The 'What do you want ?' stage.

Blogger has been playing up. I tried to post this morning but to no avail. We've spent the day travelling down to London which is extremely busy with visitors heading to the Chelsea Flower Show. Here somewhat belatedly are some pictures of life before we headed to the airport.

The calves on the village green are growing by the day. They have moved on from being shy to the adolescent  ' What do you want ?' stage . Twin brothers glare at us from the  middle of what they clearly consider to be their field.

The shop windows gearing up for visiting southerners who find themselves in need of warmer clothing. Mothers who turn up for graduation in clothes that would be ideal for the south of France but find the temperatures 20 degrees cooler are the target audience.

The 'other' town beach is usually crowded with surfers. Now, in the midst of exam week and with the towns population shrinking by 40% , we have it pretty much to ourselves.

Could any sign be more St Andrews than this one  ?

The hotel is up for sale

A large flag pole has gone up outside the hotel that Donald Trump once tried to buy. It wasn't there last week. Perhaps it's a sign that some truly important tournament is about to take place. The hotel is now owned by a Wisconsin sanitary fittings manufacturer but it's rumoured that the hotel no longer fits with their business model and is up for sale. There is a certain nervousness as to who the future buyer might be.

A group of sprightly American gentlemen of a certain age are the first to tee off this morning. They have the sure and certain air of golfers who have played here before.  Those 'Titleist' baseball caps that have become standard golf attire are once again much in evidence. 

Next up on the first tee are a younger ( but middle aged )  group from Cincinnati . They too are wearing 'Titleist' headware. These folk are rather more animated than the first group and spend some considerable time 'high fiving' each other when they make it onto the course. The caddies are all in shorts which demonstrates some optimism about the weather later in the day. For now it's grey and chill.

In the supermarket Pomegranate Rubies. Something I've never seen before. In France we used to drink a pre-dinner glass of champagne with Pomegranate juice. Perhaps it's something we should start doing again ? The big difference is that by seven in the evening the air up here is starting to turn cold. In France it stayed warm and prime champagne drinking temperatures until late.

Back at The last wee house before Denmark elder sister follows me into the kitchen. She makes her way directly to the cabinet where the biscuits are stored. Village farm dogs know the centrality of their place in the scheme of things.

Modern French tumblers - at a price :https://www.saint-louis.com/en/collections/les-endiables.html

Oops. Be careful what you wish for :https://x.com/factpostnews/status/2056461616162431323

I'm seeing a lot written about this :https://x.com/jesusferna7026/status/2056341632253862099?s=61

Falling birth rates also appear here :https://www.derekthompson.org/p/why-the-whole-world-stopped-having

Reducing health care costs at source. A cigarette free UK :https://www.politico.com/newsletters/forecast/2026/05/19/the-new-politics-of-smoking-00928285

The porpoise.

It's rained quite heavily overnight. This will delight the farmer who has been praying for a downpour to kick start his potato crop. We stop to chat to two village ladies who are repairing the fencing around the apple trees in the communal orchard. This year the deer have developed a liking passion for apples. The ladies are repairing the wire mesh to deter the animals from grazing on the low lying branches. They don't hold out great hopes for success. From them we learn that the Water Board has discovered that one of the feed pipes to the village is made of lead. It must have been laid down at least a century ago. Health and Safety regulations mean that the lead pipe will need to be replaced by a new non-toxic one. This, it can be assumed, will be a lengthy and disruptive process. 

Heading into town in the car the BBC news informs us that an attack on Iran that was scheduled for today has been cancelled. We also discover that American petrol pumps aren't programmed to deal with diesel or petrol prices above $9.99 a gallon. If they go to $10 then all of them need to be reset manually. This is the sort of stray factoid that will be repeated at dinner tables up and down the country tonight.

The high tide has washed up a dead porpoise. It's surprisingly small. The usual cast of dog owners are taking it in turn to warn other owners to keep their dogs away. The waters around here can be treacherous for weak swimmers. It's probably got stranded on a sand bank and drowned.

Heading back in the car we see three competing company vans out collecting student belongings. The companies wrap and store the youngsters possessions until their owners return in September. This is a service industry that didn't exist in our day. It is, as you might expect, a highly competitive and highly seasonal market with this being by far their busiest time. With each passing day the exodus of youngsters picks up pace. Local cab drivers are busy with bookings to Edinburgh airport. In a weeks time there will only be post-grads and heavy party goers who are left in town. For two or three weeks until the cohorts of summer golfers arrive the place will be left to the locals.

Down by the busy golf course we pass the Jake and Edie bench. On a morning like this we can quite understand why it was their favourite place. 'Golf, Bridge and a view of the Sea' is a succinct summary of lifes charms.

At the garden store two metal lions. They're the better part of £800 each. Someone might like them. 

This Parisian cafe has the most French advert ever ? :https://serpentaplume.com/

Careful preparation pays dividends :https://uvamillercenter.substack.com/p/lessons-from-the-osama-bin-laden

A place to stay in New Orleans :https://ash.world/hotels/peter-and-paul

Consequences :https://robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/a-different-perspective-on-the-strait

Wall Brown butterflies.

The Sand Martins are back and so too are the Swallows. A dozen of the former and half a dozen of the latter are wheeling above the courtyard as we head off on our morning walk. We're up early. It's the time of year when the fierce northern sun manages to find any chink in the curtains. This renders sleep impossible. It's light enough to read by four. This may explain why the farmer has already been at work for the last two hours. He stops his tractor and wanders over to tell us to look out for some small Wall Brown butterflies sun bathing on the wild roses near the potato barns. " Any idea when this bloody war's going to end ?" he asks. Seems the price of diesel for his tractors has nudged up again and he's wondering whether to top up his farm fuel tanks while he still can. We still have two thirds of our heating oil left but I might join the farmer in arranging a 'top up'. Right on cue the BBC six am news bulletin tells us that Senator Lindsey Graham thinks that Iranian energy infrastructure should be bombed  - again.

Buses and trains now starting to fill up with students heading home. For a lucky minority exams are done and dusted. As the week progresses the gentle trickle of homeward bound students will turn into a flood.

Thousands and thousands of razor clams washed up on the shore. They run in a strip three or four yards wide all along the two mile length of the beach. The crows and gulls are delighted with such a tasty and accessible breakfast.

For those students taking exams the weather has been annoyingly perfect. Today seems set to be another beautiful day.

With the students going it will soon be much easier to find a table at the pavement cafes. Cut throughs that are usually ( and annoyingly ) blocked with nineteen year olds rushing off to lectures are now deserted. By contrast local restaurants are now full with young lovers splurging out and having a romantic dinner together before heading home for the summer. Last night the calm of the fish restaurant is shaken by one young man trying to reassure his girlfriend that ' the next four months will rush by '. This insight is not well received.

The house that always has fresh flowers in the window has a white theme this morning.

If only all graduation speeches were like this :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSYEDc7-Ah0

An English garden re-opens :https://www.gardenmuseum.org.uk/benton-end/visit-the-walled-garden-at-benton-end/

Reverting to form.

The life of a 19 year old in St Andrews is not all exams. There is plenty of room for some high jinks :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngj2fJOAiBw  The dog walkers at the 1:20 mark look quite perplexed. 

The weather in May has been wonderful but now it's reverted to form. Since five this morning the wind  has been blowing from the North in one of those endless gusts that doesn't pause for breath. In most places the squalls ease off every so often but not here. Faced with this unrelenting tempest the sea below The last wee house before Denmark has worked itself up into an angry mood. Waves thud against the rocks and spray scuds up into our faces. The gannets love it. We stand and watch them - and the cormorants and shags - diving for fish. They circle, rise and then plummet deep down into the water, wings pressed hard against their bodies. Despite it being barely six o'clock there are three French minibuses parked out by the village hall. They belong to a travel company that specializes in walking tours of Scotland. Their clients have been dropped off seven miles away on the coastal path and the friendly young staff are preparing breakfast in readiness for their arrival in an hour or twos time. The village hall looks very grand with  trestle tables, chairs and a portable six ring gas stove. The croissants, I note, come from Marks and Spencers. The village hall  'facilities' are getting a thorough spring cleaning. 

The Hebridean sheep in their long coats are oblivious to the cold. They graze from one end of the paddock to the other without so much as looking up to see who, or what, we are. The females have all been moved to pastures inland leaving thirteen grumpy males to keep the grass under control.

Down to the fish shop. Lemon Sole, monkfish and halibut will see us through to mid-week. We were going to buy some langoustines but they've just come off the boat and are waving their claws in a way that says they're still very much alive.

Back in the village the calves on the village green are getting braver.  Two of them wander over to greet us. Methinks that local mothers, taking their children off to nursery school, have taken to stopping by with a carrot ... or two.

Events in London maybe crazy but life in a small Scottish North Sea village does its level best to remain calm and unchanging.

The spark that makes us different :https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/the-night-humans-learned-to-sleep-together

Maybe you need to be an astrophysicist to enjoy this :https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2026/05/15/przybylskis-star-still-bizarre-after-all-these-years/

Nearly blowing up the Statue of Liberty :https://www.military.com/german-spies-blew-up-new-york-harbor-lady-libertys-torch-never-reopened

Remembrance as art form :https://iveyredding.substack.com/p/in-the-garden

A susbtack with snippets of poetry - some beautiful. I shall dip into again as the week wears on :https://substack.com/@coralwarmth

Migratory routines.

A beautiful Friday night. The pavement cafes busy with youngsters enjoying a drink or two in the late evening sunshine. Star crossed lovers sit staring into each others eyes before they face the sweet sorrow of being parted for the summer vacation. Tearful hand holding is one of the migratory routines particular to small college towns the world over. We've been invited to a talk on the Gulf War. The lecture theatre is packed to the rafters with earnest students. We, as oldies, have reserved seats on the front row. The speaker says that the world is running a deficit of 14 million barrels of oil a day and that something must give in the next three to four weeks. There may be a 'convulsion' in the price of oil. 'Convulsion' is said in a tone of voice that makes it clear that this is something extremely unpleasant. The students ask probing questions which hints that they would make a much better job of running the world than later generations. Their thoughtfulness always makes me feel optimistic. By the end of the Q&A we're still unsure whether the war is close to being resolved. Certainly, the trip to China didn't bring any relief in this matter. I shall keep the tank at least three quarters full of petrol.

One of the village gardens has turned into a mass of bluebells. Can anything cry out 'I'm in Scotland ' as much as a garden full of bluebells ?

Something small and delicate and exotic  is growing in the grass near the potato field. It looks to have seeded here by chance. We pause to admire it. The village is about to enjoy a brief but exceedingly colourful summer as the wild flowers burst into bloom. The farmers wife  is taking the 17 year old son into Edinburgh shopping.  It has suddenly struck them both that the weather in America might be hotter than it is here in Scotland. The elder brother - who is also off to the World Cup - will meet them for lunch on Thistle Lane. He's just had his 19th birthday and is in the middle of end of term exams and is feeling 'hard done by'.

A squall blows in from the North Sea. It arrives just as we make it back to the car.  A young couple are up early having their wedding photos taken before they tie the knot in chapel at 10:00 am. The groom has to help the brides dress from billowing upwards in the wind. He plonks his hand firmly on her backside. This is perhaps not the most decorous of looks as they wait for the traffic lights to change.

This early the golfers waiting to tee off can't get a drink at the nearby hotel but they can get a cup off coffee. Titleist baseball caps are this years 'must have' golf accessory. They are everywhere and I mean everywhere.

The strawberry hut is now open. In the summer we live on strawberries. At the moment they are at their start of season best. We still miss the savoury flavour of the Gariguettes in France.  They weren't better, just different.

The Birdman of Oswiecim. Interesting but should this house be used for exhibitions ?  :https://archer.counterextremism.com/

Poor mice :https://www.sciencenorway.no/dental-health-drink-natural-science/a-researcher-gave-mice-unlimited-coca-cola-heres-what-happened/2663159

Shocking. 21st century and there's not a single woman to be seen at the table:https://x.com/BrigidLaffan/status/2054933606376583204

The way the world sees it :https://time.com/article/2026/05/15/trump-xi-us-china-summit-analysis/

Fondant fancies.

The UK's political crisis continues to entertain - but not in a good way.  A number of politicians have put themselves forward to replace the current Prime Minister but none of them have deigned to tell us how they will deal with inflation or debt or the lack of  growth. We're back to that old ' Trust me. I'll sort it out on the night ' style of governance. Of course its not just our politicians who entertain. On the local radio we learn that Americas FBI Director has been on a business trip to Hawaii. While there he went on a 'VIP Snorkel' of the sunken battleship the USS Arizona. It seems that a group of veterans think diving on a wreck that contains 900 graves is 'vulgar and cheap'. This is the first time either of us has ever heard the term 'VIP Snorkel ' and our breakfast time conversation detours into an analysis of what sets apart the  VIP option from a mere 'Snorkel'.

Groups of forlorn tourists wandering around town as we pass through on our morning constitutional. One group is led by a guide with an orange flag. Another follows a woman holding a blue flag and wearing enormous gold framed sunglasses. Both guides have cigarettes dangling from their lips. Neither seems to be enjoying life. They must have left Edinburgh on the dot of six so this lack of enthusiasm is perhaps understandable. 

As we get near the language tells us the orange group are Spanish, the blue group Italian. Both guides follow the less is more approach to sightseeing - duomo, capilla, universidad - barked out, staccato style, as each of the towns sights are passed. Sights of martyrdom generate more interest and arm waving. Stragglers are told to keep up. Starbucks ( and its facilities ) is soon full of Madrilenos trying to warm up.

The bakers 'Festival of Chocolate' is in full swing. In the main window Chocolate Belgian Biscuits share the spotlight with Chocolate French Cakes. I bought two of the French Cakes earlier in the week and can report that they have a memorably high sugar content. Why they are described as French cakes is a mystery. They are closer to being super sweet fondant fancies. It should also be noted that the word 'fondant' implies that the filling has a continental lightness that these more solid Scottish examples disdain.

For true chocoholics the side window has a display of  YumYums, cupcakes, doughnuts and some industrial looking Pain au chocolat. With the students in the midst of exams any and everything sells out within minutes of it being put on the shelves.

Back out in the village the farmer is about to plant brassicas in the field by 'The Fonts' cabin. He launches into a long description about crop rotation and phosphate levels in the soil. As he talks yellow hammers, corn buntings and wrens flit in and out of the wild roses that clamber over the old dry stone field walls. 

The ultimate British dining car :https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/uk/belmond-british-pullman/celia

Opening just in time for lovers of Burgundy heading off on holiday :https://chateaulacommaraine.com/en

The Chelsea Flower Show lifts its ban on gnomes :https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/news/2026/gnome-ban-lifted

Europe v US :https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/yes-europeans-are-poorer-than-americans

The White House Director of Communications posts this unusual photograph. The world of diplomacy is changing :https://x.com/StevenCheung47/status/2054325027659448711