The Skylark returns.

A group of villagers down on the shore. They're up enjoying the sunrise. Earlier in the week the retired GP was walking her Sheltie  and spotted a Skylark. Other dog owners and the occasional 'twitcher' have heard the news and  come to see if they too can catch a glimpse of it. Give it a month and the fields around the last wee house before Denmark will be alive with this plain little birds lilting song. The seasons are suddenly moving on and Spring is in the air. February seems to have rushed by even more quickly than January. Is it an age thing when months go by  as quickly as weeks and weeks like days ?

The weather is beautiful so we head down to Edinburgh on the train to see the picture of the chaffinches that we are interested in buying.

In the National Gallery the Monarch of the Glen greets visitors. One of Scotlands most iconic pictures. The image is much used on kitsch shortbread tins but in real life it has a grandeur all of its own. The scarlet background is the perfect counterfoil.

What are the chances ? Nothing has sold in the exhibition with the exception of one painting. The very one we've come down on the train to see. It is very beautiful. I can understand why it's been snapped up. Serves us right for not coming down earlier.

There's another work by the same artist alongside but to our eyes it doesn't have the same aura of calm as the smaller one.

There's also a print of a C-A-T in front of Siena cathedral by Elizabeth Blackadder but it somehow doesn't meet the 'must have' criterion.

We stop off at the Gordon Ramsay restaurant with its good value £20 lunch before heading home on the train which, unusually, is running eleven minutes late. The driver comes through the carriages to apologize for the delayed departure. It seems there has been a 'fatality' on the track near the Forth Bridge.  ' It's been chaos all morning.  I'll try to catch up some time as we go. Let's hope they don't run a slow local in front of us ' he adds.

The observational humour of a London based professor. Wry, dry and understated ?  :https://x.com/samagreene/status/1894865515627061347

Things about super glue I didn't want to know :https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a63904443/mucus-super-glue/

Deep Seek in perspective ( I'd have to admit it's so easy to use but I wouldn't download the app) :https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2025/02/what-deepseek-means-for-ai-competition-the-beginning.html

Double digit celebration.

Another largely clear and cloudless night which was ideal for watching the planetary alignment. This morning it's decidedly nippy and there's a coating of thick frost on the car windscreen. The little BMW's battery can't cope with having the defrost mode turned on and responds by shutting everything down. Even the petrol engine - the safety net reason you buy a hybrid - refuses to kick into life. After painstakingly resetting the whole electrical system the cylinders fire up and we get under way after scraping the ice off the windows by hand. We like the size and handling of the little BMW. It is perfect for narrow Scottish parking spaces. We are less enamoured with the cheaply tacky hard plastics  in the interior ( how is it we'd not seen them when ordering it - they're shiny enough ?)  and an electrical system that seems to be clunky and dire an after thought. It is a mystery that Asian cars can cope with the cold and yet German ones can't. 25% tariffs are the least of their problems.

Down on the beach the weather is chilly but bright. Dogs, and their owners, are out in force.

The weather forecast promises highs of 10 degrees this weekend. Double digit temperatures are a cause for celebration.

In town a couple with an E-type Jaguar are enjoying the weak sunshine and have put the top down . They must be hardy souls ... or attention seeking. There again if you have an E-type convertible in Scotland you'd use every dry day to the max.

A detour for some goats cheese. Angus is surprised - as he is every time he goes shopping -  how expensive cheese has become.

Who'd have thought it ? : https://theconversation.com/alcohol-ingestion-by-animals-is-surprisingly-widespread-and-were-starting-to-understand-its-impact-246638

The radio has a segment on whether birds worry - ( they do ).This unusual but rather beautiful piece of music is played :https://youtu.be/ZSxxvjcDxAI

Baby boomers :https://ourworldindata.org/baby-boom-seven-charts

Puppy mountain :https://apnews.com/article/puppy-mountain-yangtze-river-china-photo-d5d59c2d787068c279cb99eff526827a?stream=top

Bikes.

We've now taken to watching an hours television before turning in for the night. Netflix has been our destination of choice for the last week. Robert de Niro in Zero Hour is brilliant although the plot is 'taxing'. We wonder where the collonaded final scene was filmed in Washington. 

The weather seems to have moved out of deep winter into something altogether more pleasant. Yesterday afternoon we consider, but reject, the idea of sitting outside for a coffee. This morning there's some cloud around but it's expected to clear up by mid-morning.

Guess who has escaped from her 'escape proof ' garden ? She follows us down to the shore before darting off in pursuit of a hare. Today we're fortunate to observe her escape technique. She positions herself on the farm lawn and then runs at high speed towards the stone wall . Five foot walls are no obstacle to this young lady. She vaults over them with ease. The farmer may need to rethink his 'containment' plans.

Next to the butcher a new shop has opened in town. 

The owner is a delightful young solicitor with a golf mad husband. This is , for them, the prefect lifestyle solution. He golfs, she runs what is primarily an e-business. 'The Font' considers a pair of Delft tulip towers but having downsized by 85% they are deemed too large and 'impractical ' for the wee house. 

The good weather is bringing out the students and their bikes. 19 year olds on bicycles are an ever present  hazard in a college town. They arrive speedily and silently from every point of the compass. Other road uers are ignored with Olympian disdain as are road markings. It took for ages to reverse out of our morning  parking spot. Every time I tried the wee cars radar system would detect a bike, slam on the brakes and emit a noise that was half klaxon half manic peel of bells. A demonic design feature but less demonic than the Volvos high pitched staccato warning chimes.

Dogs have always liked snacks :https://www.livescience.com/animals/dogs/dogs-may-have-domesticated-themselves-because-they-really-liked-snacks-model-suggests

3 types of curiosity. This is a very 'Berkeley' article  :https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_three_styles_of_curiosity

California's dolphin super-pod. What a sight ! :https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/rare-video-captures-super-pod-of-2000-dolphins-breaching-and-playing-off-california-coast/ar-AA1zMAAg

A rather damning view of the British :https://www.eurointelligence.com/column/can-the-uk-quit-the-us

The ice hockey team without ice.

 

Angus goes to the lawyers in Edinburgh who are holding a seminar on ' Preparing your finances for later life'. I'm greeted by a young partner who looks as if he's barely left school. Angus also thinks the same holds true for Policemen these days. The majority of the dozen attendees ( most of whom are in their sixties and don't consider themselves to be anywhere near 'later life' ) ) wear green tweed suits , have excessively 'rosy' cheeks and look as though they've come straight from a wind swept grouse moor. Some law firms are modern and 'buzzy'. This is neither.

Back in St Andrews Angus meets 'The Font' in the trendy cocktail bar facing the chapel. After an afternoon listening to tax matters Angus is in need of a drink ... or two.

We position ourselves in a window seat and watch the choir gather for evensong in the chapel. As it gets dark the stained glass windows glow from the light inside. What a simple pleasure.

We opt to go to Tailend and pick up a takeaway. When we get there it's already busy with chatty pre-meds and locals. While waiting outside I notice that there's a group of students busily getting the dinner table laid in a flat above. Do they notice the smell of fish ? The new environmentally friendly chip fryers must have made a world of difference ? Students of course are oblivious to things that would deter normal people older folk.

A bus arrives and drops off a group of  young men. The driver parks so that the bus  blocks the street and brings the flow of traffic to a complete halt. The driver is not a happy man. He opens the luggage bays and informs the young men ' It's no ma job to unload yur stuff '. 'Pal' is said in a tone of voice that hints at pent up passive aggression. He is less than polite to a lady in a white Polestar who asks how long he's going to be.

The bus  drives off leaving a large pile of bags and confused looking youngsters  by the side of the road. They seem to be an American ice hockey team. This is unusual because there's no ice hockey rink here and I'm not sure the university has an ice hockey team for them to play. The chaos hints at travel plans that have gone awry. One bright spark spots a bar and heads off towards it with his bags and sticks. Slowly, the others - heavily laden - follow.

To watch out for later this week :https://starwalk.space/en/news/what-is-planet-parade

Italian news :https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72503

Dreams :https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/body-and-mind/why-do-we-remember-dreams/

Escape.

It rained overnight but we wake to a beautiful morning. Down by the shore  the Cormorants are sunning themselves on the rocks and the local deer family are contentedly breakfasting on the new grass shoots. Puppy is keen to join us but is intercepted by the farmers wife. Her husband spent two hours on Sunday morning 'escape proofing' the garden and ensuring all the gaps in the fence were closed with chicken wire. I fear his handiwork may be put to the test .... soon. I'll also put money on the fact that it is impossible to stop a determined Jack Russell from escaping when bacon rolls with the golf course ground keepers are on offer.

This mornings car radio music is introduced as being from a 'different era'. It might as well be from a different universe :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_gzzCLSct4 I can vaguely remember it.

In town the house with the table covered in piles of exam papers has a jaunty jar of carnations in the window. St Andrews has more dogs that any town we've ever been in and more houses with flowers in windows. The student cafe a few doors down is already doing a roaring trade with youngsters en route to the library. They block the pavement and spill onto the road - which is what students do. To them it seems as if cars,  local residents and anyone over the age of 25 are either invisible or don't exist.

The bakers is once again laser focused on the student demographic.  Fudge donuts are firmly at the centre of the new weeks window display.

So starts a bright and sunny Monday morning in a small college town on the North Sea. 

Fog harvesting :https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2025/02/20/fog-harvesting-water-drinking-agriculture-worlds-driest-regions

Cults: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/head-head/how-have-cults-shaped-american-history

This seems illogical :https://www.semafor.com/article/02/20/2025/corporations-dig-deeper-using-bunkers-to-secure-data

Nail biting

Yesterday was the first time we've felt the warmth of the sun on our faces since November. Spring may not be here yet but it's on its way.  

'The Font' heard this at the music centre :https://youtu.be/Q_VvkOYJ0sE . It was beautifully played. 

The gentlemans outfitters is currently 'big' on tweed coats and those sorts of peaked caps that the local farmers wear. Angus notices a blue gilet that might be the right thing for our motor vessel cruise around Asia. 

The rugby crowd were out en masse in the afternoon and the Shawarma outlet did  a brisk trade in alcohol absorbing snacks. Scotland lost to our southern neighbour by a nail biting 16-15.

In a courtyard there's an old Holm Oak floodlit in green which seems to attract a large group of birds. As night falls these emit a wall of sound not dissimilar to hearing the parrots roosting in Delhi at sundown.

The pub is quieter after a hectic afternoon. By the time the concert is over the regulars are on their 3rd round of match replays on the bar television.

Wild dogs :https://theconversation.com/your-dog-may-be-wilder-than-you-think-according-to-canine-sleep-research-241981

No wonder the Vikings were bad tempered :https://www.popsci.com/science/viking-skull-ct-scans/

The views of an American professor here in St Andrews - he is not confident :https://substack.com/@phillipspobrien?

The return of the Shirley Temple.

 

Lots of  vans parked on the street down by the bandstand. The new hotel is in a  last minute, feverish, rush to open by the end of the month. There must be a lot of double ( or triple )  overtime being paid to get the local tradesmen working at dawn on a Saturday. The concept of the penalty clause seems to have made it to Scotland.

Preparations for this afternoons rugby match against England well advanced. The supermarket has a mountain of six packs ready by the entrance. They'll all have sold by kick off. A group of American girls pass us by. They are throwing a party and are out to buy the ingredients to make 'Shirley Temples'. Neither of us can remember what goes into a Shirley Temple. In fact neither of us is sure we've ever had one. They seem like the sort of thing 'smart' people  drank in the 1950's. Shirley Temples may not be the drink of choice of the average rugby playing student but free alcohol is unlikely to be refused.

New season golf attire filling the shop windows. There are a lot of golf shops in St Andrews. In winter they're empty. In summer they're packed. Angus notes a Highland Cow club cover.

On the third tee on the Old Course the wind catches some poor teenagers drive. Instead of going in a straight line it veers off at a right angle. He walks dejectedly in search of it, the sound of his friends laughter ringing in his ears.

This mornings car radio music :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9HB2naC13w

Memorable architecture . If you had to choose a chapel to visit which of these 3 would it be :

1 - https://thesearanchchapel.org/

2 - https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/an-extract-from-matisse-the-chapel

3 - https://www.archiobjects.org/mit-chapel-boston-eero-saarinen/

Will he or won't he ? :https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/trump-sera-a-moscou-pour-les-commemorations-de-la-fin-de-la-guerre-21-02-2025-2583006_24.php#xtmc=trump-moscou&xtnp=1&xtcr=1

Opening night booking

 

We were going to Edinburgh to look at the picture of the two chaffinches but the weather is what you might politely call variable -  bright one minute with face  battering rain squalls the next. We'll go down by train next week. There's a number of fishing boats sheltering in the bay which is a pretty good indicator that the wind is going to be both strong and with us all day. Travel can wait. The farmers wife informs us that 'Puppy' once again managed to get out of the garden and make her way onto the golf course. This morning the groundsmen are being taken a Battenburg cake by way of apology.

The railings outside the hotel that's being refurbished have been freshly painted. One of the workmen has left a half finished Irn Bru can on the parapet. The new general manager rushes out to remove it. He doesn't say anything but he does harrumph loudly. We book ourselves into the hotels fish restaurant on the first night it's open to the public. First nights are difficult but we want to show willing. We're hoping for great things and will happily settle for something close to passable. 

Yesterdays papers still on their stand in the supermarket. The lady who puts them out is late in to work this morning. From the number of copies remaining unsold I'd have to wonder how long it is before the supermarkets stop selling them. The headlines are all pretty uniform. Events seem to have united all shades of the political spectrum. Of all the recent takes on what's really going on behind the bombast I found this analysis to be both independent and insightful . It's written by an economist who used to have a Bloomberg column and now writes one of the half dozen or so substacks we subscribe to :https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/america-is-being-sold-out-by-its  If he's right about the enormity of change then the British PMs visit next week will be 'interesting' and not in a good way. I quietly wonder why anyone would want to be Prime Minister.

Archie and pals out on the beach. Up by the golf museum a young couple are deep in conversation with an intensity that's peculiar to late teens. I'll put money on the fact that they're not talking about world affairs.

A bowl of daffodils in a second floor window reminds us that Spring is on the way and that the world is a beautiful place.

India's first no-electricity restaurant although there must (surely) be some in the kitchen ? :https://x.com/shivrattandhil1/status/1892061398835847235?s=48

Love and kisses :https://theconversation.com/x-has-been-used-to-represent-love-and-kisses-for-centuries-but-how-did-it-start-248124

Is the word 'wan' archaic ?

 

Last week it was dark when we drove down into town. Now its definitely brighter. Before we know it the dawn will start at five and it won't start getting dark until well past nine. There's something wan about the colour of the sky this morning. 'The Font' observes that 'wan' is a word that's rarely used. Perhaps it's one of those old English words that's become archaic ?

Out on the part of the course known as the Himalayas three early rising golfers are deeply engrossed in their game. One of them has chipped his shot onto the footpath in front of us. We signal to him and he comes over to retrieve the ball. How he can have managed to get so far off the fairway is something best left unexplored. He thanks us and we smile and move quickly on.

On our return I'm guessing the gentlemen who are pretending to be nonchalant ( as if they play the Old Course every day ) are Wall Streeters. From a distance they all look  identical but one is treated with deference so must either be a boss or a client. He is clapped when he finally sinks a hole in seven. 

Are you keen on Venison ? The farm shop clearly is.

Have no idea who this man is ( and the layout of the text is difficult to follow ) but these 50 points are largely true and possibly reassuring ? I'd agree with almost all of them. 9,13,16.19,34 and 38 caught my eye.  Times they are a changing  :https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1891699446892634582.html

Seven ocean surprises :https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/the-7-biggest-ocean-mysteries-scientists-cant-explain

Sleep. Does everything sleep ? Section 0.0.1 informs us birds sleep but can't be sleep deprived  :https://nintil.com/everything-sleeps/

The new palm tree

 

We walk down the track to the shore. Rooks, which are supposed to be solitary birds, are out in force. We see four deer and thirty or so Chaffinches. Yesterdays snow has retreated back to the North side of the bay leaving us to enjoy the dappled sunshine although the wind is brisk enough to make us maintain a healthy pace. The tall, healthy looking man who is in charge of university lacrosse waves as he sets off for work. Strapped into the back he has two excited toddlers en route to the university day care centre.  We wave back. In a small Scottish ( or French ) village woe betide anyone who fails to greet another resident. The moniker 'standoffish' ( or even worse 'snooty' )  is quick to gain and slow to lose.

The fisherman is down by the shore retrieving lost creels. He says he's going out in  search of langoustine later this morning. If he has a good catch he'll drop some off at the front door. We can pay him when we next see him.

The Indian restaurant on the small medieval street that leads from the town fountain now has a palm tree positioned outside. The rubber plants and one of the olive trees that used to stand here have finally succumbed to the winter winds. The remaining olive tree looks as if its on borrowed time. Window boxes and hanging baskets are new additions. They might have a better chance of surviving.

Down by the golf course the shops new window display is heavy on unisex pink. This may appeal to the Palm Beach crowd but male Scottish golfer tend to favour more muted colours.

On our way home we detour past the golf range ( already busy with serious  students and sixth formers from the local boarding school ) to the farm shop. 'The Font' is keen to pick up some Gjetost. Some are keen on the taste. Others think it has the texture and flavour of Camay.

A reminder we are now heading into peak Rugby season. National anthems heard on the radio this morning. 'Tes humbles collines'. The lyrics look so different when translated into French :https://youtu.be/p2A6S4cX1So?t=103

Nasal vaccine by a super smart guy in La Jolla :https://erictopol.substack.com/p/a-covid-nasal-vaccine-update  I'm aware of this and glad for this years booster shot :https://www.sciencealert.com/intense-flu-surge-gripping-the-us-is-the-worst-in-years-cdc-says

Talking to politicians. Has anyone heard of this ? :https://5calls.org/

Easter in view.

It's back to being cold and windy. There's snow in the air and a layer of thick white frost on the car windscreen. This is the sort of weather that makes you pull down your hat to cover exposed ear lobes. We park by the harbour, say hello to the lady with two black labradors and climb the hill, passing the old medieval chapel as we go. The students surfers are notably absent this morning. It's too cold and blustery even for them. On our way back the little hybrids battery is completely empty by the time we make it to the crossroads. It does not like cold weather and the hefty  demands  the heater and the lights make on its limited resources. The ICE kicks in seamlessly.

A couple of sausage rolls, two pasties and some left over Valentines Day biscuits in  the bakers window. After Burns Night and Valentines Day he must be entering a fallow patch.

The Victoria Cafe, or 'Vic' as it's known to its exclusively student clientele has been repainted in a practical shade of dark grey. This is a place that stays open until the wee hours, has live bands, serves burgers and is the default destination for 19 year olds. Older residents pass by quickly and judgementally. The sign outside tells us it was originally founded as 'Miss Blairs Tea Rooms' in 1922. Miss Blair most certainly wouldn't recognize it - or its customers dress sense - today.

A Pancake Day display now waiting to lure shoppers at the supermarket. A gentle reminder that Easter , and warmer weather, can't be far behind. 

An old Welsh lullaby on the car radio as we drive back home. It dates back to the 7th century :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOHNu5V11bI

History:https://warontherocks.com/2025/02/the-51st-state-that-never-was-why-the-united-states-didnt-annex-canada/

This picture is being shown at the RSA in Edinburgh. It's beautiful but is it sad ? We may go down to see it when the weather improves:https://academiciansgallery.org/content/feature/302/artworks-22528-derrick-guild-rsa-mimic-no1/

Don't forget the impact of pollution :https://www.sciencealert.com/lung-cancer-is-rising-in-non-smokers-and-this-could-be-why