Christmas song #16

The Christmas pudding arrives from Bettys. It was supposed to get here on Tuesday of next week but the courier proved to be 'hyper-efficient'. DPD , who were uniformly atrocious last year ( and the year before ) seem to have got their act together. FedEx by contrast seem to have lost the plot. They text to say they're on the way then simply don't show up. There again we're always grateful for any driver who makes it to the end of our increasingly pot holed farm track.

This morning hundreds, maybe thousands , of geese heading south. Most birds migrate by following the contours of the coast. The geese seem to follow an internal compass and head in a straight line inland towards Edinburgh. They come over in four huge, sky filling, flocks. I don't think we've seen them do this before. Perhaps it's because the winter ( so far ) has been mild and frost free and they're only now heading somewhere warmer ?

It's the time of the year when the deer form family groups. There's a small group of four in the field outside the courtyard and eleven grazing amongst the straw bales in the field behind. Out here the deer have no natural predators apart from the cars speeding , well above the 50 mph limit , along the main road down towards Anstruther. There's something about having deer as neighbours that says the world remains on an even keel.

On the beach a crow picks up a whelk, flies vertically up to thirty or  so feet then drops it. The bird repeats this over and over until the shell cracks and it can get to the juicy mollusc inside. 

The bird repeats this trick over and over.

High cholesterol seasonal delights now filling the supermarket shelves.

Christmas song #16 from Goteborg. You couldn't get any more Scandinavian if you tried, The girls all seem happy but the boys look as if they're only doing this because it makes their grandmother happy :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uih9HRW_NT8

More Irish humour:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JHpwbVBeG0

Keeping your brain functioning :https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-invincible-brain/202512/5-powerful-ways-to-strengthen-your-brain-for-life

My grandmother lived to 104. Cold was something she ignored. She also refused to buy loo paper and instead cut up the previous days newspaper into small squares. This article explains a lot :https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ancient-hunter-dna-people-years.html

A story from my childhood :https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20251211-the-heist-to-reclaim-the-ancient-stone-of-destiny

A freebie Christmas tune from that busker guy in London  :https://youtu.be/bYJ6QCqq25M?list=RDFydDhuAYcOI&t=70

Some strategic thinking :https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/in-the-world-of-the-strategic-blind

Christmas song #15

An interesting dinner conversation with one of the professors in the medical school. He says that tighter British immigration laws are having an unexpected effect. The number of health professionals ( mostly nurses ) applying for visas to work in the UK has fallen from a rate of 18k a month in mid-2023 to just 600 last month. Hospitals will soon be facing a shortage of qualified staff. He wonders how long it will be before the public wakes up to what is happening. 

Off to the supermarket to see if they have the latest copy of Vanity Fair with Susie Wiles's interview . It seems Vanity Fair is not a big seller in these parts. Online the magazine is offering a years access for $1 a month which seems an easier way to read what she's said. Whatever Ms. Wiles purpose in talking the way she did it seems clear ( against the backdrop of rumours that the two men plan to run on a joint ticket in 2028 ) that she likes Mr. Rubio and warns to send a warning that Mr. Vance is 'unusual'.

A few youngsters ready themselves for their morning exam with a quick game of frisbee on the library lawn.

The university shop is now selling its own tartan. This is presumably for foreign students wanting to immerse themselves in local tradition. 

Something exotic is on sale by the farm shops onion display. Another of those things I didn't know I needed .Botivo it turns out is a Scottish, non-alcoholic, drink :https://www.botivodrinks.com/  

Christmas song #15 from the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh. Not all Christmas  services are the same. This one has dancing. The poor fellow third from the right has a serious hose malfunction mid-fling that seems to ruin his concentration:https://youtu.be/oNjZ-dN5M-I?t=1541

Random reads :

The place to be at Christmas if you're looking for peace and quiet?:https://wildland.scot/lundies-house

1/3rd of the House of Lords married Americans :https://x.com/mbateman/status/1992033766185828674

Festive fun. Post apocalypse America(s) :https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/p/americas-post-apocalyptic-maps-reveal

Medieval teeth :https://www.discovermagazine.com/ancient-dental-plaque-is-changing-what-we-know-about-medieval-diets-48410

A tribute to Wilberforce :https://x.com/lefineder/status/1994442317348946074

This has to be satire:https://x.com/PenguinSix/status/2001349474158051709

Christmas song #14

The Post Office is busy. We've bought half a dozen Views of Scotland 2026 calendars and are shipping them off to the Arizonans we met on our Norwegian voyage. The woman at the counter tells me the calendars are 2 centimeters too big to be classed as 'large letters'. They fall in the more expensive 'small parcels' category. Instead of costing £3.40 they'll each cost £11.40 to send. This, she goes on to explain, includes a new and mandatory £0.50 US customs service surcharge on all packages entering America. A redesigned US customs form of great complexity and detail is also required. When did things start to get so expensive ? When did posting a calendar become so complicated ?

The end of term exodus now underway. The streets that are usually busy are now strangely quiet in that way streets in zombie movies are strangely quiet. Dystopian calm.  For the local taxi drivers this is peak season. They shuttle back and forwards to the station or the airport. The 9:34 and 11:34 through trains to London are sure to be packed solid . Those in the know take the 8:34 and then connect in Edinburgh to the 10:00 am Flying Scotsman.

Remnants of a farewell party greet us down on the beach. Local dogs are intrigued by this new addition to the landscape and make sure it is well watered in.

Not everyone is keen to head home. Half a dozen lads are out surfing. I'd wager they're second year medical students. They have the air of hardened party goers and will probably celebrate the end of exam season by lingering here until Sunday. The local bar owners will be delighted. Their parents will be told they're finishing off some 'important' course work. Medical students seem to learn the skill of enjoying every minute of life early on in their course work.

The town fountain has gone - as in completely gone. An area of cobble stones have been cordoned off to remind us where it stood. There is nothing to indicate when it will return. A left behind Portaloo offers some hope that the fountains absence is temporary.

The price of flowers seems to have suddenly sky rocketed. Tulips that were £4 a bunch are selling today for £12. They are now displayed in buckets with the words ' Festive bouquets' inscribed on them.

Christmas song #14 with a local flavour:https://youtu.be/FvjclYC2w5U?t=6

Wednesday links:

English has become easier to read :https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/english-prose-has-become-much-easier

The UK to have its first robot lab :https://deepmind.google/blog/strengthening-our-partnership-with-the-uk-government-to-support-prosperity-and-security-in-the-ai-era/

Welcome to ID for domestic flights :https://lifehacker.com/travel/flying-without-a-real-id-payment-required

Which leads me onto this. Thought this was another example of TDS* but turns out it's true. Can you remember all your old e-mail addresses and phone numbers ? :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi7UGZYY9g4

Disappearing in South Koreans :https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/why-is-south-korean-fertility-so

* Trump Derangement Syndrome 

Christmas song #13

Last nights high tide has deposited mounds of seaweed on the dunes. It can safely be said that the local dog population love the scent of freshly deposited seaweed. We meet a woman out walking a dog that acts like a PON, looks like a PON but is actually a Borderdoodle. She says looking after him ( he's two years old ) is a full time job. Thankfully they live on a farm and have a brood of teenagers to keep him company busy. We leave as the Borderdoodle starts to roll on his back in a large pile of 'pungent' kelp.

The last week of exams. By Wednesday the exodus of students will be in full spate. Serious teenagers who've finished their last papers sit outside the bars discussing the questions they dealt with earlier in the day. Despite the cold some stay like this until final orders are called.

The Indian restaurant has installed three bright neon strip lights on their first floor window sills.  We're unsure whether the neon lights add to - or distract from - the red, blue and green floodlights at ground level. The small forest of olive trees seem to have survived last weeks cold winds.

Soon the days will start getting longer. In this final pre solstice stretch of the year it gets dark by four. On a particularly stormy, cloudy night the light has all gone by two thirty. There's a carol service in chapel and another ( candle light one ) at the old lepers school. Elsewhere our local Episcopalians have an 'Orthodox' evening in their barn of a church while the Baptists have an altogether less formal Christmas 'sing along '. This is very popular with American students. The theatre continues to be packed solid for the pantomime. Last night we see our postman and his girlfriend who were waiting outside to pick up their children from the early evening performance. They let us know that they're going to Benidorm for a week. " We've got a flight frae Manchester next Tuesday at a price ye cannae believe " says the girlfriend. 

Christmas song #13 from Stockholm :https://youtu.be/-IEuxKCB6o8?t=660

Christmas song #12

The five foot tall flashing blue and white penguin that stood guard outside the ice cream shop has disappeared. This may or may not ( but probably does ) have something to do with the university rugby clubs end of term Christmas party .

Forget Christmas. Forget Hogmanay. Some of the local restaurants are now turning their attention to Burns Night. This one promises a 'traditional' three course Scottish meal. Seeing events in 2026 being advertised is a bit of a shock. On reflection 'The Font' is unsure whether the promise of a 'traditional Scottish meal' is the inducement the restaurant thinks it is.

Christmas song #12 . Perfection or at least close to it ?  :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FydDhuAYcOI&list=RDFydDhuAYcOI&start_radio=1

Some seasonal Irish humour  :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1fEZt5NM5I

This Scotsman is very keen on Austin. We continue to hear great things about the university there :https://substack.com/home/post/p-181451599

Contradictory people:https://sketchplanations.substack.com/p/10-contradictory-traits-of-creative

Christmas song #11

 

'Red sky at morning a shepherds warning'. If this old adage is true we must be in for a spectacular storm later today.

Back at home the sparrow hawk is sitting on the stone wall outside 'The Fonts' cabin. For the last three or four days the carefully tended bird feeders have remained untouched. All the smaller birds have sensibly decamped elsewhere  for the duration of the sparrow hawks visit. The hawk is looking happy and well fed which may not be what the local vole population wants to hear.

A group of girl students are saying a tearful goodbye outside Starbucks. Two of them are off to Edinburgh airport on their way back to Toronto. The others have exams next week. The left behind ones are 'vocal' in expressing the unfairness of the exam timetable. The back of the girls airport cab is packed solid with more cases than you'd think possible.

The tree is up in the snug. It won't be moving even though it's unhelpfully pointed out that I've positioned it so the curtains won't close. The tree has already started to disgorge pine needles and the star on top requires 'work' to remedy the list it developed immediately after I put the step ladders back in the garage. It is supposed to be an eight footer but it gets impractically close to the ceiling beams which tells me it's closer to nine. We seem to have lost several boxes of baubles but they will undoubtedly reappear , as they always do, when I start to take the thing down.

We go into town for a pre-dinner walk. There is a peculiar emptiness to the place that tells you everyone is recharging their batteries ( and their wallets )  before the Christmas blow out. There are a few students sitting at tables outside the local bars  but they have that killjoy ' I would have another drink but I've got a Particle Physics paper tomorrow ' air to them.

Very Scandinavian. Christmas song #11. There is something about the simplicity of the Sami reindeer herder amid the Kings and Princes that catches the radical message of Christmas. The Crown Duchess of Luxembourg looks bemused by this exotic sound :https://youtu.be/dgSad-3qUNs?list=RDdgSad-3qUNs&t=66

This week even the choice of typeface has  become political :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXbW42uTKYo

I usually don't like transcripts of conversations but this one works  :https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-with-adam-tooze

Nothing going into investment:https://ridl.io/the-decline-of-russia-s-railroads/

A locals views on gratifying the regime :https://ivodaalder.substack.com/p/dont-be-fooled-there-is-no-deal-on

Christmas song #10

On our way down to the heron pond the farmers two teenage sons stop us for a wee blether. They are keen Scotland supporters and reckon they can go to the World Cup on a joint budget of £7,000. This is the sum of their two bank accounts and what they reckon they can earn by doing additional work around the farm over the Christmas holidays. They want to know if £65 a night will get them a hotel room in New York. " That should be no problem at 'aw " says the elder with the logic defying certainty that is peculiar to seventeen year olds. Angus isn't sure where you can find a hotel for that much anywhere in the US but suggests they Google the prices of hotels in Philadelphia and use that as a base to travel from. This is a 'letting them down gently' strategy. The cost of food doesn't seem to have entered into their calculations.  Basic tickets for the Haiti-Scotland game ( ie those seats that are high up in the stands and where the view is partially obstructed by a pillar )  are going for $265 if you can get one. Slightly better 'Standard' tickets are going to cost $500. A single seat for the final match will cost more than their combined budget. This is an expense that is unlikely to face Scots fans as they may be home well before then.

The Christmas tree is up and the creche has been set out on a shelf on the half landing.

Considering it comes from the Communist era Czechoslovak Socialist Republic the creche has survived being dragged around for the last four and a half decades in remarkably good condition. One of the angels has had a dual wing malfunction but this is soon put right with a dab or two of super glue. The creche may yet move.

We pass a dozen chaffinches sitting sunning themselves on the long grass down by the 4th tee. There's a crackling sound in the air as they open the seed pods with their beaks and hoover up the goodies inside. The second I bring out the i-Phone to take a picture eleven of them fly off. Can you see the remaining one that's unbothered by our presence ? If only someone would make a phone with a great zoon lens.

A few students hurry along quietly  getting in a few holes before the ticket office opens.

The beach sauna is busy. It's being used by four pretty girls and one Scots lad. Every so often they charge down onto the beach and then, ten minutes later, return to warm up. Someone has put a Christmas wreath on the side of the sauna. Every day the town quietly becomes more festive. This may come as a surprise to J D Vance who seems to think we follow Sharia law and traditions.

Only 72 views so far for Christmas song #10 from Linkoping in Sweden. Some of the echoing chords have a very medieval sound that wells up:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5haGB3_ypc&list=RDl5haGB3_ypc&start_radio=1  The girl fourth from the right seems to be feeling the cold.

Weekend reading :

The all important role of sleep :https://www.sciencealert.com/one-critical-factor-predicts-longevity-better-than-diet-or-exercise-study-says

Irans water problem isn't getting better :https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/irans-water-crisis-a-national-security-imperative/

Coke shows how not to do it :https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/how-coca-colas-calories-out-myth-backfired-spectacularly/

The success of Singapore:https://www.richardhanania.com/p/human-capital-not-industrial-policy

Amsterdam hip :https://www.dylanamsterdam.com/

Young journalists uncover some interesting facts :https://www.digitaldigging.org/p/they-droned-back

Christmas music #9

We get an e-mail informing us that it's the 40th birthday of the Union Square Cafe in Manhattan. Back then we used to be regular visitors. In those distant days NY was ( alongside SF ) a foodie haven in a land of overcooked pork chops. We toyed with the idea of an apartment in the Flatiron building opposite but decided the druggies in Union Square would never leave and it wouldn't be a good family investment. How wrong could you be ? Today the neighbourhood is much changed and decidedly more chi chi....and expensive :https://madisonsquarepark.org/art/exhibitions/larry-bell-improvisations-in-the-park/  

Thursday afternoon. Some hearty youngsters race onto the beach, tear off their clothes and charge -laughing- into the water. An end of exams celebration. Their immersion in the North Sea lasts all of two minutes before the water temperature makes them think better of it. They retrace their steps and head off to find warmer  ways to mark the event.

It's stopped raining which means the men who are installing the irrigation system on the Old Course can get back to work. Yesterday, it was too wet for them to do anything. Puddles the size of small lakes formed. The local duck population were delighted.

Angus thinks of getting 'The Font' an electric bike for Christmas. After half an hour with Greg the electric bike expert I'm less sure this is a good idea. They make a lot of sense in town but are less suited to those who live at the end of a long heavily potholed farm track. The suggested bike costs 50% more than the £1800 we paid for our first 'new' car in 1977. This was a stylish but eccentrically built Peugeot 205 GTi. Hit a bump in the road at anything over 30mph and the switches would pop out of the fascia. In those days we thought it was chic. Today I shudder in horror at how basic it was. More go kart than car .

The Tiger Woods-Justin Timberlake sports bar opens at five and closes at eleven. These seem to be rather staid opening hours. Half of the students aren't even getting into the swing of things by eleven pm. The manager thinks the lobby has a ' glitzy LA look '. Glitzy clearly has a variety of meanings. I'm also not sure that this is what a Californian would describe as an LA look. In fact with the exception of a marble front to the bar I'd say little has changed although two strands of red rope do hint at sophistication hidden inside.

After Storm Bram the weather has perked up and we  (briefly) get some sunshine. Parking is a doddle.

Christmas song #9 :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GZ47sSy5HY

A sensible response without descending into TDS :https://samf.substack.com/p/the-enemy-within

Routines are important :https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/p/why-your-brain-needs-everyday-rituals

Latin America :https://uvamillercenter.substack.com/p/the-new-monroe-doctrine

Good croissants in Edinburgh :https://www.lannanbakery.com/

Glass bottles are best :https://theconversation.com/the-hidden-health-risks-of-bottled-water-268513

Another example of 'civilizational erasure ? 'The Font' observes that of all the  embassies in DC the Norwegian has the most popular Instagram page. It is very popular with young ladies who work in the State Department :https://www.instagram.com/p/DPCeCSpkjh0/?hl=en

Christmas song #8

Gusting wind and torrential rain leave the town deserted. It's also cold. Far out to sea the sky has a deep blood red glow which doesn't auger well. There's a large fleet of idle golf trolleys lined up outside the starters hut. The locals for whom  sensible rainwear is a given now have the place to themselves. The hotels and restaurants are super quiet apart from a few parents here to pick up offspring that have finished their exams. You can see them at night peering at the gloom from brightly lit restaurant windows and wondering why their little angels chose to come here rather than Oxford. Next week the exodus of youngsters will become a flood. The cannier amongst them will have made seat reservations on the (super crowded) trains heading south.

With the arrival of winter the turf outside the golf club has four months to recuperate before next years golf addicts arrive. The grass already has a pristine look to it.

We head off to the fancy food shop. They have French and Venetian candles.

They also have exotic Christmas puddings. There was a time when 'The Font' made them but now we buy them. Some Christmas tasks are too labour intensive for a small kitchen.  This years pudding is coming from a restaurant we ate at in the Lake District a couple of months aga. A backup ( should the courier not arrive ) has been ordered from Bettys.

'The Font' is delighted to discover Italian Truffle Honey on the shelves.

Christmas song #8 . Three Tirolean men with golden walking sticks. One of them maintains a wry smile throughout which suggests he may have had a glass of schnapps beforehand :https://youtu.be/ClZmDIJ0u7Y?list=RDClZmDIJ0u7Y&t=2

This helps me understand what's going on in Venezuela better :https://fpif.org/the-geopolitics-of-trumps-venezuela-campaign/

Proof the vaccines were worth it :https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2842305

Mysteries:https://www.nasa.gov/missions/osiris-rex/sugars-gum-stardust-found-in-nasas-asteroid-bennu-samples/

Christmas song # 7

A few hardy dog walkers are out and about on the beach. The rain is heavy and the wind strong so most folks are sensibly staying dry and warm inside. Archie, the arthritic labrador, seems oblivious to the elements and plods along at a stately pace. His owner attempts to get him to hurry along but is ignored. The Met Office forecast shows it raining every day for the next two weeks. The silver lining is the forecast is almost always wrong. 

The Sanderlings are out in force. Of all the birds that call the shoreline their home the Sanderlings are a favourite. They scurry back and forth with a determination to avoid the waves that manages to be  both comical and intense :https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/sanderling . Out here at the last wee house a sparrow hawk has been roosting in the doocot. All the smaller birds ( with the exception of the wrens who remain safe in the bramble thickets ) have wisely moved on to safer spots. 

More biscuits for cheese being set out in the supermarket. Whoever knew cream crackers were so popular? The lady at the front door informs cheerily us that they'll be open from seven in the morning until nine at night in the run up to Christmas. She says half an hour before the doors close is when a surprising number of people discover the turkey they ordered isn't going to be delivered in time by the courier firm.

In the bakers a new sideline - chocolate pizzas and chocolate 'fish and chips ' ( and lipsticks ). These must appeal to a extremely youthful demographic. The white chocolate chips look particularly unappealing.

Even the pizza chain is getting into the full on seasonal spirit. Who knew that ' Cola glazed Ham Hock Romana ' was a thing ? In fact it's more than a thing - it's the ' ultimate Christmas crowd pleaser '. 'The Font' is of the view that Cola glazed Ham is a sure sign we're on the way to 'civilizational erasure'.

Christmas song # 7 sung in a very rustic 'Suffolk' way. There is something of a  'Grandma's been at the cooking sherry' vibe to this performance :https://youtu.be/0EAbKsXVXtA?list=PLz4WJxnUfxraquNmpSuftdXubUwqMWvuK&t=46

Will this Philippines brand come to St Andrews? They seem to have hit all the other main student towns Has anyone eaten here ? :https://www.jollibee.uk/

Not really happy the UK has sunk to #20 on this list. Still, better than some others :https://factsinstitute.com/ranking/countries-ranked-by-freedom-of-press/

It's been almost six years since we were last in China. Seems a lot has changed :https://christophermschroeder.substack.com/p/parallel-universes-my-notes-from

Christmas song #6

Outside the museum the brass band are collecting for charity. Dogs and their owners on their way back fom the beach stop to listen to this very Victorian sound. Not all the dogs seem enamoured with brass bands. A group of pre-schoolers and their mothers, having dropped of their siblings at kindergarten, sing along enthusiastically if atonally. I wonder if the sound of the band playing Good King Wenceslas reaches as far as the exam halls on the far end of the street ? 

It has poured torrentially overnight and more monsoon like rain is expected later this morning. Scotland seems to be getting warmer but wetter. Later in the day Storm Bram is forecast to add strong winds to the mix. The workmen installing the new irrigation system on the golf course in this lengthy downpour must wonder if someone up there is taking the Mickey.

An Alpaca farmer has parked his van outside the fish and chip shop. Trips to the alpaca farm are popular with families trying to keep their children busy and entertained in the run up to Christmas.

The baker has at least a dozen varieties of his all purpose biscuit - Burns Night, Easter,  Graduation, Valentines Day - the list goes on. With the arrival of  Christmas he's getting close to the end of the annual biscuit repertoire. Only the Hogmanay edition is left. The biscuits started off the year at £1.65 and end the year costing £1.95. The red ones look very festive.

A difficult choice for Angus this morning . Sponge Snowman or Orange Truffle Christmas Pudding ? Both would be a suitably cheerful end to todays lunch .

Christmas song #6 by one of the worlds best choirs. The scarves and Christmas jumpers leave no doubt that this is a very English performance :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBCYZ9jIJkI&list=RDcBCYZ9jIJkI&start_radio=1

None of our dogs would have been able to sit on a stool let alone be trained to do this :https://x.com/TimNolanTV/status/1997728075610812480

We have never been to Las Vegas so are ill placed to comment on this :https://slate.com/business/2025/11/las-vegas-travel-sphere-hotel-donald-trump.html

Christmas song #5

Reality dawned sooner than I thought. Much sooner. The Sunday papers lead with the discovery that the cost of hotels and airfares are soaring ahead of the World Cup. A flight plus ten days in a La Quinta Inn near Atlanta airport will cost a Tartan Army follower more than £10k. If you want to see all three of Scotlands qualifying matches it will be a multiple of that. I'll wager that all our soccer mad local workmen will be keen to do a lot of cash raising overtime the closer we get to the big event. Those floor tiles in the downstairs shower room that have been waiting for the last six months may finally get laid.

It poured torrentially overnight. Out here at  'The last wee house before Denmark' the crow population are enjoying the wind free morning. They're sitting in a line drying their wings on the stone field wall. This morning we also see six cormorants flying in formation and two swans heading to somewhere only they know.

To say town in term time is quiet would be an understatement. In the evening the pubs are empty, the streets deserted. This will of course not be the case on Friday night when exam week ends. The close of semester 'blow out' beckons.

At the other, golf course, end of town there is much activity.  Men in orange overalls are hard at work. An irrigation system with sprinklers is being installed on the sacred turf. Divots of grass are scattered everywhere.  I'm surprised some bright spark hasn't driven down in the night and liberated a few. On line ' Genuine St Andrews Old Course grass '  would fetch a tidy sum.

You know climate change is really a thing when irrigation systems are installed on what used to be ( and for all I know may still be ) one of the wettest and windiest golf courses on the planet.

A rather formal Christmas song #5 from Berlin. Beautiful sound but I can't claim the choir look as if they're enjoying themselves :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuqYxPD4ZWI&list=RDHuqYxPD4ZWI&start_radio=1

A Canadians view on what's going on :https://substack.com/home/post/p-180946797

A Finnish Independence Day music snippet :https://x.com/TallbarFIN/status/1997592651827380643

Sobering but well written and right :https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/europe-is-under-siege