Car delays and period costumes.

There's a thick frost on the Volvos windscreen this morning. Thank heavens for the pre-warm setting that de-ices the windows and heats up the interior.  I'll bet the young college golfers from Arizona will be surprised by the weather when they head out onto the fairways. There's no doubting that they're not in Tucson now.  

The car dealership has informed us the delivery of the new vehicle has been delayed until the end of November. They also want to revalue the trade in price we'd agreed on due to the delays. Angus will speak to the lawyer in Edinburgh this morning to see whether the contract allows them do this.

The first of the college teams are due to tee off at 8:45 but there's already a small crowd down by the first hole soaking up the atmosphere. There's also a group of local caddies sharing hints on how to deal with the fast running greens and wishing the youngsters well.

The excitement never seems to stop. Parking cones have been put out on the main street. A film company is in town shooting scenes for a new movie. Student extras are parading around dressed in 1970's era clothing. A group of them are being checked by a wardrobe mistress to ensure that their 'period' costumes are correct. We both find it rather salutary that 1970's clothing is now treated as 'period' . 

Uninspiring piles of Pumpkins in the supermarket.  Carver pumpkins are £2 each. In the box next door Carver pumpkins ( Conv ) are also £2. No one seems to know what the ( Conv ) means. 

The Squash in the farm store looks the part but is on the small side for a pumpkin display. The farmer has just harvested some cauliflowers and brussel sprouts. Their arrival on the shelves solves the problem of which vegetables should accompany tonights dinner.

The camera men are already hard at work beaming the golf into homes far away. We watch as a small forest of camera mounts ascend, one by one, into the sky.

The secrets to happier dogs :https://theconversation.com/the-science-of-happier-dogs-5-tips-to-help-your-canine-friends-live-their-best-life-236952

So it wasn't the wine :https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-brain-on-food/202410/4-reasons-why-you-wake-up-feeling-tired

Evolution :https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/was-toumai-a-biped

This ain't the student golf I remember.

NBC have arrived in force to set up cameras for the college golf championship. One of the camera men informs us that they'll be broadcasting live for three full days. American college golf, which used to be an innocent low key affair, is now a billion dollar business . The Saudis and the UAE are big investors in the sport which may explain the sudden appearance of a brace of brightly coloured Lamborghinis in the practise range car park. This is the second year the championship has been run in St Andrews although we seem to have missed it altogether last year. All the hotels are once again full.

Out by the barns we meet a happy lady with the back of her car loaded with jars of honey. She's on her way to a Christmas market and is pouring herself a cup of coffee from a thermos flask.  You'd think that Christmas markets could wait until November but there seem to be enough shoppers around to make it worth her while.  'The Font' is delighted to discover the woman and her team make bees wax candles. The sort of thing we could find easily in France but more difficult to source here :

https://www.cloverleaapiaries.co.uk/our-story/  

The water in the harbour calm enough to reflect the uninspiring 1960's block of flats .

We detour past the cathedral towards the Italian coffee shop for a restorative espresso. Away from the crowds of enthusiastic teens ( and their corporate sponsors )  gathering at the golf course this end of town is completely empty.

The flags are out.

 A muted sunrise as we leave the courtyard on our way into town. The weather is now somewhere on the spectrum between chilly and cold with 'cold' having the upper hand . Tickets to play a round of golf on the Old Course become much cheaper after October 16th when only the hardiest of golfers are willing to suffer being buffeted by the North Sea winds. The tickets, unsurprisingly,  get even cheaper in January.

By the time we make it onto the beach the muted sunrise has turned into a glorious one.

Three youngsters rush hollering out of the dunes and onto the sand where they  strip down to their underwear. I'm guessing they're not so much early risers as late to bed Saturday night party goers . The youngsters had planned to go for a bracing dip but think better of it when they realize the  strong wind is whipping the sand in their direction. Even eighteen year olds understand that wet underwear and wind blown sand make for an uncomfortable combination.

The student golf tournament is to be televised. The area by the club house already filling up with American teens soaking up the vibe. From the number of youngsters walking around it would seem that this tournament is a big thing. Around them technicians are  setting up cameras. One youngster from Arizona is sitting on the steps that lead onto the first tee and saying ' Wow! Oh wow !' over and over. A real 'Mecca' moment.  This morning the caddies are running up flags. The US flag at one end....

....the Scots flag at the other. In between the banners of the four  universities battle the wind. The stand that had been put up for the Womens Open has finally been taken down. The residents in the hugely expensive flats behind it must be pleased to get their view back.

We stop off at Starbucks for a coffee. The few locals out and about have dropped any sense of stylishness in favour of a dress sense that's more appropriate to the sudden onset of frigid conditions.

Sunday morning links

'New' jobs :https://people.com/texas-mom-heather-torres-porch-pumpkins-thousand-dollar-business-8723502

How weird is this ?  Wouldn't it be better to print the resume on the inside of the lid ? :https://mossandfog.com/pizza-hut-will-deliver-your-resume-printed-on-a-pizza-box-to-prospective-employers/

One very determined lady :https://x.com/Blesma/status/1844676339699241335

French 'hip' :https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=3IyQgj50fI8&list=RDAMVME4agkiTNA0M

Monkfish, Arizonans and sunshine.

 

A wonderful sunrise this morning. The clouds have a peculiar 'finger print' look to them . Last night the Northern Lights did their thing  - again. For a while the reds and green  were reflected in the sea which was an almost 'psychedelic' experience. 

On our start of day walk we pass 4 runners and 8 dog walkers and their companions. We speak to the lady with the Pomeranian  and ask Archie the arthritic Labradors owner how her daughter is getting on at university in Seoul. " She says she's fine " the reassuring answer. Two students run across the sand , leap into the water and scream as the impact of the October North Sea makes itself felt.

The fishmonger  sells fried egg flavoured crisps. This is a first for both of us.

A large Monkfish greets customers with an ice filled smile.  We buy Lemon Sole, a Salmon tail, some dressed crab and two Halibut tranches.  The langoustine wave at us which Angus feels is mildly disconcerting. 

We stopped off at sunset for a drink in the Old Course Hotel to celebrate  another sunny, cloud free day. Come mid-October the nights start drawing in quickly so now is the time to enjoy the outdoors while we still can. The view from the fifth floor towards the sea and across the links to the clubhouse is arguably one of the golf worlds greatest. Next week there is a college golf championship with St Andrews pitted against Arizona, Howard and Northwestern. The University of Arizona youngsters have arrived early to acclimatize  and are standing at the window commenting in deferential tones on the sight before them. The young males settle in the bar. The young women head off to the practise range.

MIT on superweeds. The garden here is full of them :https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/10/10/1105034/weeds-climate-change-genetic-engineering-superweeds-food/

A song with a history sung in the European Parliament when Hungarys PM came to speak :https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=E4agkiTNA0M

Climate change and voters . Little interest :https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/the-clean-energy-transitions-voter

Desperate Dan look alike.

A humdinger of a sky last night. Barely a cloud in the sky. Jupiter beaming like a headlight low above the horizon to the East. It's so bright we have to double check to make sure it's not Venus. Behind it the shimmering greens and reds of the Northern Lights. The clear skies and strong wind make star watching a cold proposition so we're out and back inside within five minutes. The BBC says the aurora will be back tonight.

A few golfers around this morning. Two gentlemen from Arkansas stop and ask us which way they should go to find the first tee. They're heading towards the cathedral so have to head back the way they've come. Somehow they've managed to walk right by the Club House. The hotels on the fairways are still busy with folks hoping to get a round on the Old Course now that the summer rush is over and things are 'quieter'.

It's that time of year when youngsters have to start  deciding which universities they're going to apply to. Groups of fathers and sons are being shown around the campus.  Bleary eyed professors are giving lectures on the attractiveness of their courses to wannabe students. Despite the early hour the lectures are packed with eager 17 year olds and their serious fathers. Who knew that father-son days were a thing ? Of course it's possible that the mothers are all sensibly in the warmth of their hotels and will surface later in the day. A small army of students in their red gowns are on hand to answer any questions. Everyone - apart from the 17 year olds -  seems slightly stunned by how early their day is starting. The timetable is presumably set by the need to fly into Edinburgh the night before and fly south again the following afternoon.

Overnight the leaves have fallen.  The pavements suddenly carpeted in them. What a difference a day of strong unrelenting North Easterly wind makes.

Progress on the refurbishment of the hotel next door to the golf clubs continues apace.  The lead that was audaciously stolen from the roof has now been replaced and the internal fit out is under way. The foreman tells us they hope to be open by Easter.

Our first chance to see the new statue of a famous golfer. I'm not sure that the management of the Royal and Ancient have remembered they're in a university town.

The statue's been set on a low plinth. This may be a mistake. How long will it be before some bright first year student places a traffic cone on Tom Morris' head  ? Soon  it will be  a tradition and the retired colonels in the Royal and Ancient will be in a semi-permanent state of apoplexy.

It's never a good idea to criticize municipal statuary and it may be heretical to say this but the new statue reminds me of a now extinct Scottish comic book character called Desperate Dan. 

A frightening insight from a school of engineering :https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/2024/10/viruses-are-teeming-on-your-toothbrush-showerhead/

5, 6 & 7 seem to be Scandinavian staples, 6 should be outlawed  :https://x.com/Thomashornall/status/1843992828843806987

Last nights sky this far North was 'electric' :https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/severe-geomagnetic-storm-to-slam-earth-thursday-with-auroras-possible-as-far-south-as-california-and-alabama

Engelsberg always interesting :https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-beginning-of-a-reckoning-the-middle-east-after-7-october/

The Menendez Brothers, Plants and Wine.

We've now watched all nine episodes of 'Monsters' about the Menendez Brothers on Netflix. A modern take on a ' The love of money is the root of all evil' morality play. An extremely bizarre tale but with some superb acting. Nathan Lane and Cooper Koch were outstanding. Nine episodes was probably pushing it . Seven or eight would have kept the tempo going at a more focused pace.

The bitter North Easterly wind blows all day and the temperature falls. Many of the students wander around dressed as if it's Spring time in Menton. I'll wager that by the end of the week they'll all be dressed like the Michelin man and that as it gets close to freezing any pretence at being fashionable will have been forgotten. 

The University has a wonderful Botanic Gardens. They are having a plant sale. We only discover this when 'The Font' decides we should use a brief spell of sunshine to go out and do something.  What was planned as a walk through the trees turns into a full hour of plant buying. The weather has deterred other shoppers so we have the place to ourselves.

We end up buying more than our small wind swept garden can sensibly hold. However, the plants are more exotic than you would find in most garden centres.

They're also cheaper. Some have been dug straight out of the ground and are sold, bare rooted, in paper sacks. These are so big they have to be laid on their side on the back seat of the Volvo. The new car is due any day now but the dealership maintains a haughty imprecision as to when it might actually arrive in Scotland. I'm beginning to wonder why we didn't opt for a Kia.

At the entrance to the Botanic Gardens a lady is selling pots of jam for charity. University towns always seem to have determined women like this.

A jar of Marmalade is bought for Angus and something Beet Rooty is acquired by 'The Font'. Neither of us are really jam or chutney fans.

In the late afternoon we take the train down to the Balmoral bar in Edinburgh for a glass of wine and a light supper. It's also a chance for 'The Font' to go to the Apple store to sort out a few problems on the new phone bought to replace the one that was stolen. We're dressed for the Fife countryside so the staff in the hotel treat treat us with that slight aloofness that Edinburgh folk display towards visiting Teuchters. From leaving the house to returning to the front door  takes exactly five hours which seems an efficient use of time. The trains in both directions run to the minute and are spotlessly clean. 

This apartment block has twice as many inhabitants as St Andrews :https://x.com/songpinganq/status/1842697474991133008

Painting as politics :https://x.com/bfcarlson/status/1026662355613052928

The benefits of layering.

 

An interesting  sunrise but the strong, biting wind coming from Svalbard dispels any thought of our pausing to watch it. We hurry out to the warmth of the car . Winter is stirring even if it's not quite reached here yet. The students, who have enjoyed a month of mild and sunny weather, are about to discover the benefits of  'layering' . 

Halloween now dominating the bakers window display. A tray of freshly baked ghouls take pride of place . They're placed at just the right height so that little ones on their way to school can see them. Canny marketing.

Inside there's a further selection of terrifying biscuits on the lower, toddler height, shelves of the display cabinet.

Scottish bakers may not have the finesse of French bakers but they provide old staples baked exactly as they have always been . The strength of culinary tradition should not be underestimated.

The cashmere shop has a new 'winter' display. This is the land of the tartan pashmina. Angus looks grumpily at a mannequin wearing a black tie with a tweed jacket. 

The strawberry lady that we've assumed to be Polish is, in fact, from Romania. She thinks that tomorrow will be her last day. As soon as she's harvested as much of the crop as she can she's off to Bucharest for some warmth. ' Scotland lovely country, lovely people, but so cold ' she says by way of explanation. Having sold strawberries for twelve hours a day for seven months solid he has had a remarkably remunerative year. The strawberries have a hint of that late season whiteness and crunchiness but we buy three punnets as they're still way better than the imports in the supermarket..

Birds we've lost :https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/birds-weve-lost

Were our ancestors better off ? :https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/life-after-dark-ancient-night