Curlews and blizzard proof sleeping bags.

Lots of cormorants and curlews by the shoreline this morning. As we head down the path that takes us onto the beach 'Puppy' joins us. She's found an old plastic bottle that has been scoured and flattened by the tides. It makes an intriguing  'kerunch' noise every time she bites down on it. From the way she's holding it high this is clearly the best discovery Puppy has ever made. In spring time the path down to the bay is carpeted with wild primroses but there's no sign of them yet although there are buds appearing on some of the gorse shrubs. Puppy leaves us and heads off towards the green keepers hut on the local hotels golf course. I'm guessing the staff are having bacon sandwiches for breakfast. The green keepers ( and some of the golfers ) know Puppy well. Sometimes we see her being returned to the farmers house by one of the greenkeepers lads in a golf cart. She has taken to 'retrieving' golf balls from the rough. Some golfers find this endearing. Others don't.

The Asian supermarket doesn't open until 10. In the absence of students business must be slow.

The town remains very quiet. Angus enjoys complaining about the students when they're here but has nothing to mutter about when they're away. This morning I notice that pancakes with ice cream are one of the breakfast options in a restaurant that is a favourite with the university rugby players. This seems like a very sensible, and undoubtedly popular, breakfast option for the cast iron digestion of a 19 year old.

We go to the bookstore to start reading up on our trip with the Palo Alto gardeners/architects to the Zen gardens of Japans inland sea. The local bookstores Japan section is rather limited. I fear we shall have to revert to trying  Amazon. We booked the flights to Tokyo  yesterday. Qatar Airways out of Edinburgh to the Gulf was considered but there was a six hour connecting time to Tokyo. This  isn't long enough to check into a hotel but is too long to wait in an airport lounge after the eight hour first sector. We shall go with BA from Heathrow on their direct  9 am flight.

Looking inland there's snow on the two hills that mark the road south to Edinburgh. Is more cold weather on its way ?

Greenland :https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/01/10/greenland-and-the-coldest-war/

The agony of being Van Gogh :https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/the-terrible-loneliness-of-genius

The farmers wife comes to thank Angus for his donation of a case of Fiano di Avelino for the Hogmanay gathering. Does he perhaps have  a few bottle left over for Burns Night ? She tells us that her two eldest sons and the young New Zealand seaweed soap maker have signed up for this. Blizzard proof sleeping bags are required  :https://www.scottishislandspeaksrace.com/