Moonrise

Clearish skies and another wonderful moonrise. Now the weathers better we can sit in the cabin at the end of the garden and look out towards the lighthouse, the ships building the wind farm and somewhere far over the horizon Esbjerg. On calm nights like these the moon casts a path of pure white light on the sea . A good glass of Pomerol makes the sight even more mesmerizing. The news informs us that America's President elect and Mute Egede ,the Danish Prime Minister, have had a 'testy' conversation over Greenland. This makes us wonder if 'testy' is the new and less brutal way of saying fractious. A Swedish song being played on the end of day radio. It manages to be both mysterious and beautiful :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1FW3xtQs4U

For the last three days we've also had glorious salmon pink dawns. We're not the only ones up early to watch the morning light show. The dog walkers are out in force this morning which means the beach is full of happy hounds. For a dog what can beat going for a walk, greeting friends, chasing balls and getting wet ? In the car park there are eight cars parked in a row with their tail gates up and their owners patiently toweling their mutts dry or combing out sand. The dogs all have that ' shall we go back and do that again ?' look.

We stop off at the Botanic Gardens for some plants for the gaps in the borders where the November winter winds killed off whatever was planted there. None of our tree peonies seem to have survived the cold. The botanic gardens are the best ( and cheapest ) place to buy good quality and unusual plants.

A sign on a noticeboard informing us that attempts are underway at reintroducing the Holly Blue Butterfly. I think I might have seen one last summer but didn't think of taking a picture. We have both downloaded the ap to be ready for any future sightings.

In town the souvenir shops are presenting a brave 'off season'  face to the world. We've not seen a single soul in any of them this whole week. I've said it every day since the start of the year but a small town of 15,000 can be very quiet with 10,000 of its population gone. 

Tennis balls :https://defector.com/has-the-tennis-ball-gotten-worse

Avian flu ... again :https://www.acsh.org/news/2025/01/16/how-close-are-we-avian-flu-outbreak-escalating-pandemic-49241

Well worth watching the video clip teaser of this remarkable and surprising movie. The parents of the boy with the degenerative disease thought he was unknown but when he died tributes poured in from around the world. Not hundreds but thousands of them. His body only had the strength to click on a mouse but he had built up a vibrant and nuanced online persona. This raises all sorts of interesting questions about what life and death mean in an age that's moving towards AGI virtual reality :https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/ibelin-release-date-trailer-news

Curlews and blizzard proof sleeping bags.

Lots of cormorants and curlews by the shoreline this morning. As we head down the path that takes us onto the beach 'Puppy' joins us. She's found an old plastic bottle that has been scoured and flattened by the tides. It makes an intriguing  'kerunch' noise every time she bites down on it. From the way she's holding it high this is clearly the best discovery Puppy has ever made. In spring time the path down to the bay is carpeted with wild primroses but there's no sign of them yet although there are buds appearing on some of the gorse shrubs. Puppy leaves us and heads off towards the green keepers hut on the local hotels golf course. I'm guessing the staff are having bacon sandwiches for breakfast. The green keepers ( and some of the golfers ) know Puppy well. Sometimes we see her being returned to the farmers house by one of the greenkeepers lads in a golf cart. She has taken to 'retrieving' golf balls from the rough. Some golfers find this endearing. Others don't.

The Asian supermarket doesn't open until 10. In the absence of students business must be slow.

The town remains very quiet. Angus enjoys complaining about the students when they're here but has nothing to mutter about when they're away. This morning I notice that pancakes with ice cream are one of the breakfast options in a restaurant that is a favourite with the university rugby players. This seems like a very sensible, and undoubtedly popular, breakfast option for the cast iron digestion of a 19 year old.

We go to the bookstore to start reading up on our trip with the Palo Alto gardeners/architects to the Zen gardens of Japans inland sea. The local bookstores Japan section is rather limited. I fear we shall have to revert to trying  Amazon. We booked the flights to Tokyo  yesterday. Qatar Airways out of Edinburgh to the Gulf was considered but there was a six hour connecting time to Tokyo. This  isn't long enough to check into a hotel but is too long to wait in an airport lounge after the eight hour first sector. We shall go with BA from Heathrow on their direct  9 am flight.

Looking inland there's snow on the two hills that mark the road south to Edinburgh. Is more cold weather on its way ?

Greenland :https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/01/10/greenland-and-the-coldest-war/

The agony of being Van Gogh :https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/the-terrible-loneliness-of-genius

The farmers wife comes to thank Angus for his donation of a case of Fiano di Avelino for the Hogmanay gathering. Does he perhaps have  a few bottle left over for Burns Night ? She tells us that her two eldest sons and the young New Zealand seaweed soap maker have signed up for this. Blizzard proof sleeping bags are required  :https://www.scottishislandspeaksrace.com/

The day surprises.

After the bitter cold of the last few weeks the weather has turned much milder. Right on cue the golfers have returned. There are three foursomes waiting patiently to tee off when we wander past the starters hut on our way down to the beach. ' You got any tips on how to play this course ? ' asks a gentleman who turns out to be from Charlotte, North Carolina and who works for a large American bank. He and his colleagues are here on a works outing. ' Got a great deal on airfares' we're told. He and his colleagues sing the praises of Delta into Heathrow. ' Great service' says the man. This phrase is then repeated by the others in case we're in any doubt as to how good it was. 

Away from the 1st tee town remains quiet.

I pick up the Kevin Rudd book on Xi Jinping from the bookstore and go to a lecture on  the coming German election. This could have been interesting but was delivered by an academic  speaker who has a delivery style that wasn't so much dry as arid. It can safely be said that the visiting academic does not approve of Elon Musks support for the right wing AfD party. Angus wonders how it is that people who are paid to lecture can be so bad at it. Guess in academia substance always beats style.

As we settle down in the evening to watch an episode of the the new series 'On Call' on Amazon Prime ( which we've been told to watch for its next generation photographic style  ) the power goes off. The power company ap can't give us any indication of when it will be restored. It seems to be impacting a lot of local postcodes. Power outages are rare but when they happen its usually down to something serious.

We decide to go into town for dinner. This is a mistake. Many of the local restaurants are taking their annual holiday while the students are away and tourists scarce.  Finally, we opt for the safety of the large hotel on the golf course which is always open.

Just our luck ! It turns out the hotel is using the slow period to upgrade the two restaurants on the top floor. The bar with a view onto the Old Course is open but they've done something with the furniture. There seems to be a lot of floor, little furniture and a dearth of customers. Two bar staff serve  - including us - a grand total of five guests.

While the renovation work is underway dinner service has been moved downstairs and  is being served in a conservatory on the ground floor. This turns out to be very white. In fact it's off-puttingly white. They can get us a table but there's a large group coming into one of the private rooms and the chef will be busy. Guess that will be the North Carolinian golfers we met earlier in the day.

Faced with the unforgiving decor we opt for a takeaway from the Indian in town and return home to the last wee house before Denmark where we dine by candle light. As we finish the power returns.

And that is what qualifies as excitement in a small town on the Scottish North Sea coast in January.

Architecture:https://www.construction-physics.com/p/why-skyscrapers-became-glass-boxes

Does spending ( a lot ) of money always generate good taste ? Romes latest hotel makes me doubt it :https://theromeocollection.com/en/

AI mistakes are weird :https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-mistakes-schneier

Flying cars almost a reality ? :https://www.sciencenews.org/article/flying-car-reality-technology

Longer days.

His Majestys Chief Inspector of Prisons is on the radio this morning with a  report that drones are being used to smuggle drugs and mobile phones to Category A prisoners in maximum security gaols. Drones are now so sophisticated that they can deliver contraband direct to designated cells: https://news.sky.com/story/use-of-drones-to-fly-weapons-into-prisons-has-become-a-threat-to-national-security-watchdog-warns-13288237  We listen to the report in 'whatever will they think of next ?' silence. 

The days getting noticeably longer now.  A month ago it was pitch dark at seven thirty in the morning. Now it's light - or at least an approximation of it -  when we head out of the front door at seven.  We're greeted by quite a sunrise this morning. From the depth of the colours swirling above us I'd guess that high overhead a warm front and a cold front are battling it out.

The Hebridean sheep grazing on the shore seem to be unbothered by the weather. By their standards the climate here must be absolutely balmy.

One of the shop fronts in town is being repainted. They've chosen a rather old fashioned green for the paintwork ... which works rather well. The shop still has those old fashioned window blinds that can be pulled down. I wonder if they'll renovate them ? Not so long ago all the shops had them. Now many have been ripped out.

A heron stands on the silt in the harbour and watches the world go by. A few ducks keep it company. Without the students  the place seems deserted. A fair proportion of the shops and cafes sensibly take their annual holidays between Christmas and the end of January when the new semester starts and the  youngsters return. This makes 'dining out' a challenge. Later today we shall drive back into town and pick up the copy of Kevin Rudds new book on Xi Jinping :https://thediplomat.com/2024/10/kevin-rudd-on-xi-jinping/

What an amazing voice. Tuesday mornings music on the car radio :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AK2-f_H3rY

This explanation pf what's happening in LA was concise :https://www.city-journal.org/article/la-wildfires-cause-california-risk

A Canadian thinks about Canada :https://jaymartin.substack.com/p/has-canada-become-a-jamaican-bobsled

Sculpted dogs and biblical admonitions.

Not a soul on the beach this morning. Last weeks bitter cold has given way to much milder weather. It's supposed to get up to 11 degrees this afternoon. We thought the Texan tenants might be moving into the wee house in town today but we've got the dates mixed up. They arrive next Monday and the new semester kicks off officially on the 27th. I am left wondering why academia, alone among the professions, has such long holidays.

At the art gallery a new dog sculpture has pride of place in the window. The dog sculptures seem to sell almost as quickly as the artist can create replacements. This latest sculpture has a plaintive look to it.

In the second hand bookstore next to the Gospel Hall Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' competes with a book on British teapots. The neighbouring Gospel Hall has a large, shop sized, plate glass window which has at some stage in the last century become home to a huge map of the world. A few edifying biblical texts have been written on blank postcards and sellotaped onto the spots where the map has become damaged or has been chewed by mice. We've never seen a light on in the Gospel Hall or indeed any sign of life. It could be deserted or possibly kept going by a small but invisible group of ageing believers waiting for the tide of faith to come sweeping back in. There's a hand stenciled sign to the side of the window with an arrow and the words ' Entrance this way'. Underneath in faded green letters is the rather forthright question ' Are you washed in the blood of the lamb ?' 

James Robertsons 'The Testament of Gideon Mack' is coming to the local theatre. That will make for an 'intense' evening of Presbyterian drama.

At the town church an 'easier' evenings entertainment is promised.

So starts another quiet week in a small seaside town on the North Sea.

Feeding birds in winter :https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/charity-to-the-outdoor-poor

This is what a London restaurant should look like :https://cinnamonclub.com/

Hidden in a back street in Edinburgh a building that's been forgotten :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtZK9wJFCD4

Soft fruit envy.

The fresh produce on offer in London supermarkets reminds us of France. Like country bumpkins we stand silently in the aisles marveling at things that rarely, if ever, make their way (unfrozen) North of the border. If anyone has heard of a good greengrocer in Scotland please let us know.

Some of the London pubs still have their decorations up. They manage to look positively welcoming in the long winter nights.

Despite the foul weather people are still sitting outside in the evenings. The advent of the patio heater has revolutionized dining in northern latitudes. During our trip we see some - maybe a dozen in total -  folks wearing face masks. The surging flu epidemic may explain why outside seating is popular again. We're both glad we had our flu and Covid shots two months ago.

A fun book on cheese spotted in Daunts the bookseller.

For our journey back ' The Font' reads Dead Cold by T F Muir. He is our local murder mystery writer. The latest novel involves a foul ending at the local 5 star hotel. To set a murder there is improbable but entertaining. 'The Font' considers it to be 'ideal reading for the journey ' which you can interpret as you wish. Angus reads The Great Transformation which has been recommended. For the first time he can make sense of Chinas cultural revolution. That is no small feat.

Driving back from the station on our way home  the view across the Old Course to the Royal and Ancient reminds us why we sold up in London and moved to a small town on a wind swept coast. The planets were all particularly bright last night. It must have had something to do with the cold air.

Plus ca change :https://scottsumner.substack.com/p/america-in-1929

Brain size and Quokkas :https://jonn.substack.com/p/a-brief-guide-to-the-different-sorts

Los Angeles:https://holliesmckay.substack.com/p/more-than-just-things-the-deep-ache

Face furniture.

As we get out of the cab we notice an unusual charity van parked on the street . It gets our attention .... and our approval.

In London there is more of that sort of  rain that really wants to be snow but settles for being sleet. Thankfully, it doesn't last long. The Methodist church near the hotel is a strange building with an ever so slightly too small tower stuck on a corner and a facade that looks more like a municipal building than a church. It is an architectural oddity.

The steak restaurant that doesn't take reservations has a queue of would be diners lined up outside. We expected the place to be busy in the summer when the weather's good but are surprised to find it popular with folks standing in the open air on a cold, drizzly night in January.

We pop into a pub for a drink and a chance to get out of the rain. The place has a buzzy Eurabia vibe. We know it's trendy because ' face furniture' is a thing. The barman has  a ring on his thumb, two other rings on the fingers of the same hand, a nose piercing and what appears to be a diamond in the cleft of his chin. There may have been ear rings but sometimes it's rude to stare. Fashion accessorized like this is rare in the coastal fringes of Fife. Angus is shocked at how much a pint of beer and a glass of wine costs in London. 'The Font' thinks Angus should get out more. The place soon fills up with young Danes in Helly Hansen jackets. An American couple of our age wander in and are delighted to find somewhere ' so English '. They settle on bar stools by the window where they maintain a happy running commentary on passers by.

We go to our usual Marylebone fish restaurant and order a bottle of wine that ( by London standards ) is a snip. Goes to show it is always worth reading the wine list carefully. There are always two or three bottles of something left that they want to shift. The restaurant is only half full. Early January is the time to visit if you want to avoid the crowds.

Having arrived in London hatless Angus is cajoled into buying some new headwear . He is told by the young lady sales assistant that his choice of bobble hat is 'smart'. A few piercings to go with it and he might pass for 'hip'.... or maybe not.

We have decided to go on the spring time Japanese inland sea cruise with the American archaeologists and gardeners. We shall go to Yokohama four days early to recover from the 14 hour flight from London. The cruise will be very Palo Alto. We are left wondering why there is one cabin left and why we will be the only non-Californians onboard.

Skills that your kids won't thank you for :https://quarter--mile.com/Traits-That-May-Cease-to-Be-Valuable

Hope for hedgehogs :https://reasonstobecheerful.world/hedgehog-highways-conservation-uk/?ref=thebrowser.com

A  little reminder that despite fears of global uniformity some small parts of the world remain defiantly themselves:https://youtu.be/5syjlpm5-wI?t=60