An honest appraisal.

A pair of Typhoons sweep low over the coast as we're heading out of the courtyard for our morning walk. The Russian Air Force must be up to something out in the North Sea. Once or twice a month they send a group of bombers from Murmansk on a trip around the top of Norway and down towards the Shetlands. Usually the RAF sends off four of the jets to deal with incursions so I'd guess the Russians can't be cocking much of a snook at us this morning. The local crow population scatters, bad temperedly, in all directions at the sound of the afterburners as the planes climb and turn sharply to the north.

In town the fountain is working again. It must be 50 years ago ( at least ) that it last gurgled away.

Even on a grey morning it is, as my grandfather might have said, a grand sight.

The weather is set to improve later this morning. Down on the beach the lifeguards are getting ready for a busy day. The lifeguards are at that age when everything is done at a fast ' why walk when you can run ?' pace.

Near the wee house in town is a 'lively' student flat that's occupied by four third year students. One of the inhabitants is an Edinburgh lad who, when not playing rugby or golf or charming girls, supposedly works on his Physics degree.  He's got a summer job as a caddie. Today he's out at first light on the Jubilee Course with a group of serious hedge fund managers from Miami. The Floridians smoke cigars ( second time in two days we've seen folks smoking before eight am which we think is unusual ) and studiedly ignore his advice about which clubs to use or where to play the ball. He wanders over to the fence for a wee blether. He's got the monthly rent to pay but doesn't hold out much hope that the tip from this group will be generous. With a 20 year olds no nonsense concision of language he describes them as 'total hackers'. This causes us to laugh out loud. I'd wager they have a very different and rather more elevated view of their golfing skills. We wish the lad well and shout out to the golfers that they are very lucky to have such an expert guide. Perhaps this recommendation will help with the gratuity and the rent ?

Were the 1930's hotter ?:https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/raw-data-wrong-answers

Thoughts on the English :https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/the-lords-of-the-north

Pope Clements Cafe and Steubenvilles first high class restaurant ? I'd love to know the real story behind this unusual architectural conversion :https://www.collegeofstjoseph.com/reclaim