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