Burly visitors.

 

The American President is due in Scotland at the end of the week. The town suddenly full of 'burly' young American men with short haircuts and serious unsmiling faces. We assume they are a Presidential 'advance' party and are here to acclimatize by playing a few rounds of golf.

The sheep grazing down by the golf course are blithely unaware of impending visits and world events. They are simply happy with the wild flowers in their field. One pauses, briefly, to watch us as we wander by.

Angus pops into the local Kurdish barber for his monthly haircut. The barber asks 'What you want ?' I explain and he pretends to listen. Some routines never change. The end result is always exactly the same. I note that inflation has hit the hair cutting industry. What used to be £15 has suddenly risen to £20. In addition to the Kurdish hair dresser the town also has a variety of barbers that serve the student demographic.  Angus avoids them because they are a) much more expensive b) have Stygian lighting and c) employ trendy staff with alarming nose piercings who gyrate to Charli xcx's latest sounds while they work. 

Mist and drizzle this morning. This is typical weather here in July and August. May and September tend to be sunnier and drier.

Handel in the Strand :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIhBWwPmnm0

Whatever next ? :https://www.popsci.com/technology/robots-in-china-subway-7-eleven-deliveries/

Waking up :https://gizmodo.com/brain-scans-reveal-why-waking-up-is-sometimes-such-a-difficult-experience-2000631441

Plus ca change :https://providencemag.com/2025/07/dominance-to-dilemma-the-rewards-and-risks-of-strategic-prioritization-for-twentieth-century-britain-and-twenty-first-century-america-1/