News from Scotland and 2 hours south of Paris

Iain has written and as ever, his news and views are highly shareable; though when did he start being concerned about uncomfortable bedfellows?? Has age finally cornered him?

Good day,

And once again it is an absolutely beautiful day. The sun has been shining pretty relentlessly, if not particularly warmly, for a couple of weeks now. It seems a bit odd. We have been watching the weather in the rest of the country and have been warned on numerous occasions that we are next but no, the sun shines on. I, of course, had readied my car with new shoes for the winter which all looks so unnecessary now. Naturally now that I have written this a blizzard will ensue.

I’m regularly tuning in to Gardeners World on the radio to find out when I should be planting my strawberries. I’ve planted fruit bushes, gooseberry, red currant and blackcurrant as well as rhubarb so I’m encouraging friends to hold on to jars so I can fill them with summer goodness. It’s all very therapeutic and quite good fun.

I’ve joined a choir. I expect Annie and Pete will approve. It’s called Loud and Proud, and the sound of chanting lesbians and queens brightens up my Monday evenings. Unfortunately I don’t sight read so learning new parts can be a bit of a chore but I’m getting better. They have about four major concerts a year and I’m hoping to progress enough to be involved. I haven’t sung since I was at school so I wasn’t sure what sort of sound was going to appear as I was a soprano then. Now I am apparently a tenor so I have matured after all.

Just spent the weekend in Fife, celebrating Francis’s partners 30th birthday. Happily I was not the oldest person there. I went to bed about midnight and missed all the dramas. A particularly dreary drunk was hit over the head with a party sized trifle by an equally dreary drunk. Apparently as the the chap slumped to the ground they all seemed to think he was dead. Happily he was just knocked out and I say happily for capital punishment for being a dreary drunk seems a little strong. Still that’s what happens when you stay up after midnight, madness.

The news continues to be financial doom and gloom but to be honest I don’t see much of it here in sunny Edinburgh. The place is till awash with tourists and Steve tells me they have had as busy a year as ever. I’m fully booked with the dogs so I feel pretty insulated.

The current big debate is of course devolution or devo max. It seems to be gaining some momentum and Mr Salmond is pushing to lower the voting age to sixteen, presumably as he thinks they are likely to vote his way. I expect he is right. It would be a pity. I rather like the union. Scotland has a very strong identity and great national awareness. Much more so than in England which seems more fractious. I believe that Scottish identity is strong because of the union rather than in spite of it. The ability to blame the union for any ills pulls the nation together. I suspect that an independent Scotland will find that it is not as united as it likes to think. Of course the one part of Scotland that would benefit from independence is Edinburgh as it did from devolution but, as with that, to the detriment of Glasgow. Plenty of scope for tension there I suspect. Salmond wants devo max to be on the referendum which will just make things more complicated and will put us at loggerheads with the north of England particularly Tyneside. Unfortunately David Cameron is taking the lead for the unionists and given that Scottish Tories are an endangered species seems a little unwise. The problem for the unionists is that the labour party has declined so much in Scotland and they would be the natural supporters of the union. Unfortunately hardly anyone knows who the leaders of the Scottish party are whilst everyone knows who Alex Salmond is. It should all be quite exciting but I just wish it would go away. I’ve been thinking about getting involved but it would mean some uncomfortable bedfellows.

All of which is of no importance in sunny Esperaza. I hope you are all well and looking forward to spring. Have fun.

And here is Joans news - slightly edited in the interests of not enriching lawyers -

Hi Everyone,

Now that I've defrosted sufficiently, and while I sit housebound waiting for my car battery to recharge for about the 5th time in two weeks, thought it would be a good time to touch collective base and express thanks to anyone who in any way facilitated my house sale and/or

transport of my goods temporarily left behind. For the most part that would be Kat, who was enormously helpful throughout the 16 months it took to complete a sale once I'd moved out, and Pete for bringing me a collection of my pots, paintings, etc. when we caught up during his

pre-post Christmas passings through.

For all of you, I hope this winter hasn't been too brutal. I have a first rate woodstove---as well as a second rate one, and so, if I didn't try to do anything in any of the other rooms including my studio, there was no amount of pleasure that couldn't be generated by the application of 12 plus sters of wood. What a year to decide one couldn't afford oil! Actually, all was pretty OK before the vague froide, but when it hit and the temperature in my room in the morning was 4 celsius I started to think about other winter solutions. At least there's double glazing.

And no snow! And, like Ferren, I have my multi-kw animals. I think of all you hardy souls down there and wonder how you've fared. Can't imagine how miserable 6 rue alexandre dumas would have been. Kat, how are you doing in your rambling house? Did you put the old woodstove in?

I understand there's a new gallery in town---of course. Things always happen when I leave. I have a 3 week show in July in a gorgeous old mill 20 minutes from here, but have yet to really penetrate the art world here--if any. Of course the real issue is that barely a soul speaks English. This has done wonders for my French,, but it's still dreadful. My bureaucratic French, on the other hand is quite good---again a matter of absolute necessity considering all the cockups, routine and unimaginable . So much time spent at les Impots and the Mairie dealing with endless catch-22s makes me think those who choose to fly under the radar have an excellent point.

[...] knowing you all was certainly a great pleasure and the time there I wouldn't have wanted to miss. And, yes, I do miss the mountains, despite this lovely, watery landscape. And this time my front rooms overlook the river and canal which are right across the field. We love guests here as long as they promise to speak English to me---a lot of English.

In any case, feel free to visit. I'm a bit over 2 hours south of Paris and have lots of room, though, if you contemplate a visit I would advise waiting until the bathrooms thaw.

Cheers,

Joan

Cant find out how to get rid of the italics which is why this editors comments are in bold. Sorry. Anyway, shall we get up a charabanc to go to Joans expo? Not that we've been asked but July is a while away yet-