A wedding and pruned roses.

Labour win the St.Pancras byelection. A month ago it looked as if the Greens would storm home in first place but the mood of the country has changed since the start of September. This is probably a good thing. 

Another bright start to the day. The October air full of the sound of Pink-footed geese arriving from Iceland. They come in groups of twenty or so, circle over the old bothy and then swoop down for breakfast and a rest in the parsnip field. At this time of the morning the rising sun paints their bellies golden. From here on the ground they look like waves of  small plump glowing angels heading towards us. This remarkable sight makes us both laugh aloud. By the castle four girl students wander down to the seawater pool but after a quick length they soon opt - at pace - to head back to the warmth of their dorms.  This also makes us laugh.

For the first time in seven months there's no early tour bus dropping off tourists at the cathedral for a comfort break. September used to mark the start of the off-season but this year demand has stayed strong for longer. I'm told Christmas and Hogmanay are already sold out in Edinburgh. This may have something to do with the strength of the dollar. The University of Pennsylvania alumni in town for the Collegiate championship have a preference for Preppy colours. Lime green trousers and red shirts are very much in evidence. 'The Font' calls this the human tulip look. 

In the neighbouring village there's a quiet, mid-week wedding underway. A third of the men are in kilts, a third in tartan trews and a third in suits. People have brought their dogs with them.

There can be no doubting you're in Scotland. The ladies wear long dresses which manage to combine formality with lots of primary colour. It's a happy and unpretentious affair of the sort the French would term as 'correcte'. A number of gentlemen wear those glasses with integrated hearing aids.  All of the kilts, I'm glad to report, are worn decorously at mid knee.

The military graves in the kirkyard are looking good. The roses have been pruned back for the winter and the grass verges trimmed straight. Bark has been laid to suppress the weeds.

A woman with a Sheltie passes by. As she approaches the Commonwealth War Graves she kisses the end of her fingers and then touches the top of each of the headstones. She lingers by the New Zealanders. We've seen her - and others - do this before. A small gesture to let these fallen , far from home, boys know they're not forgotten. Anywhere else I'd think this was unusual but in these Presbyterian heartlands it seems quite natural. Her Sheltie is used to this routine and heads off to drink from the bowl beneath the graveyard tap. Weather apart the differences between rural corners of France and Scotland are not as great as you'd imagine. Both have long memories for gratitude ...... and for slights.

A daily blog may not be exciting but over time it quietly tells you a lot about a place and its inhabitants.

Russians describe Trump as a 'cactus' :https://ecfr.eu/publication/bewitched-sleep-russians-views-on-ukraine-and-the-world/

People are still looking :https://www.dw.com/en/this-island-in-kiribati-could-be-the-key-to-solve-the-amelia-earhart-mystery/a-79517455

Tiny plants :https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/scientists-uncover-how-the-worlds-smallest-flowering-plant-became-so-tiny

How much ultra-processed food is bad for you ? :https://www.acsh.org/news/2026/10/07/two-cookie-problem-how-much-ultra-processed-food-too-much-50372

Intermingle.

At first light there's a group of thirty or so folk standing lined up facing the sea. They're here for the scattering of the ashes of the very small and very old lady with the Westie. We used to see her wandering slowly around town, followed three paces behind by her devoted companion. For the last six months she's been in the modern ( and supposedly very good ) care home out in the new development. The presence of a number of enthusiastic labradors who are keen to participate does not make the scattering of ashes as easy as it sounds. What more joyous or magical place can there be for farewells than the beach on a calm, sunny, October morning ? 

The sky may be bright but the wind is chilly. 6 degrees this morning. Those long padded coats have been brought out of storage and are now being worn by many beach walkers.

Others cope with the cold by doing hearty exercises. What is hearty exercise for humans barely registers with their dogs.

The walk back to the car via Waterstones reminds us that Scottish childhoods .....

.... are served by literature that deals with local issues.

The town is suddenly inundated with golfers. I'd assumed that after the Dunhill tournament that was it for the year. Seems the Collegiate championship is about to hit town. It is a much bigger deal than you'd expect. This year teams from Texas and Washington are joined by Pennsylvania  ( and of course St Andrews )  which may explain the large numbers of middle aged alumni who are happily wandering around waiting for the bars to open.

The English were once considered to be the most 'Catholic' of all nations. For those who know Rome you can still find the English College :https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-are-medieval-english-coins-doing-in-rome-they-could-be-rare-evidence-of-a-little-england-enclave-that-received-special-papal-privileges-180989625/

A question I've never asked myself :https://www.sciencenorway.no/culture-food-milk/why-dont-we-drink-pigs-milk/2718018

Reptilian language :https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2026/the-surprising-sounds-made-by-reptiles

Swedish bee  research :https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/honey-bee-colony-can-be-viewed-superorganism

Delays.

For some reason the flight down to London is delayed by four hours.  This might be down to fog but no one seems sure what the reason is. Angus is supposed to see his ' eye man ' but by the time I make it to central London he's had to head off to speak at a surgeons seminar in Monaco. We shall try to get together again in a month. The next time we'll go down the day before.

From the aircraft we get great views of Buckingham Palace and The City. The flight down, once it finally gets airborne, manages to cover the distance from Edinburgh to Heathrow in 39 minutes. This we think must be some form of record. There is an American gentleman who is not at all happy at being delayed and loudly declares that this sort of thing never happens on United. He also informs the staff that he's got a level of frequent flier membership that's so elevated the airline holds the flight for him if he's ever delayed. The lounge staff take this with a theatrical deference that he takes to be genuine.

'The Font' discovers a Scottish perfumier.

'The Font' also discovers that Mary Quant is still going and has an outlet with a 1970's era Carnaby Street feel to it. This Swedish farmstead look must be popular with a younger generation.

Peach yoghurts were one of the joys of living in France. In the UK when you do find them they're of the low fat variety with that unusual and unappealing metallic taste. The local supermarket in London has the real thing but the thought of getting them through airport security stops me from buying everything they have to offer. If you ask anyone in London if they ship to Scotland you are met with a look that says " the difficult we can do but the impossible we can't ". 

Ants to avoid :https://www.sciencenorway.no/animal-kingdom-insects-pest/you-dont-want-to-bring-these-ants-home-from-vacation/2714144

Evolving brains :https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-political-animal/202610/stone-age-brains-and-the-adapting-mind

A hidden tomb :https://theconversation.com/secret-chambers-in-tutankhamuns-tomb-could-hold-the-burial-of-a-lost-egyptian-queen-we-may-get-answers-soon-292973

Climate change dining.

The i-Pad doesn't want to talk to Blogger. There again it could be the British Airways WiFi. Whatever the reason todays blog has disappeared into the ether.

Tonight we're in London. Who would think it possible to be sitting having dinner outside in October ? You wouldn't want to do that in Scotland.

The price of strawberries in the trendy Swedish part of town is an eye opener.

A book for Christmas

Welcome to the season of spectacular sunrises. A time of the year when cold air from the Arctic battles warm air from the Azores with dramatic results. 

The four medical students who live in the flat near us in town have decorated their front window in readiness for Halloween. The pile of rugby balls has gone and been replaced by a wig wearing skeleton. The cigarette is a surprisingly artistic touch. It can safely be said that the lads are living life to the full. Their parties are surely 'epic'.

'The Font' picks up a book from the booksellers. It's been highly recommended. I think that it's going to be one of those 'yet another' coffee table type gardening books that is skimmed through and then put in a pile and forgotten.

In fact it's a remarkable tale of making a world class garden in Devon and then visiting, and falling deeply in love with, a Georgian house on a small island in the Orkneys. One of those " I'm meant to live here " moments. The serendipity of the tale is a joy. Serendipity is a little remarked on but important part of life. The chatelaine who waits for years until she's found the right buyer and then, contented the house is in safe hands, dies shortly after the sale is agreed. The battle of establishing a garden in a part of Scotland that's so windy no trees will grow . I'm not sure which chapter is more delightful. This book is alluring in its description of simple pleasures. If you're going to buy an escapist book this year then make it this one for the charm and warmth of the language.

Some of the pictures are heavy on candles and leave us wondering if the house in Orkney has electricity.

Last day of the tournament.

The days markedly shorter as we inch towards winter. Sunrise now comes at 7:20, sunset at 6:30. Last night there was a huge firework display on the beach by the golf course. Even from out here in the village it looked spectacular. It was the sort of display that says ' major golf tournament expensive '. I thought the pyrotechnics  might disturb the cormorants but they stood on their rocks in the bay drying their wings completely unperturbed by the bangs and flashes.This morning the sky towards the East is a dark roiling red. The deer, who head inland for the summer, have reappeared in the fields down towards the water. So far we've seen one group of three and a pair of extremely shy adolescents. 

Despite ' the red sky in the morning shepherds warning' start to the day the weather remains well behaved. The golfers can barely believe their luck.

In town a few lads are heading home after a night of serious partying. The stamina of teenagers is a thing of wonder.

Today is the day when the professional golfers take over the tournament. Helicopters have been busily bringing up the leading players from the airport in Edinburgh. Sensibly dressed golf enthusiasts are already out in force. Television masts sprout everywhere.

The lady at the strawberry farm thinks that she'll close up shop next weekend. The strawberries are getting smaller and smaller and filling the punnetts is becoming a chore. She isn't sure whether her last day will be Saturday or Sunday but from her attitude I guess it will be Saturday. The swallows which nest in the porch of her hut have long gone. The seasonal routines continue unchanged.

A pair of sneakers hanging from the telephone wires in the middle of town. There's a tree down by the dry cleaners covered in dozens of them. Disposing of sneakers like this must be one of those inexplicable teenage rites of passage.

This morning someone is practising this on the chapel organ  :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UW_R-1oSA8  Very autumnal.

Feng Shui :https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/pseudoscience-history/feng-shui-not-scientific-and-its-costing-us-lot-money

Education goes awry :https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/texas-cant-hide-from-climate-change

Robotic care is preferred :https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XTYykIQChKxz5cElCoeKJOjaNylgNOMb/view

Golfers and dogs.

It's taken a month but the little BMW has been repaired and delivered back to us and the large Ford Kuga has been picked up by the rental car company . I can report that parking in the narrow little car is so much easier .

Down on the beach there's a man with one of those pull along shopping bags which contains a thermos flask and a small mountain of cellophane wrapped sandwiches. He's setting up one of those old fashioned tripod mounted box cameras. It seems to require a lot of adjustment and keeps him engrossed in whatever he's doing. We say ' Good morning' but our arrival doesn't even register. 

There is something Celtic about this mornings sunrise.

It poured for a full hour late last night. Today, the drenched first tee is looking refreshed and pristine for the tournaments golfers. There's already a long queue of players and officials outside the breakfast tent waiting for pancakes and bacon.

On the other side of the fairway the first of the days spectators are showing up. By lunchtime the street that runs parallel with the course will be solid with people lining the fence. Tomorrow tickets to view the proceedings will be £21. The polite young  steward - clearly a student -  who tells me this pauses and then adds the words " You'll get a 20% discount if you're a senior citizen ". The delicate  way this was phrased tells me he'll have a bright future ahead of him in the diplomatic corps.

 .

The pedestrian management  systems that have been put in place for the tournament channel the local dog owners and joggers into a detour that passes the 18th tee. This is where many of the faces we pass on our morning walk can be found having a 'wee blether'. 

Someone has a new black labrador puppy. This requires every other dog owner to stop, say hello and offer a chin tickle. I stand by my view that no town elsewhere on earth has a comparable mutt to human ratio. Places with this many dogs pretend to be grand but can't be.

A brief burst of Gaelic as it should be spoken :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nBV9IieqAg

Honest chimps:https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/09/30/chimps-plunder-less-pineapple-from-friends-and-expect-them-to-do-the-same/

Some music from Vilnius :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl5NfMm7kGY