Finnish skittles

Today was a proverbial one of two halves.

The first half was all go on the beach from first thing. Swimmers, kayakers, paddle boarders, yoga classes, more film making, Brazilian Capoeira dancing, Finnish skittles, volleyball and all the perennial staples - buckets and spades, ice cream, coffee, cakes, pizzas and of course fish and chips. There were plenty of dogs to go round too!

The sun shone. The sky was mid April blue. Every tree in Porty was unfurling its leaves before our eyes. The tide was out. There was space for all of this and more. Later, the tide would corral the humanity onto a thin strip of sand and inevitably drunken brawls will break out along the promenade again as they did last night.

The second half was encapsulated on tv screens around the world. The State Ensign flew at full mast above Windsor Castle as the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral took place under strict Covid regulation. The Queen, of almost 95 years, was a frail, lonely and stoic figure as she blended private grief with public service. Republican and Royalist united today in the realisation of the impact of the brutal rawness bereavement wreaks upon us all.