Unexpectedly this morning I received a telephone call from my ancient friend Bird in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was one of the first people whom I met when I landed at Dalhousie law school fifty-six years ago; and – as I was reminded – she was among the last to see me go back to Upper Canada upon graduation to pursue my career. She alluded to our mutual South Pacific friend Cowie (an erstwhile professor of law) who, like Bird, was among the first and last of my friendships at law school. Bird said she and Cowie waved goodbye to me (and my fiancée) at the airport. It was a long, long time ago.

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Given that Friday, March 20, 2026, 10:46 a.m. Northern Hemisphere · Eastern Time is the first day of spring, the vista today has a contrastingly frigid emergence as the dwindling snowbanks are cemented in the sub-zero temperatures and yesterday’s pools of water on the balcony are hardened. On the river’s edge, secluded from the brisk northeast wind, a flock of Canada geese retreats among the spires of cattails. When they fly, the geese are low-level, seemingly intent upon landing immediately again. The river glistens, illuminated by the blurred sunlight through the grey clouds. Sunday morning CBC FM ecstatically proclaims les Voix du Monde while the white and tawny colours of the fields lend the likeness of a sacramental runner upon the altar.

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Whether awakening today within the shadow of Table Mountain, whether enjoying the arresting view of a late winter snowfall or whether transfixed by the image of a tall ship on the sea, the inspiring impression beneath the surface is the coming of spring. It is Nature’s own arousal. Naturally it is a northern hemisphere progression, a cycle punctuated by an email from the South Pacific in which my dear friend Pierre in New Zealand wryly noted, “Beautiful sunny autumn day today, 21°C”. Nonetheless in true Bertie Wooster fashion, the brilliantly sunny day evokes a naughty but innocent Boomps-a-Daisy character. We can never totally control our vantage of the perspective; but we can always control our perspective of the vantage.

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AI Overview

In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the phrase “apple-pie order” is used to describe the meticulously organized books and records kept by the Company’s chief accountant at the Central Station. The accountant keeps his books in “apple-pie order”—meaning perfectly arranged, neat, and in flawless condition—despite the surrounding “muddle” of the station, which includes disorganized buildings, decaying machinery, and brutal colonial violence. Marlow respects the accountant’s dedication to his work as a form of “backbone,” yet this obsession with order highlights a profound moral detachment. The accountant focuses entirely on his books, complaining that the groans of a dying, sick agent interrupt his work, while ignoring the larger human tragedy surrounding him.

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Whether it features soup in Vietnam, biscotti in Italy, or scrambled eggs in the United States, breakfast revs up the body after a night’s sleep, giving us energy and nutrients to face the day. Studies suggest that eating breakfast regularly is associated with good health — and that the timing of the meal, as well as what’s in it, matters.

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Sitting at my desk, staring blankly at the picture window laden with ice, everything beyond is a blur. Seldom am I so completely baffled by the weather. But today Nature proposes retirement from the out-of-doors.  There are moments when perplexity surpasses diversion. Granted, it is not the privilege of everyone so easily to thwart life’s obstacles. For my part I have considered the risk of peril outweighs any advantage of mobility. So, today I remain inert.

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Legend has it that Beethoven used to count the exact number of beans when making a cup of coffee (60, if you’re interested). Whether you’re as fastidious as that or not, pour yourself a cup and ponder the world with the perfect accompaniment of a playlist. Apple Music

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The most agreeable expression of ignorance was that credited to Socrates, “the more I learn, the less I know”.

“The more I learn, the less I know” (or “I know that I know nothing”) is a Socratic paradox highlighting that true wisdom lies in recognizing the limitations of one’s own knowledge. As knowledge increases, so does the awareness of the vast, unknown, and complex nature of the world.

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St Andrew’s raised me. There was no love but it became clear to me life is a game and if you can figure out the rules you can survive. In later years I described it as a round table top. You can play safe and stay in the middle or you can venture out to the perimeter edges. Lean over, test your balance put one foot in the dark side but don’t be stupid and fall off the edge. It is almost impossible to get back up. Bobby Ball

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Ambivalence is for me an unsettling state of mind. Yet I am compelled to this uncertain conflict by a binary propensity – a nature wrought by the desire to study carefully and without pretension before coming to conclusion. My primary focus however is usually what I’d call a cheery disposition, an overall breezy summary of affairs. It is an argument promoted by acceptance and candour. The finished article of debate is however the product of prior application and determination.  The temperament, as casual as one may wish to have it appear, is nonetheless merely a buoy of deeper and often opaque moorings.

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