Sunday morning. It's already light by five .We're fast heading to the summer solstice and the time of year when the northerly nights are mild and fleeting. The two deer that have been loitering around the heron pond appear in the courtyard with a little one. The wee thing's still unsteady on its spindly legs so I'd reckon it can't be much more than three days old. Everywhere you look life is stirring. A group of bird watchers with zoom lenses are clustered down by the shore taking pictures of the gannets. They are an uncommunicative bunch so we wish them 'Good morning' and hurry on by.
'Exams in progress' signs tell you all you need to know about the monastic silence that has fallen across the towns bars and cafes.
Down by the Shawarma restaurant the female duck that calls this stretch of pavement her home is asleep on one leg. She spends her nights like this.
Her partner remains resolutely on guard and quacks in irritation at anyone who gets too close. His quacking is her cue to put down the other leg. Of all the places ducks could think of nesting this has to be the absolute worst.
On the 1st tee a group of American golfers are waiting to tee off. Players in the know come here in May and September when the weather is better and the crowds thinner. An increasing number summer here. Yesterday we saw two Gulfstreams and three Citations drop into the local airport. They seem to come straight over 'The Last Wee House before Denmark' before throttling back their engines and turning onto their final approach. Senators and Congressmen , as opposed to the merely wealthy, avoid contact with the plebs at the airport and get to land at the local air base. The perks of public service.
Sunday morning Beethoven :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BHiyYuAhJ0&list=RD8BHiyYuAhJ0&start_radio=1
National parks. The good and the bad :https://viverricious.substack.com/p/i-went-to-americas-worst-national
Current affairs :https://snyder.substack.com/p/on-superpower-suicide
Insights into the real China ( For perspective the population of a small city in China is still liley to be more than the entire population of Scotland ) :https://chinaunread.substack.com/p/i-moved-back-to-a-second-tier-city
Some become great literature. Others don't :https://luisrdomingos.substack.com/p/books-in-purgatory
The golden age of travel :https://fabioaprivatecorrespondence.substack.com/p/the-last-ships-of-state
3 comments:
There should be a silent sign language for birdwatcher to say hello.
There should be a silent sign language for birdwatcher to say hello.
Hari OM
... as ducks generally nest on or near to ground level, one wonders where the actual nest is? It will only prove to be 'nesting' if ducklings appear. That aside, there is clearly some incentive for this pair to return to the shopfront... this could be a fascinating study! Now off to get another cuppa and settle in for some good reading from your links. Have a peaceful Sunday! YAM xx
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