Friday 12th October, 2012

Soroptomist ..... As you probably know I like new words and this was one I found inscribed on the plaque of a bench in Princes Street Gardens on Tuesday morning. I should add I was walking through the gardens on my way to a 'portant meeting. I was not one of the six tramps I passed horizontalising in various sheltered spots, soaking up the sun rise. I had spent the night in the Balmoral, dig me. So anyway, no conferring and Google strictly ruled out, but can anyone tell me what a soroptomist is? First one to reply with the correct answer gets a prezzie. I wasn't looking particularly for new words. Normally when I walk through Princes Street Gardens I recall a time quite a few years ago when I was marketing with a Sanford Bernstein analyst and we made a detour into the park. The analyst had heard music ( if you can call fiddling that ) and we went to investigate its source. It turned out there was a Scottish Country Dance exhibition going on and I still don't think the analyst believed me when I waved at an elderly lady in the front row of the stage who happened to be my grandmother! No, on this occasion my eyes were peeled for a fox which I'd been told about the evening before over dinner. My friend told me he had seen it one morning on his way to work and it had apparently been stalking an old lady out for a walk with her Jack Russell which I thought was quite remarkable. I am particularly interested in Edinburgh's fox population as I have promised a client, who has a problem with a fox which has made their back garden its home, that I will send Bob up for work experience at some point. Back on the subject of words we had lunch on Tuesday in Cafe St Honore a very traditional French restaurant in North Thistle Street, not to be confused with Rue St Honore, the road sign on the front of the restaurant. Traditionally French it may be when at the end of lunch I drew on my extensive command of the language and asked for a cafe au lait the waitress's face was a surprising blank. Sparing her embarassment I re-ordered. "A cup of coffee please". "No problem" she said. "Would you like milk with that?" It reminded me of the time in Ireland when I was looking for double cream. I looked high and low but there were only cartons of single cream on the supermarket shelves. So I asked a young lad wheeling out a fresh stock of dairy products whether they had any double cream. "No sir," he said pointing to the rows of single cream, "I'm sorry, but it only comes in this size". Last snippet on my theme. Unlike our other children Lottie, our 11 year old genius, needs no help with here homework. She just sits down and gets on with it. Last night was English and the subject was opposites. She was reeling them off with consumate ease till she got to the word IMPROVE. She paused for a second and then came out with "Dettoriorate". Sorry. It's a Newmarket joke really. Frankie's daughter is her best friend in Pony Club.