Good news .

Only one item on the news this morning - the release of the Israeli hostages. A courteous ' praise where praise is due ' tone to the reporting of the American Presidents trip to Cairo. The unspoken question is whether anyone can ever fully recover from being held hostage in such barbaric conditions for two years.

The visiting parents have gone leaving the town to the locals and the students. This morning parking is a doddle and the weather is warm and sunny and decidedly un-Scottish. The older students know there is often an October Indian summer before the winter gales arrive. In the meantime the first year youngsters are enjoying the chance to wear shorts and go swimming.

The hotels near the golf club have special 'shoulder season' specials which attract tourists whose idea of a good time is to sit and take in the view across the bay towards the Highlands. These off season visitors tend to be of a 'certain' age. Young gulls look at them hopefully in the belief they may have brought something to eat. Today, early rising golfers and enthusiastic pensioners are already out and about.

An A-380 heading south leaves a platted contrail high above us. The wind has shaped the vapour trail into scores of small perfect circles. On this northerly  route it must be an airline flying from Helsinki to Rio. You know things are quiet when we both stop and stare at aircraft contrails.

The university carried on hosting visiting parents over the weekend. At most college open days you can get in and out in an afternoon. Here the logistics of catching a train, embarking on an eight hour drive to London or getting to Edinburgh for a flight mean that many folks opt to make a weekend of it . They have dinner and spend a leisurely Sunday morning here before setting off. Tours of the town are arranged for bored parents. These depart every 15 minutes and last an hour. This is probably forty minutes more than they should. Student guides in their red gowns answer questions about the weather, food in the dorms and the sports facilities. By contrast American parents tend to ask questions about crime and student safety.

English accents were everywhere as were Chelsea tractors. Next months Thanksgiving weekend is when American parents arrive. Room rates will go up again and the golf courses will be packed to the gunnels with fathers taking a keen interest all things educational.

This mornings radio music :https://youtu.be/7GnvYbhDWcg?list=RD7GnvYbhDWcg

We are likely to be talking a lot about this in the coming week :https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/can-anything-knock-china-off-its

Anotrher thing I'd never heard of and care barely comprehend :https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/inside-the-terrifying-rise-of-bluetoothing-where-drug-users-inject-each-others-blood/

An ancient Turkish face :https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-human-face-was-carved-into-this-stone-pillar-in-turkey-11000-years-ago-180987489/