Actually it wasn’t Japan, it was Embra and it rained. Went to get some emergency supplies of tea at my favourite Embra establishment. Just a wee tea shop where the proprietor doesn’t deal in metric measurements, only pounds and ounces. A great sense of humour and a total disregard for any Politically Correctness. A breath of fresh air in this world. Long may he continue to run his shop his way.
After coffee in Nero, we walked through the farmers’ market to get some venison for tomorrow’s dinner. Then it was along Princes Street to the Christmas Market. It was as busy as it ever is, but I was listening to a podcast this week and have to agree with the presenter. He was complaining that German Christmas Markets in this country are now run by Polish people selling goods made in China, and that seems to be as true here as anywhere else in the UK. Maybe it’s different in mainland Europe.
For a change we went in to one building of the National Gallery and I enjoyed looking at the painting by the Old Masters. After that we went in to the other building. What a difference. It was supposed to be award winners in some national competition.My one abiding memory is of a triptych of three ‘portraits’, like primary school pupils would have painted. What is the point of that? I’ve heard one critic try to explain how “Your child couldn’t have painted that”. In my opinion, her assertions simply proved that they could have. The Emperor’s New Clothes indeed.
After our cultural adventure we had lunch and went home. Wet and a bit disappointed. Sorry Embra, you just didn’t cut it today.