Romance.

I think food and romance are totally linked.

From oysters, to strawberries and cream, to the spaghetti scene in Lady & the Tramp, the lusty feast in Tom Jones.

I think we, we express love through food.

The best dinner I ever had was made with such tenderness and love for me and that, that is really, it’s such a simple expression of love but such a powerful one.

The first stage of romance is that dizzy head spinning teenage bit. You tend to eat not very much at all. It tends to be the sort of food that you can pick a bit at, leave and come back to. I suppose its all to do with that sort of decadent feeling of being in love, where it feels that the world will wait for you.

I think that old book shops ooze with romance. I think the history of books, of where they came from and who had them and loved them, is part of their magic.

You know, finding the first edition of a old postcard, in the back of that book that someone’s forgotten about. The romance can be found in the dedications.

“To Jane: Blue beetles, strawberries, poplars, orioles and a ford.” - the most obliquely romantic thing ever.

“He loved 3 things alone:
White peacocks, even song, old maps of america.
He hated children crying, and raspberry jam with his tea, and womanly hysteria.
And he had married me.”

I think train stations are historically romantic.
You have Brief Encounter, you have the old sort of 30’s & 40’s images of the Orient Express. It sums up everything.

And that whole notion of seeing a stranger through a train window or across the platform. Catching their eye, and they’re gone.

5. A Scottish Caesura

Morning Blog,
& how are you today?


So, Scotland was really, really fun. I think primarily, because i was with my whole entire family.
I guess i thought of them being so isolated, in Aberdeen. But in truth, it's me that's become somewhat isolated. All i have with me is my mum and dad.

I think it struct home hard this time around because I've become more mature. There's a huge age gap between me and my 5 cousins.

37, 36, 33, 33 & 25. With me being 21.

And i guess,  now, i was actually able to have decent conversations with them. I was no longer the kid in the corner who had nothing in common with his family. I talked about chemical agriculture (something that ordinarily i wouldn't dare) but because my dissertation is loosely based on chemical farming and my cousin owns a farm, it was interesting. He gave me a few contacts as well, for future career ideas :)

My other cousin teaches high school chemistry. Enough said really.


It's just, this time, i felt more like a part of the family :)
I went out for a pint with Greig, the youngest, and it was nice to actually chat to him. I don't think we've ever properly conversed, unless it was instigated by our folks, despite there only being a 4 year difference.   But it was lovely, we have a lot more in common than i actually thought. I *might* even be travelling with him to Svalbard in april. We all know that would be immense, right?


The city of Aberdeen truly is beautiful as well. I really wouldn't mind moving up there y'know..


Not much else to report I'm afraid blog. The fringe festival was so good! It was nice to be able to walk around in the day with a kilt on to be honest. Saw a few comedy shows, visited some amazing coffee shops, the usual ;)


Again, Edinburgh could be one of those places. It looks like I'm set on moving up north, ha!


Oh! I forgot to show you, perhaps my greatest purchase of the year (apart from my Mac Book heh!)

What you're looking at blog, is a 113 year old copy of The Inferno Of Dante.
In pretty good condition too. It's just perfect, i can't wait to start reading it!

Anyway, that's enough from me for today at least,

Till later...