Climbing the wall.

June 1st. In a week the village lads head off to the World Cup on Jet Blue flight 1080 from Edinburgh.  We meet the farmers wife heading down the farm track to the beach for a morning swim. She's wearing her duck egg blue one piece, a beany hat and wellington boots and is accompanied by the two Jack Russells. A towel is draped practically around her shoulders. Her fears about the boys going to the US are now outweighed by the stress of living with two teenage football fans desperate for their adventure to begin. Time is weighing heavily on them - and her. She, and they, are climbing the wall. The 19 year old, soon to be 20, is under strict orders to make sure the younger one doesn't  ' do anything daft '.  " I'm sure they'll have  the trip of a lifetime " says 'The Font'. ' That's what worries me ' replies the farmers wife without even a moments hesitation. 

The local 30 year old 'young fathers' are making plans for the matches to be shown in the village hall. One of the New Zealanders is the proud owner of a device that projects television programmes onto a screen. This evening a sheet will be hung from the rafters and there will be a test run to see how it works. Angus has been asked if there is any 'spare wine' in the garage.

Monday morning. The Old Course quiet. There's maybe thirty or so golfers waiting to tee off. The flag lanyards clink away in the morning breeze.

For the next two or three weeks we're in that state of grace where car parking is easy. After that the crowds start to return for graduation and then everything kicks into higher gear with the summer influx of golfers. That's when it gets wild and we retreat into isolation in the wee house on the coast. Once, many years ago, we nearly bought a house in San Gimignano in Tuscany. It was only by chance that we returned, unexpectedly, to do a pre-purchase check that it dawned on us how busy the place gets. Even on a Tuesday morning in May there were a hundred Danes in motor homes waiting to get into the small Coop supermarket.

At the supermarket a patient dog ,and his master, wait for the mistress of the house to return.

Even the fish and chip shop is taking reservations for graduation dinners. 

Down to the cathedral . We are the only folks there.

For lovers of vinyl :https://humminguru.com/products/humminguru-record-washer

Old churches :https://religionnews.com/2026/05/28/these-houses-of-worship-are-older-than-america-how-they-outlasted-wars-schisms-and-lawsuits/

Unusual :https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-sun-just-did-something-nobody-expected-and-it-kept-going-for-19-days

The sun :https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/listening-suns-heart-hints-our-star-could-be-changing

Foreknowledge.

The last day of May. How is it possible five months have passed ? Where has the time gone ? It's rained overnight. The morning air heavy with the scent of wet grass. On our way down the farm track to the shore a large private jet comes over and starts a leisurely descent into the local military  airbase. To be allowed to land there  you must be an exceptionally well connected golfer. Probably a Senator or a trillionaire or 'family' member. Scores of young sparrows are fliting in and out of the wild roses that cover the old stone field walls. The sparrows are too young and too excited to be bothered by us. There's a large group of them singing away in the lupin border. Sparrows  may not be the most beautiful of birds but they know how to celebrate the gift of a new day. Their antics make us smile.

The calves on the village green seem content with life. 

Later on today there will be charity run on the beach. 5,000 participants are expected. There are already half a dozen or so event organizers unloading Portaloos from the back of a truck. The quiet hard work of the volunteer. I'd like to say that the organizers are uncomplaining but unloading Portaloos from a truck generates a few choice shin banging words.

The farmer with the exceptionally pretty daughters has installed a vending machine in the farms strawberry hut. The daughters have returned from university and made it clear that they do not intend to spend their entire summer manning the farms fruit outlet and dispensing soft fruit to passing tourists. The machine takes credit cards and proves to be remarkably easy to use. The daughters are still expected to fill the machine with fresh fruit every couple of hours in return for holiday money. I wonder how this will work out.

Only one house in town has Georgian balustrades. They serve no practical purpose so must have been installed by a stylish fashionista in the late 18th century. How is it we've never noticed them before ?

We go to the bookstore for an evening reading with the author of the new book 'Weimar'. She's been on Radio 4 over the last couple of weeks reading excerpts and her book has had really good reviews. The train is delayed by an hour ( never travel over the weekend )  but she gamely arrives and steps straight onto the podium without so much as a reviving cup of coffee. No complaints about having spent 10 hours on a slow train from London. Inflation, resentment, technological change and a belief that government wasn't working marked the restrictive changes in 1920's and 30's Germany. " The people of Weimar have provided us with foreknowledge of what happens when you elect politicians promising easy solutions " her concluding sentence. A reminder that history may not repeat itself but it does rhyme.  The back rows are taken by dog owners with their pooches. The bookstore has provided water bowls which all the dogs decide to use at the same time mid-talk. A Sheltie with Bells Palsy  is a particularly noisy drinker.

An Icelander who's possibly the worlds greatest pianist. Perfect listening for the last Sunday in May :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-1lBHIAia4&list=RDE-1lBHIAia4&start_radio=1

The architecture of Washington. I found the thing about light penetrating marble  fascinating :https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/americas-national-style-is-hiding

Cuba : https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/we-need-to-talk-about-cuba

The old ways work :https://www.npr.org/2026/05/21/nx-s1-5738979/beavers-britain-climate-change-flooding

Daddy - longlegs :https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/daddy-longlegs-seem-to-hunt-frogs-in-south-america-revealing-the-gangly-arachnids-as-long-overlooked-predators-180988810/

Turmeric :https://www.acsh.org/news/2026/05/29/turmeric-supplements-more-risks-benefits-50143

Lucky lads, content ducks.

Once again the BBC morning news bulletin is unsure whether we're closer to some form of workable peace in the Gulf, or not. There's a sense that no one in the American government, the British government , or come to that any other government knows what's going on. Faced with the uncertainty I decide to lock in a six month electricity contract that's 25% up over the one we signed six months ago.

We have the beach to ourselves this morning. There's a nip to the wind which has deterred the local dog walkers. The forecast calls for rain this afternoon. This will please the local farmers who need a downpour for the 'thirsty' potato crop.

Down on the golf course the flags are up and the place has a festive air. Two local sixteen year olds are told by the course steward that they can play the Old Course if they can tee off straight away. To accommodate them ( and make their day ) the steward has employed the old expedient of starting play five minutes early. The boys can't believe their luck. In one of those old fashioned courtesies they shake the stewards hand before teeing off. 

Some of the players are wrapped up as if they're at the North Pole. The locals, by contrast, make a nod to the chilly breeze by wearing a sweater.

The two ducks have moved on from the university lawn to the grass by the 13th century Swilken Bridge. They seem unaware that this is the most sacred spot of all on `golfs hallowed turf. They also seem oblivious to the constant stream of golfers passing by .

It is so quiet. We're still getting used to having the town to ourselves. Parking is easy. 'The Font' has somehow managed to get a table at Rao's the New York restaurant that has set up shop here for the summer. They're doing 3 table sittings a night which is unheard of. Angus has looked at the Manhattan prices being charged and is horrified.

Scottish World Cup songs are being churned out. Here's the latest low budget offering.  Groups of youngsters like this will soon be appearing in Boston and Miami . Let's hope America is prepared for them. Dirks can legally be worn with highland dress but that may not cut muster with US customs or ICE agents. The farmers wife tells us that her sons and their pals head off from Edinburgh to Boston on Jet Blue in 9 days time :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdcjFmw6RwM&list=RDXdcjFmw6RwM&start_radio=1

Rothko in Florence :https://www.palazzostrozzi.org/en/exhibition/mark-rothko/

Odd story of the day :https://sentientmedia.org/why-the-us-still-bleeds-horseshoe-crabs-despite-lab-made-alternative/

These two American cousins provide banal but addictive videos of their visit to the UK :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsoWxjvgbtI

Tickets at the World Cup :https://eduardoelreportero.substack.com/p/who-can-go-to-the-world-cup?

First church then the golf course.

On their way from their bus to the Old Course a group of forty or so Spanish tourists stop off at the Catholic church. I thought one or two might pop in but they all go in. Perhaps they're praying for the sunshine to last ? 

Outside on the pavement the guide tells them that the church contains a tiny sliver of the thumb bone of St Andrew. The rest of his remains were kept in a shrine at the the cathedral but disappeared during the Reformation. "It is not possible that the Cardinal did not know that the sacred relics were in danger but no one knows to this day where they may have been hidden. Perhaps smuggled out to the Vatican in a small ship from the harbour ?". She finishes off with a theatrical " The soil here contains many secrets ! No ?"  The Spaniards make a low sound of thrilled contentment.

  

£40 for a lobster roll. I might be wrong but it seems to me that prices have gone up a notch or two ( or three ) since the students left. The presence of hot dogs and something called a 'bad boy' on the takeaway menu suggests that Wall Street golfers have taken their place.

The cinema will be showing the Scottish World Cup matches in its new 187 seat auditorium. 'In seat ordering' and Dolby sound are sure to make every match a sell out. They will be sold out.

Something is happening at the Royal and Ancient. A new Aston Martin is being carefully driven off a delivery truck. A birthday gift for a wealthy golfer ? People stop and stare. Serious German men make comments about inverted cam shafts and take photos on their i-Phones.  'The Font' has noticed that there are a lot of Polestars around. That's a car brand you don't see very often. With so many fancy cars around it's possible that the car manufacturers arrange special 'showings' at golf tournaments. The golf fraternity is certainly well heeled. Someone who's just sunk a hole in one might just be tempted pick up a new sets of wheels to commemorate the great day.

Eight Oklahomans waiting to play. They are a happily animated bunch much into high fiving and back slapping. They shout out 'Heehaw' when each of their number tees off. This must be an Oklahoman thing and is something you don't see ( or hear ) often on the Old Course. I think I've only heard people make this noise on early episodes of that 1950's era television classic Rawhide. 

After the long dry spell the sacred turf is beginning to look a little 'tired'. 

Life in this small town, as you may be able to tell, is quiet and sunny and fast drifting into the lazy days of summer.

Summer in Boston :https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/framing-nature-gardens-and-imagination

A New York restaurant ( I'd never heard of it ) opens up in St Andrews for the summer. It's already well nigh impossible to get a reservation :https://marineandlawn.com/rusacksstandrews/raos-at-rusacks/

Napoleon. Too big for the screen ? :https://histoflick.com/2026/05/26/too-big-for-the-screen-why-cinema-continues-to-fail-napoleon/

Sign of the times :https://jamestown.org/polish-army-set-to-be-largest-in-europe/

Guess this would rule out New York, Boston and San Francisco or just about any destination that's offered from the UK :https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5897027-homeland-security-plans-end-flights/

Sixpence short of a shilling.

London, the BBC informs us, remains 'sweltering'. Here the mercury reached a more manageable high of 17C. Similar temperatures are expected today. We are back to layering up for our morning walk.

In town the rooks have been at the waste bins. Pizza boxes with their residue of crust, cheese and pepperoni are a favoured source of avian protein. Breakfasting  rooks line the pavements from Starbucks to the shoe shop.

Down by the golf course it's the sea gulls and the ravens who have been busy. An American lady stops to ask us if the coyotes have been at the garbage cans. We assure her that coyotes are not a problem here and that it's the fault of the gulls. She doesn't seem at all convinced by this and hurries away in the belief she's just met a couple who are sixpence short of a shilling. She has the certain air of a woman who knows what coyotes do to unattended garbage.

The rockery is now covered in lupins. They are rampant and exuberant. The surrounding heathers are past their best and are rapidly turning brown. The short Scottish summer is racing along.

The ducks who call the pavement outside The Shawarma House home have moved to the calm of the grass outside university lecture theatres. At this time of the year this part of town is gloriously quiet and the female seems to be relishing the move.

So starts a day in a part of the world where not much is happening. The first of the young staff members have arrived to set up the summer school. They wander round town with the seriousness that is particular to twenty year olds starting a new ( and quite possibly their first ever ) summer job. Alongside the seriousness ( and sensible haircuts ) they exude a wholesome vigour that hints that nothing can beat a summer of getting up at six to take their charges swimming in the North Sea. Angus has a horrible flashback to his time as a counsellor at a summer camp in Waymart , Pennsylvania in the days of Allegheny Airlines. Three agonizingly long months of teaching American teens how to paddle a Grumman canoe and right it without drowning themselves. I also learned how to spot poison ivy. These were skill sets I have never used since.

An innocent adventure :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKYxx6i55o

I'd have to agree that this is a truly amazing story :https://x.com/Camlowandslow/status/2059632357871698014

An archeological site worth visiting ? :https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/archaeologists-reveal-stunning-scale-of-a-giant-greek-tomb-linked-to-alexander-the-great/

A Colorado hotel chain opens in Scotland . 'The Mull' looks like a welcoming room :https://www.duntondestinations.com/kilchoan-estate/

Change at Stanford :https://stanfordreview.org/number-of-right-wing-students-at-stanford-nearly-doubles/

A bumper year

Tuesday saw yet another new temperature high reached in London. The BBC informs us that sales of air conditioning units have gone through the roof.  In France the man with anger management issues phones to say it's 36C and muggy and he's thinking of spending the night sleeping by the pool to keep cool. Up here it reached 17C. Today maybe a tad cooler. We planned to have dinner in the garden but the temperature plummeted and the wind picked up the very second the table was laid. Last year we saw an influx of cool weather tourists trying to escape the heat in Madrid or Milan. I think we'll see the same this year. 

5:30 am. The farmers 19 year old can be seen driving a tractor in the potato field. He's finished his exams in Edinburgh. In two weeks he's off to Boston with his brother. Down by the potato barns we meet his mother out walking the Jack Russells. She makes the observation that when it comes to male offspring ' the years go by so quickly but the days are so long'.  There is a particular emphasis on the second 'so'.

This is a day for painting the garden benches which are looking a little faded after the winter storms.

In the supermarket all the headlines are about financial fraud in a local political party. The party Treasurer has misappropriated £400,000. He's used the money to buy a £100,000 motor home and a £3,000 coffee maker. He also bought a Lalique pepper grinder for £2,600 which must be some sort of record for pepper grinders. The list of bizarre purchases is oddly fascinating .  I can't help but feel that a £400,000 fraud would be considered small change in some places.

The bookstore calls to say part of our latest order is in. Three more books are due tomorrow. The author of the book on 'Weimar. Life on the edge of catastrophe ' will in town for a reading later in the week. We buy the last two remaining tickets. There is something about the title that is making the event extremely popular. A few of the bookstores staff are heading off to pastures new - Oakland, Fiji and Shetland. We shall miss their kind gentility. An American lady golfer in buying a book on Rory Mcilroy over hears our conversations and tells the lad that's heading to Oakland that Chez Panisse isn't what it used to be. I'm not sure he'd be dining there on the salary of a young faculty member but he thanks her for the information.

Bins. I'm sure there must be a better way of collecting rubbish. The impact of bins on the townscape is heavy and intrusive.  I'd like to criticize the local council but I can't think of a better way of doing things in an old medieval town centre.

Exotic things popping up in the garden. The warm weather has also brought out the butterflies that swarm over the buddlejas in the rockery. 2026 looks set to be a bumper year for butterflies. 

The peony looks pink at sunrise but has turned into something salmon pink by dinner time. Perhaps tomorrow it will be in full bloom and I can photograph it properly.

Things I didn't know. There are 200,000 Mennonites in Latin America farming an area he size of the Netherlands :https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1747423X.2020.1855266#abstract

Books:https://arnoldkling.substack.com/p/why-are-you-reading-fewer-books

Carrots :https://www.sciencenorway.no/culture-food-and-health-war/where-the-carrot-myth-comes-from/2665915

And some more Norwegian common sense on viper bites . The gardens at the house in Italy used to be besieged by the things. They particulalrly loved the shade and cool of the pool house:https://www.sciencenorway.no/animal-world-ntb-english-snake/bitten-by-a-viper-heres-what-you-should-never-do/2665812

Rattling around .

The morning news bulletin tells us that London has just recorded the highest temperature ever recorded in May. 35 degrees - the sort of thing usually seen in August. More of the same is expected today. I'm glad we were there last week when it was in the low 20's. London in the heat can be a 'sticky' place. Here in Scotland it was a more pleasant 24 which the locals treated as somewhere between a heat wave and a climate emergency. By mid afternoon the towns  beaches were crammed to the gunnels with day trippers seeking the sea breezes. The heat has replaced events in the Gulf as the top story on  the radio. This is just as well as there still seems to be confusion as to whether the war is on or off again or what it's achieved.

The local farmer is up at 4:22 planting brassicas.  We know this because  a small army of tractors rushes  past The last wee house before Denmark making enough noise to wake us up. It's that time of the year when it's light pretty much all the time.

The overnight tide has spared the sand castles on the beach. Yesterday they were some wee lads pride and joy. The tide has also  brought in thousands of small jelly fish which have been deposited all the way along the sand. These intrigue the local dogs but alarm their owners.

Out of term time the university end of town is deserted. A couple of Spanish tourists rattle around in the empty cloisters.  The groundsmen have roped off the lawn outside chapel to ensure it's in pristine condition for the graduation ceremonies in a months time. 

In the absence of customers the student cafe in the old 16th century building  has only put out one table and two chairs. Even they are empty.

The Chinese chef emerges from the Asian supermarket with his dogs. I'm guessing this is the front end of the 'shaggy' one.

The peony has stopped whatever it was about to do and is deciding whether  to burst into bloom .... or not. Perhaps it's been shocked by the heat ?

So starts another day in an out of season small Scottish university town that is suddenly very quiet .

The first Scottish World Cup song makes it onto the radio. This one seems rather low key ( and low budget ) :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT3_NDeCql0&list=RDyT3_NDeCql0&start_radio=1

Ewan McGregor joins in the excitement with this slightly misty eyed contribution :https://x.com/i/status/2056676474787086606

Going decades without food or water :https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2058744865744376129