Detour

The BBC weather forecast says it will be ' the 13th day in a row of 30 degree temperatures '. This might be true south of the border but does not apply to Scotland where temperatures in the high(ish) teens are expected. It is also expected to be another rain free day which means the farmer will have to have the irrigation on in the potato fields. There's an American political scientist on the radio talking about oil, an escalating war and how Donald Trump is set to be a second Herbert Hoover.  He doesn't explain why this comparison is bad but from his tone of voice ( which alternates between squeaky excitement and Presbyterian basso profundo gloom ) I'm guessing it is.

We have visitors at the front door. Breakfast at the farmhouse is over and Puppy and elder sister are on their way down to the shore in search of adventure. They detour past the last wee house before Denmark in the hope there may be some buttered toast on offer.

Younger sister now has a tracker . This enables the farmers wife to follow her movements. These invariably include a visit to the kitchen at the local five star hotel followed by a call from the golf course groundsmen to come and collect her. Puppy, despite the families best efforts to make the farmhouse garden secure, remains an expert escapologist.

At the garden centre a bronze sheep has been positioned by the sliding doors. The best that can be said about it is that there's a contented look on its face.

There's also a display of teddy bears for a service charity. We've never seen these before.

'The Font' pops in to buy a copy of  a book about dogs in paintings. The bookstore had ordered 20 copies and we manage to get the last one. This either means the book is good or it's the sort of volume that attracts the dog loving fraternity in town.

The golf shops - of which there are many - are now selling 'Scottish' club covers.

Life out here on the North Sea coast remains exceedingly peaceful. The hotels in town are having a bumper year. It would seem that a lot of folks who might have gone elsewhere have chosen to vacation here because it's safe. I'm sure there's a PhD waiting to be written about wars in the Gulf and tourist flows to quiet destinations.

The Dutch work 11 years longer than the Italians :https://x.com/StefanFSchubert/status/2077691176694476851

Unknown until now :https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/colobus-congoensis-congo

Rare intelligence :https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202607/this-is-the-rarest-type-of-intelligence

Worth watching for the expression on the cellists face :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7auBhHgi7d8