The porpoise.

It's rained quite heavily overnight. This will delight the farmer who has been praying for a downpour to kick start his potato crop. We stop to chat to two village ladies who are repairing the fencing around the apple trees in the communal orchard. This year the deer have developed a liking passion for apples. The ladies are repairing the wire mesh to deter the animals from grazing on the low lying branches. They don't hold out great hopes for success. From them we learn that the Water Board has discovered that one of the feed pipes to the village is made of lead. It must have been laid down at least a century ago. Health and Safety regulations mean that the lead pipe will need to be replaced by a new non-toxic one. This, it can be assumed, will be a lengthy and disruptive process. 

Heading into town in the car the BBC news informs us that an attack on Iran that was scheduled for today has been cancelled. We also discover that American petrol pumps aren't programmed to deal with diesel or petrol prices above $9.99 a gallon. If they go to $10 then all of them need to be reset manually. This is the sort of stray factoid that will be repeated at dinner tables up and down the country tonight.

The high tide has washed up a dead porpoise. It's surprisingly small. The usual cast of dog owners are taking it in turn to warn other owners to keep their dogs away. The waters around here can be treacherous for weak swimmers. It's probably got stranded on a sand bank and drowned.

Heading back in the car we see three competing company vans out collecting student belongings. The companies wrap and store the youngsters possessions until their owners return in September. This is a service industry that didn't exist in our day. It is, as you might expect, a highly competitive and highly seasonal market with this being by far their busiest time. With each passing day the exodus of youngsters picks up pace. Local cab drivers are busy with bookings to Edinburgh airport. In a weeks time there will only be post-grads and heavy party goers who are left in town. For two or three weeks until the cohorts of summer golfers arrive the place will be left to the locals.

Down by the busy golf course we pass the Jake and Edie bench. On a morning like this we can quite understand why it was their favourite place. 'Golf, Bridge and a view of the Sea' is a succinct summary of lifes charms.

At the garden store two metal lions. They're the better part of £800 each. Someone might like them. 

This Parisian cafe has the most French advert ever ? :https://serpentaplume.com/

Careful preparation pays dividends :https://uvamillercenter.substack.com/p/lessons-from-the-osama-bin-laden

A place to stay in New Orleans :https://ash.world/hotels/peter-and-paul

Consequences :https://robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/a-different-perspective-on-the-strait