The farmers wife has heard no more from the two teenagers. The promise to call twice a day hasn't survived the excitement of actually being in Boston for the World Cup. I consider saying 'no news is good news' but think better of it.
This morning the BBC news has a story about the Scottish soccer team preparing for the extreme heat of Massachusetts by spending long sessions in a hot sauna. " The heats devilish " says one fan in a tone of voice that makes it plain that long term exposure to double digit temperatures addles the brain. The next item is about Iran. The tone is even less sure about what's going on in the Gulf than usual and the reporter confines himself to reporting the US Presidents announcement that 200 ships have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began. That, it's observed, compares with 10,000 that would usually have transited on their way to global markets. The announcer then adds ' That's 2% of the norm ". Since the US President sued them for $10 billion the BBC's reporting on America has assumed a 'delphic' ,you join the dots, quality.
Here in the village everyone is up and about early. This is partly due to the fact we're coming into that time of the year when it's pretty much light 24/7 and partly due to the installation of a bird scarer by one of the village farmers. This starts to go off like a manic cannon at 3:33 am. I know this because 'The Font' grumpily asks me what time it is.
The combination of sun and rain showers has driven the roses and peonies into frenetic growth mode. 'The Font' has been pruning like a mad thing but the stems are still weighed down with blooms. The more they're cut the more they grow. We have taken to having a cup of coffee in the garden before heading off on our start of day walk. In France we could do this in shirt sleeves. Here we need two and possibly three ( and some days four ) layers for alfresco breakfasting. This morning a score or so 'Painted Ladies' join the bees in fluttering around the kitchen door.
Our day proper starts with a trip back to the recycling centre. We have bags and bags of rose cuttings. Peak refurbishment season has hit the recycling centres staff who are currently shipping off a truck load of ageing white goods every afternoon.
The flat the four rugby lads share seems to have escaped the seasonal refurbishment cycle. If this is what it looks like from the outside what must it be like inside ?
Scores of rabbits sun bathing on the grass down by the harbour. They scamper away whenever a dog appears and reappear when it's gone.
Life, as you might be able to tell, is quiet. It will be like this for the next two weeks until the graduation ceremonies and the start of peak golf season in July.
Disappearing hobbies :https://theconversation.com/three-historic-craft-hobbies-at-risk-of-disappearing-and-how-to-give-them-a-go-277886
The history of SPAM :https://stevepabst.substack.com/p/the-logistics-of-victory-how-spam
The author of Primary Colors writes reflectively from London :https://josephklein.substack.com/p/trump-from-a-distance
Long lost sermon :https://www.plough.com/articles/a-city-on-a-hill
Mad. Completely mad. To think I thought the NY restaurant that's opened in St Andrews for the summer is expensive. This Danish restaurants Los Angeles summer pop up is $1500 a head :https://www.exploretock.com/noma-la/
2 comments:
Hari OM
Those roses in the fine vase are the winning photo of today (though as a one with OCD (Obsessesive Coo Disorder), I love the Hielan' (pretty sure it's a lass and not a laddie).Thanks, as ever, for absorbing morning reading. As a yarnie, I may have to tryout the needle binding! YAM xx
I was having the same debate about the first two photos today. Maybe it's a tie? Joe Klein's piece was interesting, although I think (hope?) he might be underestimating Mamdani (I fear he's right about Platner). It sounded like an overreaction when I read about the sauna, but I checked and it really is quite hot in Boston right now.
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