Toby Atkin-Wright

The Model Railway Exhibition is on at Madras College, South Street, all day Saturday and Sunday. We thought we’d head along after lunch tomorrow. We’ve enjoyed it the past few years; lots of interesting things to look at. Must not spend too much money at the stalls!

The St Andrews Harbour Gala is on Sunday from midday. We’ll be there from the start, I think. Hope it’s good weather.

Handy site for things going on in St Andrews: http://www.event-standrews.co.uk/

The Model Railway Exhibition is on at Madras College, South Street, all day Saturday and Sunday. We thought we’d head along after lunch tomorrow. We’ve enjoyed it the past few years; lots of interesting things to look at. Must not spend too much money at the stalls!

The St Andrews Harbour Gala is on Sunday from midday. We’ll be there from the start, I think. Hope it’s good weather.

Handy site for things going on in St Andrews: http://www.event-standrews.co.uk/

I had lunch at the Tailend Restaurant and Fish Bar with Kate, Beth, and Mary. Tailend is the new chip shop, fish shop, and café on Market Street, where long-term St Andreans may remember the Joe’s chip shop used to be. It is owned and run by people who used to own the well-marketed world-famous Anstruther Fish Bar. The café was bright and pleasant, and despite a fish-oriented menu, they were happy for me to order veggie food from the chip shop menu. With bottles of HP Sauce and Heinz Tomato Ketchup, and the food presented on real plates, the presentation was good compared to Anstruther.

My soup arrived quickly, but the main courses seemed to take an age. Kate and Mary had fish & chips, Beth had a salad and a bowl of chips (which due to being in a slanted bowl, she described as looking like a loo full of chips), and I had veggie haggis with chips and peas. The peas didn’t appear, despite me reminding the waitress when the rest of the food arrived. The veggie haggis was excellent — I’ve never had it battered and fried before — and worked well with HP. The chips on the other hand were nearly good, but on my plate they were overcooked, too dry, and rather tough. It’s hard to judge an eaterie this early in its life, and I hope they do better, but a chip shop needs to serve better chips.

It was busy in the café though, and the takeaway counter was buzzing. I think they’ll do well.

I had lunch at the Tailend Restaurant and Fish Bar with Kate, Beth, and Mary. Tailend is the new chip shop, fish shop, and café on Market Street, where long-term St Andreans may remember the Joe’s chip shop used to be. It is owned and run by people who used to own the well-marketed world-famous Anstruther Fish Bar. The café was bright and pleasant, and despite a fish-oriented menu, they were happy for me to order veggie food from the chip shop menu. With bottles of HP Sauce and Heinz Tomato Ketchup, and the food presented on real plates, the presentation was good compared to Anstruther.

My soup arrived quickly, but the main courses seemed to take an age. Kate and Mary had fish & chips, Beth had a salad and a bowl of chips (which due to being in a slanted bowl, she described as looking like a loo full of chips), and I had veggie haggis with chips and peas. The peas didn’t appear, despite me reminding the waitress when the rest of the food arrived. The veggie haggis was excellent — I’ve never had it battered and fried before — and worked well with HP. The chips on the other hand were nearly good, but on my plate they were overcooked, too dry, and rather tough. It’s hard to judge an eaterie this early in its life, and I hope they do better, but a chip shop needs to serve better chips.

It was busy in the café though, and the takeaway counter was buzzing. I think they’ll do well.

A busy Saturday. I made four 1lb loaves of wholemeal bread this morning (as usual, one is in the bread bin for eating and the other three are in the freezer for later in the week). With Polly and Will staying with us during Stanza, they headed off to a panel discussion after breakfast, and then we met up with them for lunch at the Victoria Café. The food appears to have poshed up a bit in terms of presentation since the last time I was in there, but I was amused that they gave us one of the messiest, stickiest ketchup bottles that I’ve seen in a long time.

Polly and Beth went to a Stanza show at the Byre Theatre after lunch, while the rest of us wandered around town in the sunshine, before meeting at Jannetta’s Café for sundaes. Mmm.

A walk by the beach brought us home, and now I’m waiting for some white bread dough to rise. We’ll be eating some of the fresh bread for dinner tonight.

A busy Saturday. I made four 1lb loaves of wholemeal bread this morning (as usual, one is in the bread bin for eating and the other three are in the freezer for later in the week). With Polly and Will staying with us during Stanza, they headed off to a panel discussion after breakfast, and then we met up with them for lunch at the Victoria Café. The food appears to have poshed up a bit in terms of presentation since the last time I was in there, but I was amused that they gave us one of the messiest, stickiest ketchup bottles that I’ve seen in a long time.

Polly and Beth went to a Stanza show at the Byre Theatre after lunch, while the rest of us wandered around town in the sunshine, before meeting at Jannetta’s Café for sundaes. Mmm.

A walk by the beach brought us home, and now I’m waiting for some white bread dough to rise. We’ll be eating some of the fresh bread for dinner tonight.

Having got back to St Andrews on Tuesday evening, I've spent the last couple of days working, thankfully from home. I've been doing an odd selection of things - catching up with admin and email that had accumulated through December, and sorting a few last minute issues with client web site updates for the end of the year.

We're having a dinner party tonight; just me, kateaw, qidane and zephyravictrix. The theme of the dinner will be American food - sweetcorn chowder, then nachos, then New York-style pizza, then key lime pie for pud. Should take us most of the way towards midnight.

Still have to do a bit of tidying of presents before we'll have a dinner table to eat at.

Then it will be Andrew's New Year Recovery Party tomorrow evening. Should be fun.

Having got back to St Andrews on Tuesday evening, I've spent the last couple of days working, thankfully from home. I've been doing an odd selection of things - catching up with admin and email that had accumulated through December, and sorting a few last minute issues with client web site updates for the end of the year.

We're having a dinner party tonight; just me, kateaw, qidane and zephyravictrix. The theme of the dinner will be American food - sweetcorn chowder, then nachos, then New York-style pizza, then key lime pie for pud. Should take us most of the way towards midnight.

Still have to do a bit of tidying of presents before we'll have a dinner table to eat at.

Then it will be Andrew's New Year Recovery Party tomorrow evening. Should be fun.

Kate is down in Kent for a long weekend; it is her parents’ golden wedding anniversary. Sounds like they had a good party yesterday afternoon. She’ll be back here on Monday evening.

Beth, Andrew and I went braved the high winds and went to Anstruther for lunch yesterday. Apparently the golf was cancelled for the day, so there were more people about than usual. After a lengthy queue for a table, we had lunch at the fish & chip shop. Never quite sure that it is worth the wait. The chips are good enough, if somewhat soft and oily, and the side salad has an old-fashioned charm, but the veggie main meals are pretty grim. I’ve learnt from experience to avoid the macaroni cheese, and yesterday I had an awful veggie burger (mushy and chewy, with rubbery nuggets of diced carrot). They sell themselves on their fish, and none of us are fish eaters. Not convinced about the cardboard trays they serve the food on, and the individual tubs of sauces make them feel a bit rationed. Sauce should come in a bottle.

Lunch was followed by a walk along most of the pier. Amusingly windy. We avoided the final segment of the pier as waves were spectacularly breaking over it. Odd seeing such a wild sea with such a blue sky above it. We watched the lifeboat launch and head out for a training exercise, then we had the obligatory wander around the lifeboat station shop. Andrew bought some Christmas cards.

We set ourselves the goal of buying some copies of the St Andrews Citizen. They have their photo supplement this week of primary schools’ first year intake, so Beth and some of her friends are in there. The Co-op in Anstruther failed us, but Spar in St Andrews had some.

While watching Purple Rain last night, Andrew and I heard an enormous echoey banging outside. Turned out there was a big firework display over the town, presumably as part of the Dunhill. I guess it was too windy for golf, but not too windy for fireworks.

Beth and I are breakfasted and watching the F1 now.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/163574.html.

Kate is down in Kent for a long weekend; it is her parents’ golden wedding anniversary. Sounds like they had a good party yesterday afternoon. She’ll be back here on Monday evening.

Beth, Andrew and I went braved the high winds and went to Anstruther for lunch yesterday. Apparently the golf was cancelled for the day, so there were more people about than usual. After a lengthy queue for a table, we had lunch at the fish & chip shop. Never quite sure that it is worth the wait. The chips are good enough, if somewhat soft and oily, and the side salad has an old-fashioned charm, but the veggie main meals are pretty grim. I’ve learnt from experience to avoid the macaroni cheese, and yesterday I had an awful veggie burger (mushy and chewy, with rubbery nuggets of diced carrot). They sell themselves on their fish, and none of us are fish eaters. Not convinced about the cardboard trays they serve the food on, and the individual tubs of sauces make them feel a bit rationed. Sauce should come in a bottle.

Lunch was followed by a walk along most of the pier. Amusingly windy. We avoided the final segment of the pier as waves were spectacularly breaking over it. Odd seeing such a wild sea with such a blue sky above it. We watched the lifeboat launch and head out for a training exercise, then we had the obligatory wander around the lifeboat station shop. Andrew bought some Christmas cards.

We set ourselves the goal of buying some copies of the St Andrews Citizen. They have their photo supplement this week of primary schools’ first year intake, so Beth and some of her friends are in there. The Co-op in Anstruther failed us, but Spar in St Andrews had some.

While watching Purple Rain last night, Andrew and I heard an enormous echoey banging outside. Turned out there was a big firework display over the town, presumably as part of the Dunhill. I guess it was too windy for golf, but not too windy for fireworks.

Beth and I are breakfasted and watching the F1 now.