Friday, April 4, 2025

Sauna users.

The farmer stops his tractor and wanders over for a wee chat. A chance for him to have a break from 24/7 potato planting. 'Granny' Jack Russell dozes in the warmth of the tractor cab. She's been slowing lately and they're making sure she's always got a member of the family as company. The old lady seems to be enjoying the attention - and the absence of the two younger terriers. In an hour , after the younger children have gone to school, he'll pop home for a coffee and let her sleep by the AGA. The farmer has pre-sold his entire crop to a potato chip maker in Newcastle. 'The price was reasonable' he informs us in a tone of voice that suggests a new Range Rover may be coming along soon. 

There's another glorious sunrise over the beach. This weeks weather has been a  wonderful surprise.


A group of half a dozen people spill out of the new beach sauna . They run about and laugh in that overly contrived ' Isn't this great fun ?' way people do when they emerge from extreme heat into the bitter cold. A thirty something woman in a bikini has been barbecuing sausages on a throw away grill. They sit at at a table and eat these off paper plates. There's a hint of hypothermia inducing frost on the grass so It's a surprise that they're wearing nothing other than swimwear. Usually sauna users quickly don their long padded coats for warmth. Someone has put a vase of daffodils on the picnic table which is a peculiarly domestic touch.

Starbucks , when we get there, already busy with students and dog owners .

The first of the new seasons fresh peas in the garden shop. There's also fresh asparagus. It can't be long before strawberries are in season.

This morning instead of lemon sole we opt for some freshly landed brill.

A week today we head off to Japan. This morning an unexpected e-mail from Palo Alto informs us that ' the departure from Borneo has been delayed due to technical reasons and a new embarkation time for passengers joining in Yokohama will be advised'. I have a presentiment of a disaster/adventure in the making. What sort of technical reason can possibly prevent a boat from getting underway ? Having flown to Borneo how are the 30 Palo Altans taking their delayed departure ?


Lost birds :https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/birding-10000-bc

A pricey new way to see Italy:https://www.orient-express.com/la-dolce-vita/

Cambodian history :https://thediplomat.com/2025/03/cambodia-the-unbearable-memory-of-the-khmer-rouge/

This has the great advantage of being brief . The closing paragraph is to the point :https://www.econlib.org/what-would-true-reciprocity-mean/

A St Andrews professor gives his views of what's happening in the world. This may be more opinion than analysis but the last line seems to sum up the consensus pretty well :https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/how-to-make-us-rivals-stronger-101



5 comments:

Linda said...

I'm boggling at there being British peas ready at this time of year, even in the far south of the country. Enquiry of the shop will probably reveal they're Moroccan or Spanish. One of my son's friends, who recently completed the gruelling Atlas Mountain cycle race reports that lowland Morocco seems given over to covered vegetable growing.

Lisa in France said...

I was thinking about Cambodia yesterday, as they were one of the countries hardest hit by Trump's new tariffs. One of my friends in Tokyo operates a charity in Cambodia, building schools and operating orphanages, and both of my kids have spent time there. The cruelty is beyond me. The post about true reciprocity was fascinating, especially with the numbers coming from the Heritage Foundation.
We are also seeing asparagus here, and Charlie has decided that garden peas are his treat of choice. We are also getting amazing, huge and delicious strawberries. In Tokyo, strawberries were a mid-summer thing, so this springtime bounty has been a surprise.


Angus said...

The local Gariguettes were an eye opener.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
I am left agog as to what Phillips has to say... (paywall) and, crikey, Scottish asparagus already? Usually end of April I'd've thought. Sign of the climate times??? YAM xx

Travel said...

I'd sooner the ship be repaired before it leaves port. I spent a long night waiting while a hydraulic pump was replaced on a BA 747, thinking I'd sooner it be done here than in mid air.