Christmas song #1

You couldn't imagine a more beautiful sunrise if you tried. Faced with such a fiery display the local dog walkers seem loathe to leave the beach. That's just fine with their canine companions.

The winter graduation ceremonies are now done and dusted. They bring a touch of colour to this small Northern town. Everyone seemed to be smiling and enjoying themselves apart from the undergrads who start exam week on Monday.

The new university piper leads the twice a day graduation ceremonies down the street.  She is a cheerful soul and a fine piper. I stop to congratulate her and say that I'd heard someone outside the church playing Ding Dong Merrily on High on the pipes. Ten minutes later the carol is being played as she leads the procession down the street from the exam hall. Even the senior academics laugh .

The university Principal is wearing her black John Knox outfit. She has a difficult job. In a turbulent year - politically and financially - she's made hard decisions,  maintained a steady course and managed to balance the budget. These days it seems to be the rule to criticize and never praise our public servants. The reality is that managing student fads and  'passions' while maintaining standards is a difficult task. I wouldn't want to touch her job with a barge pole but I do thank God for quiet, competent people like her.

We're reminded why we came back here from the sun of Italy and France . 800 youngsters ( and double that number of proud parents )  getting on with life is the sort of thing that a big city can hide. Here, in a town of 15,000, the joy and happiness is infectious. There is dancing.

3 weeks to Christmas. Time to link to some seasonal music. A very Bavarian sound for Christmas song #1 :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhUzz1ph1Qk&list=RDJhUzz1ph1Qk&start_radio=1

Daily reading :

Will this, like heated loos, catch on ? A shower seems just as efficient. :https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/japan-launches-human-washing-machine-for-public-use-after-expo-success-9721446

I know nothing at all about Central America  :https://americasquarterly.org/article/reaction-next-steps-in-hondurass-close-election/

A problem for Russian Porsche owners :https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/02/hundreds-of-porsche-owners-in-russia-unable-to-start-cars-after-system-failure-a91302