Saturday, March 14, 2026

Unchanged and unchanging.

The forecast says it's 9 degrees but adds that in the wind it will feel more like - 2. This may explain why on the walk down to the old Course we don't pass another soul.


For some students final exams - and the end of their time here - is drawing close. The new timetable has just been published and the exam season kicks off on May 9th and finishes on May 23rd.  To think we're coming to the end of the semester is a bit of a shock. It only seems like yesterday that things kicked off. We've started to see bikes for sale. Life moves on and the encumbrances of undergraduate life are being auctioned off.


A rather fun stained glass window with local scenes is for sale in an art shop.


The Baptist ladies have been busy. For Easter an embroidered - and rather modernistic - panel has appeared at the front door of the church. Angus wonders how it will stand up to the rain. Perhaps they'll take it in to dry out at night ?

Last night 'The Font' goes to an Arvo Part concert. Angus heads to a 'things are getting worse and that's before the Russians create mischief' lecture on Iran. 'The Font' made the better choice. The quality of the singing at the concert was, I'm told, out of this world :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHe2FDlHHa8  Afterwards we stop off for a glass of wine at the pub which is full of  locals and students. Until we arrived I'd guess the average age of the customers was low 20's. Our arrival probably nudged it closer to 30.


From the way the front window has been decorated I'd reckon this flat belongs to female students.

Snowdrops, flocking larks, boxing hares and now students who ignore the 'Keep off the grass' signs. Spring is well and truly here. The routines of life in a small Scottish town remain unchanged and unchanging.


May it fall further :https://gizmodo.com/americas-smoking-habit-just-hit-a-wild-milestone-that-once-seemed-impossible-2000732807

El Nino on the way. Be prepared :https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/the-el-nino-cometh

A lot to get ones head around in this :https://aeon.co/essays/de-extinction-is-redefining-what-it-means-to-be-alive

I'd expected this to be ultra orthodox but it's actually quite independent in its thinking. I'm guessing the warnings were given but not listened to :https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2026/march/coercion-catalysis-and-iran-campaign

Perhaps not the best photo ever but certainly way up there in the pantheon of greats :https://x.com/jones_mog/status/2032126133076955331

Has anyone tasted Chinese wine ? :https://rachelgouk.com/a-guide-to-chinese-wine-at-cila-in-shanghai/

2 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
A succinct description of strategy and tactics leading to that final sentence was worth the read. I would definitely have opted for the Arvo Part evening! YAM xx

Lisa in France said...

The front page story in the WSJ today supports your guess that the warnings were given. I tasted Chinese wine a couple of years ago when my former law firm sponsored a tasting in Hong Kong. It was not good, but maybe things have improved, as they have with Japanese wine. At that time Chinese buyers were snapping up vineyards in Bordeaux.