Monday, March 16, 2026

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

8 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
Impossible not be enchanted by a Puppy and her Tattie... removing some of the angst of 'an earthling in distress'...(at the state of the world)... YAM xx

Anonymous said...

Lovely to see how proud Puppy is of her potato. I just hope she doesn't try to eat it.

Travel said...

A wonderful way to start a week of new opportunities.

Lisa in France said...

I do love crows.

Pam in NH said...

We had a grand dog who proudly carried rocks. She passed some years ago but I still have one sitting on a pile of books on a hall table.

Sharon said...

I liked the Walk in the wind link. It brought back childhood memories of standing on a hill and letting the wind blow through. Today is a good day to do so. Wind S 39K gusts 59K. When I opened the back door to air the house I could hear the roar of Lake Ontario a five minute walk away.

Stephanie said...

Puppy and friends are endearing.

rottrover said...

Beautiful guitar music. And always great to see Puppy and friends.