Three holidays at once.

The good news is that the news reader on the six am radio broadcast seems to have dropped his doom and gloom voice for something different. The bad news is that he's now adopted an austere style reminiscent of a Presbyterian undertaker. Another couple of weeks like this and his tone will be positively apocalyptic. We turn to the light relief of Radio 3.

The weather, which has been wonderful, reverts to form. It's extremely windy and the rain buckets down like a cold Scottish monsoon. We skip the beach and opt for a quick walk around town hoping to catch one of those rare moments when the downpour eases . Scurrying back to the car we pop into the shelter of the bakers  for a wholemeal loaf. 

It's a busy time for them. Mothers Day, St. Patricks Day and Easter all converging. Even the best selling  fudge doughnuts have been repurposed and inscribed with the word 'Mum' and an uncharacteristically delicate small icing sugar flower. Closer examination shows that these flowers come in three colours.

We ( or more precisely Angus ) opt for two lime green St Patricks Day cupcakes.

To this is added two Easter chicks.

The Mothers Day cupcakes are rejected as being too outrageously floral. You need sunglasses just to look at them.

Over the last couple of days the bakers Hot Cross Buns have been given a 10/10 score by 'The Font'. No preservatives in these babies. Nestled quietly next to them on the shelf  is something called an Easter Bun. The lady behind the counter isn't keen on them. She thinks they're crunchy and bland and not nearly as good as the Hot Cross ones.

The hotels , which have been empty, are filling up with parents coming to visit their offspring for Mothers Day. The golf courses are busy with fathers determined to play the Old Course. I spot 3 Bentleys parked on the street outside the bookstore. Bentleys are a sure sign that London parents are here. Locals tend to less flashy vehicles - Volvos or Hondas.

Home deliveries :https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/whos-really-ordering-all-that-doordash

The croissants here are said to be good. We'll be in Edinburgh next week so a report will follow  :https://www.lannanbakery.com/  Londoners might find the products here to be of French quality :https://www.maybourne.com/en/hotels/claridges/restaurants-bars/claridges-bakery

I didn't know it was :https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/11/why-is-buddhism-shrinking-worldwide/

Ear buds :https://theconversation.com/heres-why-you-might-want-to-clean-your-headphones-255590

A detour to the bookstore to pick up a copy of this :https://robertreich.substack.com/p/psst-my-book-available-in-the-uk