Isn't life grand ?

Seven o'clock on a March Monday morning. It's blustery but bright. The swans are returning and heading North. We watch three groups fly low across the estuary towards their summer feeding grounds further up the coast. They're close enough for us to see the orange on their beaks. Two of the groups have twelve birds, the third ten. Their wings make that other worldly whoop whoop sound as they pass over us. How beautiful and stately they look.

In the far distance we see the farmers wife out walking the dogs. Moments later 'Puppy' appears. She's found an old potato that has become her pride and enjoy. She's keen to show it to us.

Soon afterwards elder sister and black spaniel arrive. Black spaniel trips over his feet and goes head over heels.

All three dogs then go round in circles chasing  each other . Some time later the farmers wife shows up. She's been calling for the dogs to join her but they've all gone down with a case of selective deafness.  Thankfully, she doesn't raise the question of the World cup. Nor do we.

Puppy, oblivious to human concerns, continues to proudly display the potato she's found. Isn't life grand ?

The university gardeners have been busy. The flower boxes outside the administration buildings are planted out and looking very festive and spring like in time for Easter.

Taking the leaves off strawberries :https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2033166324374110239

Atlanta :https://x.com/adamwren/status/2033298422678143307

The cost of building an Iranian drone :https://www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/cost-of-a-shahed/

Water and sanitation in the third world. More involving than the title would suggest :https://substack.com/home/post/p-188824185

A walk in the wind :https://sketchplanations.substack.com/p/uitwaaien

The stomach as the second mind :https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1119811

Is this a great place to live ... or not ? :https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/the-influencer-bubble-can-content-creators-continue-to-airbrush-the-gulf/

Guitar :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzjeU7pvINI

Limitless energy.

No prizes for what's leading the news this morning. 'Confusion' might be the politest way of summarizing what's going on. Some of the European and Asian politicians being interviewed are markedly less polite in their description of unfolding events :https://www.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2026/03/14/a-week-is-a-long-time-in-politics-and-war/

Today the weather is calm and sunny. In fact the air's warm enough to make you believe you're not in Scotland but somewhere exotic like Kiawah.

Yesterday, the Old Course was borderline hectic for the first time this year. The cold weather has been a deterrent. We pass a long line of visitors chatting amicably while they wait to tee off. From their pristine golf wear I'd reckon they're London based surgeons and barristers squeezing in a round or two while they visit their offspring.  In amongst them we notice our informally attired local builder and his mates from the village. They are utilizing their time honoured right as locals to play the course. Their bobble hatted Presbyterian egalitarianism makes us laugh. 

The students are also out in force. For a moment we think they're up early but it's soon apparent they're winding down after yesterdays revelries. There were three outstanding rugby matches played on Saturday afternoon so the local hostelries were well frequented from noon to late. Scotland were beaten by Ireland.

Last night there was an 'Oktoberfest'. This is some sort of fancy dress event where the lads wear lederhosen and the girls dirndls. It starts late and is only winding up now.  Angus can't help but think that for a whole host of reasons lederhosen rank right up there with the kilt for the most impractical male attire ever invented.

I find I'm rather jealous of youngsters with energy levels that don't peter out around midnight. At the coffee shops early rising locals studiously ignore the bizarre Bavarian look of the youngsters.

Remember bank tellers ? :https://davidoks.blog/p/why-the-atm-didnt-kill-bank-teller

I have not shown this article to the farmers wife - or her football mad sons :https://newrepublic.com/article/207273/trump-2026-world-cup-chaos  Is this sour grapes or is there some substance to the story ? Will a group of teenage lads even notice ?

Dog people  and Crufts:https://observer.co.uk/style/features/article/among-the-dog-people-at-crufts

It's been talked about over the last couple of weeks but Cuba makes its first mainstream appearance here thanks to our local Professor :https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/phillips-obrien-on-iran

France beat England 48-46 in one of the most exciting Six Nations games ever. This unusual Marseillaise is a reminder that alone among all the nations of the world only the French know the words of every verse of their national anthem :https://x.com/Valen10Francois/status/2031325300701704347

Unchanged and unchanging.

The forecast says it's 9 degrees but adds that in the wind it will feel more like - 2. This may explain why on the walk down to the old Course we don't pass another soul.

For some students final exams - and the end of their time here - is drawing close. The new timetable has just been published and the exam season kicks off on May 9th and finishes on May 23rd.  To think we're coming to the end of the semester is a bit of a shock. It only seems like yesterday that things kicked off. We've started to see bikes for sale. Life moves on and the encumbrances of undergraduate life are being auctioned off.

A rather fun stained glass window with local scenes is for sale in an art shop.

The Baptist ladies have been busy. For Easter an embroidered - and rather modernistic - panel has appeared at the front door of the church. Angus wonders how it will stand up to the rain. Perhaps they'll take it in to dry out at night ?

Last night 'The Font' goes to an Arvo Part concert. Angus heads to a 'things are getting worse and that's before the Russians create mischief' lecture on Iran. 'The Font' made the better choice. The quality of the singing at the concert was, I'm told, out of this world :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHe2FDlHHa8  Afterwards we stop off for a glass of wine at the pub which is full of  locals and students. Until we arrived I'd guess the average age of the customers was low 20's. Our arrival probably nudged it closer to 30.

From the way the front window has been decorated I'd reckon this flat belongs to female students.

Snowdrops, flocking larks, boxing hares and now students who ignore the 'Keep off the grass' signs. Spring is well and truly here. The routines of life in a small Scottish town remain unchanged and unchanging.

May it fall further :https://gizmodo.com/americas-smoking-habit-just-hit-a-wild-milestone-that-once-seemed-impossible-2000732807

El Nino on the way. Be prepared :https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/the-el-nino-cometh

A lot to get ones head around in this :https://aeon.co/essays/de-extinction-is-redefining-what-it-means-to-be-alive

Coming from the most 'establishment; of journals I'd expected this to be ultra orthodox but it's actually quite independent in its thinking. I'm guessing the warnings were given but not listened to :https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2026/march/coercion-catalysis-and-iran-campaign

Perhaps not the best photo ever but certainly way up there in the pantheon of greats :https://x.com/jones_mog/status/2032126133076955331

Has anyone tasted Chinese wine ? :https://rachelgouk.com/a-guide-to-chinese-wine-at-cila-in-shanghai/

Three holidays at once.

The good news is that the host of the six am radio broadcast seems to have dropped his doom and gloom voice for something different. The bad news is that he's now adopted an austere style reminiscent of a Presbyterian undertaker. Another couple of weeks like this and his tone will be positively apocalyptic. We turn to the light relief of the music on Radio 3.

The weather, which has been wonderful, reverts to form. It's extremely windy and the rain buckets down in a cold Scottish version of the monsoon. We skip the beach and opt for a quick walk around town hoping to catch one of those rare moments when the downpour eases . Scurrying back to the car we pop into the shelter of the bakers  for a wholemeal loaf. 

It's a busy time for them. Mothers Day, St. Patricks Day and Easter all converging. Even the best selling  fudge doughnuts have been repurposed and inscribed with the word 'Mum' and an uncharacteristically delicate small icing sugar flower. Closer examination shows that these flowers come in three colours.

We ( or more precisely Angus ) opt for two lime green St Patricks Day cupcakes.

To this is added two Easter chicks.

The Mothers Day cupcakes are rejected as being too outrageously floral. You need sunglasses just to look at them.

Over the last couple of days the bakers Hot Cross Buns have been given a 10/10 score by 'The Font'. No preservatives in these babies. Nestled quietly next to them on the shelf  is something called an Easter Bun. The lady behind the counter isn't keen on them. She thinks they're crunchy and bland and not nearly as good as the Hot Cross ones. There is something austere and evangelical about their look.

The hotels , which have been empty, are filling up with parents coming to visit their offspring for Mothers Day. The golf courses are busy with fathers determined to play the Old Course. I spot 3 Bentleys parked on the street outside the bookstore. Bentleys are a sure sign that London parents are here. Locals tend to less flashy and more affordable vehicles - Volvos or Hondas.

Home deliveries :https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/whos-really-ordering-all-that-doordash

The croissants here are said to be good. We'll be in Edinburgh next week so a report will follow  :https://www.lannanbakery.com/  Londoners might find the products here to be of French quality :https://www.maybourne.com/en/hotels/claridges/restaurants-bars/claridges-bakery

I didn't know it was :https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/11/why-is-buddhism-shrinking-worldwide/

Ear buds :https://theconversation.com/heres-why-you-might-want-to-clean-your-headphones-255590

A detour to the bookstore to pick up a copy of this :https://robertreich.substack.com/p/psst-my-book-available-in-the-uk  

Talk to allies ? :https://x.com/peterrough/status/2032431974804034028

Our martial land.

The large military helicopters seem to have gone but the fighter jets continue to fly in and out of the airbase on the other side of the estuary. They come in over the sea with their noses high and then with a roar of afterburners shoot up into the sky. They do this over and over and over. Our quiet little corner of the world suddenly seems to have become very martial. This morning the weather is bright but there's a cold 60 mph wind blowing in from the west. Heavy rain is forecast. You'd think the strong winds might deter the fliers but they don't.

The students reaction to events in the mid-east has been muted. Usually they feel passionately about world events. So far these are the only posters we've seen about Iran.

The chocolate shop in town is now focused on Easter Eggs. I pop in to see if they have any Dubai chocolate. They don't. They have pistachio and raspberry creams but the shop assistant kindly informs me that they're not not the same thing. 

At five minutes to nine the empty streets in town suddenly fill with thousands of students heading off to lectures. Five minutes later the streets are completely deserted again. The suddenness of this ebb and flow is borderline eerie.

Starbucks dog of the day. The dog clearly thinks the cup of cream foam is taking an inordinately long time to arrive. He looks as I feel after spending time with the insurance company.

The university gardeners have planted out the flower beds just in time for teenage frisbee players to leap all over them.

Life up here on the North Sea coast in March is quiet and predictable. Perhaps it's a sign of advancing years when orderliness becomes a virtue. The six am BBC radio Scotland news broadcast informs us that forecasters are saying the price of oil might hit $200 a barrel. There is a quiet recognition that the law of unintended consequences is in play. The Chicago man has a salutary update this morning :https://x.com/ProfessorPape/status/2031763552239817163

Some Scottish music with an attentive dog :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzYOvfmhV8&list=RDEMP_mdAbR9HfgSd2a7YFIBjg&index=25

Girl Guides know how to sell cookies :https://www.nj.com/food/2026/03/girl-scout-troop-sets-up-shop-at-weed-dispensary-cookies-are-in-high-demand.html

Talented bees :https://www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-know-how-bumblebee-queens-can-survive-underwater-for-days

The origins of sign language :https://theconversation.com/the-deaf-blacksmith-who-married-in-1576-and-the-history-of-sign-as-a-legal-language-276686

Demographic visual :https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-85-of-babies-in-2026-will-be-born-in-asia-and-africa/

Entertaining especially the insight into how German speakers used to outnumber English speakers 5 to 1 :https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/if-it-wasnt-for-us-youd-all-be-speaking

Boxing hares.

On our way down the farm track we spot what we think are three Corgis racing through the field.

A closer look and it turns out that the Corgis are three large and playful hares. When I say large I mean large. After a while they're joined by three more. We stop and watch them hurtle around the borders of the field. Sometimes they stand on their hind legs and box. Sometimes they launch themselves vertically in the air. Could there be any greater proof that Spring is here ?

The thousands of crows that have made the surrounding fields their home over the winter have gone. They were here at the start of the week but have suddenly gone.  Twenty or so remain. The resident rook that sits on the roof of the house has now returned and chats at length to us every time we walk through the front garden and down to the car. The return of the talkative rook is is a routine we're only now appreciating. He clearly views this to be every bit as much his home as it is ours. It's only now, as we enter our fourth year here, that we've come to recognize that this is the same bird who greets us every year. Perhaps he waits for the crows to go ?

Back up at ' the last wee house before Denmark ' we're joined by the farm dogs.

They've been down for a bath in the rock pool and have seen an otter. As far as the dogs are concerned this is the best start to a day they've ever known. The farmers wife has had to pick up the smaller dog by the scruff of her neck to 'encourage' her home. It goes without saying the otter had headed out to the safety of the offshore rocks and was completely unperturbed by the Jack Russells.

A little later, on the big sandy beach, we watch some large Chinook helicopters hovering low over the water.  They come in high then drop down to wave height and and go round and round in slow circuits. I guess its some sort of SAS drill. These large choppers have a deep thud thud thud sound to them that seems to go right through you. The bright start to the day looks as if it will soon be replaced by cloud and rain. By the time we make it to the car the wind has picked up and the temperatures have fallen.

Yesterday was spent producing more paperwork for the insurance company. They have now e-mailed to say they will review the claim within the next ten days. I fear that when it comes the term 'exclusionary clause' will appear in their reply .

The appendix. What does it do ? :https://theconversation.com/what-does-the-appendix-do-biologists-explain-the-complicated-evolution-of-this-inconvenient-organ-277012

Cabbages everywhere :https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/many-of-the-tastiest-vegetables-are

The answer to this question appears to be 'No' :https://connectsci.au/news/news-parent/7988/Could-a-daily-multivitamin-slow-biological-ageing

This is an interesting but perhaps not entirely convincing point of view :https://www.persuasion.community/p/shale-gas-might-have-tipped-trump

Upbeat ?

 

The news reader has an upbeat tone to his voice and  informs us that the American President thinks the war in Iran is almost over. Let's hope the Iranians ( and the Russians and Chinese ) agree with him. We have had heating oil delivered so that's a sure sign oil prices have hit a peak and will now start to come back down. The newsreader also calls the new Iranian leader a messianic extremist which is perhaps the polite BBC way of saying he's not a ray of sunshine.

Yesterday was spent collating documents that were then e-mailed to the insurance company. They reply wanting details of all our bank accounts to ensure we've not been reimbursed by another insurer and ask for proof that we've asked the airline if  they'll pay for the ' no show ' charge. Once they have these they will consider our claim. Dealing with insurance companies does not fill the heart with joy. It is the mental version of swimming through a sea of treacle.

The weather has gone back to being cloudy.

A group of scantily clad young women in red dresses are practising a dance routine in the chapel cloister. John Knox must be turning in his grave.

A 19 year old surfer alone with his thoughts on the beach. Perhaps he's also dealing with an insurance claim ?

Golfers now arriving in dribs and drabs. I guess there will be a slow build up and then a sudden  explosion of them as we head towards Easter. Parking remains easy. There have been no more sightings of the large group of American Wall Streeters dressed menacingly from head to toe in black.

Brewdog, the Scottish beer company, has gone into liquidation and then been bought by a US compnay. The local outlet has closed much to the dismay of the rugby team. We came across a Brewdog in Yokohama last year. It was empty. That was the first hint that the company had ill advisedly  'gone for growth'.

A new range of 'Mary Queen of Scots and the plague' memorabilia in the museum shop. These will almost certainly be a big hit with the students.

 

Surprising fact of the day. Usnavy is an unusual name  :https://x.com/MyLatinLife/status/2028597593563861194

This is the original :https://patowmackpacket.substack.com/p/have-you-seen-the-first-declaration

Change accelerating ? :https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/the-warming-trend-nearly-doubled-after-2014-the-rate-of-global-warming-has-accelerated-more-in-the-past-decade-than-ever-before

We have a lot of New Zealanders in the village. I'd always thought it was a Scots diaspora thing but maybe there's more to it ? :https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/06/world/new-zealand-australia-emigration-midlife-intl-hnk-dst?Date=20260307&Profile=CNN+International