Apologies

When I arrived the weather was sunny and I was complimented upon the fact that I had brought the sunshine after a day of rain. I have a reputation for bringing good weather to the Island. However, since then it has been wet with occasional cloudy intervals... Not good. So, to those who expect me to live up to my promises I can only give my abject, humble, grovelling and unreserved apologies!
 

Starlings and Sunsets

Monday 9th June 2008
I was not well this morning. As a result I wasn't able to make my usual supplication and sacrifice to the weather gods. So it rained for the second time since I arrived (not counting the very occasional shower that has hardly wet the ground).



By lunchtime I was feeling reasonable and the sun came out, somewhat fitfully, for the rest of the day. GB had remarked the other day that there were not so many Starlings around this year. They must have heard him because a flock came chattering in during the afternoon. A young Skylark also tried out his wings - and flew straight into the study window. Fortunately he was only shocked and otherwise unharmed. When I went to pick him up he flew off.



In the evening a pale blue sky allowed the sun to set attractively in a patch of yellow.





The moon was high in the sky by sunset and the high cirrus clouds were being blown in all directions.

Briagha and a sunset

This is my friend Briagha. I'm not allowed to show photos of her slave, Pat, but Briagha is quite happy to pose.






And, GB and I having been around at Pat and Dave's, this was a gorgeous pink sunset from their house.


Thursday 5th June 2008

A Sunset and a Half

Sunday, 1st June 2008
This is Athous haemorrhoidalis, one of the most common click beetles to be found in Britain. Two were on GB’s back patio today.



Tonight I stayed up late (for me) to watch “Wild China” (a brilliant series on BBC2) and as a result I was still up well after the sun had gone down. Which was good because we had the best sunset since I got here.





While the sun had sunk down in the West a strange line - the tail end of a rainbow perhaps but looking vertical - appeared in the East over the mainland. As with many shots of the phenomena in the sky the photos could not do it justice.



Just as I went to bed a vaguely visible vertical line appeared in the West.