To quote the thin white duke "Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes"

Have nearly reached the end of the week and all the faculty have arrived. The students aren't slated to be here until Wednesday next week so we still have a bit of time before everything goes full speed. We do have orientation on Friday for faculty and staff, but should be no great shakes. Things around the house and the bit of the property I have seen is still generally the same, albeit with the scaffolding covering the center and faculty wings of the house now.

What keeps sticking out in my mind is the changes in the town itself. Of course the Farmfoods and Lidl are still there, as are the banks, the consignment shops, and of course Kabob Mahal. The town has lost Woolworth's, which was actually slated to close when I was here last. The little sports store Intersport has been bought out and moved to Leith, which is quite the jump in location from Dalkeith. There is talk yet again of the Country Hotel closing its doors, which seems to be a continual possibility over the last couple of years.

Even with these changes and all of the things that have stayed relatively similar the business loss I see, and feel, most is the closure of Sam's. For people who were in the Wisconsin In Scotland program quite the ways back it was the Greyhound prior to being Sam's. The place has metal shutters over the windows and over the doorway, but the board outside still says Welcome Wisconsin. I know that the residents of the program don't always make the same choice in pubs, but it is definitely not quite the same without Kath and Liam there just before the BMW motorcycle shop (can't believe that thing has made it in Dalkeith, but what do I know).

In Edinburgh the biggest visible change is way that Princes Street and Leith Walk are torn up and limited, if not closed, to install the tram. It definitely is not a pretty sight and anyone who has kept up with the process can attest to the fact that it is going to be horrendously over budget and the city may quite possibly sue the contractors before all is said and done. It may turn out to be one of those bright spots once it is finished, but right now it just gives the place a different vibe. Then again there is still festival crowd here so once all that gives out its last gasp things will potentially feel a bit more normal.

Even the weather is different this time around. In 2007 we were getting rain as little as once a week, but this time we have been keeping our fingers crossed that it goes without raining at least once a week. Even last evening and tonight there were periods of rain after what were very nice sunny and partly cloudy days, respectively. Rather than just walking onto the grounds and down to the house without a thought, it is now a matter of paying attention at night so that you don't do the slug slip. There are slugs out along the drive like there is no tomorrow and the walk home tonight even had it's own slug orgy - or whatever it is that they do when they group together en masse.

Well now that I have brought up slugs I guess I had best head on for the night, cheers to all and the hopes of bright sunny days ahead. -- casino