A February storm in October.

There is no such thing as a 'bad' day but on Friday the weather here was cold, torrentially wet and gutter shakingly windy. A touch of February in October. In a  dry moment we make it out of the house for our flu shots followed by a quick walk around town.  The tournament organizers are praying for better weather over the weekend. It certainly can't get any worse. Justin Bieber and Bill Murray are seen in the neighbouring village shop looking drenched. None of the locals have the faintest idea who they are. Do they find this indifference  refreshing or irritating ? 

The baker has filled his windows with the all purpose biscuits ( reissued this time with a picture of the 2nd tee ) and golf themed cup cakes adorned with a small Scots flag. Only one biscuit has gone compared with half a dozen cup cakes. This may say something but I'm not sure what.

Last minute 'snagging' works are ongoing at the new sports bar. The Portacabins have gone but the street outside has been cordoned off to allow more builders trucks to arrive. The 'soft' start seems to have been replaced by a 'rolling' one. A young workman carrying a pile of carpet tiles  unexpectedly informs us that lager is only £4.50 a pint. " Great price for St Andrews. Get it while you can ".  He is less keen about bottled beers which start at £6 and are in his view 'pricey'. There is a black and white poster in the window showing the two owners. The picture is unflattering.

The weather is keeping the spectators away. Those that have shown up are standing around looking unhappy. The crackly tannoy springs into life and informs us that due to the high winds the tournament has been 'paused'. Presumably with a $5 million first prize it can't be cancelled .

Perhaps things will be unpaused today ?

The posters advertising the event are cheerful even if the reality is somewhat different.

Unable to go out we start to watch the new Netflix series 'The Monster' but despite Charlie Hunnam being absolutely brilliant ( the first time he's reached his promised  potential ?) and the camera work outstanding it's far, far too dark for us. With a sigh of relief we give up on it after half an hour. Teenagers will love it.

On the menu :https://phys.org/news/2025-10-early-humans-dined-giant-sloths.html

Liminal spaces:https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/liminal-spaces-neuroscience/

Modern things I didn't know :https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/health-disease/2025/drug-resistant-bacteria-spread-strengthen-in-ukraine-war

Makes sense :https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/carrier-air-conditioning-help-grid