Happy Easter crowds

A Happy Easter to one and all.

At one point last night Storm Dave barreled through bringing thunder and a ferocious blast of driving hail. There was, for all of two minutes, a complete white out. The sort of thing you might expect in the Highlands in January but not down here on the coast in April.  With the storm now safely out at sea Easter Sunday dawns bright and fair and full of promise. The chapel choir are busy practising that hymn with lots of alleluias in it for the morning service while out on the cliff there's a surprisingly large group of happy students welcoming the sunrise. The lads in dinner jackets with cans of lager are presumably Episcopalians heading home after a Saturday night spent partying. With resurrection in mind the Baptists have taken over the anatomy department car park for their Easter dawn gathering. 

On the town beach two horses have the place pretty much to themselves. The mess of pizza cartons and broken bottles left by Friday nights party goers has already been cleared up by the beach rangers.

The supermarket is out of unleaded but we're thankful when we find that the petrol station by the town gate has it. We fill the tank up. Everything should be back to normal by mid-week when the tourists have gone but why run the risk and wait ?

A cherry tree on a side road has managed to hold onto its petals through yesterdays gales. It's the only one to do so. University owned buildings have their doors painted in royal blue. This street has lots of royal blue doors.

A chocolate egg with a fudge doughnut is the bakers signature seasonal offering . Local grandparents stop off with toddlers to pick one up before they head off to the Easter service in the auld kirk. A taste sensation that hasn't changed in 50 years. 

This weeks cover on The Economist sums up the sense of bewilderment felt here. There is however huge relief that the missing airman has been recovered.

Hats everywhere. St Thomas New York Easter 1929 :https://youtu.be/k469Xs54fxA?t=91

The most expensive Indian painting :https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/04/02/vaccine-billionaire-buys-179m-raja-ravi-varma-setting-new-record-for-indian-painting-at-auction

Africa :https://thisweekinafrica.substack.com/p/five-trends-that-will-shape-urban-3a7

Croissants:https://theangel.nyc/p/the-whole-grains-revolution-has-come-for-your-croissant-brooklyn-granary-and-mill-tehachapi-grain-project

Pancakes :https://marianbull.substack.com/p/cookbooks-are-an-archive-of-a-moment

Obscure French phrases :https://pardonmyfrench101.substack.com/p/to-fall-in-the-apples