Summer at Last!

‘Ladies Who Munch’

My spring semester is now officially over and summer, or at least my summer schedule, is finally beginning.  The weather has not been the greatest indication of the transition taking place, but the lack of seminars and tutorials are as welcome as any rose or tulip (of which there are a few)!  The gardener tells me that the flowering and budding season is three weeks behind schedule this year, but it is coming… s. l. o. w. l. y. 

After attending the final seminar of the semester on Tuesday afternoon, I took a deep breath and dove in to the draft of a chapter I’ve been working on for far too long.  For the next three days I did nothing but stare at my computer from 5am till 12am and finally finished the draft about five minutes before my self-imposed deadline.  Being productive is such a great feeling, being able to focus on just one single task is a great feeling, and being able to sleep in is a great feeling! 

It was all just in time too, because tomorrow afternoon I head to Edinburgh to collect my first Scotland visitors, my aunt Patti and cousin Mackenzie.  Their trip has coincided perfectly with my work schedule and will provide a welcome relief from reading and writing.  I’ll be showing them my neck of the woods, St Andrews, as well as other parts of Fife and greater Scotland.  Their arrival has been long-in-coming and I look forward to playing their hostess!  For my (slightly massive) extended family, I’ll be posting pictures and updates on our travels each day.  Advanced apologies to those of you who don’t know them.  Perhaps it will inspire you to come and experience my hostess and tour guide skills for yourself!

The picture at the top was taken this weekend at the Scarecrow Festival Judith (the woman I live with) and I went to in a neighbouring town.  There were about forty ‘Scarecrows’ of various kinds, with everything from the ‘Ladies Who Munch’ (above), to the Flinstones (below), to Dennis the Menace, to Old Tom Morris, to pirates, and even a hideous Statue of Liberty.  The ‘Ladies Who Munch’ was one of my favourites!  There is a culture of women here who refer to themselves as ‘Ladies Who Lunch’, Judith being one of them, and the barnyard scene got quite a laugh out of her! 

The ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ was my second favourite.

And ‘The Flinstones’ my third.

See what you can experience by coming to Scotland?