Sir Andy Single Again? – Great Scot Eyes up Tennis Return
Sir Andy Single Again? –
Great Scot Eyes up Tennis Return
Now it is a good time to combine two interests of mine, the Puffin and the tennis master that is Andy Murray. While Scotland is working hard to measure and monitor the lovely bird the puffin Sir Andy is planning a return to three set singles tennis in the Cincinnati Masters next month. The great Scot has been competing in doubles since June after having a hip resurfacing operation in January of this year. Currently he is in a Scottish doubles act with his big brother Jamie playing at the Citi Open in Washingto DC, and pity them in one of the steamiest and most outrageously humid cities in the USA. Andy has definitely ruled out the American Open which starts on the 26th August. Murray junior wants to ease himself in more easily and five setters for a comeback from injury sounds like a march too far. But after Washington the three-time Grand Slam champion Murray is due to partner Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the doubles at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, which begins on 5 August. He and Lopez won the doubles title at Queen's in June, which was the Scot's first tournament since his career-extending surgery.
Eel Meat Again
And while Andy may or may not get back into singles tennis the Isle of May is probably the best place in Britain to be a puffin. Research into these fascinating burrow dwelling creatures started in earnest in1972 when scrutiny into puffins started on May which is an island where the Firth of Forth meets the North Sea. Its nearest habitation is the port of Anstruther on the Fife Coast a good half hour away by motor boat. And whereas there were only 2,000 puffin pairs in 1972 after much hard work the population is now up to 40,000 along with razorbills, guillemots and kittiwakes too, as well as summer migrating birds like arctic terns. Like Sir Andy they’ve had their ups and downs and at one point there were 80,000 puffin pairs on May, but the numbers halved almost overnight some 10 years ago. Each pair lays a single egg in the burrow, protected from marauding gulls and the like, but they need a lot of sandeels to feed their young and these creatures are under threat as the seas warm and the plankton they feed on declines. The current bad weather follows on a rough winter and spring and this may well impact puffin numbers if they can’t forage easily or don’t have enough fat from the summer to see them through the dark days. Let’s hope both the puffins and the Murray brothers are fine this winter and we see the lads in the Australian Open in January 2020 and loads of the birds back.
Not the Silly Season Here
Well here at James Pirie you can see we are not afraid of slinging together two totally different ideas and wringing a blog out about them because we are in what is called the ‘silly season’ in newspapers. But that is the opposite of our approach when it comes to selecting product and very fine goods for our offering to you. And indeed that also applies to our special offers which are like troubles they come not singly. In fact they come in droves. Take for example the terrific half price offer on the thistle shaped Royal Scot Crystal - Flower of Scotland Spirit Decanter which is a unique and beautifully handmade and cut spirit Decanter. It’s a cracking offer. Go for it!
