Arbroath Smokies

I've left London now and have travelled to the beautiful little Angus village of Kirriemuir, birthplace of JM Barrie, author of Peter Pan, no less.

The weather, after the gloriousness of London, has gone somewhat wrong. Or maybe somewhat right? The unseasonal weather may be more of a worry than it is all worth, global warming and all that.

I came here on Wednesday and I'll travel down to Edinburgh tomorrow. We had lunch today in a nice Italian cafe in the freezing cold fishing village of Arbroath. Arbroath is famous not only for the guys who took the fishes out of the sea, but also for a way of preparing the fish. They are smoked to create what they call an Arbroath Smokie. We bought some fish today in the place that the sign relates to, and there was a genuine smoke house next door to the shop, with genuine smoke coming out of it. I can't tell anyone what they taste like any more, as I've been a vegetarian since a March 1986, but smokies were a great treat when we were young.

Arbroath is also famous for the treaty of Arbroath, which a load of Scottish nobles signed in the 14th century to solidify the independence of Scotland. We will maybe hear more about that soon, depending how the election results go on May 1st.

Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland - April 20 2007