The leaves fall.

It's suddenly darker in the mornings. It's also colder and wetter. Overnight the leaves on the trees in town have started to fall. The lines between the parking spaces completely covered in a carpet of orange and red. It's as though someone has flipped a switch.

The Halloween window display in the outfitters window more upmarket than the ones you usually see.

A poster in the window informs us that Greggs will soon unveil their Festive chicken bake. This is somewhat deceptively oddly advertised with two alarmed looking turkeys rather than chickens. At this time in the morning Greggs is busy with local painters and roofers buying sausage rolls. In an hour or so the clientele shifts towards students on their way to nine am lectures. Town and gown run parallel lives.

The local paper informs us that prices at the local cattle auction were 'reasonable'. Logie Lochnagar may or may not agree. How quaint that livestock auction prices are still quoted in guineas.

A busy night in the skies overhead. This morning the postman tells us that the local airbase is crammed with fighter jets. Seems we're sending aircraft and advisors to help the Saudis. It looks as if the Iran thing may suddenly kick off again. As the postman drives away  a couple of those large RAF cargo planes appear and start a long slow lumbering descent over the bay. 

The farmer is bringing in the hay bales from the field by the heron pond. There's nearly 300 of them needing to be shipped to a farm on the Borders where there's a shortage of winter cattle feed. He's getting £100 a bale which makes it a profitable days work. A fleet of large flat beds from a haulier in Hawick are already waiting, engines running, by the potato barns. 

A shrinking Iran :https://x.com/sinatoossi/status/2112198648909939173?s=46&t=fSypFxt84bBHId-do9r5Ag

Self driving cars :https://www.acsh.org/news/2026/10/16/why-are-trial-lawyers-afraid-self-driving-cars-50394

'The Font' tries to engage me in a discussion of this article. The conversation is brief and one sided :https://www.quantamagazine.org/ai-proved-the-quasi-riemann-hypothesis-what-happens-now-20261019/

Female 'intelligence'.

Watchful eyes down on the beach. Not one but two HM Coastguard vehicles are on duty to ensure that any youthful high jinks are 'safe'. A couple of young Canadians have been celebrating the Alberta referendum results and despite being right royally inebriated are chatting amiably with the search and rescue team.

Some of the rugby team are keen to demonstrate their alpha male DNA. A few  plunge into the waves . Others pause  at that dangerous moment when the sea covers their knees. Yet others stop and turn around and head back to dry land as the freezing water makes itself felt. America's Secretary of War would most certainly not approve of their European wimpishness.  A group of enthusiastic young ladies cheer the lads on from the warmth of the foreshore. Oddly none of the female students seem keen to join the rugby players in the water. This may say something about the relative 'intelligence' of the sexes.

Party day costumes ....

.... much in evidence.

We were late getting back from the beach. By the time we made it into town the foam fight was already underway.

The presence of TV cameras and large tour groups indicate that this quaint little ceremony has been discovered by ' influencers ' :https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/oct/19/st-andrews-university-scotland-students-raisin-monday-foam-war

Party season over St Andrews now moves into hibernatory mode. Parking will be easy, dinner reservations become a doddle , the Christmas lights go up and the youngsters ( some of whom have become party animals ) remember that end of semester exams are a mere seven weeks away.

Hidden gems. Finlands 'national' painting :https://news.artnet.com/art-world/why-this-cryptic-masterpiece-became-a-touchstone-of-finnish-culture-2674602

3 child families in decline ( apart from in the 1% ) :https://newsletter.mikekonczal.com/p/what-distinguishes-the-1-from-the

More Norwegian research on esoteric subjects. Poisoned rats :https://www.sciencenorway.no/animal-kingdom-pests-society/researcher-this-is-the-only-way-to-get-rid-of-rats/2721624

Vampiric birds :https://www.popsci.com/science/vampire-bird-finch-galapagos/

One of my favourite Scottish journalists pithy take on things :https://x.com/alexmassie/status/2111924133713920397

Party time

 'They' are up and about early. It's an old medieval holiday designed to let students go off and buy raisins to see them through the long dark winters. In the 1400's it was a matter of holding off scurvy and having something to tart up the blandness of your oats. Today it's become an excuse for the town to become one vast fancy dress party. 

Down on the small beach there must be five or six hundred youngsters. There's probably three times that number on the bigger beach by the Old Course. Their  shrieks and Walrus like bellowings can be heard from the far end of town. 

Dog owners gawp at the partying youngsters. To the students anyone over the advanced age of 25 is somehow invisible. By this I mean not just invisible but completely invisible. They are at that glorious and unrepeatable stage in life where they're immortal and the universe revolves around them. Let them enjoy it . 

A string of makeshift bonfires line the sand and attract those suffering from North Sea exposure. Other students find even more 'intuitive' ways to keep warm. H M Coastguard, prudently, have two trucks keeping an eye on things.

Later today there will be more parties and an enormous foam fight on the grass behind the Quad. First years think this is exciting. Older students view it with the special form of institutional disdain that a year or twos seniority can bestow. In this respect it's no different from the Navy - although foam fights are less common there.

Back out here in the village it's calm. On our way home we see the body of a young deer lying by the roadside. It's been hit by a car at the spot where the 40 mph speed limit changes to 60. This is sad as we've seen the deer and a sibling in the wheat field by the house for the last couple of weeks. This morning the surviving adolescent is looking lonely and forlorn as it grazes between the haystacks.

The weather, as you can see, continues to be perfect . The lack of cloud cover has one downside. It is nippy. Barely 2C this morning.

There's something old fashionedly charming in this U Nebraska video :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BriW_TVTDY

You could have asked this question at anytime in the last 30 years :https://unherd.com/2026/10/is-france-about-to-default/?edition=us

A bartenders view of the world :https://www.insidehook.com/cocktails/bartender-your-drink-order-says-you

Yesterdays sermon topic could be read at least two ways :

Deeply reassuring.

It's the RSPB's annual golden plover census and bird watchers from far and wide have been out and about counting our local population. The first twitchers arrive just before seven. Around their necks they carry improbably large binoculars and cameras with enormous zoom lenses. Backpacks hide thermoses full of hot coffee and Greggs sausage rolls. The more ardent have small fold up aluminium chairs:https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/golden-plover. In a world bordering on madness the knowledge that there are people who care enough get up pre-dawn to watch over small waders is somehow deeply reassuring. One man tells me they are the 'most spiritual of birds ' which is a rather more profound turn to the conversation than I'd anticipated. He goes on to say that the wild tundra by the heron pond is home to species that he doesn't see anywhere else. This years westerly winds have brought in some unexpected visitors from Canada.

The weather's turned colder. 1.5C this morning which is cold enough to deter all but the most ardent young lovers from a post party dip in the North Sea. The supermarket has salted the car park in case of ice which is another of those little signs that the year is racing on as is the first winter frost on the little cars windscreen.

In Glasgow the schools are on half term and the town is already filling up with young families here for the weekend. The ice cream shop by the cathedral has some determined six year old breakfast time customers who are enjoying themselves under the watchful eyes of adoring grandparents.

The university groundsmen have given the lawn by the chapel a very formal trim in readiness for Raisin Monday. I would say this is peak party season but a moments reflection tells me that there's half a dozen student party hot spots scattered across the year.

From the Royal and Ancient club house patio there's a grand view across the links to the beach.

We head home up the hill and past the Martyrs Monument . This serves as a  reminder that this quiet little town was once the centre of wild and violent passions. It's 16th century Taliban moment.  Experience has taught it that good order, bordering on the boring, is vastly under rated.

The Zurbaran exhibition at the Louvre :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRCpY7ZpzDE

Glass bottomed boats I can live with but glass bottomed airships ? :https://oceanskycruises.com/

Stupidity. Reading this mornings papers I come to the conclusion there's something in this :https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/about-thinking/202610/stupidity-threatens-everything

How China became rich :https://substack.com/home/post/p-220276296

The Barbara Cartland cook book :https://substack.com/@thecandlestickreview/note/c-360648917

Our local American professor writes an update. Not sure this is going to do much for Tesla sales in this part of the world:https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/weekend-update-207-the-us-russia

Patient detectorists.

The October weather remains remarkably bright. I'd like to say it was mild but the brisk wind says otherwise. It is however dry - exceedingly dry. The farmer tells us the water content of the soil is the lowest he's ever known. Without rain the wheat and barley seeds he's waiting to plant will fail to take root. I could be wrong but I think this is a conversation we have every year. He also informs us that his fertilizer costs have risen by 26% since the start of the Iran war. ' That's nothing compared with the price of diesel' he adds ominously. His daughter has announced that she will be going to Jackson Hole to spend Christmas with the tall American. He is not at all sure about this.

The detectorists are busy on the beach. We wonder if they ever find anything. There are two of them and they progress slowly along the shoreline. Only once in four years have we seen them pause and dig a hole in the sand to unearth something. They seem to live in eternal hope that the tide will bring in great riches. As hobbies go being a detectorist may be boring but does provide exercise and exposure to lots of fresh air. 

Some truly alarming 'ink cap' mushrooms sprouting in the grass  by the sheep field. The word 'supturating' springs to mind but is, thankfully, soon forgotten.

Uninspiring pumpkins for sale at the farm shop. All across town Halloween party season is about to kick into top gear. Driving home late last night we observed that the four feral medical students with the skeleton in their window have installed strobe lights.

The angle of the flag on top of  the town hall tells you just how 'bracing' the wind is this morning.

'Celebrity Traitors' is proving to be a hit on television. In fact it's a programme that seems to be popular with all generations and demographics. In Starbucks this morning four ladies are busy discussing last nights events. Jerry Hall is a favourite.  I'd wager that no series has been this popular since the 60's or 70's. This past week was also memorable for introducing the world to Katie Zacharia who appeared on our screens and then just as quickly left them. You have to wonder why someone who wanted to be a press secretary should have had such little understanding of the press and its workings ? The BBC tells us she believes in a conspiracy theory involving Democrats, children and pizza toppings but halfway through the segment my eyes have glazed over.

Which animal are you : https://miniphilosophy.substack.com/p/be-more-elephant-but-be-less-cat

Found in a forest in China :https://gizmodo.com/meet-d-rex-the-monster-fungus-born-in-the-wake-of-the-dinosaur-apocalypse-2000826489

The wee house in town is decorated in noughties era grays. This may be an alternative for the next once a decade makeover :https://www.littlegreene.com/bassoon

Strangest story of the week ? :https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw8rzpl1ldkdo

Wine and apple crumble.

Now the Dunhill and Collegiate golf tournaments are over the town is fast emptying out. The tents and marquees are coming down, the television camera crews have gone and the hotels and restaurants have 'availability'. In the post this morning we receive an invitation to a dinner to be held in the R&A in April 2027. This comes as a surprise. Some people clearly like to plan well ahead.

Thursday was a day spent organizing the wine cellar in readiness for Christmas. In the process some solitary bottles are found. Where these lost delights were bought is a mystery. Most of the wine we brought with us from France has sadly now been drunk. This Pernand is one of the last hold outs. It was opened at lunchtime to give it six hours to breathe. Over dinner we agree it was 'more than acceptable '. It pains me to say that wine is a good 40% cheaper in France. The unforgiving Northerly climate here means wine has to be given plenty of time to ' s'epanouir '. 

At the bakers two apple crumble tarts are bought. These turn out to be large and extremely filling. French visitors seem bemused by Scottish bakers. American golfers by contrast love the sturdy sugar rush on offer.

In France these cream towers would be called religieuse. There the similarity ends.

'The Font' picks up the last of the strawberries from the farm by the round about. They remain delicious to the end. The supermarket may sell  English berries for the next couple of weeks but after that it's back to the woody  imports from greenhouses in the Netherlands. That's when we stop buying them.

Two Westies at Starbucks this morning. Shortly after this picture was taken they each got a tub of whipped cream. High degrees of enthusiasm and joy were intermingled as they licked up every last drop.

Tonight the students traditional mid-semester parties kick off. They will continue pretty much without a break until Monday :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIxhfkBMt24  The 18 year olds love foam fights but for those of advancing years it seems to be the sort of behaviour you' might expect to find in a Waco cult. How dare they be enjoying themselves so much and so innocently ? 

These were written up in yesterdays New York Times :https://www.dogster.com/dog-breeds/mcnab/

A Dutch Stonehenge:https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/stonehenge-in-netherlands-rep/

Written by a brilliant guy at Salk in San Diego and worth reading:https://erictopol.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-two-t-cells

An important election that seems impossible to predict :https://www.timesofisrael.com/small-parties-hovering-around-minimum-vote-threshold-could-determine-israels-election/

This pretty much sums up the turning point we've reached. Oil over allies :https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/10/the-russia-diesel-deal-is-a-strategic-mistake/

Gusty conditions.

First light. The postman delivers no less than four Christmas catalogues. You'd think the internet would make these a thing of the past but their numbers seem to increase with each passing year.

The weather wasn't great for the last day of the student golf tournament but the rain held off and it was a mild 17C.  The team from the University of Texas had a different understanding of 'mild' and were layered up for Arctic conditions. They won :https://www.golfchannel.com/ncaa/news/texas-sweeps-titles-over-valiant-host-team-at-st-andrews-links-collegiate

A word of praise for the cameraman on top of his gantry. I wouldn't want to be on top of a small swaying platform in 40 mph winds.

Down on the beach a young couple decide to go for a dip in the North Sea. They hurtle across the sand, rush into the waves and then, just as quickly, return. Considering that they're supposedly some of the brightest minds around you'd think the youngsters might have thought of bringing a towel.....or some dry underwear. Their dripping, gritty predicament only hits home when they're safely back on the cold, windy shore.

Someone has sensibly decided to turn down the water pressure in the recently ( and well ) restored fountain. The strong wind was carrying the water from the jets towards unsuspecting passers by. It now gurgles rather gushes.

The baker has shifted from golf 'treats' towards full on Halloween mode. Ghoulish viennoiserie appear in the window. Next week is a revision week so the town is getting battened down in readiness for the start of full on party season. 'Revision' is the last thing the students will do. We watch in horror as a local supermarket delivers packs of beer to the four feral boys in the student flat further down the road . We're both quietly glad they're not our immediate neighbours.

Over dinner someone describes this man as Swedens Frank Sinatra  :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4Lxh6A0aDA

Ancient cooking techniques :https://www.thetakeout.com/2277594/ancient-cooking-methods-lost-history/

A legalistic view ? :https://www.justsecurity.org/160425/fueling-russias-war-diesel-deal-international-law/

Chinas population may be smaller than imagined :https://chinareview.org/files/asset-57a85d198e7d486d8ff87b69e7c3cf80