One footed balancing acts.

The headlines in the weekend papers decidedly dour. It all seems to be happening  a long way from here but large helicopters intrude on the Sunday calm and clatter backwards and forwards into the army base on the other side of the bay.

The streets are now filling up with summer school teenagers . They wander around in groups staring fixedly at their i-phones and looking 'cool'. Many, if not most of them, seen unaware that the UK drives on the left and dart, uncaring and oblivious, off the pavements and into the road. They are at that age where immortality is taken for granted. Faced with these herds of kamikaze pedestrians Angus mutters uncharitable things under his breath. The little car has 'proximity' systems that shriek like an air raid siren whenever a tottering teen steps onto the road and comes within range. The systems are super sensitive and wail frequently. There is a lot of muttering.  Young males, out to impress the teenage girls in their groups, leap onto railings and balance themselves, one footed, on bollards. The teenage girls look unimpressed. In fact they look bored to distraction.

The new chocolate shop has opened. It already looks as if it's been here forever.

A bouquet of flowers on a beach bench. There is something vaguely reassuring about living in a town where the council sill employs someone to place out memorial flowers.

Back at the wee house in town the annual letter has been pushed through the letter box telling us that the graduating students will be holding their farewell ball on the 5th of July. This is an event when the decibel levels go off the charts. The letter seems to have been printed on grease proof paper which may be trendy, cost efficient or a mistake.

Sunflowers in the lobby of the supermarket. Together with the flowers on the bench that's the second time we've seen them today.

Uplifting thoughts :https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/04/carl-jung-pillars-life-happiness/678009/?lctg=6050e2b7f98ec7553cab3a85

On the radio this charity is highlighted. Usually these things pass as background noise but the youngsters interviewed are lucid and confident. The charity helps disadvantaged kids get into higher education and then with all those things you take for granted like how to write an application letter or what to wear at a job interview . Some are unused to simple things like hot meals. We will probably move them onto our 'meaningful' list:https://upreach.org.uk/

When we stayed in Georgetown last September I'd reckon that around 80% of the hard working staff were Venezuelan. Someone seems to have recognized that if they were all deported farming and hospitality would grind to a halt :https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/venezuela-crisis

The American professor of International Relations here in St Andrews doesn't seem happy :https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/weekend-update-137-the-two-weeks