Eristic.

The BBC certainly isn't dumbing down. This morning I learn a new word - Eristic. It describes those who think they're right even when they're demonstrably wrong. It's used in a news segment covering Oman and South Korea. The word 'incoherent' is also used. Natalie Harp is mentioned as is Rodney Cook. This is the first time I've ever heard anything about either of them.

A professor in the village has taken his 18 year old son off to a world famous Italian lake hotel on a long weekend golfing trip. One of those father-son bonding experiences before the youngster heads off to university. It was a disaster. The hotel was full of 'strange' people who sat around the pool taking selfies , at night  most of the couples in the dining room wouldn't talk to each other but would have long conversations on their mobile phones with the volume turned up. If that wasn't bad enough the grass on the golf course was burnt to a crisp and the air conditioning - like the power supply - worked fitfully. The food was a foreigners idea of what Italian food should be at prices that no Italian would pay. A good time was not had by all. He wonders if Mediterranean summers are just getting too hot. To make matters worse the new European digital immigration system was a nightmare. Three and a half hours queueing for entry in the heat of Milan airport was memorable but not in a good way.

The local farmers all leave a wide strip of unploughed wilderness at the field edges. The butterflies and bees make good use if it. So too do scores of young starlings who are learning to fly.  Anyone coming down the farm track has to slow their car down to the pace of a flying starling with 'L' plates. There are many more starlings than usual this morning which may signal that the local sparrow hawk has moved onto pastures new.

Peggy , the Dandy with a summer buzz cut, emits a loud howl as she sees us heading towards her on the golf course path. Peggy also greets every passing jogger in this way. Her two elder sisters walk along behind in silence. 

The TESCO supermarket has been closed for six weeks. It was due to open today but some of the new chiller display units have been delayed at customs. The new date for opening is September 6th just in time for the arrival of the incoming freshers. 

Yesterdays observation by our lawyer that there's been a huge increase in young American professional families wanting to come and live here is borne out by the 'Donnie Scotland' headline in a local paper. 

Back in the village the last of the hay is being bailed and hauled off for storage. Autumn is drawing close.

Social media bans :https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/society/2026/studying-the-social-media-ban-under-sixteens-australia

Meat allergy:https://www.sciencenorway.no/allergy-arachnids-food/meat-allergy-is-becoming-more-common-ticks-are-being-blamed/2697910

Nothing new under the sun:https://theconversation.com/how-a-19th-century-estate-agent-offered-3d-property-walkthroughs-before-the-dawn-of-the-photography-age-289732