Before we moved to Edinburgh we psyched ourselves up for a return to rainy greyness. I say ‘return’ because we grew up with drizzle and dull skies. But, since we haven’t lived a full calendar year in WA for nearly ten years we were concerned that our Washingtonian indifference to weeks of grim dampness might have worn off. After four months of Edinburghian living, though, we have found that our pre-travel mental exercises have been largely worthless, and the reason is surprising, at least to us. The reason is that we have encountered sunshine and blue skies every week for these four months. Admittedly, some weeks we’ve only seen the blue sky two days out of seven, but, we’ve still seen it. And, though a couple of weeks have brought rain every day, often the rain only comes in spurts, with strong easterly winds bringing happy intervals of blue and sun.
Ironically, I was musing on this subject as I began my walk to New College on Monday. And, wouldn’t you know it, after five minutes of walking the clouds let loose with the heaviest rain we’ve had yet. By the time I arrived, my pants (er…trousers) were soaked mid-thigh to ankle. And, since I didn’t have a change of pants, I had the next four hours to contemplate whether a true Washingtonian happily endures not only rainy greyness but also the consequences of walking in that rain. I’m still thinking.
Other news #1: Jackie continues her work as a dictionary editor. This week she wrote entries for words beginning with “‘o”. Perhaps the oddest word she encountered was “orad”, as in, “I stabbed the succulent steak and brought it orad.” I heartily recommend the word “orad” and will bequeath thirty-five points to all who use it correctly.
Other news #2: I am still a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. Though several weeks passed in which I didn’t know the meaning of the word “progress”, I’m slowly becoming reacquainted with the word.
Other news #3: Several posts back I introduced two locally-used words, but, as Nicky pointed out, I have yet to offer an explanation. So, here goes: “wee deco” is something like “quick look”, and “everything potty” means “all things related to pottery”. Stay tuned for round #3 of “Trivia: Random Questions of Fun”.
bits 'n bobs 