The signature staircase.

We're safely back from a fun trip to Canada.

The jet stream was in playful mood and got us home in super quick time. Our flight back from Montreal took just over five hours. Many years ago I flew from Boston to London in four and three quarters but that was in the days when the L-1011 was still a thing and there were many fewer planes in the sky. Aircraft make a strange creaking noise not unlike a wooden sailing ship in a gale when being hurtled through the fast moving air but the noise wasn't enough to stop us sleeping solidly for the first four hours of the flight.

I thought Edinburgh airport had the title for the worlds most crowded airport. It's now clear that this title belongs to Montreal. A special hats off to whoever it was in the airport administration who thought it was a good idea to board three wide body flights in quick succession to Casablanca, Mexico City and London from Gate 53. The scene can best be described as straight out of Dante. Rather than gates to board the plane Montreal has those people carriers that they have at Dulles. Shepherding three hundred Moroccan football fans in 'party mood' onto a fleet of these is a sight that will long linger in the memory.

We also discover that Canadian weather can easily match Scotland in the rain stakes. On 'The Fonts'  birthday we had 100mm of rain. I would have thought a downpour of this intensity was physically impossible. The water on the train window didn't so much trickle down as sweep over the glass in a solid sheet. This is something we'd never seen before.  

Back in the UK there's a heatwave.  We can vouch for the fact that Heathrow with its glass walls and steel structure is not designed for heatwaves. Here in Scotland it's in the mid-20's and very pleasant. Our connecting flight left on time and arrived thirty minutes early. The flight was full of nice quiet American families heading to the Highlands with well behaved offspring soaking up the new culture. In fact I'd reckon that fully three quarters of those on board had come in this morning from the East Coast. Every single person onboard seemed to be enjoying themselves which is something you can't say about your fellow passengers on most flights.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal had an exhibition of Roman sculptures which we really enjoyed :https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/exhibitions/13205/

Like all museums it has a 'signature' staircase. To get up a couple of levels you have to walk up a long and gently inclined slope. It's one of those cost beats practicality features that all museum directors love. No museum worth its salt can be called a museum without an architectural flight of stairs.

The exhibition was exceptionally good.

It was also strangely quiet although the young woman at the entrance told us we had to wait ten minutes to avoid the crowds. Guess the word crowd means different things to different people.

The layout was intelligent and almost as outstanding as the Picasso exhibition we saw in Shanghai a couple of months ago. This is high praise. The visitors were of the stand in silence variety.

The lighting was particularly good.

In fact the lighting was very good.

Here the news is that Scotland lost 3-0 to Brazil in last nights World Cup match. This, presumably, means that the village teenagers will be heading back home soon. An update tomorrow after we catch up with the farmers wife and we've unpacked and settled back in.

The calm before the broad brimmed hats arrive.

The young woman who's just moved into the house by the crossroads has installed a wildlife camera in the garden for her four year olds. She delightedly takes out her i-Phone and shows us grainy footage of an owl snatching a fish from her garden pond. We all agree that this is an unusual thing for an owl to do.

Outside the village hall there's a smaller than usual pile of beer cans. New Zealand playing Iran had a good turnout but Belgium v Egypt seems to have been less popular. 

There's a chance for us to squeeze in a quick walk before driving down to the airport.

By chapel there's a few tourists listening to a guide in an orange jacket. Considering that it's not yet seven they seem remarkably chipper.

Apart from that there's not a soul to be seen. We're enjoying the calm before the storm. Next week the first of the graduating youngsters will start arriving for a solid week of party going. They will be followed by adoring parents. Mothers will discover that broad brimmed hats bought for the great day are impractical in the bracing wind that whips around the door of the graduation hall. Fathers, who have driven up from London in their over sized Range Rovers, find that Scottish parking spaces are 'tight'. For local residents the return of the crowds means that finding a parking space after nine thirty in the morning will once again become 'challenging'. 

Then it's in the car and we're on our way to Montreal. I've booked with BA with a connecting flight from Heathrow . With hindsight this was a daft choice.  Air Canada has a summer direct flight from Edinburgh that takes six hours.

We'll see you next week. The weather forecast in Quebec is very Scottish with rain ( sometimes heavy ) expected.

Brief, occasional and non-informative.

A group of village ladies, including the farmers wife, can be found heading down to the shore for their early morning swim. They're wearing bathing caps and are wrapped up against the morning breeze in long puffa jackets.  Four Jack Russells, a Patterdale , the athletic black spaniel and a super friendly golden accompany them.  The mothers of the six village lads staying in the Hyatt continue to text their offspring reminding them to use sun screen, eat healthily and get plenty of sleep. They receive brief, occasional and studiedly non-informative texts in reply. This is, perhaps, just as well.

The village hall is again busy for the screening of World Cup matches. Yesterday saw the local 30 something fathers congregating to watch Germany v Curacao and Sweden v Tunisia. By the porch two black plastic bin bags full to the brim of empty beer cans suggest it was another good night. Who would have thought Curacao had a soccer team ?

On the beach the waves have sculpted strange shapes onto the sand. The landward side is ridged, the seaward smooth and easy to walk on. We've never seen this pattern on the sand before. Must be something to do with the abnormally low tide.

The Mediterranean gardens that have been planted outside the Royal and Ancient clubhouse have some rather fine deep purple lupins.

The local gulls have discovered that tourists fresh off the bus from Edinburgh sneak into the garden behind the chapel to eat their sandwiches or bacon rolls. This mornings breakfasters are monitored closely. Give it a month until the chicks are hungry and the gulls will be much ( as in MUCH ) more aggressive. The days of smash and grab are coming. We've seen someone have their fish and chip supper stolen from their hands by a hungry gull.

It's not long before the skies cloud over and we head off to Starbucks. Progress on the fountain continues. It is a mixture of sandstone, granite and marble and is awaiting the last granite quadrant on the base to be fitted.

A letter is delivered to the wee house in town alerting us to the July graduation festivities. Every year we get an identical letter reassuring us that every effort will be made to keep noise levels under control. The end of semester student ball is a wild affair that makes a UFC fight on the White House lawn seem positively quiet in comparison. However, the student gathering in infinitely less vulgar.  'Bands' come from far and wide to provide full volume entertainment.  The annual 'letting off steam' marks a huge rite of passage for the assembled 21 year olds and enables older residents to grumble about wayward youngsters. Everyone is happy.

Talking about the UFC fight the radio comes out with the a quote from the movie Gladiator " The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the Senate, it's the sand of the Colosseum ". This may be too delphic a comment for all but the most alert of listeners.

It's The Fonts birthday on Saturday. We are off to Montreal tomorrow and then onto Quebec and will be back early next week. A report on Canadian cuisine will follow . 

Egypts new ( and empty ) capital city :https://www.chinatalk.media/p/notes-on-egypt

This is the sort of video the farmers wife wants to see :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCEkyyYY1zw  by contrast this is definitely not a video to be shared with her but is probably closer to the experience her sons are getting  :https://youtu.be/XvcAEaczh6I?t=311

Texas ( and next generation jobs ). Happy if anyone can explain this to me :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN48vEqaQs8&t=133s

A speech at the Oxford Union :https://paulgraham.com/earn.html

A victory !

No doubting the top news story here today. Scotland beat Haiti 1-0  in the teams first World Cup match. It was two o'clock in the morning here when the match kicked off. Four when it ended. The small mountain of Tennants beer cans piled up outside the village hall indicate that there was a good turnout. The residents of Foxborough listening to this sung atonally lustily must be wondering if being home to a stadium is a good idea :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW8DQzNRZyQ

This mornings weather is perfect. Warm with a smattering of cloud. Two horses gallop along the sand towards us. They've had the place to themselves but slow down as they draw abreast. The riders wave and cheerfully share the good news of the national teams victory. 

Two miles on firm sand in one direction and two miles in the other. What a way for the horses to start their day.

The circular flower beds have been freshly ( and densely ) planted with pelargoniums. This more than anything else is a sign that tourist season is about to hit us. Scratch the surface and there's still something of the genteel Victorian sea side resort about the place.

A few breakfasters wander onto the balcony of their hotel to watch a group of golfers from Ann Arbor teeing off. This mornings players are regulars who are  delighted to be playing the Old Course under blue(ish) skies. They've brought their wives with them who follow on behind in a golf cart. On the greens the women get out and offer words of encouragement. 'The Font' thinks this behaviour is unusual and wonders if the women wouldn't rather be tucked up in bed rather than be out and about at this hour.

Following on behind is another group of regulars. They offer each other advice on how to play into the wind. This group have opted not to use caddies. Their advice is misplaced and the end result for all members of the foursome are dire shots into the rough.

At this time of the morning not everyone finds the North Sea breezes enjoyable. A bus load of Spaniards are escorted by their guide to the first tee. They are dressed  to the nines and still finding it cold.

Usually played on the bagpipes :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2rrmmdLu-I&list=RDa2rrmmdLu-I&start_radio=1

Tehrans water supply is failing :https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/officials-warned-parts-of-tehran-a-city-of-ten-million-might-need-evacuating-the-iran-war-isnt-the-reason/

A hand written letter is needed if you want to stay here which is a very Spanish touch. Getting there would require some research  :https://elelevador.com/

If you're in London a must. What this artist does with paint is a joy :https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/zurbaran

Dog centric behaviour.

It's the Kings official birthday . As we pass the club house the sound of the national anthem can be heard playing on a radio in the kitchen. The rest of the country may be going through a period of change but the BBC still adheres to the tried and tested constitutional routines.

The six thirty am crowd down by the first tee are remarkably affable. They take group photos, slap each other on the back, bring out pictures of children and greet other golfers with the line "You guys from the States too ?". There is near universal delight when it's discovered they're not alone in foreign parts. The service, or lack of it, on United and American is compared with partisan passion. These incomers excitement about playing the home of golf is palpable. Blue skies and warm weather help. Large black BMW limousines owned by Glasgow Chauffeur Drive companies deposit guests off the overnight flights  at the 5 star hotels. The arrival of the limousines is an indicator we're moving into peak tourism season. Those enormous Volvo rental cars with the latest '26' registrations and boots large enough for golf bags are now seen everywhere. Three of them are parked outside chapel in spaces reserved for this mornings wedding ceremonies. The drivers have ignored the bollards and 'No Parking' signs. The college porters are not pleased. Four gentlemen park outside the club house. They are in a horrendously coloured bronze Range Rover which can't have been cheap to hire. A club steward quickly tells the driver to move on , which he coyly and apologetically does.

On the second tee one gentleman drops his club and rushes over to talk to two ladies out walking a pack of Huskies. He is clearly a dog person and the Huskies are overjoyed to meet him. One stands on its hind legs and gives him a lick. The three other members of his foursome shout our " Hurry up Scott. We don't have all day ". They don't quite phrase it like that but you get the gist. The others play on. We heartily approve of this gentlemans dog centric behaviour.

We have the beach pretty much to ourselves although the solitary figure of the lady with the Pomeranian can be seen half a mile ahead of us. This fleeting pre-July  quiet time is a joy although graduation with its processions and parties is even more joyful.

This morning it's the turn of the fish and chip shop to be spruced up ahead of the graduation ceremonies.

We visit the wee house in town. Friends from America are due to arrive next week. The roses have grown wild in the sun and their scent hits us as soon as we step out onto the terrace. We both agree that what should be a sun trap of a garden has turned into a jungle. The lady who looks after it was here a week ago. We phone and ask her to come back again - urgently. It is a time when pruning needs to be replaced by lopping. The young sparrows who are nesting in the gutters flutter in and out of the climbing roses. It is a source of amazement just how much noise a group of sixty or so young sparrows can make.

Remember when America was open all hours ? :https://x.com/chris_kratovil/status/2063104382116266382?s=61

Coffee and caffeine :https://www.acsh.org/news/2026/06/11/coffee-doesnt-taste-caffeine-heres-why-50166

The same thing is happening with our roads :https://nypost.com/2026/04/17/opinion/why-la-is-letting-its-streets-crumble/

Todays tartan army video. Kilts and Miami temperatures sound uncomfortable :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVlViDSBSq0

A good turnout.

The bird scarer doesn't start until four thirty this morning. Almost a full hour later than yesterday. This might still be too early for the villages young fathers who had gathered in the village hall to watch the first matches of the World Cup and sink a few beers. The New Zealand mans television projector was deemed to be a great success although the wind blowing through the corrugated iron roof caused the large sheet that acts as a screen to sway. The effect on the viewer was said to be not unlike being on a small boat in a brisk breeze. The local farmer says there was a good turnout but reckons a quarter of the village population are away on vacation.

This morning we walk past the pier and up the hill to the ruins of the cathedral. It's bright but decidedly nippy. There's been an abandoned bike left lying on the shoreline for the last month. Perhaps someone will come and pick it up before it rusts away in the salt air ? The BBC have sensibly focused on football this morning and limit their comments on the Middle East to the 'whiplash' nature of the negotiations. Everyone seems to agree that the resignation of not one but two Defence Ministers will be the final nail in the British Prime Ministers coffin.

The town fountain looks as if it might, finally, be getting ready to be turned on. The workmen have been restoring it for the better part of a year and now the top tier is being gently put in place. The fountain hasn't worked in decades. In fact I'm not sure it worked properly when we were here fifty years ago but we think it will transform this busy corner of the shopping street.

'Fifteens' for sale in the farm shop. They certainly aren't a Scottish thing. The young woman behind the counter thinks they might be an Ulster delicacy. I buy two and shall report on them tomorrow. They don't look like the sort of thing you'd want to eat for breakfast but I might be wrong.

The local fishermen were out at first light and are already safely moored back in the harbour with their daily catch of lobster and langoustines for the pricey golf restaurants. Someone has bought the penthouse in the 1960's era apartment block that overlooks the outer basin. They are having a major revamp to take out the original metal farmed windows and install modern ones that are robust enough to keep out the North Sea gales. 

Tattie Soup todays special at the harbour cafe. 

Once again, as you might be able to tell, life here remains quiet as only life in a small northerly university town out of term time can be.

The secret of avocados :https://sftw.substack.com/p/how-avocados-stopped-being-seasonal

Chile v Argentina :https://marcusnunes.substack.com/p/the-chilean-mirror-what-argentina

And so it begins :https://youtu.be/gHT_fl6EYBs

The Pope weights in on the World Cup :https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2064739688104001872

2027 on the horizon :https://www.theopen.com/st-andrews-2027

The bird scarer

The farmers wife has heard no more from the two teenagers. The promise to call twice a day hasn't survived the excitement of actually being in Boston for the World Cup.  I consider saying 'no news is good news' but think better of it.

This morning the BBC news has a story about the Scottish soccer team preparing for the extreme heat of Massachusetts by spending long sessions in a hot sauna. " The heats devilish " says one fan in a weary tone of voice that makes it plain he subscribes to the view that long term exposure to double digit temperatures addles the brain. The next item is about Iran.  The tone is even less sure about what's going on in the Gulf than usual and the reporter confines himself to reporting the US Presidents announcement that 200 ships have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began. That, it's observed, compares with 10,000 that would usually have transited on their way to global markets.  The announcer then adds ' That's 2% of the norm ". Since the US President sued them for $10 billion the BBC's reporting on America has assumed a 'delphic' ,you join the dots, quality.

Here in the village everyone is up and about early. This is partly due to the fact we're coming into that time of the year when it's pretty much light 24/7 and partly due to the installation of  a bird scarer by one of the village farmers. This starts to go off like a manic cannon at 3:33 am. I know this because 'The Font' grumpily asks me what time it is.

The combination of sun and rain showers has driven the roses and peonies into frenetic growth mode. 'The Font' has been pruning like a mad thing but the stems are still weighed down with blooms. The more they're cut the more they grow. We have taken to having a cup of coffee in the garden before heading off on our start of day walk. In France we could do this in shirt sleeves. Here we need two and possibly three ( and some days four ) layers for alfresco breakfasting. This morning a score or so 'Painted Ladies' join the bees in fluttering  around the kitchen door.

One village inhabitant has left his siblings and headed off on his own to the calm of the far end of the field. He ignores us.

Our day proper starts with a trip back to the recycling centre. We have bags and bags of rose cuttings. Peak refurbishment season has hit the recycling centres  staff who are currently shipping off a truck load of ageing white goods every afternoon.

The flat the four rugby lads share seems to have escaped the seasonal refurbishment cycle.  If this is what it looks like from the outside what must it be like inside ? 

Scores of rabbits sun bathing on the grass down by the harbour. They scamper away whenever a dog appears and reappear when it's gone.

Life, as you might be able to tell, is quiet. It will be like this for the next two weeks until the graduation ceremonies and the start of peak golf season in July.

Disappearing hobbies :https://theconversation.com/three-historic-craft-hobbies-at-risk-of-disappearing-and-how-to-give-them-a-go-277886

The history of SPAM :https://stevepabst.substack.com/p/the-logistics-of-victory-how-spam

The author of Primary Colors writes reflectively from London :https://josephklein.substack.com/p/trump-from-a-distance

Long lost sermon :https://www.plough.com/articles/a-city-on-a-hill

Mad. Completely mad. To think I thought the NY restaurant that's opened in St Andrews for the summer is expensive. This Danish restaurants Los Angeles summer pop up is $1500 a head :https://www.exploretock.com/noma-la/