Easter in view.

It's back to being cold and windy. There's snow in the air and a layer of thick white frost on the car windscreen. This is the sort of weather that makes you pull down your hat to cover exposed ear lobes. We park by the harbour, say hello to the lady with two black labradors and climb the hill, passing the old medieval chapel as we go. The students surfers are notably absent this morning. It's too cold and blustery even for them. On our way back the little hybrids battery is completely empty by the time we make it to the crossroads. It does not like cold weather and the hefty  demands  the heater and the lights make on its limited resources. The ICE kicks in seamlessly.

A couple of sausage rolls, two pasties and some left over Valentines Day biscuits in  the bakers window. After Burns Night and Valentines Day he must be entering a fallow patch.

The Victoria Cafe, or 'Vic' as it's known to its exclusively student clientele has been repainted in a practical shade of dark grey. This is a place that stays open until the wee hours, has live bands, serves burgers and is the default destination for 19 year olds. Older residents pass by quickly and judgementally. The sign outside tells us it was originally founded as 'Miss Blairs Tea Rooms' in 1922. Miss Blair most certainly wouldn't recognize it - or its customers dress sense - today.

A Pancake Day display now waiting to lure shoppers at the supermarket. A gentle reminder that Easter , and warmer weather, can't be far behind. 

An old Welsh lullaby on the car radio as we drive back home. It dates back to the 7th century :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOHNu5V11bI

History:https://warontherocks.com/2025/02/the-51st-state-that-never-was-why-the-united-states-didnt-annex-canada/

This picture is being shown at the RSA in Edinburgh. It's beautiful but is it sad ? We may go down to see it when the weather improves:https://academiciansgallery.org/content/feature/302/artworks-22528-derrick-guild-rsa-mimic-no1/

Don't forget the impact of pollution :https://www.sciencealert.com/lung-cancer-is-rising-in-non-smokers-and-this-could-be-why

Humorous hats.

The lady tasked with setting out the daily newspapers on the racks in the supermarket glances at the headlines then greets me with a cheery ' It's a crazy world'.  You couldn't phrase it more succinctly if you tried.

The students are approaching life with a touch of humour. These hats are now appearing around town :https://canadaisnotforsalehat.ca/products/le-canada-nest-pas-a-vendre  They make me chuckle . 

To the dentist to set up an appointment with the hygienist. The dentists reception area is decorated in a tone of grey that is presumably designed to calm any nervous patient. I'm not sure grey works in the Scottish climate. On a cloudy morning there's little, if any, difference between the colour outside and that inside. Surprisingly, the hygienist can see me later this week. This dentist advertises itself as being 'pain free'. The other dentist in town sets itself apart as having the 'sharpest needles' .

A sign in the car park of the farm shop informs us that the EV charging points are out of action .'We are in discussion with Tesla regarding a more meaningful charging offering' it says. There's something about the language that hints the discussion will go on for some time ... possibly forever. I'm left wondering what a 'more meaningful charging offering' might mean. 

Angus pops into the barber to see the Syrian gentlemen about a haircut. I arrange to see them at ten. The Syrian barbers display photographs of possible hair styles on their walls ( including one that looks just like Kim Jong-un with a perm ) although the default style always seems to be a sternly military short back and sides. The Syrian gentlemen have recently installed a row of television screens that play jaunty Middle Eastern pop videos over and over.

The idea of paying a driver to take you to see their mother strikes me as bizarre- as do some of the other tips. There are parts of the world where gatecrashing a wedding would be ill advised : https://kk.org/thetechnium/50-years-of-travel-tips/

It would seem the students swimming in the salt water pool this morning have read this :https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/cold-shock-from-ice-baths-leads-to-stronger-cells/

Taking the hint.

It's now getting lighter and brighter in the mornings. We're fast heading towards the long days of summer. The lilac trees in the garden have survived the winter winds and are showing the first signs of life. Today, the weak sunshine has brought out the dog owners who stroll along the beach with their happy companions darting here, there, and everywhere.

We laugh at one particularly frisky fellow who has developed the knack of dropping the ball in the water and then waiting for his mistress to come and pick it up.

There comes a stage where the owner tires of getting her feet wet and decides enough is enough. She ignores him and he is left to stare at the ball and wonder why humans can't pick up on the most basic of hints. 

Venison Wellington in the butchers . These have, we're told by the butcher, been a big hit on Valentines Day.

The fancy ladies outfitters near the bookstore has a new window display. The laughing girl and the camel poster in the window has been replaced by something that we guess is probably Mexican. It most certainly isn't from around here.

Dog alert:https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-found-the-best-way-to-get-your-dogs-attention

The fate of Rome:https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/romes-miserable-fate

Free daffodils.

Lots of student runners on the beach this morning. 

A couple of Korean golfers teeing off outside the Royal and Ancient clubhouse. If you want to play a round on the Old Course come here in February when the wind whipping off the North Sea deters any but the most ardent devotees of the sport.

Heart shaped 'Valentine' fudge donuts in the bakers window. These have proven to be wildly successful with the student population. Yesterday, the bakers had sold out by mid-morning . Not one, but two, extra batches were needed.

Down by the bandstand we glimpse two amorous teddy bears in the window of a student flat.

The supermarket is selling daffodils for £1 a bunch. Because I've spent more than £30 a bunch is provided 'gratis'.

The world may be turbulent but you wouldn't know it in this small town on the North Sea.

How lucky we are. Best writing of the year so far ? A brilliant reminder of what society is all about. The introduction here :https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/we-live-like-royalty-and-dont-know-it  and the wonders of Breakfast here :https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/how-agriculture-system-works

That Bowery concert :https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/paul-mccartney-live-review-bowery-ballroom/

Rewriting history :https://www.reuters.com/science/jurassic-fossil-china-rewrites-history-bird-evolution-2025-02-12/

A friend of Herod.

I'm reading 'A Noble Ruin' which is a history of Early Rome. It's written by a New Zealand Professor who teaches in Wellington ( why I find this surprising I don't know )  and is a wonderful antidote to the daily news cycle. Whoever knew that Marc Antony ( of Cleopatra fame ) was a friend of Herod ? By the time I've finished two or three paragraphs the name Pete Hegseth has completely gone from my mind.

We had thought of getting in the car and driving here : https://www.thetaybank.co.uk/ for lunch but the weather's cold and the thought of travelling an hour north to somewhere even colder makes us rethink our plans. We'll wait for the climate to warm up a bit.

Instead we head south to the next town along the coast to the shop that sells the best dressed crab.

The weather brightens up and we join a tour of the new college site in St Andrews. This used to be the High School before it was recently moved to a new build on the outskirts of town. The university has understood that any organization that wants to gain planning permission in St Andrews is well advised to get the retired locals  firmly onside. Retirees have time on their hands, an aversion to change and an enthusiasm for letting the planning authorities know what they think.

The architect says that the courtyard is to be glazed over. This elicits cries of ' What a shame ' and ' You can't do that ' .  The architect quickly adds that it will become a large, heated, cafe where students and townsfolk can mingle. The thought of somewhere else to have coffee has a remarkable effect on the attendees views. The zeitgeist goes from from abject disapproval to enthusiastic backing before you can say ' Make mine a Latte'.

A planning application for its repurposing as a university building will be made after public consultations ( of which this tour is the first of many ) and work is due to start next year. When upgraded it will be a fine addition to the townscape.

North Sea music . Heard ( and sung well ) at yesterdays music centre concert :https://youtu.be/kxTghSZupv8

Be careful where you buy your chicken :https://www.acsh.org/news/2025/02/12/high-cost-cheap-chicken-49301

Flying to Tokyo has improved in 70 years :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMSxobFK_mY

Huge:https://www.newsweek.com/quipu-superstructure-universe-cosmos-astrophysics-2029693

80 years ago this week. What a long way we've come  :https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/the-beautiful-rebirth-of-dresden

Unusual working practices - for Scotland.

We head off for dinner in the modern sea food restaurant built right on the sea. The hotel that's being renovated on the street behind it is ablaze with light. Builders and fitters are hard at work 24/7 to get the place ready for its opening next month. This is unusual. Workmen in  Scotland tend not to beaver away day and night. The overtime rates must be on the sinful side of good. A pile of mattresses on the pavement tells us that the builders focus has shifted to getting the bedrooms ready. Everything looks very welcoming although the brass coaching lamps on the bar steps may prove to be impractical in the salt laden sea air.

'The Font' now goes to the daily concert in the music centre. Yesterday, there was a performance for harpsichord and a rare, small, type of Italian organ. Today, it will be Peruvian revolutionary songs and their American evangelical influence. Many of the concerts are a delight. Others are rather more 'specialist'. 

The Valentines Day cake production line is now in overdrive. At the bakers trays of the pale lemon heart shaped sponges with the word 'Love '  piped on top are waiting to be bought. It would seem there's nothing like an iced  heart shaped sponge to smooth the path of young love.

The Strawberry Danish output is also roaring along although the end product has the look of something from a Freddy Kruger movie.

Despite the Arctic conditions the ice cream shop is also getting ready for the big day. The small cart has been brought out of storage and stands ready to woo passing lovers into buying something suitably amorous.

Back out on the coast we return to the courtyard to see three deer again sheltering from the East wind in the field that leads down to the sea.

So starts a brisk Thursday morning in a small, sleepy town on the North Sea.

This mornings BBC car radio music :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1GuPhZRR-E

The guru of parking meters :https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/the-prophet-of-parking

One of the 'Manhattanites' points me to this as an optimistic take :https://x.com/dilanesper/status/1889448333854515430

So Trump is to meet Putin in Saudi Arabia and the European allies didn't even know they'd been talking. 'The Font', who usually loathes anything geo-political, reads this over breakfast and says it's the best thing on the subject . This is high praise indeed :https://www.aei.org/op-eds/historys-revenge-america-faces-the-new-eurasian-threat/

What is a Smash-mouth ?

On the radio this morning they're interviewing  a lady in New York about  Vice President Vance and his speech to an AI conference in Paris. Despite his cogency she says he gave the impression of being a  'smash-mouth'. This is a word neither of us has ever heard before. A quick Google search shows that it's an American word designating "a style of football characterized by rough, aggressive play and, typically, strong offensive rushing". 

The weather remains 'blustery'. This is another way of saying awful. Our local deer are again nestling in the shelter of the stone walls to avoid the wind ... and the sleet.  The beach rangers are up early. They're expecting high tides and are concerned about the birds nesting in the sand dunes at the start of the mating season.

Here in town Valentines Day beckons. The bakers window displays heart shaped sponges with 'Love' piped in large red letters across them. A restaurant  bill board  promises  ' Magical Valentines Dinner. 3 courses and half bottle of wine ( per table ) for £20. Booking essential '.  Angus wonders what exactly you can get for £20 these days and whether it would justify the term 'magical'. The lady in the florist is cheerful and busy although the students tend to buy their flowers in Sainsbury's.

To get out of the wind I pop into the fancy art gallery. They're setting up a new exhibition. A small oil in a deep, dark, frame is considered.

You know the art gallery is 'fancy' because it has a chair with a cushion. I've never seen anyone sit in an art gallery chair but you can imagine international collectors using it to  ponder the canvases on offer before making a careful and leisurely choice.

There is another dog statue.

After the art gallery there's time to wander down to the book store. The bookstore always has a selection of books that are unmistakably British.

Having lived in France I'd agree with this :https://x.com/AHVanBuskirk/status/1888051029595324859

Aztec death whistles. The things you learn :https://peterfrankopan.substack.com/p/aztec-death-whistles

The miracle of the Gulls:https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/the-miracle-of-the-gulls

Thank you to the BBC for introducing us to todays 'remarkable' person of interest - Buddy Carter - who comes from Georgia and is a Congressman :https://buddycarter.house.gov/uploadedfiles/redwhitebluelandact.pdf