A northerly wind.

So they've finally  installed a female Archbishop of Canterbury. It's taken 1400 years but despite the worst fears of the  traditionalist crowd the world hasn't come to an abrupt end. We catch snippets of the ceremony on the evening news. It all seems very happy and civilized. The archbishop looks relieved when it's all over and even the future King smiles  :https://youtu.be/MjLK48OWDRc?t=6746 . 

Bitterly cold this morning with a strong ( and I mean strong ) northerly wind. . The air as clear as crystal. We can see all the way up the coast to Arbroath. Where the southerly tide mixes it up with the northerly wind the waves are forced upwards and form a wall of water a couple of feet high. It looks as if someone has just passed by on a jet ski.  I don't think I've ever seen this before.

The town has emptied out and is once again quiet. Parking remains easy.

The milkman has made his deliveries to the university before the administration staff have shown up. A quart of semi-skimmed delivered to the doorstep. This is a very small university town sight.

The camelia has had its moment in the sun. It's looking worse for wear after yesterdays winds. Amazing to think that the first flowering of the year is drawing to a close.

British humour :https://x.com/NoContextBrits/status/2036585101413257335

Concise French humour :https://x.com/FrenchResponse/status/2036715419961094423

I can think of one dog breed that is impossible to train :https://www.popsci.com/environment/most-trainable-dog-breeds/

Stuck in a bathtub :https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/popular-lore-claims-that-william-howard-taft-got-stuck-in-a-bathtub-new-research-sheds-light-on-the-legends-forgotten-origins-180988386/

So Danish. Couldn't see it happening in the UK :https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/the-happiest-election-in-the-world?hide_intro_popup=true

We look at a piece of stone.

We wander out to see the standing stone that the farmer has unearthed . The New Zealand and Canadian families are already there. You grab your excitement where and when you can in a small Scottish village on the North Sea. The farmer tells us he was happily ploughing when 'clang' one of the blades hit something unexpected. The 'clang' in the sentence is stressed for effect. There's one large block of rock about five feet long and four feet wide. Next to it a wider , tapered, portion that's sheered off and is maybe three feet long. Smaller pieces have fallen off as he's dragged it over to the field boundary. The farmer thinks its a standing stone.  'How would you know ?' asks the Canadian man.  The farmer, perhaps rather brusquely, points out that it's the only stone in a field of deep sandy soil.  The Canadian man seems unimpressed. His four year old is fascinated.

Later today the local policeman will dutifully meet with the local archaeologist to certify that the bones that were unearthed aren't from a recent murder. The policeman will 'tut' to make it clear he has better things to do than supervise bronze age excavations.

In the university library there's an old parish chronicle written by a 17th century kirk elder who said that the whole area from here to the north of the bay was once dotted with stone circles. They were wiped from the landscape by Presbyterian ministers who thought them to be unholy reminders of an 'older' religion. 'Keyholes to the very gates of hell' as the author described them with Taliban like fervour. Perhaps this one was simply pushed over ?

The seagulls are enjoying the ploughing. It's great for unearthing worms.

Down on the Old Course we take in golfs most iconic view.

The golf academy already busy. First thing in the morning, before work starts,  it's a very egalitarian place. Husbands and wives, fathers and sons and local teenagers all make it their home. All share the same intensity but not all have the same dexterity.

So starts another day in a part of the world where excitement comes in the shape of a large piece of stone in a field.

At auction in Glasgow. Someone wanted to record their family dog :https://www.mctears.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-73----marion-rodger-hamilton-harvey-scottish-1886---1971/?lot=407296&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=1908&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=0&pp=96&pn=1&g=1

Very French :https://x.com/francesafetytra/status/2036184875980693781

History :https://thebulletin.org/premium/2026-03/the-evolution-of-a-conspiracy-minded-culture-a-historians-view/

Coffee is good for you :https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/21/turns_out_your_coffee_addiction/

China and science :https://scholarstage.substack.com/p/china-and-the-future-of-science

An electoral surprise.

The man with anger management issues telephones from France with the news that the current mayor has been voted out and a new one voted in.  This was one of those 52-48 electoral surprises that no one expected.  The outgoing mayor is not happy and has been less than gracious. In his concession speech he observed  how apt it was that the new mayor owned the local septic tank company. He then went on to describe why. 

The ploughing in the fields around the last wee house before Denmark is finished. Yesterday the farmer unearthed another bronze age cist and what he thinks may be a fallen standing stone . The local policeman will be called to come out and certify that the unearthed bones are not 'recent'. 

We stop off at the Botanic Gardens for some plants for the rockery. The cheapest ( but not cheap ) and healthiest plants can be found in the Botanic Gardens. The plants here also seem to have a higher survival rate than the ones imported from Holland. 

We also pick up half a dozen primulas for the garden table.

Since we were last here they've invested in a large wooden pergola. On a chilly morning this proves to be remarkably warm and wind free. We order two cups of coffee.  There was a time when you only found blankets in Austrian and German ski resorts. Now they've made an appearance here. They are most welcome.

Alongside their Easter offerings the bakers have a full range of sugar heavy  'old faithfuls ' on display. 

A half lobster roll on sale at the fast food shack facing the chapel for £22. I no longer have any idea whether that's a lot or a little. By the time this current bout of inflation kicks in I'll wager it'll seem like good value.

Only humans have white eyes :https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2026/03/22/why-are-humans-the-only-primates-with-white-eyes-an-evolutionary-biologist-explains/

The things you learn :https://thedebrief.org/rujm-el-hiri-israels-mysterious-stonehenge-of-the-east-is-not-alone-new-research-reveals/

French humour :https://x.com/VarlanOlivier/status/2036124039022797309/photo/1

Radio Scotlands morning breakfast music reaches a new level of obtuseness:https://youtu.be/VCrpUsLd5kE

Things do get better :https://x.com/GermanEmbassy/status/2036025543653499317

The new cafe.

Two weeks to Easter Monday. Less than a month and we may be ( or may not be ) flying off to see the west lake in Hangzhou. The year has picked up its pace. On Friday and Saturday nights the green Northern Lights were swirling away on the horizon over Boddin Head. Last night , when we wrap up and venture out into the garden with a glass of Pommard, there was nothing. On the radio this morning a man tells us the North Koreans have been helping the Iranians with their long range missiles. We turn the dial to the classic music channel which is a less fraught way of segueing into the new week.

Two tractors hard at work as we set off on our morning constitutional. A month ago we were averaging 12,000 steps a day. Now, with the sunshine, it's closer to 20,000. The farmer is deep ploughing the field on the left , his youngest son dealing with the field on the right. Eldest son, up from Edinburgh, drives out on a buggy with coffee and bacon rolls. The heavy rain earlier in the year has pushed their plans back and they're racing to get the sowing schedule on track by Easter.  For the younger lad the next three months bring Easter, his IB exams and then the excitement of  America and the World Cup. Life is peculiarly hectic when you're seventeen.

The elder Jack Russell is also up and about. She waddles over to see us. Her joy ( and a wildly waving tail ) makes it difficult to walk in a straight line. Younger sister is confined to the farmhouse garden while the ploughing is underway. As we walk down to the shore we can hear her complaining about the unjustness of it all.

The golfers are out early. The Old Course already busy, the golf academy even more so. Local fathers and teenage sons are out getting an hours putting in before work or school.

The new cafe above the Golf Museum is now up and running. It's called The Claret and serves one of those all day menus. It doesn't open until 8:30 so we're too early to try it out today. Bacon rolls are £6 which, by St Andrews standards, is reasonable.

So starts a new week in a small quiet Scottish town where nothing ever happens.

Very Italian. Bookstore by day, cinema by night :https://giuntiodeon.it/en

Unusual fact of the day. A higher % of Sikhs in Canada than India :https://x.com/mrsunshinebaby/status/2034859082960839119/photo/1

Hadrians Wall was more peaceful than we'd thought :https://aspectsofhistory.com/hadrians-wall-strategic-masterpiece-or-monumental-folly/

Extended range.

With the troubles in the mid-east rumbling on we've taken to charging up the battery on our little BMW hybrid. One of those 'just in case ' routines. We plug it in after dinner and hey presto the next morning it's ready for the off. Slow but effective. In the winter the heater drains the battery in the blink of an eye  and we'd be lucky to make it the seven miles into town and then back on a charge. Come these balmy mornings we don't need the heater on and we can get two and possibly three return journeys to the supermarket before the petrol engine kicks in. I can remember petrol rationing books being issued in 1973 but can't recall whether they were actually put into use. In those days I had just started as a student here and had a red Saab 96 which I ( possibly alone ) thought was very svelte. Who'd ever have thought that half a century on we'd be facing a reprise of an oil embargo ? Plus ca change ... 'The Font' observes that the use of the phrase ' I can remember when ' officially indicates that I've now stopped being my father and have officially turned into my grandfather.

Sunday. Another perfect day. Not quite the 19 degrees we saw on Friday but close enough.

The weather has brought out day trippers, dog walkers and golfers. Canny visitors know to park out on the beach and then walk back into the centre. This morning they are streaming in. The town is shaking off its winter dourness and bursting into life. On the first tee the starter is in a bad mood. Three lads have registered as a four ball but are their missing their fourth companion who is nowhere to be seen. As the crowd of impatient American golfers builds up he loses his patience and tells them to tee off. ' Your colleague will just need to play through ', This is said with a finality that indicates he has little patience for students or their time keeping.

We're into the pre-Easter wedding season. All day yesterday the road outside the Catholic church was blocked off for the days events with skillfully placed no parking cones. In Starbucks we're surprised to find the place is full of young English couples. The men in tails and white tie their partners in brightly coloured wedding attire. They're waiting for their 'event' in the university chapel. Locals seem completely unfazed by this Home Counties sight.

Back at the last wee house before Denmark we stop to watch the reed buntings and yellow hammers basking in the sunshine on the old stone field walls. They are enjoying themselves. They squabble happily and incessantly.

Our bird watching comes to an abrupt end. The farmers youngest is spreading bone meal over the soon to be planted tatty field . In the absence of wind he discovers that by putting his foot all the way down he can accelerate the tractor to a speed that generates a cloud that rapidly diffuses across the furrows. We head indoors. For someone about to take his IB exams the lad seems remarkably relaxed :https://www.stleonards-fife.org/curriculum/international-baccalaureate

A public servant and brave veteran dies. Usually at times like this their dedication is recorded. I'm not quite sure what it says about society when ' Good, I'm glad he's dead ' is deemed acceptable.

Watched a bit of the Louis Theroux investigation into the manosphere on Netflix which was unsettling. This essay on the male condition appeared in the inbox this morning and is artfully and tellingly written. Blowing raspberries on giggly tummies is a phrase you don't often see :https://drunkwisconsin.substack.com/p/men-only-want-one-thing

A picture of a London tube train :https://substack.com/@wluvv/note/c-226721649?r=48ea6r

Climate weirdness :https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/the-us-is-looking-at-a-year-of-chaotic-weather/

Oil :https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-with-robin-brooks

Milk or dark ?

It got to 19 degrees here yesterday. That's warm for Scotland in March. In fact that's warm for Scotland at any time of the year. This morning the weather is promising more of the same. Down on the shore there's what might pass for a heat haze.

We haven't seen the Chinese man and his dog in months. They're out on the far end of the sand  this morning. We wave.  There's no sign of his Puli. We would ask if it's alright but the Chinese gentlemans English is extremely limited.

At the book store a van with a silhouette of a chimney sweep in a top hat painted on the side. This is a particularly Victorian image and not what you'd expect to see in 2026.

Inside the book shop the chimney sweep and his assistant are hard at work. Customers wander by as they lay dust sheets. I wonder how many bookstores have wood burning fires. Probably quite a few in chilly Scotland.

The flower shop on the shopping street looking spring like.

All the milk chocolate Easter eggs have gone. Dark chocolate ones remain. 'The Font' won't touch milk chocolate whereas Angus has yet to find milk chocolate that he doesn't like. On the evidence of the supermarket shelves it seems I'm not alone. Claude, improbably, informs me that 51% of chocolate eaters prefer milk and 35% dark. This is a very unsatisfying AI answer .

'The Font' speaks to the travel agent about next months long haul flight to Shanghai. " We can only hope the flights go " he says with infuriating imprecision. Our booking at the restaurant we've always wanted to try is still good :https://www.trip.com/restaurant/china/hangzhou/detail/longjing-manor-479150/  I'd reckon the chances of the trip taking place is still 50-50. Last nights missile attack on Diego Garcia seems to hint at more surprises to come.

Africa :https://kappel1.substack.com/p/africas-growth-euphoria?triedRedirect=true

Seems there was more to Rosa Luxemburg than politics :https://orbooks.com/catalog/rosa-luxemburgs-herbarium/

A new hotel in Palm Beach. It looks like every other hotel in Palm Beach. There must be a look everyone strives for :https://www.oetkerhotels.com/hotels/the-vineta-hotel/#/

Radio Scotlands Saturday morning music choice. When was the last time you heard this ? :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdKEbnS1eBE

Nae problem

Down to Edinburgh. Angus has a meeting with men in dark suits to talk about the Hungarian elections on April 12th. Expect the results to be challenged by Washington and Moscow if Orban doesn't win. This will be a big and hugely divisive issue. You can be certain a certain someone will make his views known.

The ceiling of the room we've arranged to meet in has a wonderful ceiling. 

Orvis used to make great quarter zips but they've  stopped selling in Europe and shipping from the store in Alexandria incurs eye watering customs duties. R M Williams an Australian company fills the gap :https://www.rmwilliams.com/uk/edinburgh.html  They've just opened a stylish new store on George Street. The young Australian lady behind the counter informs me is their only outlet north of the border.

Shopping finished I stop to take a look at the statue of King George IV. It tells the passer by that he visited Scotland. This seems a pretty mealy mouthed inscription. It certainly couldn't be any more 'concise'.

The train home runs on time. Back at The last wee house before Denmark the farmer and his seventeen year old are busy repairing the field drains. The lad is busy studying for his international baccalaureate exams. He's still keen to earn money for his upcoming trip to the US which is why he's operating the mechanical excavator. He tells us the exams will be ' nae problem '. His sister is at Oxford and he's thinking of following her there but somewhat bizarrely the Sorbonne is also mentioned.

We missed a lecture on Egyptian ten making 1880-1980. The good thing about a small university town is there's always three or four super-esoteric things to do of an evening.

At quarter to seven we wander down to the shore to watch the sun set behind the towers of the old town. We nearly bought a house in San Gimignano when we were looking to move to Italy but in high summer you literally can't move for visitors. Screw up your eyes and St Andrews has something of the San Gimignano skyline.

This seems unfair :https://nautil.us/the-science-is-in-no-one-likes-your-cockapoo-1279042

A sensible use for AI :https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/16/asia_tech_news_roundup/

The posties first call of the day. A parcel arrives for 'The Font' bearing one of those French things that are missed :https://verlet.fr/en/products/confiture-myrtille-sauvage

An insight into 'those' telephone calls :https://www.semafor.com/article/03/15/2026/why-and-how-everyone-is-cold-calling-the-president

Be honest. How many of these could you answer correctly ? :https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/apush-test-questions-fs

This is really quite remarkable. 10/10 to the Japanese PM for hiding her thoughts. Some of the comments are witty :https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/2034665181117112807