Sounds of the country.

Blogger having one of its super temperamental days. Formatting all over the place. What's typed suddenly disappears. What appears isn't what's been typed. Sigh.

5:34 am. Every lark for miles around greets the sunrise with a burst of song. This dawn chorus is sudden enough and loud enough to wake both of us . The sound of the wind or the sea pounding against the shore usually blocks this out but today it's completely calm. The farmer has finished off planting his seed potatoes so the ever busy tractors are also quiet.

6:04am. From the front door we can hear the sound of hundreds and hundreds of bees hard at work on the old heather bushes in the courtyard. For eight months of the year the wind batters this wee patch of paradise and apart from the heather ( which thrives )  not much else manages to survive. The bees flock here in huge numbers. There's something deeply satisfying about the deep tones of bees at work.

Half term school holidays ( both North and South of the border ) have attracted the crowds. This morning there's an old VW on the dunes. It's a miracle it's still road worthy. I'm guessing the owner is asleep in the fibre glass extension that's been built above the front seats. There are signs of more than a little rust around the door sills.

Down on the beach there's not a soul to be seen apart from the woman with the hyper active Pomeranian. The woman who usually walks Archie, the arthritic labrador , is off in Seoul visiting her daughter.

Two students working outside the old cafe by the chapel. A dog and its owner show up. The dog is of the exceedingly friendly type. It sees no reason why the two girls should study in silence. Soon another woman with a dog appears. The dogs greet each other enthusiastically. The girls give up all hope of revising. The woman behind the cafe counter appears with dog biscuits. This kind gesture generates another bout of lively enthusiasm from the dogs. Soon the dog owners, the students and the lady from behind the cafe counter are all chatting away. You're never alone when you're with a dog.

You know you live in Northerly climes when you stop in town to admire the shadows cast by the rising sun.

Fun music :https://youtu.be/bKP8uoj9B7Q

No disputing this :https://interestingengineering.com/culture/women-hear-better-than-men-everywhere?group=test_b

Cold water swimming :https://www.sciencealert.com/a-week-of-swimming-in-cold-water-can-change-you-on-a-cellular-level

Shingles jab benefits :https://erictopol.substack.com/p/the-shingles-vaccine-and-reduction

Connecticut:https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/physical-world/2025/how-did-eastern-north-america-form