Milk or dark ?

It got to 19 degrees here yesterday. That's warm for Scotland in March. In fact that's warm for Scotland at any time of the year. This morning the weather is promising more of the same. Down on the shore there's what might pass for a heat haze.

We haven't seen the Chinese man and his dog in months. They're out on the far end of the sand  this morning. We wave.  There's no sign of his Puli. We would ask if it's alright but the Chinese gentlemans English is extremely limited.

At the book store a van with a silhouette of a chimney sweep in a top hat painted on the side. This is a particularly Victorian image and not what you'd expect to see in 2026.

Inside the book shop the chimney sweep and his assistant are hard at work. Customers wander by as they lay dust sheets. I wonder how many bookstores have wood burning fires. Probably quite a few in chilly Scotland.

The flower shop on the shopping street looking spring like.

All the milk chocolate Easter eggs have gone. Dark chocolate ones remain. 'The Font' won't touch milk chocolate whereas Angus has yet to find milk chocolate that he doesn't like. On the evidence of the supermarket shelves it seems I'm not alone. Claude, improbably, informs me that 51% of chocolate eaters prefer milk and 35% dark. This is a very unsatisfying AI answer .

'The Font' speaks to the travel agent about next months long haul flight to Shanghai. " We can only hope the flights go " he says with infuriating imprecision. Our booking at the restaurant we've always wanted to try is still good :https://www.trip.com/restaurant/china/hangzhou/detail/longjing-manor-479150/  I'd reckon the chances of the trip taking place is still 50-50. Last nights missile attack on Diego Garcia seems to hint at more surprises to come.

Africa :https://kappel1.substack.com/p/africas-growth-euphoria?triedRedirect=true

Seems there was more to Rosa Luxemburg than politics :https://orbooks.com/catalog/rosa-luxemburgs-herbarium/

A new hotel in Palm Beach. It looks like every other hotel in Palm Beach. There must be a look everyone strives for :https://www.oetkerhotels.com/hotels/the-vineta-hotel/#/

Radio Scotlands Saturday morning music choice. When was the last time you heard this ? :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdKEbnS1eBE

Nae problem

Down to Edinburgh. Angus has a meeting with men in dark suits to talk about the Hungarian elections on April 12th. Expect the results to be challenged by Washington and Moscow if Orban doesn't win. This will be a big and hugely divisive issue. You can be certain a certain someone will make his views known.

The ceiling of the room we've arranged to meet in has a wonderful ceiling. 

Orvis used to make great quarter zips but they've  stopped selling in Europe and shipping from the store in Alexandria incurs eye watering customs duties. R M Williams an Australian company fills the gap :https://www.rmwilliams.com/uk/edinburgh.html  They've just opened a stylish new store on George Street. The young Australian lady behind the counter informs me is their only outlet north of the border.

Shopping finished I stop to take a look at the statue of King George IV. It tells the passer by that he visited Scotland. This seems a pretty mealy mouthed inscription. It certainly couldn't be any more 'concise'.

The train home runs on time. Back at The last wee house before Denmark the farmer and his seventeen year old are busy repairing the field drains. The lad is busy studying for his international baccalaureate exams. He's still keen to earn money for his upcoming trip to the US which is why he's operating the mechanical excavator. He tells us the exams will be ' nae problem '. His sister is at Oxford and he's thinking of following her there but somewhat bizarrely the Sorbonne is also mentioned.

We missed a lecture on Egyptian ten making 1880-1980. The good thing about a small university town is there's always three or four super-esoteric things to do of an evening.

At quarter to seven we wander down to the shore to watch the sun set behind the towers of the old town. We nearly bought a house in San Gimignano when we were looking to move to Italy but in high summer you literally can't move for visitors. Screw up your eyes and St Andrews has something of the San Gimignano skyline.

This seems unfair :https://nautil.us/the-science-is-in-no-one-likes-your-cockapoo-1279042

A sensible use for AI :https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/16/asia_tech_news_roundup/

The posties first call of the day. A parcel arrives for 'The Font' bearing one of those French things that are missed :https://verlet.fr/en/products/confiture-myrtille-sauvage

An insight into 'those' telephone calls :https://www.semafor.com/article/03/15/2026/why-and-how-everyone-is-cold-calling-the-president

Be honest. How many of these could you answer correctly ? :https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/apush-test-questions-fs

This is really quite remarkable. 10/10 to the Japanese PM for hiding her thoughts. Some of the comments are witty :https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/2034665181117112807

Off to Edinburgh

We are planning to go to Asia next month. Flights and hotels were booked and paid for two months ago. Listening to the news this morning I'd reckon we'll face hefty fuel surcharges from the airline. How I wish I'd not chosen those super attractive but non-refundable 'early bird' hotel rates. 

The insurance company have sent an e-mail to tell us that our claim on the cancelled trip to Madeira is being reviewed. " A decision will be made as soon as possible but all our staff are currently extremely busy ". This doesn't fill me with hope. The use of the word 'all' in the e-mail is puzzling. 

The sun is out and it's warm. Not French Riviera warm but warm enough to feel the sun on your face. What a wonderful feeling it is after the long winter.

The parking spaces  down by the harbour are filling up. This morning we count two Italian, two German and one Slovene camper van. A retired German couple are sitting on the quayside at a fold up table and chairs as if this is the most natural thing in the world.  They are cooking bratwurst on a small portable gas stove. The local gulls are circling and eyeing up the opportunities for a smash and grab raid. The couple seem delighted when we say 'Good Morning' to them.

In town the rush to the first lecture of the day is underway. You do not want to be on the streets when 10,000 determined teens are on the move. Jedi Stormtroopers have nothing on them.

Even the outdoor coffee shack is busy. This far North people don't waste a minute of sunshine. Students and workmen intermingle but don't interact. 

We are off to Edinburgh. Lets hope the weather is as good there as it is here.

What happens if you put mayonnaise on your pizza in Italy :https://x.com/mamboitaliano__/status/2034042640623169892

Uber drivers in Cape Town :https://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2026/03/09/zimbabweans-abroad-uber-drivers-in-cape-town/

This seems like a sensible development :https://spectrum.ieee.org/flash-radiotherapy

Bird flu :https://www.pnas.org/post/journal-club/bird-flu-can-already-get-inside-human-cells-so-why-hasn-t-sparked-pandemic

Bouillon thrives.

Another day, another tongue lashing. Seems we Brits don't 'produce' when it matters. This makes four ( or is it five ?) nights in a row where we've been singled out for criticism. Thankfully, the farmers wife is blissfully unaware that America takes a poor view of us. For the time being there is a sanity maintaining family omerta over discussion of the boys trip to the World Cup. She's keeping busy. The guest room is being spruced up for the visit of the daughters boyfriend from Jackson Hole. We quietly wonder if the boyfriend is prepared for a chaste Easter in the guest room of a draughty Scottish farmhouse ? Is there anything as 'stressful' as a meet the parents weekend ? 

Parked outside the town kirk a van advertising 'Mayo, Dressings, Sauce and Bouillon'.  This has to be one of the more specialized ancillary services on offer. It summons up pictures of Edwardian ladies retiring to their hotels after a nine holes for a restorative cup of steaming beef Bouillon. 

The super expensive apartment block that Donald Trump tried to buy and turn into a hotel ( he was unsuccessful in obtaining a loan from either of the two Scottish banks he approached ) is a hive of activity. Two large preternaturally shiny black BMW limousines are disgorging guests onto the pavement outside. American golfers and their long suffering wives are starting to arrive in time for Easter. The apartments will be busy over the summer and will then be abandoned for the better part of nine months. When I was a student the building was a female hall of residence with a ferocious battle axe of a warden who checked to ensure male visitors were gone by 9 pm. For teenage Romeos and Juliets intent on spending the night together careful planning and impeccable execution ( and furtive silence ) were vital.  Knotted sheets tied to the terrace railings provided the easiest egress. Amazing to think that  such prurience was the order of the day 50 years ago.

The days getting longer. We're out and about before the first players have started  their breakfasts. 

Across the road from the Old Course is the Golf Museum. This has a modern cafe on the first floor. For a long time it stood empty and then became a somewhat lack lustre restaurant serving burgers and fries. This morning workmen are swarming all over it. The trendy seafood restaurant has taken it over. Soon it will re-open as a modern 'lifestyle' restaurant. I'm not sure what a 'lifestyle' restaurant is but it's got to be an improvement on what's gone before. For golfers the location is about as sacerdotal as it gets. 

Picture of the day with accompanying comment :https://x.com/adefty/status/2033626526722195947

Why Roman Britain collapsed. Climate change ain't new :https://www.zmescience.com/science/history-articles/tree-climate-roman-britain-rep/

Chinese exams :https://www.forkingpaths.co/p/how-exams-drive-history

On the basis of this research it's amazing anyone comes to study in Scotland :https://www.nber.org/papers/w34944

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

The BBC radios six am news bulletin informs us that the UK is in the American Presidents cross hairs again. Alienating close allies before finding you need them is a novel approach to statecraft. The old biblical 'Do unto others' approach to diplomacy seems to have been jettisoned.  I have considerable sympathy for the mild mannered and lawyerly British Prime Minister dealing with such 'mercurial ' counterparts.  We also learn that the planned meeting with President Xi is to be delayed ( guess that means the Kings state visit is also 'rescheduled' ) and that there is an alarming meningitis strain B outbreak among students in Canterbury. The medical expert says its confined to students in their late teens. 

Last week 'The Font' prudently arranged for a top up oil delivery .  The invoice arrives in the morning post and is 44% per litre higher than the previous shipment that was delivered in December. If we were to have the tank filled now I'd reckon we'd have to pay 70% more. Who knows what the price will be will be when the next cold spell hits ? The farmer isn't worried about fuel costs but he is worried about  fertilizer prices. He thinks the cost of food will sky rocket as the planting season approaches.

This morning the Saltire on the town hall is blowing briskly in the strong southerly wind. Usually it flutters half heartedly but today it's standing out straight. Gusts are up to 60 mph.

Down on the beach the wind is blowing the sand down from the dunes in great swirling eddies. The sand stings any exposed skin and whips against our legs. It  soon has us retreating back to the car. We weren't prepared for this.

Not a soul to be seen at the cathedral. It looks rather romantic in the sunrise. We do our requisite 10,000 steps and then head off to the warmth of Starbucks. In Portugal every cup of coffee we had was excellent. Here the coffee tends to come in large student sized servings and be akin to dishwater.  Starbucks makes the most reliable espresso. Perhaps we should try to find a shop in Edinburgh that specializes in Portugese coffee ?

The Secret Agent is on at the cinema. We think of getting tickets but reckon it will be on Netflix sooner rather than later.  We go instead to a screening of Mr Nobody which was excellent :https://carnegieendowment.org/ru/russia-eurasia/politika/2026/03/mr-nobody-oscar-criticism

Some rather fine art deco glass work in a house we pass. Many Scottish hoses are built with outer and inner doors. The outer door is left open during the day for parcels and post to be delivered. We rather like the colour on this door. There's also what appears to be a rather grand parrot cage propped up on an old settle just behind the door. 

From the Wall Street Journal. Not sure whether it's good or bad write up :https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/americans-love-everything-about-this-scottish-university-except-all-the-americans/ar-AA1YH8VC  A useful reminder that there is nowhere more welcoming to Americans than Europes Celtic fringes.

Dog evolution :https://www.discovermagazine.com/ancient-dogs-started-diversifying-11-000-years-ago-long-before-the-modern-breeds-we-know-today-48819

Intriguing. The long lasting impacts of war :https://x.com/luca_repetto_c/status/2032443860022952025?s=20

Robots :https://intelligenceage.substack.com/p/inside-the-robot-mind  The videos are either great or terrifying depending on your point of view.

Airline surcharges :https://x.com/shanaka86/status/2033381706892492969

Isn't life grand ?

Seven o'clock on a March Monday morning. It's blustery but bright. The swans are returning and heading North. We watch three groups fly low across the estuary towards their summer feeding grounds further up the coast. They're close enough for us to see the orange on their beaks. Two of the groups have twelve birds, the third ten. Their wings make that other worldly whoop whoop sound as they pass over us. How beautiful and stately they look.

In the far distance we see the farmers wife out walking the dogs. Moments later 'Puppy' appears. She's found an old potato that has become her pride and enjoy. She's keen to show it to us.

Soon afterwards elder sister and black spaniel arrive. Black spaniel trips over his feet and goes head over heels.

All three dogs then go round in circles chasing  each other . Some time later the farmers wife shows up. She's been calling for the dogs to join her but they've all gone down with a case of selective deafness.  Thankfully, she doesn't raise the question of the World cup. Nor do we.

Puppy, oblivious to human concerns, continues to proudly display the potato she's found. Isn't life grand ?

The university gardeners have been busy. The flower boxes outside the administration buildings are planted out and looking very festive and spring like in time for Easter.

Taking the leaves off strawberries :https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2033166324374110239

Atlanta :https://x.com/adamwren/status/2033298422678143307

The cost of building an Iranian drone :https://www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/cost-of-a-shahed/

Water and sanitation in the third world. More involving than the title would suggest :https://substack.com/home/post/p-188824185

A walk in the wind :https://sketchplanations.substack.com/p/uitwaaien

The stomach as the second mind :https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1119811

Is this a great place to live ... or not ? :https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/the-influencer-bubble-can-content-creators-continue-to-airbrush-the-gulf/

Guitar :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzjeU7pvINI

Limitless energy.

No prizes for what's leading the news this morning. 'Confusion' might be the politest way of summarizing what's going on. Some of the European and Asian politicians being interviewed are markedly less polite in their description of unfolding events :https://www.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2026/03/14/a-week-is-a-long-time-in-politics-and-war/

Today the weather is calm and sunny. In fact the air's warm enough to make you believe you're not in Scotland but somewhere exotic like Kiawah.

Yesterday, the Old Course was borderline hectic for the first time this year. The cold weather has been a deterrent. We pass a long line of visitors chatting amicably while they wait to tee off. From their pristine golf wear I'd reckon they're London based surgeons and barristers squeezing in a round or two while they visit their offspring.  In amongst them we notice our informally attired local builder and his mates from the village. They are utilizing their time honoured right as locals to play the course. Their bobble hatted Presbyterian egalitarianism makes us laugh. 

The students are also out in force. For a moment we think they're up early but it's soon apparent they're winding down after yesterdays revelries. There were three outstanding rugby matches played on Saturday afternoon so the local hostelries were well frequented from noon to late. Scotland were beaten by Ireland.

Last night there was an 'Oktoberfest'. This is some sort of fancy dress event where the lads wear lederhosen and the girls dirndls. It starts late and is only winding up now.  Angus can't help but think that for a whole host of reasons lederhosen rank right up there with the kilt for the most impractical male attire ever invented.

I find I'm rather jealous of youngsters with energy levels that don't peter out around midnight. At the coffee shops early rising locals studiously ignore the bizarre Bavarian look of the youngsters.

Remember bank tellers ? :https://davidoks.blog/p/why-the-atm-didnt-kill-bank-teller

I have not shown this article to the farmers wife - or her football mad sons :https://newrepublic.com/article/207273/trump-2026-world-cup-chaos  Is this sour grapes or is there some substance to the story ? Will a group of teenage lads even notice ?

Dog people  and Crufts:https://observer.co.uk/style/features/article/among-the-dog-people-at-crufts

It's been talked about over the last couple of weeks but Cuba makes its first mainstream appearance here thanks to our local Professor :https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/phillips-obrien-on-iran

France beat England 48-46 in one of the most exciting Six Nations games ever. This unusual Marseillaise is a reminder that alone among all the nations of the world only the French know the words of every verse of their national anthem :https://x.com/Valen10Francois/status/2031325300701704347

Unchanged and unchanging.

The forecast says it's 9 degrees but adds that in the wind it will feel more like - 2. This may explain why on the walk down to the old Course we don't pass another soul.

For some students final exams - and the end of their time here - is drawing close. The new timetable has just been published and the exam season kicks off on May 9th and finishes on May 23rd.  To think we're coming to the end of the semester is a bit of a shock. It only seems like yesterday that things kicked off. We've started to see bikes for sale. Life moves on and the encumbrances of undergraduate life are being auctioned off.

A rather fun stained glass window with local scenes is for sale in an art shop.

The Baptist ladies have been busy. For Easter an embroidered - and rather modernistic - panel has appeared at the front door of the church. Angus wonders how it will stand up to the rain. Perhaps they'll take it in to dry out at night ?

Last night 'The Font' goes to an Arvo Part concert. Angus heads to a 'things are getting worse and that's before the Russians create mischief' lecture on Iran. 'The Font' made the better choice. The quality of the singing at the concert was, I'm told, out of this world :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHe2FDlHHa8  Afterwards we stop off for a glass of wine at the pub which is full of  locals and students. Until we arrived I'd guess the average age of the customers was low 20's. Our arrival probably nudged it closer to 30.

From the way the front window has been decorated I'd reckon this flat belongs to female students.

Snowdrops, flocking larks, boxing hares and now students who ignore the 'Keep off the grass' signs. Spring is well and truly here. The routines of life in a small Scottish town remain unchanged and unchanging.

May it fall further :https://gizmodo.com/americas-smoking-habit-just-hit-a-wild-milestone-that-once-seemed-impossible-2000732807

El Nino on the way. Be prepared :https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/the-el-nino-cometh

A lot to get ones head around in this :https://aeon.co/essays/de-extinction-is-redefining-what-it-means-to-be-alive

Coming from the most 'establishment; of journals I'd expected this to be ultra orthodox but it's actually quite independent in its thinking. I'm guessing the warnings were given but not listened to :https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2026/march/coercion-catalysis-and-iran-campaign

Perhaps not the best photo ever but certainly way up there in the pantheon of greats :https://x.com/jones_mog/status/2032126133076955331

Has anyone tasted Chinese wine ? :https://rachelgouk.com/a-guide-to-chinese-wine-at-cila-in-shanghai/

Three holidays at once.

The good news is that the host of the six am radio broadcast seems to have dropped his doom and gloom voice for something different. The bad news is that he's now adopted an austere style reminiscent of a Presbyterian undertaker. Another couple of weeks like this and his tone will be positively apocalyptic. We turn to the light relief of the music on Radio 3.

The weather, which has been wonderful, reverts to form. It's extremely windy and the rain buckets down in a cold Scottish version of the monsoon. We skip the beach and opt for a quick walk around town hoping to catch one of those rare moments when the downpour eases . Scurrying back to the car we pop into the shelter of the bakers  for a wholemeal loaf. 

It's a busy time for them. Mothers Day, St. Patricks Day and Easter all converging. Even the best selling  fudge doughnuts have been repurposed and inscribed with the word 'Mum' and an uncharacteristically delicate small icing sugar flower. Closer examination shows that these flowers come in three colours.

We ( or more precisely Angus ) opt for two lime green St Patricks Day cupcakes.

To this is added two Easter chicks.

The Mothers Day cupcakes are rejected as being too outrageously floral. You need sunglasses just to look at them.

Over the last couple of days the bakers Hot Cross Buns have been given a 10/10 score by 'The Font'. No preservatives in these babies. Nestled quietly next to them on the shelf  is something called an Easter Bun. The lady behind the counter isn't keen on them. She thinks they're crunchy and bland and not nearly as good as the Hot Cross ones. There is something austere and evangelical about their look.

The hotels , which have been empty, are filling up with parents coming to visit their offspring for Mothers Day. The golf courses are busy with fathers determined to play the Old Course. I spot 3 Bentleys parked on the street outside the bookstore. Bentleys are a sure sign that London parents are here. Locals tend to less flashy and more affordable vehicles - Volvos or Hondas.

Home deliveries :https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/whos-really-ordering-all-that-doordash

The croissants here are said to be good. We'll be in Edinburgh next week so a report will follow  :https://www.lannanbakery.com/  Londoners might find the products here to be of French quality :https://www.maybourne.com/en/hotels/claridges/restaurants-bars/claridges-bakery

I didn't know it was :https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/11/why-is-buddhism-shrinking-worldwide/

Ear buds :https://theconversation.com/heres-why-you-might-want-to-clean-your-headphones-255590

A detour to the bookstore to pick up a copy of this :https://robertreich.substack.com/p/psst-my-book-available-in-the-uk  

Talk to allies ? :https://x.com/peterrough/status/2032431974804034028

Our martial land.

The large military helicopters seem to have gone but the fighter jets continue to fly in and out of the airbase on the other side of the estuary. They come in over the sea with their noses high and then with a roar of afterburners shoot up into the sky. They do this over and over and over. Our quiet little corner of the world suddenly seems to have become very martial. This morning the weather is bright but there's a cold 60 mph wind blowing in from the west. Heavy rain is forecast. You'd think the strong winds might deter the fliers but they don't.

The students reaction to events in the mid-east has been muted. Usually they feel passionately about world events. So far these are the only posters we've seen about Iran.

The chocolate shop in town is now focused on Easter Eggs. I pop in to see if they have any Dubai chocolate. They don't. They have pistachio and raspberry creams but the shop assistant kindly informs me that they're not not the same thing. 

At five minutes to nine the empty streets in town suddenly fill with thousands of students heading off to lectures. Five minutes later the streets are completely deserted again. The suddenness of this ebb and flow is borderline eerie.

Starbucks dog of the day. The dog clearly thinks the cup of cream foam is taking an inordinately long time to arrive. He looks as I feel after spending time with the insurance company.

The university gardeners have planted out the flower beds just in time for teenage frisbee players to leap all over them.

Life up here on the North Sea coast in March is quiet and predictable. Perhaps it's a sign of advancing years when orderliness becomes a virtue. The six am BBC radio Scotland news broadcast informs us that forecasters are saying the price of oil might hit $200 a barrel. There is a quiet recognition that the law of unintended consequences is in play. The Chicago man has a salutary update this morning :https://x.com/ProfessorPape/status/2031763552239817163

Some Scottish music with an attentive dog :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzYOvfmhV8&list=RDEMP_mdAbR9HfgSd2a7YFIBjg&index=25

Girl Guides know how to sell cookies :https://www.nj.com/food/2026/03/girl-scout-troop-sets-up-shop-at-weed-dispensary-cookies-are-in-high-demand.html

Talented bees :https://www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-know-how-bumblebee-queens-can-survive-underwater-for-days

The origins of sign language :https://theconversation.com/the-deaf-blacksmith-who-married-in-1576-and-the-history-of-sign-as-a-legal-language-276686

Demographic visual :https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-85-of-babies-in-2026-will-be-born-in-asia-and-africa/

Entertaining especially the insight into how German speakers used to outnumber English speakers 5 to 1 :https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/if-it-wasnt-for-us-youd-all-be-speaking