Washed Out.

Was out of bed unusually early this morning to make the best part of three dozen cheese scones and some phone calls. “Teas in the Park,” the annual celebration of Roslin Glen Country Park, was to start at noon. I not only needed to make my contribution to the refreshments but had to finalise arrangements for Penicuik’s “greatest character,” the town crier to officiate for us. He’s a difficult man to pin down, he’s been on his yearly pilgrimage to the Isle of Mann TT races for the last week; although he’s well known as a motorbike enthusiast (amongst many other things) it is less well known that he used to compete in the event as a sidecar passenger. While it’s not anything that I’ve ever tried, I do know that it’s a very technical and dangerous skill.


When I did get up, there was a slight drizzle, but the forecast was for the weather to clear up, though not necessarily brighten up; when I left home with my cheese scones, it was still drizzling but, five minutes later when I arrived at the venue it was hissing down and the ranger had no hesitation in calling the event off for the second time in the eight years we’ve been running the event. The two bands we had booked weren’t keen on playing, the steam train team hadn’t bothered to set up their railway that should have given the children a tour of the wild flower meadow, and the wellingtons hadn’t been donned in preparation for the river dipping.
 
The Blip is the scene that greeted me when I walked in; unfortunately, the rain doesn’t show up, but the faces of this group of reprobates tells the story as they huddle under the marquee, trying to munch their way through enough cakes to keep a multitude of biblical proportions fed during four hours of pleasant entertainment in the sun. By the time I was back home the rain had eased off but, by then, the punters had decided that it was a day to spend in the flat pack emporium, as we discovered while driving to the garden centre.
 
There’s always next year and the town crier has promised to come back then to do his stuff.