packing out kagouls and jumpers, I should have been packing the suncream. As a result, and somewhat inevitably, I burnt my napper!
With the sea air tiring us out, we saw the latter part of the afternoon away drinking Jack Daniels and lager. This then turned into wine, and the evening progressed in a similar vein through to when I asked Gail to dance with me in the restaurant we had gone to for dinner. She refused, citing my inebriation and her embarrassment towards me as excuses - so I danced with myself. Our waitress gave us free coffee for the display though, so I couldn't have been that bad.
Over the weekend I had my trusty notebook with me, and scribbled many scene's, characters and ideas into it over the course of the weekend. All the history of the town, the views, its location and people; it all made for a stimulus injection of the literary kind. And yet, despite all this culture and stimulus, the one thing that I am continually drawn to is a sign I saw posted behind the bar of The Tudor Inn on North Street. It said simply, "Memo to all staff. It is advisable not to give Alan Chalmers ice with his drinks." That was it, and I am going to use it to build a story round. It just set me off in laughter, then the questions came; who, what and why?
Colin 11:44 pm