A rare sighting.

Excitement ! On our morning walk we spot two corn crakes walking along the path ahead of us. They wait until we're within ten yards of them and then with a snap of their wings shoot off into the safety of the barley field. On our way back to the house from the shore the farmers wife and the judge tell us we're mistaken. " You'll only find them on Canna and Iona" says the judges wife referring to two distant islands. 'The Font' has taken a photo which, although blurry, when checked against the RSPB ap confirms that they are indeed corn crakes . The birds are extremely rare ( as in extremely rare ) but do sometimes pause here on their way to the western isles. News travels fast and soon there's a group of villagers sauntering along the path to the shore. We discover from the professors wife that the badgers are having a bumper year but have eaten all the young ground nesting lapwing chicks. There have been three deer born within the last 24 hours ( the farmer keeps on stumbling into them and their mothers ) and the hare population is doing really well after a poor 2024. Scottish village conversations have a rhythm of their own.

The good country clothing store with the rather fine Georgian curved window  has changed hands. It has now re-opened with an inquisitive dog guarding the front door. What better or more fitting welcome could there be to a country clothing store than a canine greeter ?

The weather is back to being Scottish - all four seasons within an hour - but when the sun does come out it's warm and the scent of roses and honeysuckle fills the air.

The town has a golf course and a university. The university end of town , which has been deathly quiet,  is now busy with folks getting ready for graduation week which is fast approaching.

Workmen are sprucing up the paintwork on the iron railings while others are touching up the windows in the administration building. Round the corner the university gardeners are planting out a cheerful border in red, orange and pink. The colours may clash but the overall effect is memorable.

The security and response team are out checking to make sure that everything is looking spick and span. Crime is not much of an issue here. The big thing for the security and response team is lost keys. Chip pan fires are also a thing. This comment is in no ways a slight to the teams prowess but it does say a lot about life here.

A sure sign that summer has arrived. The marquee for the graduation ball is going up. There is a sense of happy expectation in the air as can only be found in very old , very remote and very small university town. I'd almost say it's a feeling unique to here. It certainly makes us smile.

This is being practised in the music centre. Can't be long before Auld Lang Syne is on the choirs menu. Why do fleeting snippets of music caught in the air always sound magical ? :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtHShiXxw4U