Foreknowledge.

The last day of May. How is it possible five months have passed ? Where has the time gone ? It's rained overnight. The morning air heavy with the scent of wet grass. On our way down the farm track to the shore a large private jet comes over and starts a leisurely descent into the local military  airbase. To be allowed to land there  you must be an exceptionally well connected golfer. Probably a Senator or a trillionaire or 'family' member. Scores of young sparrows are fliting in and out of the wild roses that cover the old stone field walls. The sparrows are too young and too excited to be bothered by us. There's a large group of them singing away in the lupin border. Sparrows  may not be the most beautiful of birds but they know how to celebrate the gift of a new day. Their antics make us smile.

The calves on the village green seem content with life. 

Later on today there will be charity run on the beach. 5,000 participants are expected. There are already half a dozen or so event organizers unloading Portaloos from the back of a truck. The quiet hard work of the volunteer. I'd like to say that the organizers are uncomplaining but unloading Portaloos from a truck generates a few choice shin banging words.

The farmer with the exceptionally pretty daughters has installed a vending machine in the farms strawberry hut. The daughters have returned from university and made it clear that they do not intend to spend their entire summer manning the farms fruit outlet and dispensing soft fruit to passing tourists. The machine takes credit cards and proves to be remarkably easy to use. The daughters are still expected to fill the machine with fresh fruit every couple of hours in return for holiday money. I wonder how this will work out.

Only one house in town has Georgian balustrades. They serve no practical purpose so must have been installed by a stylish fashionista in the late 18th century. How is it we've never noticed them before ?

We go to the bookstore for an evening reading with the author of the new book 'Weimar'. She's been on Radio 4 over the last couple of weeks reading excerpts and her book has had really good reviews. The train is delayed by an hour ( never travel over the weekend )  but she gamely arrives and steps straight onto the podium without so much as a reviving cup of coffee. No complaints about having spent 10 hours on a slow train from London. Inflation, resentment, technological change and a belief that government wasn't working marked the restrictive changes in 1920's and 30's Germany. " The people of Weimar have provided us with foreknowledge of what happens when you elect politicians promising easy solutions " her concluding sentence. A reminder that history may not repeat itself but it does rhyme.  The back rows are taken by dog owners with their pooches. The bookstore has provided water bowls which all the dogs decide to use at the same time mid-talk. A Sheltie with Bells Palsy  is a particularly noisy drinker.

An Icelander who's possibly the worlds greatest pianist. Perfect listening for the last Sunday in May :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-1lBHIAia4&list=RDE-1lBHIAia4&start_radio=1

The architecture of Washington. I found the thing about light penetrating marble  fascinating :https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/americas-national-style-is-hiding

Cuba : https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/we-need-to-talk-about-cuba

The old ways work :https://www.npr.org/2026/05/21/nx-s1-5738979/beavers-britain-climate-change-flooding

Daddy - longlegs :https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/daddy-longlegs-seem-to-hunt-frogs-in-south-america-revealing-the-gangly-arachnids-as-long-overlooked-predators-180988810/

Turmeric :https://www.acsh.org/news/2026/05/29/turmeric-supplements-more-risks-benefits-50143