Ready for action

That's January pretty much done and dusted. Where did the time go ? To say it went by quickly would be an understatement. Between Greenland, Epstein, Iran, Minneapolis, shutdown, Ukraine, more Epstein, threatening Canada and  the end of NATO there's been enough drama to fill a whole year. Here in sleepy St Andrews the arrival of heart shaped 'Love' biscuits in the bakers adds our own touch of excitement to a hectic month. 

The bakers window also features a lemon sponge with 'Love' written in pink lettering, some triple layer ' I love you' chocolate sponges and half a dozen chocolate coated marzipan strawberries. In the far corner three fudge doughnuts in the shape of a heart can be seen. Ideal sustenance for the hungry lover rushing off to anatomy 101. In a town where nothing ever happens the changing seasons seasons provide all the excitement you need.

The local white van men are unimpressed by the bakers fancy offerings. They're parked up en masse outside Greggs for their pre-work coffees and sausage rolls. You can tell the ex-military among them. They reverse in so that they're ready to drive off into action at a moments notice. A number of drivers have moved the no parking bollards and placed them in front of their vans. They'll put them back when they go. That says everything you need to know about Scots psychology.

There are lights on in some of the lecture theatres but the rain ( which has been constant for the last week and looks as if it's here for most of next week too ) seems to be deterring both students and tourists.

The person that puts out the memorial flowers has already been busy. A young thrush pauses and watches us wander by.  This is, as you can perhaps tell, a quiet time of the year.

How many people are there ?:https://davidoks.blog/p/a-lot-of-population-numbers-are-fake

More food for thought :https://novum.substack.com/p/first-contact-with-america

I think this is probably a good thing. If you like snakes you might disagree :https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/cannibalism-among-snakes-is-far-more-widespread-than-previously-thought-180988078/

What will they think of next ? :https://thedebrief.org/beyond-mres-the-u-s-army-is-testing-3d-printed-food-for-the-battlefield/

That phones for kids thing again :https://substack.com/home/post/p-186087964

The Guardian reviews a film. Guess one star is better than none  :https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/30/melania-review-trump-film-is-a-gilded-trash-remake-of-the-zone-of-interest