Vignettes of life.

A town dog has discovered that 1) the recently bought bacon roll has been finished and 2) it wasn't distributed in anything approaching an equitable manner. The enormity of this injustice doesn't seem to be understood by the human portion of his family.

We arrange to see the artist who paints the 'wonky' pictures of buildings in town. He will come over one day during the summer and do a painting of the wee house by the cathedral.

The gulls are aggressively out and about and looking for suitable materials to build their nests. There's no doubting the gulls are the true masters of the town. They were here long before humans made it their home and they have a look that says we'll be here long after you're gone. They are fearless.

That rarest sighting of all. Early rising students. Something you almost never see on a Monday morning. Exams start in three weeks which may explain this sudden diligence.

 

After Sundays services the Baptists are giving their ironwork a touch up.

So starts a quiet morning in a small Scottish town surprised to be enjoying a protracted spell of good weather.

Whoever chooses the morning music on the local breakfast radio programme is on something :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwJNDF2Jfbc

Things I didn't know about owls :https://x.com/amazlngnature/status/1908181961983566067?s=48&t=zWTf_7IcsLbgVFGj-yo7UA

Thoughts on animal welfare and unintended consequences :https://farmanimalwelfare.substack.com/p/five-insights-from-farm-animal-economics

Sunday sights.

A group of American golfers have hired a video camera man and sound engineer to record their round on the Old Course. We've seen camera men before but never sound engineers.

The golfers have also hired students to act as Caddies. The students know the course and the etiquette. At the end of the round much time is spent looking for cash to pay them. " Do you take dollars ?"  asks one gentleman while searching frantically in his bag. I'm sure the students will take anything. 

The restaurant in what used to be the Salvation Army Hall is charging £75 for a whole lobster. That's the same rate as you'd pay at the modern 'cube'  restaurant with its stunning views of the sea.

The bakers 'universal' biscuits have had New Years, Burns Night and Mothers Day variants. They have now seamlessly been repurposed for Easter.

A fudge doughnut inside a Belgian chocolate egg. This is a product Angus can relate to. 'The Font' - who is one of those people that thinks a single square of dark chocolate a day is a sin - mutters something about you can take the boy out of Scotland but .....

One intriguing paragraph:https://zoekeziahmendelson.substack.com/p/20-dogs-sitting-in-a-row-with-their

Sunday morning music:https://youtu.be/6y-eZf-IgtM?t=54

We shall pop in to see this in London on Friday:https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/great-mughals-art-architecture-opulence

Life in a time before Google:https://hedgehogreview.com/issues/the-varieties-of-travel-experience/articles/the-department-of-everything?ref=thebrowser.com

This is common sense spelt out clearly:https://x.com/cfishman/status/1907802208399142972

'Interesting' views.

The cold North Easterly wind means the beach is free of dog walkers and visitors  and provides the horse riders with a perfect excuse to gallop from one end of the sand to the other. The horses love it.

Down by the club house there must be 30 golfers waiting for their tee off time . Some sit on the steps and take in the view. Others nervously pace back and forth. Two American gentlemen enjoying the sacerdotal side of golf  sit and happily repeat the words ' Wow oh wow ' over and over.

Dogs and children pause to enjoy the sunshine on their morning walk. 

Players heading out on the course as far as the eye can see. It may not be warm but it's dry and sunny which is unusual for these parts. Some early rising foursomes have already appeared heading homewards on the 17th hole.

The world is on a crash course in American domestic politics. This morning the BBC radio news programme provides an insight into the unusually rich and varied life of one Ms. Laura Loomer. 'Goodness ' says The Font when the item ends. Ms. Loomer is 31 , has 'unorthodox' views about many things and is  big on Rumble - a social media platform that until now we were both unaware existed. She also believes herself to be an expert on National Security.

Timeslips on a street in Liverpool :https://theguideliverpool.com/legend-of-the-bold-street-timeslip

A word I'd never seen before - Gaelscoileanna Irelands answer to the UK's faith schools  :https://www.conorfitzgerald.com/p/multiculturalism-and-the-irish-language

Hubs appearing everywhere :https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/welcome-to-the-hub

This mystery worshippers website is a joy. The online review of this church in Oregon spares no ones feelings :https://shipoffools.com/mystery-worshipper/wellhouse-church-sisters-oregon-usa/

Sauna users.

The farmer stops his tractor and wanders over for a wee chat. A chance for him to have a break from 24/7 potato planting. 'Granny' Jack Russell dozes in the warmth of the tractor cab. She's been slowing lately and they're making sure she's always got a member of the family as company. The old lady seems to be enjoying the attention - and the absence of the two younger terriers. In an hour , after the younger children have gone to school, he'll pop home for a coffee and let her sleep by the AGA. The farmer has pre-sold his entire crop to a potato chip maker in Newcastle. 'The price was reasonable' he informs us in a tone of voice that suggests a new Range Rover may be coming along soon. 

There's another glorious sunrise over the beach. This weeks weather has been a  wonderful surprise.

A group of half a dozen people spill out of the new beach sauna . They run about and laugh in that overly contrived ' Isn't this great fun ?' way people do when they emerge from extreme heat into the bitter cold. A thirty something woman in a bikini has been barbecuing sausages on a throw away grill. They sit at at a table and eat these off paper plates. There's a hint of hypothermia inducing frost on the grass so It's a surprise that they're wearing nothing other than swimwear. Usually sauna users quickly don their long padded coats for warmth. Someone has put a vase of daffodils on the picnic table which is a peculiarly domestic touch.

Starbucks , when we get there, already busy with students and dog owners .

The first of the new seasons fresh peas in the garden shop. There's also fresh asparagus. It can't be long before strawberries are in season.

This morning instead of lemon sole we opt for some freshly landed brill.

A week today we head off to Japan. This morning an unexpected e-mail from Palo Alto informs us that ' the departure from Borneo has been delayed due to technical reasons and a new embarkation time for passengers joining in Yokohama will be advised'. I have a presentiment of a disaster/adventure in the making. What sort of technical reason can possibly prevent a boat from getting underway ? Having flown to Borneo how are the 30 Palo Altans taking their delayed departure ?

Lost birds :https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/birding-10000-bc

A pricey new way to see Italy:https://www.orient-express.com/la-dolce-vita/

Cambodian history :https://thediplomat.com/2025/03/cambodia-the-unbearable-memory-of-the-khmer-rouge/

This has the great advantage of being brief . The closing paragraph is to the point :https://www.econlib.org/what-would-true-reciprocity-mean/

A St Andrews professor gives his views of what's happening in the world. This may be more opinion than analysis but the last line seems to sum up the consensus pretty well :https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/how-to-make-us-rivals-stronger-101

Swimming hares.

Every day this week has been more cloud free and glorious than the one before. More sunshine is forecast. This morning we watch two hares race  across the sand. They rush into the shallow water and then - perhaps surprised by its alien  wetness  - turn abruptly and head back to the safety of the long grass that lines the shore. It's not only humans who are enjoying the sunshine.

Last night one of the Manhattanites , talking about Liberation Day, voices the view that ' Populism is popular until you live with it for a while'. 

The old cloisters and pends provide intriguing glimpses of sun lit secrets beyond.

Youngsters starved of sunshine are out and about. Even at this time in the morning a sheltered spot can offer warmth. Some of them have bought fudge doughnuts at the bakers and are enjoying an al fresco breakfast. Some read books, others chat.

The renovation of the Aquarium is progressing but I doubt it will be finished by Easter. Men in orange jumpsuits are busy with a concrete mixer.  Work on the old cinema has also burst into life after six months of inactivity. Perhaps the Tiger Woods sports bar will be ready to open this summer ? I also doubt that this will be ready on time.

Golfers are now piling onto the sacred turf. Angus is called over to take a group photo of amiable 50 somethings not once ...but twice. This group of cheerful gentlemen will be moving on to the Trump Golf Resort at Turnberry this afternoon. " It belongs to our President " one informs me with self evident pride. 'Indeed' I reply with a smile.

So starts a Thursday morning in a small Scottish town that is enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine and shedding ( while the good weather lasts ) a little of  its straight laced Presbyterianism.

Music from 1977:https://youtu.be/yZjEC4WhCvg

Discovering Australian art :https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/menin/notes

An exhibition by thus artist starts here in St Andrews tonight :https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/entertainment/5133633/standrews-buildings-watercolour-peter-jones-artist/

Rome without the crowds:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/explore-romes-hidden-underworld-city-beneath-city-180986228/

This sums it all up :https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trump-goes-crazy-on-trade  Perhaps this may have something to do with it ? :https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/does-financial-literacy-decline-with-age/

Edenic.

Tuesday was warm and sunny and the first day this year we've been able to sit outside for lunch. Our table is near the bird feeders and a mass of starlings, buntings and collar doves flit and hop around us as we eat. They clearly think we're part of the furniture. There is something innocently Edenic about lunching with birds. Later we consider going into town for an evening drink but come five o'clock the temperature tumbles and the thought of sitting outside becomes altogether less appealing.

'Puppy' has matured into a personable young lady but still retains the youthful enthusiasm and joie de vivre that warrant her name. This morning she opts to join us for breakfast. I open the front door and next thing you know there's a dog in the kitchen. From the enthusiasm with which our yoghurt pots are licked I'd guess these aren't on offer at home. After finishing we're stared at with an unblinking intensity that signals she'd like more.

The farmer and his son are back planting seed potatoes in the field outside the kitchen window. In the tractor cab the Jack Russell 'granny' is listening to Nick Robinson on the Today programme while sitting snugly and happily on the farmers lap. 

A Spanish tour group is gathering by the Martyrs Memorial. Five hundred years ago political passions here burnt Taliban bright. In fact there was enough passion and extremism to last a thousand years . This may explain the quiet Presbyterian orderliness of the town today. There is something to be said for staid politics .

A steady stream of foursomes heading outbound on the Old Course. A group of gentlemen from Ohio have opted to play without the help of  the local Caddies. Little do they know how treacherous the winds on the back holes can be even on a calm day like this. While waiting for the group ahead to move onto the next hole they limber up and go through calisthenic routines. They hold their drivers over their heads as if they're power lifting. I've never seen this before. It provides entertainment for a group of Italian tourists who, in between eating the bacon rolls they've bought from the coffee shop, applaud them. The Ohian gentlemen are far too serious to notice their Latin audience.

A Kimchi making course being advertised in the Asian super market. A sign of peak globalization ?

This played on the radio this morning . Simple but beautiful:https://youtu.be/7VRw9N9OlPo

The Tully Monster :https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/this-tully-monster-mystery-keeps-getting-weirder

Not my favourite part of London but it's getting better :https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/a-walk-down-victoria-street

Focal dystonia. Had you ever heard of it ? :https://www.gramophone.co.uk/blogs/article/i-had-to-tell-my-wife-i-would-no-longer-be-able-to-earn-a-living-as-a-concert-pianist

Disrespect update:https://x.com/tashecon/status/1907364573612589425

A new month.

A new month and we're now heading off into the second quarter.  Have you ever known time fly by so quickly? I look for April Fools Day stories in the paper but these days it's impossible to determine what is, or isn't, an outlandish hoax. 

It's sunny and there's the promise of another warm day. It got to 17 degrees here yesterday. More of the same is forecast for the rest of the week. Puppy is off by the shore chasing foxes. Her elder sister, who has reached that age where fox chasing has lost some of its allure, races over to see us.

There are two tractors hard at work in the field outside 'The last wee house before Denmark'. The farmers  teenage son is driving one and his father the other. The son ploughs long deep furrows in the soil and his father follows along behind towing a device that plants the seed potatoes. The eldest Jack Russell- a grumpy lady of advancing years -  is sitting on the farmers lap in the tractor cab. They're listening to the BBC breakfast show.  Both dog and farmer seem happy with this arrangement. She's warm and  gets to be the centre of attention while he gets to spend time with an old friend. He waves and we wave back.

The cafe by the chapel is open early. Someone on the staff is clearly finding it difficult to adjust to the clocks changing. Two well wrapped up Spanish tourists are sitting outside sharing a pot of tea. The blue uniformed university cleaning ladies chat to them as they wait for the bus to take them back to Dundee.

An ancient Land Rover ( it's one of those with the split windscreen so must be 70 years old ) is parked outside the post-grad reading room. It has driven up onto the pavement so the caravan doesn't block the road.

There is clearly a story here that involves Alzheimers and bowel cancer. I'd like to give the owner some money and find out what it is but there's no sign of life in the tiny caravan. The Union flags draped around the front are a cheerful touch.

The tomato business :https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2025/03/whats-the-best-way-to-make-the-tomato-industry-more-carbon-efficient-hint-its-not-local/

This used to be  rather run down hotel but has been beautifully restored as a rental house. It is extremely remote. Once, thirty or so years ago, we thought of buying it but deemed the location too impractical :https://rodelhouse.co.uk/pdfs/Rodel%20House_Desktop.pdf

Australia faces the same challenges to government spending that everyone else does - but is probably better prepared to deal with them :https://e61.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/E6003_5Theme_Report_5.pdf

Chinese Primary school kids to be taught AI :https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-schools-ai-courses-4990306

The April line up in the bookstore looks interesting :https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/events/st-andrews/