The first primal scream of the new semester.

Archie, the arthritic black labrador, does his level best to ignore a student who has decided to head into the North Sea for a pre-breakfast dip. The student hurtles past Archie and then screams as the icy water hits him like a jolt of ten thousand volts.  It's not long before the young man beats a rapid repeat and stands, dripping, on the sand. This gives him time to regret the fact he's not brought a towel. Spur of the moment dips have post dip consequences. Archie looks back briefly but continues his leisurely plod along the sand. Life lesson #1 for students :  it's called the North Sea for a reason.

In an interesting insight into animal psychology 'Ethel' is the only one of 27 sheep that will interface with humans. All the others scuttle away if anyone comes within an inch of their fence.

The strawberry lady thinks there may be two more weeks before she shuts up shop for another year. The berries are getting markedly smaller but have a late season sweetness that sets them apart.

'That' book has arrived in the towns bookstores and is already being sold at half price. In both bookstores demand has been minimal.

I read an interesting article that says if you live somewhere that has  a Gails or  outlets selling Matcha Latte your constituency will likely be Liberal Democrat ( Summary and link here ) :https://www.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2026/09/23/winning-here-lib-dems-and-constituency-betting/

Reading is good for you :https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/from-boosting-mental-health-to-reducing-dementia-risk-heres-why-reading-is-extremely-good-for-you-according-to-science-180989548/

Photo: US Cavalry at the Great Wall fo China :https://picryl.com/media/troop-l-6th-us-cavalry-at-the-great-wall-of-china-near-the-ming-tombs-east-f738cc

Messing with daylight :https://gizmodo.com/something-deep-inside-earth-keeps-messing-with-the-length-of-our-days-2000816070

Not everyone is worried about AI :https://news.gallup.com/poll/714593/optimism-globally-widespread-despite-uneven.aspx