Last day in the Merse before nearly three weeks in Foreign Parts: the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan where Huttonian and the wife are returning to our favourite Middle Eastern destination and are doing our own separate things. When we return (if we are spared) it will be good to report that the long running Hutton Hall drama is about to take a curtain call. 7 July now seems a reasonable completion date and I have to say (after strong initial doubts) that it is not going to look too bad. Even if it does not completely match its surroundings in pure aesthetics it is certainly less of a sore thumb than originally feared. Click on images to see what I mean.

The blog will continue, translated from Arabic, if only spasmodically. The hotel we are staying in for the first week has more (self awarded?) stars than the Milky Way and rejoices in the name of The Golden Tulip Grand Palace. Marble bathrooms but, surprisingly, the swimming pool is 'next door' (Hopefully not the Dead Sea)

It wil be good to escape the anglo centricity of the World Cup (it will be wall to wall in Jordan) The Merse seems to have escaped the worse aspects of Scottish chipiness-yet to see a Trinidad and Tobago flag (they have sold out in Glascow) And even if the nice Mr Murray is rooting for Uruguay I doubt if many of the (Scottish) locals care too much. If Uruguay do win I hope that Mr M enjoys his reception from English fans at Wimbledon-Anyone except Murray will be their cry.  ¶ 9:16 AM