A pleasant surprise.

We go out to dinner at the fancy restaurant. You know its fancy because the male staff wear grey suits and white shirts and don't smile. A place where the undertaker vibe meets the " eating here is serious ! " approach to dining.  One of the guests, a partner at a large US white shoe law firm, says that he's now charging his corporate clients $3,500 an hour. He also informs us that the number of interns his firm planned to hire this summer has been cutback by 50%. 'Why take on staff when AI will do most of it ? All the inputs and outputs are on their computer screens'. Angus thinks the youngsters who have had their offers annulled might be the lucky ones. They have a clear heads up to find a career that won't be taken over by a robot. I quietly wonder if our plumber won't soon be charging the same rates as the lawyer. Dinner finishes early as a number of guests have an early tee off. I'm also left none the wiser as to what makes a law firm 'white shoe '. 

A pleasant surprise. It's warm this morning. Not sunbathing warm but mild enough to head out without a jacket. After our 6,000 steps on the beach we head down to the old cafe in the little fishing village.

The cafe has a garden which looks out onto the water. A few hardy locals are already there unsure whether to complain about the glare from the sun or revel in its rays. 

The coffee is good and the bacon rolls piping hot .

Cloudless and warm. What a combination. The students are still away but we see  three coach loads of Spanish tourists being dropped off by the cathedral. The arrival of the Spanish tour groups is another sure sign that the year is moving on. We also see two long crocodiles of earnest looking teenagers snaking their way past the language labs - youngsters visiting the town to see if this is where they want to spend their next four years. The young member of staff escorting them stops and  has a brief chat. The girls ask him detailed questions about course work and study modules. The boys tend to ask about the night life  .... or, in a small town this size  .... the lack of it.

At the farm shop the first of the years rhubarb.

Oyster mushrooms also make an appearance.

A hidden giant planet : https://www.supercluster.com/editorial/are-earthlings-ready-for-a-new-planet-in-the-solar-system

Making your brain thrive:https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_brain_activity_can_reveal_what_makes_you_thrive

Work from home :https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/work-home-divide-insights-six-us-surveys

Google  brings up this interesting story about a name we'd never heard of  :https://eu.augustachronicle.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/04/journalist-brian-glenn-shames-zelenskyys-clothes-who-is-he-marjorie-taylor-greene-boyfriend/81205129007/  .