Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Let the wayward bloom.

The morning radio broadcast leading with the fact that the UK has an important visitor arriving tonight. For the King the next 48 hours will be like walking on eggshells. There again if anyone has been trained for such moments it's him. It will be the biggest security operation since the late Queens funeral.

On our way into town two late running teenagers sprint out into the road directly in front of us from between two parked cars. The little BMW has built in emergency systems that make sounds neither of us knew were possible - chimes, bells, a solitary strangulated klaxon and an exceedingly irritating beep - come as standard. The two boys smile and wave in a manner they must assume to be disarming. There is a reason college towns have 20 mph speed limits . 

From his window display I'd guess the baker also finds life easier ( and more profitable ) now there are 10,000 permanenty hungry youngsters in town. The sale of Fresher biscuits still going strong.


It is the autumn gathering at the Royal and Ancient. A local club member is overseeing a group of 'quiet' American members as they tee off. Each of the visitors has his hand shaken and is told what a singular pleasure it is to meet them. They in turn thank him for being there to oversee things . Polite observations are made about the weather.  Old style undemonstrative and unrushed civility still thrives on both sides of the Atlantic. 


We linger and watch the first three teams head off down the fairway. Spliced shots or ( heaven forfend ) miss strokes are met with a wave of the committee members red flag and a muttered ' Bad luck '. In the distance the Dunhill luxury goods marquee continues to grow.


The members car park is monitored by a burly bearded man in a Hi-Viz jacket. He's there to stop tourists or  students from chancing their luck there. Places are assigned to members and members of the committee. Above them like God in heaven sits The Captain who has a spot reserved for him right at the front door


The paving stones that lead up to the new statue of Tom Morris have inscriptions describing him as the Grand Old Man of Golf. There is also a paving slab that records he was a Church Elder. Golf and Kirk. A very Presbyterian ranking of priorities in this most Presbyterian of towns.

A self seeding dandelion has taken root in the centre of the municipal flower beds. It soars above the red geraniums like a giant iconoclast. I'm tempted to step in and pull it out but decide that in doing so I'd do more damage than good. Sometimes, particularly in a university town,  its best to let the wayward bloom .

The breakfast radio reminds us that this movie was released 60 years ago and proved to be a surprising hit . It was probably the best PR Austria ever had although there is something very Holywood about wandering across barren mountain tops in matching outfits:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvDFoF9sfQA&list=RDRKuqySkqhHw&index=2

Dog domestication :https://www.psypost.org/new-research-complicates-the-story-of-dog-domestication/

This seems to sum it up pretty well :https://www.aei.org/op-eds/how-the-last-two-weeks-shook-the-world-order/

Always be kind:https://snyder.substack.com/p/always-be-kind

Perhaps THE question of our times :https://arachnemag.substack.com/p/the-case-against-social-media-is

4 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Angus, that's a Sow Thistle, not Dandelion... it's an edible plant, so if you'd picked it you could add it to your salad! YAM xx

Lisa in France said...

It is good to know that civility lives on at the Royal and Ancient. Your posts today are thought-provoking. Timothy Snyder's piece reminded me of Nancy Pelosi, who when asked whether she hated Donald Trump, responded that she did not hate anyone and that she always prayed for Trump. I am not religious, but I remember her words every time the word "hate" comes up in my mind, and this helps me remain, hopefully, a decent person. I worked for a very smart newspaperman a long time ago, and he taught me the importance of having a rock-solid set of principles. He did not believe it was necessary or even possible for journalists to be objective - he pointed to the partisan newsletters that proliferated around the Revolutionary War - but being principled was key. People with steady principles will be better equipped to deal with social media, which seems to be here to stay in any event.

jabblog said...

We use our shooting sticks occasionally.

Travel said...

Modern cars are safer for all, I hope the students learned a lesson in being careful. What a pretty yellow flower, maybe in the wrong place, but blooming glory just the same.