Cold water and smaller tour groups.

Thursday morning. The BBC news bulletin unsure whether the war in Iran is on or off.  Here in the village it's local election day. We usually vote first thing but in a farming community 'first thing' is when everyone else shows up. Weather willing we shall walk down to the village hall before dinner and cast our vote then.

Out on the beach dog walkers are surprised to find a group of students heading into the water.

The dog walkers are not surprised to hear the shouts of agony as the cold water reaches parts that are unprepared to be immersed in Arctic water. Just because the sun is out doesn't mean this is the Aegean. 

Those early morning bus tours from Edinburgh now in full swing. A ' Site of martyrdom' group examining the spot where Patrick Hamilton was burnt alive for his beliefs. Soon they'll happily move on to the site of another grizzly ending. The guides always provide gruesome details - some of which are factual.

A break away group are studying the new statue down by the golf course. This year tour groups fall into two main categories. The large 40 seat charabanc variety and the smaller, more luxurious 6 to 8 seat Mercedes people carrier option. This latter , more personalized style is much more popular this year.

The first tee on the Old Course already humming with activity despite the early hour.

The presence of large and slightly ageing Jaguars and Bentleys indicates that the great and the good of the golfing world are meeting in conclave. Identikit men in blazers, grey trousers and striped ties mill around. 

Seems that the Trump boys, Eric and Don Junior,  continue to push for their fathers Turnberry golf course to be added to the list of those eligible to host the British Open. The Royal and Ancient, the sports governing body, takes the view that the road and parking infrastructure need to be improved before the request is even considered. They certainly don't intend to pay for any upgrades. This response is not what was expected. The sheer bloody mindedness of the Scots as a race should never be underestimated. It seems ( according to an old ambassador ) that Don Jr is about to star as the host of a new season of that popular 90's era television show The Apprentice. It did wonders for his fathers political career. Is the same playbook being tried again ? The ambassador wonders what Messrs. Vance and Rubio think about this. We can't help but think that for a small town the locals are remarkably well plugged in. 

A feisty Norwegian Lemming :https://x.com/awkwardgoogle/status/2051891456814592187

Swearing - is it cultural ? :https://leobenedictus.substack.com/p/is-the-anglosphere-also-the-swearosphere  The Brits lead the charts.

We were surprised how many Chinese tv shows replayed events of  the 1930's era :https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-dangerous-is-the-current-china-japan-rift/?b=1

A Communist kitchen :https://x.com/eastblocvisuals/status/2051976182476738797