Wednesday, June 11, 2014

A hundred days...


When there are only a hundred days before the Scottish referendum and you are living in Munich, what gesture might seem fitting? It so happens that round the corner from my flat a little shop, BierVana, has opened with no less than 270 craft beers on offer. A few of them are brewed in Scotland. Although I was reminded by the knowledgeable shop owner that the very dynamic Aberdeenshire firm, BrewDog, is the leading Caledonian contender, I opted for the Belhaven Ale with the flag prominent on the bottle neck. With a 5.2 percent alcohol content it is almost as strong as a Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest beer. Father and daughter found it very tasty indeed! Here's tae us, wha's like us? Gey few, and they're a' deid. It should be noted, however, that the six bottles shown above do not indicate our consumption yesterday evening on the balcony. We shared a single bottle of Belhaven before moving on to our usual preferred beverages.

Apart from reflecting on the hundred days ahead there was another way in which the evening was noteworthy. Finally, after years of tenancy of my Munich flat, the very narrow balcony was put to use for the first time ever..


The view is quite without interest and I never wanted to be seen as one of those ancients who sit outside alone, spying on the goings on of a perfectly average neighbourhood. But subsequent to my well-documented 'spring cleaning' efforts the flat is now quite welcoming, a fact that Jessi felt moved to verify! Fear not, I shall remain the curmudgeonly misanthrope I have become since returning from the Sandlands, with the occasional exception proving the rule. By the way, Belhaven Ale is brewed not for from North Berwick which is an important setting for my novel Intransitive State, my speculative story of the eve of Scottish independence. I most sincerely wish that in the coming hundred days there might be one or two brave souls willing to read it!

1 comment:

Jessi said...

It was a pleasure to 'einweihen' the balcony! Fitting the beginning of a new chapter quite well. And certainly this will not be the only and last time the balcony will fulfill it's duty :) I heard there is still some Hugo left..