They had fun.

Watchful eyes down on the beach. Not one but two HM Coastguard vehicles are on duty to ensure that any youthful high jinks are 'safe'. A couple of young Canadians have been celebrating the Alberta referendum results and despite being right royally inebriated are chatting amiably with the search and rescue team.

There's already a queue of students ordering enormous breakfast cheese and ham toasties.

Some of the rugby team are keen to demonstrate their alpha male DNA.  Some  plunge into the waves . Others pause  when the sea covers their knees. Yet others stop and turn around and head back to dry land as the freezing water hits their feet. America's Secretary of War would most certainly not approve of their European wimpishness.  A group of enthusiastic young ladies cheer the lads on from the warmth of the foreshore. Oddly none of the female students seem keen to join the rugby players in the water. This may say something about the relative 'intelligence' of the sexes.

Party day costumes ....

.... much in evidence.

We were late getting back from the beach and by the time we made it into town we could barely see the foam fight through the crowds.

The presence of TV cameras and large tour groups indicate that this quaint little ceremony has reached Instagram influencers :https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/oct/19/st-andrews-university-scotland-students-raisin-monday-foam-war

Party season over St Andrews moves into hibernatory mode. Parking will be easy, dinner reservations become a doddle , the Christmas lights go up and the youngsters remember that end of semester exams are a mere seven weeks away. The clocks change soon which means it will be dark ( and cold ) by four.

Hidden gems. Finlands 'national' painting :https://news.artnet.com/art-world/why-this-cryptic-masterpiece-became-a-touchstone-of-finnish-culture-2674602

3 child families in decline ( apart from in the 1% ) :https://newsletter.mikekonczal.com/p/what-distinguishes-the-1-from-the

More Norwegian research on esoteric subjects. Poisoned rats :https://www.sciencenorway.no/animal-kingdom-pests-society/researcher-this-is-the-only-way-to-get-rid-of-rats/2721624

Vampiric birds :https://www.popsci.com/science/vampire-bird-finch-galapagos/

One of my favourite Scottish journalists pithy take on things :https://x.com/alexmassie/status/2111924133713920397