The leaflet

Election season - or at least the run up to it. A tall thin man appears in the garden as we're settling down to enjoy an evening glass of Sancerre Rose. He's delivering leaflets for a political party. ' This is for you ' he says thrusting a leaflet into my hand and then quickly scurrying away. As he closes the gate he shouts out ' I couldn't find the letter box'.  The election leaflet informs us that the candidate has worked in a pharmacy for 30 years ( which is subtly different from being a pharmacist  ), wants to 'passionately'  improve the lives of local voters and thinks the pot holes on the road to the station are a 'disgrace'.

The good weather is bringing out the tourists. This morning the coffee shop is full of a group of visiting golfers getting ready to drive north to take part in a  tournament :https://thefifearms.com/events/kilted-open-2024/  . I'd never heard of the tournament but a lady from Durham (NC) who wanders over to introduce herself  tell us ' it's real popular with the Scotch folk'. I stand corrected. The golfers finally head off in three large and identical rental Volvos.  Despite having GPS the menfolk ( who are that age where courage is tempered by an abundance of prudence )  insist on coordinating their route. A map is unfurled on the leading cars bonnet and is carefully studied by the drivers. Suggestions on which route to take are made. Concerns about the rush hour are raised. Bladder duration is a key determinant of where and when they will stop. 90 minutes between halts is considered optimal.  The womenfolk do their level best to hide their impatience with these deliberations but fail miserably. This evening the group will be dining here :https://fishshopballater.co.uk/ which they say is a 'delight'.

We're getting pretty close to the season of endless days. A few hardy tourists are already sitting on the benches overlooking the beach. Hotel rooms never seem to have curtains that block out the light. For most of the year that's not a problem but is annoying for anyone trying to get an uninterrupted seven or eight hours sleep  when the sun is up at four.

A house on Scotlands most expensive street  is being renovated. Edwardian doors and windows have been stripped out and are ready to go into the skip.

Further down the street the makeover of the old hotel continues. All the floors have been taken down so that only the external walls are left. Six 'luxury' flats are going to be built here. The small private hotel next door can't be very happy with the sound of the construction work.

At the house in town a letter from the youngsters organizing the graduation Ball. A heads up that we should be far far away on June 15th if we wish to retain our sanity.

Back here in the country more signs of summer. 

The red campion in full bloom. It only grows in the sheltered ground beneath the stone walls. This year its not so much growing as thriving. Give it a month and the Rosebay Willowherb and the Queen Annes Lace will start to bloom and provide colour into the early northern autumn.

This mornings car radio music :https://youtu.be/D8YdLl9Aglo

Decaf coffee questions - again :https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/medical-general-science/methylene-chloride-can-strip-paint-can-also-strip-years-your-life

Weedkiller  :https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2024/05/15/with-glyphosate-under-fire-scientists-look-for-alternatives-to-the-most-effective-and-safest-weedkiller-in-the-world-its-not-going-well/

The real England. Discovered by a Manhattanite. Good luck getting a reservation  :https://thecompassesinn.com/gallery/