Meadow Pipits .

England play France for 3rd position in the World Cup. They win 6-4 which explains the nountain of bin bags full of lager cans outside the front door of the village hall. In describing the war in the Gulf the BBC uses the word escalation no less than seven times. Later today I shall go and give the little BMW its weekly top up. We are back in the habit of keeping the battery and the petrol tank maxed out.

From the courtyard we can see two farm workers walking through the wheat field pulling out weeds. Life on the farm is at that pre-harvest quiet point. Meadow Pipits fly in every direction as they approach. 

Down by the harbour the fishermen are busy. This is the time of year when demand for lobsters and langoustine is at a seasonal high. The local 5 star hotels all have 'fresh local seafood' on their menus. American high rolling golfers remain convinced that 'Surf and Turf' is the height of fine dining. The gulls are waiting impatiently for the boats to return.

The next door village has a community owned pub that serves breakfast. This morning we're there before anyone else has shown up. We wait a while, admire the tree that's been planted, and then get on our way. Seems that our villagers weren't the only ones watching the World Cup.

Music to kick off a Sunday morning :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYazgvNmoJI

What happens if you review a restaurant in Germany :https://x.com/eigen_moomin/status/2077471686295957749

Warming oceans :https://theconversation.com/7-6-billion-mugs-of-tea-a-second-a-new-way-to-make-sense-of-the-heat-pouring-into-our-oceans-286916

American humour is alive and well :https://x.com/matt_slotnick/status/2077769817059439011