Burns Night contrasts.

Burns night. The university event a measured affair. Black tie and best sporrans for the men and evening dresses with tartan sashes for the women. The Haggis addressed by a local Earl with an accent straight out of central casting. The attendees of an age where their wives tell them to be careful how much they drink and eat. A choir of a dozen or so students sing as if they are professionals and are applauded accordingly. Auld Lang Syne heard for the second time in a month.  By contrast the village celebrations are an altogether livelier event.  Arran sweaters and  cheerful  'party wear' alongside bagpipes and the village teenage 'band'.  86 people had paid for the meal but 97 showed up. This, the village secretary grumpily informs me, required some last minute seating plan re-arrangement. More arrived for the dancing. Labradors and Jack Russells pretend to sleep but keep an eagle eye open for dropped sausage rolls. This year Haggis Wellington with lamb loin was tried out by the ladies in the kitchen. They were told - perhaps diplomatically - that this was 'wonderful'. For the local teenagers the upcoming World Cup is now the only topic of conversation.

The latest copy of Private Eye has Greenland on the cover. No disrespect to any Greenlanders reading this blog but over the last 70 years I've probably spent ten seconds - thirty at most - thinking about the place. Now it seems people in DC have sleepless nights worrying the Russians and Chinese are about to swarm all over it . 

Here the weather has reverted to form. Cold, wet and exceedingly windy. 

As we walk back to the car we discuss the weather and recent events in Minneapolis. I went there once on business one January in the eighties to give a talk to a company called IDS. Forty years on I can still remember the walk back from the clients office to my hotel was the coldest I've ever been with the possible  exception of a later trip to Yakutia which was even colder and where I thought my ears had frozen off. I've watched the latest footage but have advised 'The Font' not to.

The butcher has 'proper' Haggis for sale. Some folks think real sheep gut makes all the difference to the taste and texture.

The cafe by the cathedral is open and serving breakfast to a smattering of early rising young couples who are getting reacquainted after the Christmas break. Lectures start again tomorrow.

We buy a baguette from the bakers.  The lady behind the counter doesn't so much wrap the baguette as carefully embalm it. Rubber bands are carefully placed over either end of the wrapping paper.  'The Font' observes that if a French baker was to wrap a baguette with this much time and  care the country would come to a grinding halt.

'Hangry' :https://theconversation.com/why-do-some-people-get-hangry-more-quickly-than-others-273617

This isn't helpful:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/play-your-way-sane/202512/screen-time-might-be-shrinking-your-brain

If we were 35 years younger we might do this. Now the danger ( not to speak of the surrounding civil wars ) rules it out :https://www.expeditions-ducret.com/

This was interesting . Has life expectancy really fallen ?:https://jenka.substack.com/p/the-greatest-life-extension-technology-of-all-time-ea1d322fc5d

Korea and dogs :https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/companies/20260122/fate-of-half-million-dogs-unclear-as-dog-meat-ban-nears

A fellow Scot at Stanford ( although I don't agree with him on many things ) talks at Davos. He's always entertaining :https://youtu.be/nHsh38hCEfc?t=3247