Spring has sprung ?

Better weather has brought out the snowdrops. The woods around the village now  carpeted in them. Give it a few more days and the daffodils will join in. We seem to have moved from the depths of a long ,cold and dark winter into an early and balmy spring. Faced with glorious sunshine we briefly consider cancelling next weeks trip to Lisbon but decide against it. Cancelling hotels and flights is just as much of a chore as booking them. Getting your money back is even more of a challenge.

Three larks hover over the grass by the shore. Earlier in the week there was just the  one. We marvel at the way in which such small birds manage to make so much noise. From the bluff we can see all the way down the estuary to the spires of the cathedral. The pack of eleven deer that call the fields around us home have split into two. There's a larger group of eight and a smaller one of three adolescents. The group of three are down by the water grazing contentedly on seaweed.

At the dentist I'm offered a variety of stress reduction options. This offer seems a little OTT for a scaling. The dentists waiting room is decorated in those tasteful shades of grey beloved by all branches of health care. I'm not sure about the black chairs and sofa.  They have a funereal air.

There's a professor of modern political theory in the waiting room. While we wait we chat. He's reading a report from the Munich Security Conference and observes that all members of the Trump administration get standing ovations when they speak. This, it seems, is neither genuine nor spontaneous. The things you learn in dental waiting rooms.  I'd have to say that 'inducing' others to stand is really rather clever psychology.

Dentist over we go to the cafe on the beach for a bacon roll. The warm weather has brought out families and dogs. The place is already a zoo and the day's barely started.

Resilient cows :https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/how-five-abandoned-cows-conquered-a-remote-volcanic-island/

Wuthering Heights. The critics have panned it but the audiences love it :https://jonathanbate.substack.com/p/wuthering-heights

Cosmic rays :https://www.space.com/science/particle-physics/scientists-hunt-for-origins-of-the-mysterious-sun-goddess-particle

Dogs and dentists :https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/28/dental-anxiety-eased-by-therapy-dogs/

Taping pylons and Shanghai laughter.

At first light a village spaniel comes towards us. He's nonchalantly bounding along the top of the stone field walls. This gives him a great view of the yellowhammers flitting in and out of the brambles but must be sore on his paws. The dog looks at me as if to say ' Bet you ain't seen skill like this before '. He leaps down for a quick tickle before leaping back up again.

A man in an orange safety jacket and white hard hat has shown up to check the wooden power pylons. The man is a subcontractor to the electricity company and starts work at first light and finishes when it gets dark. He taps each wooden pole with a hammer to determine whether it needs to be replaced. Healthy ones make a reassuring 'clunk'. Rotten ones emit a dull atonal 'thwump'. You'd think there might be a 21st century technology to do this but apparently not. The village poles were put up in July 1955 and are as good as new but some of the 1990's era poles will need to be replaced. They used imported timber . This information is imparted in a tone of voice that hints that there was ill advised ' foreign wood substitution ' by the power company thirty years ago.  I observe that the poles were going up when I was born . " You're like them - good for another fifty years at least " the man replies. We both laugh in that affable way only complete strangers can .

Down on the beach three Chinese tourists ask us to take their photo. They speak English with a cut glass accent that wouldn't be out of place in Buckingham Palace. Mother and father ( and aunt ) are here from Shanghai  to visit their daughter who is in her first year studying medicine . Apropos of nothing the aunt tells me she's a mechanical engineer at a 'very good company' in Nanjing.  I take their photos against the backdrop of the sunrise . All three  say " Very quaint. Very quaint " in unison. This may be a reference to the town or equally possibly a judgement on the photographer. I come away from this interaction surprised by a) their accents b) how stylishly dressed they are and c) the fact they're using Google phones rather than an Apple. All of them have identical shocking pink cases on their phones which could count as surprise d) if I'd thought of it at the time.

The Chinese opt not to walk on the beach. Having photographed the sunrise they head back towards a chauffeur driven BMW 7 series  that will take them back to the Fairmont. The hotel cars here have their names emblazoned on the doors in what is a rather  Edwardian touch. You used to see this done in London and New York but door emblazoning seems to have fallen out of fashion. Perhaps it's a crime thing ? Why draw attention to the fact the passengers are in a fancy hotel ?

Passing the library a man is dutifully shuttling backwards and forwards with trays of fresh sandwiches. The students favourites are BLT's and tuna and sweetcorn .

So starts a quiet Tuesday morning in a small coastal town where nothing ever happens. I've got an 8:30 appointment with the dental hygienist. Last time I was there she chipped one of my front teeth which now has a super sharp edge to it. An 8:30 appointment seemed a good idea at the time but I'm now wondering if I shouldn't have gone for a later slot when the hygienist has fully woken up.

A walker talks in a way that is rather beautiful and reflective :https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/four-years-of-walking-the-world

Cats eyes :https://www.popsci.com/environment/why-cat-eyes-glow/

Todays dose of psychology :https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202602/3-unique-ways-smart-people-think

A falling out :https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/saudi-arabia-vs-the-uae-the-other-gulf-crisis

British thinking on Japan :https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/02/why-resurgent-japan-good-asia

The village horse.

The UK has won 3 gold medals in the winter Olympics. Considering UK winters are wet rather than snowy this medal tally is something of a surprise to all concerned. The UK rarely, if ever, appears in the rankings.  The news reader does her best to sound on the right side of excited.

Here it's another grey morning although the rain has, for now, stopped. It's that time of year when the fourth year students wake up to the fact that final exams are two months away so there is a hint of diligent purpose in the air. People scurry towards the library. For some you have the feeling that the library is not their natural stomping ground. Younger students do not share this sense of urgency.

The village horse watches us from behind the fence. Tomorrow we'll come out with some carrots. Village people pause to talk to the horses as they head up the hill towards the bus stop. In rural parts like this with a large pre-schooler population the definition of 'villager' is not solely human centric. The same held true in France. There is always time in the day to talk to a horse.

A half hearted sunrise. Regular as clockwork the Frankfurt to San Francisco and Los Angeles Lufthansa flights leave their contrails high in the sky above us. For the passengers there will be breakfast over Scotland followed by lunch somewhere over Alberta.

It's 2,000 steps to the cathedral from where we park the car. By the time we get there the sun is up . The first coach of the day arrives from Edinburgh and deposits a group of sensibly dressed Spaniards on the pavement near Starbucks. There is soon a long line waiting to use their wash rooms.

For all of two minutes the castle ruins look almost Caribbean in the sunshine. It doesn't last. A bank of cloud drifts over and plunges us back into February weather.

Balloons in the window of a student flat indicate someone is waking up to a 20th birthday. Is any decade as exciting as your 20's ? What adventures lie ahead.

Coming up to four years next week. One mans simple dreams :https://x.com/i/status/2022728972983808252

Chicago in 1883 :https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/how-about-a-game-dinner

Idiocy:https://econofact.org/the-economic-costs-of-brexit-on-the-uk

All I needed to know about WalMart although the term techno-fascism is a bit jaded and could be improved on:https://www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/the-beast-of-bentonville/

Changing views on China :https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-52/the-intellectual-situation/sinophobic-sinophilia/

A substack gem :https://gallery98.substack.com/p/whats-your-greatest-fear-long-island

A victory.

Scotland beat England 31-20 in the Saturday afternoon rugby match. The joy this unexpected victory bestows cannot be understood by non-Scots. A bottle of champagne is opened.... and consumed.

Sunny this morning but the sky has that leaden look that tells us we shall soon be acquainted with snow. Thousands of small starfish have been washed up by the tide. A dozen young couples are sitting in the shelter of the dunes watching the sun rise. They chat with that peculiar intensity that is the hallmark of the late teen. Last night there was a big student 'gig' and these seem to be the hardy, late to bed, stop outs : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsFpWcR2zns . Young love is oblivious to the cold which may , or may not, explain why they're not wearing coats. Local dog owners , wrapped up to the nines, scurry past.

The cafe by the fountain still has a large heart shaped wreath in the window. I guess it will soon be taken down. Easter Eggs have arrived and are stacked up in readiness to take up the post Valentines Day slack.

Bikes a sure sign this is a student town. Some are padlocked others aren't. A few of the cars parked by chapel have fresh snow on their bonnets. This tells us the weather inland is 'challenging'. 

In Starbucks a small dog keeps a wary eye on anyone that gets too close . A small sharp yap is emitted if anyone tries to sit at a table near her mistress. The barista brings over a small cup of whipped cream. The yaps cease.

An unusual story on the six am farming broadcast. Why this should interest local farmers is a mystery. In fact the whole story is a mystery. Perhaps we've overslept and it's April 1st ?  We both agree this is the weirdest thing we've heard all week :https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/14/world/bannon-epstein-take-down-pope-francis-latam-intl  It has a certain elitist arrogance to it.

London 1924:https://x.com/FXMC1957/status/2022723089659011239

We buy tickets for this. His style is what used to be called 'devastatingly candid'  :https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/lucian-freud-drawing-into-painting

Future uncertain:https://nautil.us/the-long-history-and-uncertain-future-of-us-weather-forecasts-1266805/

The first rap song ever made :https://x.com/historyrock_/status/2022264488834269309

Things I didn't know about :https://theconversation.com/boofing-why-taking-illicit-drugs-rectally-is-so-risky-274690

AI in the news again :https://substack.com/home/post/p-187880412

Sunshine at last.

The sad death of that actor from Dawson's Creek the third story on the morning news. The show seemed so worldly wise and uber chic and boundary challenging at the time but would probably appear searingly tame to todays teenagers. 

After six biblical weeks of gales and layer upon layer of cloud the skies brighten and the sun comes out.  On our walk down to the beach we see the first lark of the year hovering over the bluff. This is a cause for celebration. There are also a group of Stonechats darting in and out of the brambles. The sunshine has kicked nature into overdrive. The farmers sixteen year old has dutifully picked up and buried the puffins and auks. This has presumable boosted his summer travel fund.

Students who have been dorm bound since the start of the semester reappear.

Tables at the pavement cafes are busy with laughing youngsters. They bring the town alive. Some brave souls sunbathe on the college lawns. They drink Red Bull from cans and laugh and enjoy themselves. We think about how cold and wet the grass must be. 

The flags of the Six Nations are up in the Tiger/Timberlake sports bar. A notice on the front door informs potential customers that it is completely sold out for the Calcutta Cup - as are all the other watering holes in town. We think of going out for dinner but the chances of getting a table anywhere on Valentines Day are south of zero. Dining in a room full of amorous teenagers who want to get the food part of the evening out of the way as soon as possible can generate jealousy irritation in older diners .

Thomas Edison was a 'stupid' pupil :https://miniphilosophy.substack.com/p/everyone-is-stupid-about-something

This was a fun take on Japan :https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-japanese-love-their-prime-minister

Why the invention of the 'price tag' was so important :https://x.com/RonanFarrow/status/2022086593583231222

Will Ukraines ambassador to the UK be the countrys next President ? :https://asiatimes.com/2026/02/who-would-win-a-ukraine-election/

Is it worth it ?: https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/will-life-on-mars-require-a-genetic-rewrite/

A useful reminder :https://ataraxiaorbust.substack.com/p/amathia-how-smart-people-fall-for

A touch of snow

The weather remains awful. Even the BBC has woken up to just how bad it is :https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20zv56626zo  Aberdeen did manage to get half an hour of sunshine yesterday which I'm sure was welcome.

Seven dead Puffins and two dead Little Auks down on the beach. The strong winds have exhausted them and they've drowned. The weather must be truly awful to cull these feisty wee birds who choose to make our cold waters their home. The farmers sixteen year old will be sent out to pick up the carcasses to give them a proper burial when he gets back from school. Avian flu is still a thing.

Looks to me as if the multi coloured roses haven't  been selling. The closer we get to Valentines Day the more demand from forgetful Romeos will increase.

Town, as you can see, is quiet. No one in their right mind would be about and about in this weather. Snow is forecast. For our morning walk the rain opts to segue into sleet.

While I speak to the Manhattanites 'The Font' goes to a student music competition. An 18 year old from China wins 1st prize. One of the joys of living in a small town with a university is access to world class music. The judges provide advice that is warm, practical and kind.

Even the chocolate cafe is empty. The weather is bad enough to deter even the most ardent chocoholics. The cafe has the air conditioning running which is not what you need on a cold February morning. We drink our espressos quickly.

1941:https://x.com/TheMonologist/status/2019354570993074254

The first restaurant :https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/first-restaurant-paris-france

Jobs and AI :https://newsletter.jantegze.com/p/your-job-isnt-disappearing-its-shrinking

In the centre of Marrakech :https://lefarnatchi.com/

40 days.

Todays weather forecast promises a 95%+ chance of rain and 40 mph winds. Tomorrow it shifts to a 100% likelihood of 'heavy precipitation' but winds of only 20 mph. So much for the weather fronts moving. There is something almost Biblical about 40 days solid of rain. 

In the twenty minutes that passes while we have our wet and windy morning walk the bakers display of fudge doughnuts sells completely out.

A second tray of the heart shape delights is given pride of place in the centre of the bakers window. With rampant demand like this love must be in the air.

No doubting the power of retail suggestion as we enter the supermarket. Bouquets have been carefully positioned by the front door.

Multi-coloured roses are being offered at £4 a stem. Have you ever seen anything as hideous ? They are bound to appeal to 19 year old Lotharios in search of sophistication. The dozen red roses at £15 for a dozen seem outstanding value in comparison.

Soon to celebrate its 100th birthday in New York :https://russiantearoomnyc.com/

Peru and getting blueberries in winter :https://sftw.substack.com/p/chasing-counter-seasonality

For those interested in AI this reassures about Moltbook :https://dolos.substack.com/p/benthic-cannibals-in-cyberspace

Teaching in China . A bit rambling in a Stanford sort of way but worth scrolling down to the text :https://pekinghotel.substack.com/p/when-i-taught-at-central-party-school

One of the organ scholars letting rip with this in chapel this morning. He's having great Hammer House of Horror fun with the music :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Fj3UD8gBI&list=RDG0Fj3UD8gBI&start_radio=1