Simnel cake

The battle with the insurance company over our weather aborted trip to Madeira continues. They promise to 'have made a judgement ' within ten working days. That's what they promised three weeks ago. Is there anything as tedious as dealing with the bureaucracy of an insurance company ?

The Scottish breakfast news bulletin has a story about claims in the The New York Post ( not a journal that many people here have heard of ) that the American President is considering renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself. Trump Strait sounds more like the lead singer in an 80's era heavy metal band.  This story seems improbable but lo and behold there it is :https://nypost.com/2026/03/27/us-news/trump-considers-renaming-strait-of-hormuz-after-either-america-or-himself-once-he-evicts-iran/  

The news also informs us that Tiger Woods ( he of local sports bar fame ) faces yet another alleged DUI charge.

This morning the courier driver arrives with the Simnel Cake from Bettys in Harrogate. A sure sign Easter is (almost ) here. 

Down by the shore a reed bunting seems completely unbothered by our presence. It perches on a tall, wildly swaying, strand of marram grass with a dexterity that even the most accomplished of acrobats would admire.

You'd think the council would invest in traffic lights with motion sensors. On our way to the fish shop we have to wait for what seems to be an eternity ( but is probably all of two minutes ) while the red light blocks the empty street. Angus mutters.

On our way back from the fish shop we see a sign for a 'Duck Race '. I'm guessing this involves small yellow plastic ducks rather than the real things.

No sooner are we back home than the wine order for Easter arrives. We've found a single bottle of the Grgich Hills Fume Blanc. This was the wine President Reagan served to President Mitterand when hosting him for a July 4th dinner in the US embassy in Paris. Many retailers claim to have it but few ( if any ) do. This will be saved for Easter. Tonight we'll try a new Pouilly-Fuisse. A friend in France, where drinking well at a reasonable price is a national obsession, recommends it. This is our first shipment from a supplier located in Prague. The wine comes in a impressively thick cardboard box with a padded interior. It has taken four days to clear customs and get here which seems reasonable and is almost as quick as ordering wine from London.

Unknown neighbours:https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26032026/scientists-discover-new-deep-sea-creatures/

Perfect imperfection. A heart felt honesty in this obituary that is usually lacking :https://robertc12.substack.com/p/remembering-robert-trivers

As always when you dig deeper you discover things you hadn't even heard about :https://theconversation.com/the-four-types-of-dementia-most-people-dont-know-exist-278124

Female psychopaths, Still think men win the category hands down :https://www.sciencefocus.com/wellbeing/female-psychopaths-difficult-spot

Serious corner. Garnering attention here. Guess NATO is dead :https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/2037505958708982270