Sixpence short of a shilling.

London, the BBC informs us, remains 'sweltering'. Here the mercury reached a more manageable high of 17C. Similar temperatures are expected today. We are back to layering up for our morning walk.

In town the rooks have been at the waste bins. Pizza boxes with their residue of crust, cheese and pepperoni are a favoured source of avian protein. Breakfasting  rooks line the pavements from Starbucks to the shoe shop.

Down by the golf course it's the sea gulls and the ravens who have been busy. An American lady stops to ask us if the coyotes have been at the garbage cans. We assure her that coyotes are not a problem here and that it's the fault of the gulls. She doesn't seem at all convinced by this and hurries away in the belief she's just met a couple who are sixpence short of a shilling. She has the certain air of a woman who knows what coyotes do to unattended garbage.

The rockery is now covered in lupins. They are rampant and exuberant. The surrounding heathers are past their best and are rapidly turning brown. The short Scottish summer is racing along.

The ducks who call the pavement outside The Shawarma House home have moved to the calm of the grass outside university lecture theatres. At this time of the year this part of town is gloriously quiet and the female seems to be relishing the move.

So starts a day in a part of the world where not much is happening. The first of the young staff members have arrived to set up the summer school. They wander round town with the seriousness that is particular to twenty year olds starting a new ( and quite possibly their first ever ) summer job. Alongside the seriousness ( and sensible haircuts ) they exude a wholesome vigour that hints that nothing can beat a summer of getting up at six to take their charges swimming in the North Sea. Angus has a horrible flashback to his time as a counsellor at a summer camp in Waymart , Pennsylvania in the days of Allegheny Airlines. Three agonizingly long months of teaching American teens how to paddle a Grumman canoe and right it without drowning themselves. I also learned how to spot poison ivy. These were skill sets I have never used since.

An innocent adventure :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKYxx6i55o

I'd have to agree that this is a truly amazing story :https://x.com/Camlowandslow/status/2059632357871698014

An archeological site worth visiting ? :https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/archaeologists-reveal-stunning-scale-of-a-giant-greek-tomb-linked-to-alexander-the-great/

A Colorado hotel chain opens in Scotland . 'The Mull' looks like a welcoming room :https://www.duntondestinations.com/kilchoan-estate/

Change at Stanford :https://stanfordreview.org/number-of-right-wing-students-at-stanford-nearly-doubles/