1 EAGLETON NOTES: Dawn and Stornoway

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Saturday 24 July 2021

Dawn and Stornoway

My brother, CJ, is staying with me. His wife, Jo, arrives a few days into August. After a week of distinctly un-summery weather we've had a few beautiful days.  CJ was up for some reason or other at 4.58am on Friday. This was the view from my kitchen window:


We have had coffee a crossword in town most mornings. Today I actually stopped and took some photos in the town centre.





40 comments:

  1. What a great view from your kitchen window. Loved the sculptures in your town. Coffee and crossword with your brother sounds good.

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    1. Thanks, Diane. I can't even see the sea this morning for the haar (fog).

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  2. I agree with Diane, the view is wonderful and I also like the sculptures. I start my day with coffee and a crossword too so that sounds fine to me.

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  3. I particularly like the fisherman in his yellow sou'wester, coat, and big boots. Your brother gets up at the same time as me!

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    1. The difference, Cro, is that my brother's sleeping hours are totally random, day and night.

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  4. I can't imagine a happier ti e than spending it with my brother. There's a fisherman statue a bit like that in Greymouth (facing the town not the sea - my yachting husbsnd pointed out it meant he had his back to the weather). We love the view from your window.

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    1. Tigger, that's an interesting interpretation for the Greymouth fisherman facing away from the sea. I don't recall the statue in Greymouth. I do recall the checkout assistant in Countdown asking for my ID with an absolutely deadpan expression when I bought alcohol. I was so taken aback that it took a few seconds to realise that she was being funny.

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  5. I love those early morning views when you wonder if you're the only person nearby who is seeing the beauty?

    Do people every bring chess pieces or counters and actually use the boards on that bench? They're lovely and make me think of old men in Greece playing chess under the trees - somewhat far removed from Stornoway!

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    1. Jayne, I recall the men in Sydney and Berlin being very serious about their outdoor chess. I've never seen anyone using this one. During our more relaxed lockdown the tables were used a lot for take-away coffee drinking. The "girls with prams" congregate there too. We were there early Saturday morning but a bit later it would have been busy.

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  6. You live in a beautiful place, Graham. How wonderful to see that view every day from your kitchen window and have such an attractive town nearby.
    Enjoy your family visit.

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    1. Thank you JayCee. I am fortunate to live where I do and I never forget it.

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  7. It's always surprising when you stop to notice the things you walk past every day. What a lovely place to live.

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    1. Thank you, Betty. But then wherever we are we have to make the most of the beauty. After all you've looked out for beauty ever since we first 'met' in Blogland all those years ago when I, too, was living my half-life in New Zealand.

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  8. You never tire of that great view, do you - and there are no two days exactly the same.

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    1. Meike, there are few two hours or even minutes exactly the same. The weather changes so fast here.

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  9. The chess board on the picnic table is a great addition to the waterfront. I could see myself issuing a challenge or two! Loser buys coffee!

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    1. David, I suspect you'd have a few who would accept the challenge. I haven't played fo many many years but would enjoy trying my brain again.

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  10. Good to hear you are both still with us. Amazed and pleased the crossword still provides entertainment. I still miss my friend Mark after eleven years. He used to SMS me when he got his Telegraph just before lunch (lazy sod he was), I'd had mine for hours but didn't start filling it in till lunch time when the race was on. I still attempt one a month when the big puzzle Telegraph comes out but it's not the same without the competitive element. I know lots of folk but non who like a it of cryptic.
    Not keen on the wooden statues, they look middling now but will not be maintained and will become an eyesore. They will last longer in Larch but that all goes to bio-mass these days.
    Enjoy yourselves.

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    1. Aye, Adrian, we are just about. Friends are falling off their perches steadily this month though. Ive never got into cryptic. The fisherman has been around for a good few years and has so far been well maintained (unlike some of the huge carved Lewis Chessmen who have seen better days) and the herring ladies are bronze (or something similar).

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  11. Your view is beautiful.
    The wood carvings remind me of pictures I've seen of Canada, like Nova Scotia. It is nice to see the care put into the landscape.

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    1. Thanks, Maywyn, they are similar to ones I've seen in a few countries in recent years.

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  12. Enjoy your time together! And say hello to our SPECIAL friends, P & D! xx Raise a glass to me when y'all meet up!

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    1. Thanks, Kay. I will pass your good wishes on. CJ and I are just in from a night out at their house but we'll see them soon and I'll be speaking to Pat in the morning so will pass your message on.

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  13. Beautiful shots, Graham. I could live there happily and comfortably. Peace surrounds it appears.

    Enjoy your time with your brother...lots to talk about, I'm sure. Take care. :)

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    1. Thank you. Lee.In many ways I'm sure you'd fit in fine around here. I'm not sure why - just gut instinct. CJ and I certainly have lots of crosswords to to that's for sure.

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  14. I'm loving those sculptures and the gentleness of the dawn colours. Have a good time with CJ!

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    1. Thank you, Kylie. The colours here are so often soft and gentle and range from many shades of grey through to the brighter colours of the flowers and the azure sea in summer.

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  15. It's lovely to see a glimpse of where you live. And the view from your kitchen window is stunning. X

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    1. Thank you, Jules. I certainly love it and you can see why I love the Lake District so much.

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  16. I can imagine how nice it is to be spending so much time with family and friends, Graham. It sounds like you and CJ have quite a regular routine going with coffee and a crossword.I read another blogger, Mama's Mercantile, who also posts about visits to Stornoway. I enjoyed seeing part of the town center and the carved figures knowing that fishing is a big part of the area.

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    1. I read your comment, Beatrice, and then went over to see Mama's Mercantile of which I had never heard. In fact I know of very few Hebridean bloggers although I think there are quite a few.

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  17. I'm a bit late to the photo party, have a bit of family stuff going on at the moment. But that view from your kitchen window has lifted my spirits. Loved all the photos.

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    1. Pauline, I had been wondering about your absence from Blogland a few days ago. Glad to have lifted your spirits a bit. I often transport myself over to The Land of The Uppity Downities when I get homesick for New Zealand.

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  18. You live in a really nice town Graham. I really like the last statue of the lady with her fish.

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    1. Amy, I actually live in the sticks but am only a stone's throw from Stornoway where I spend a lot of my socialising time.

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  19. You live in the best place on earth, hands down. As for word games, I love "OutSpell" (it's available on several websites) - kind of like playing scrabble with an invisible person - and it's free, you don't have to sign up to anything or download anything onto your computer to play. "Word Wipe" is another good one.
    Thanks for the awesome pics! Homesick for Scotland as always, but especially places I've been, and people I know...

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    1. Well, Marcheline, I certainly live in a wonderful place and I'm very grateful for that. Haste Ye Back as we say in Scotland to those we love.

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    2. Marcheline, I've now looked at OutSpell and WordWipe and the former doesn't appear to be available on the iPhone but I'll have a go at WordWipe.

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  20. You should stop and take photos in the town centre more often! :) (Seriously, I'd love to see a bit more of the town!) What kind of bird is that supposed to be, next to the "Stornoway" bench? And do you have a lot of deer on the island??

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