Rain, rain and more rain.

 'Covering Scotland in concrete'. A local builders van has a motto that makes us read it twice.

The days are getting noticeably longer. With every day that passes we're gaining a good 3 minutes of extra light. This far north the changes are noted and welcomed. We manage to get out for a walk while it's still dry. Heavy rain is forecast to arrive mid-morning and last all day. It's rained solidly overnight and the golf courses are covered in small lakes on which the local oyster catchers and gulls are happily paddling away.

The high tide has brought thousands of razor clams up onto the sand. They stretch along the 2 miles of beach in a band a hundred meters thick. A certain type of dog discovers delight in running over the shells and hearing them 'crack' under their paws.

The local butcher has his own take on a Tomahawk steak. There's something rather charming in this.

The Valentines Day chocolates in the supermarket are ready for the students return.  We're not sure whether the retired Church of Scotland minister with the ' acts of congress' problem would approve of these 'you tickle my pickle' offerings.

Roman houses:https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/step-inside-a-roman-home/

Common sense:https://bigthink.com/books/ezekiel-emanuel-2/

Big news for farmers :https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2026/01/new-research-takes-another-step-towards-self-sustaining-crops/

Any Poles reading this will disagree :https://www.aei.org/foreign-and-defense-policy/russia-and-venezuela-toward-a-new-yalta/

They're practising this in chapel this morning. The bagpipes give the tune a jaunty air :https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=xD6_SLzBXFk