Friday 30 September 2011

Hotter than July

I was just out for a very pleasant lunchtime stroll, up Castle Terrace, along George IV Bridge and across the Meadows as the sun beat down on the third day of a very unusual late September heatwave. It was like walking around a European city, in fact, it took me back to walking around Milan with Sharon back in June. Although they did have trams.

Today was the hottest 30th September on record (29.2°C somewhere in England) and Wednesday was apparently the hottest 28th of September since 1895 and I made full use of it, booking ahead to take the afternoon off and heading over to Fife to play golf at Burntisland with Scott and his sometime acquaintance "Craig the Mad Janny." It was glorious!

The sun arced across a cloudless sky above the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh and the Pentlands shimmering in the distance, as we navigated the quirky Burntisland course. Tenth oldest in the world, apparently, and my golf was as hot as the air temperature. Despite bogeying the first four holes, I carded a seven-over-par 76, my second best round ever after a 75 (+6) at Kingsknowe which was probably the best part of 20 years ago. The course wasn't exceptionally long but I drove well, putted well and did OK with my irons. A long overdue birdie, nine pars and some decent scrambling left me needing a birdie at the last to match my best. A wayward iron off the tee fortunately cleared some trees but I was stymied and fell short of the green in two. My 40-yard pitch and run bumbled down on to the green, ran up to the hole...and stopped on the lip! Par. It's been a while since I beat Scott but it was more enjoyably to shoot a decent score and break eighty for the first time in dear knows when. All under a perfect blue sky. After a celebratory cider I drove home through the late September twilight.

Finn was at Brodie's birthday tea yesterday, before which he joined Brodie at judo rather than go to after school club. Much to my surprise, Michelle reported that he joined in! And now Finn is asking if he can go to judo. Fair play to him this year, he's been trying plenty of new things. Sean restarted skiing last week. I'm sure the sweat will be lashing off him at this afternoon's lesson!

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