Numbers 281/84: Huzzah for Bryan - LXXXVII ....

Sgoltadh Banana … it's Gaelic for Banana Split … what's amiss in the Banana Republic [Poblachd Banana] north of the English border this week? Today 'probably' sees Alex Salmond giving evidence to the Holyrood Parliament's Committee of Inquiry chaired by Linda Fabiani, former Cabinet Secretary for Culture. It's a stooshie and a stramash [Scots for fracas/ rukus/ altercation/ disturbance/ ruction/ tumult/ furor/ cause cιlθbre/ brawl/ brouhaha/ commotion] …… More tomorrow then ….
Big Story today is Brother Bryan's Birthday. The clue is in those Roman numerals LXXXVII as already foretold. And below a fine cake delivered according to son Christopher's Facebook yestereve.

Friday is coffee morning …. … and with all the sunshine Avril gave a call to the Big House to join across the gateway at 11.30 - as pictured. Laura's the empty chair but sends Summer Greetings as the chair suggests. We shared some of Anne's chocolates too - one each and for the boys as well. We're on the bottom layer already. The grandsons were indoors with school online - Elliot his sax classwork the 12 noon lunch! [Bemused to learn that they have divergent lunchtimes driven by online school sessions that match remembered lunches when face to face! Elliott @ noon, Henry @ 1pm.] Laura and Jules are stir crazy and have already booked a return to their 2020 villa in Tenerife for a week in August with friends from the village. We've invited them to our barbecue on March 29th and we're of course ready to head to Weymouth April 12th. The photo of self plus Avril includes Toby the Dog below centre. The tie I'm wearing for this birthday occasion is one of your's Anne - 100% silk Eagle Transforming from Corey W Moaes, Tsimshian. Next to the cake is a Tsimshian Bentwood box circa 1850 painted with a natural pigment: a dark red hematite or iron oxide. The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast, mostly in coastal British Columbia and far southern Alaska around Terrace/ Prince Rupert in British Columbia and Alaska's Annette Islands.

With the Oilers again winning last night against the Canucks in Vancouver Bryan should be well happy! Anne has arranged for a planter gift from us from the local florist; and he got his vaccination first jab yesterday! He gave the usual graphic description of paper trails and questions and answers that we got here last month. Avril's designer card arrived absolutely on time/ this morning so full quality of her creation could be explored when we spoke on the phone at 8pm [as pre agreed with Anne.] But why are those Vancouver ice hockey players called canucks? It's both a slang term for Dutch or French Canadians and a cartoon character Johnny Canuck. Well, it's just stuck to them ….
Scottish work to do this weekend …. Of course there's the Minutes to write of yesterday's ZOOM. 'Twas good to see Marie Sharp at East Lothian Courier had carried our tale of rejection as farmers; nice headline Beer crop bid goes flat. Plan for a 2022 tender will see more build up and collaboration into what we'll be actually doing. And I've asked ELC for a debrief on what we are doing wrong … apart from price? Their Head of Communities Sharon Saunders has promised to try and find out …..