Roaring Forties

I've only been back on the island a week during which time the weather has ranged from one extreme to  the other, often in the same day. It's now 10°C outside with driving rain and gusty winds, down from our high today of 25°C with sunshine and relative calm. On Thursday I cut grass in 35°C heat and night temperatures rarely dropped below 15°C. It makes it hard for visitors to know what clothing to bring and I feel sorry for any trampers spending tonight in a tent.

I guess you can't have hot weather without cold air rushing in to fill the void and the wild swings of weather around the world suggest that calm and settled weather may be taking a holiday elsewhere in the Universe. At least we can change our clothes to suit the conditions but spare a thought for our flora and fauna that could be in dire straits if climate change happens too quickly for them to adjust.

The early morning eastern sky had a super-bright star this week and with the help of Google I found that it was probably Venus. My camera is a lovely wee Sony and zooming isn't one of its strengths so I was thrilled to capture this handheld shot when it was still quite dark.

Twinkle, Twinkle, big bright star
My guess of Venus is what you are

It wasn't quite so easy taking photos of a weevil that found its way inside. It was late at night when I found it crawling up the window and he/she didn't want to stand still so that the camera could focus nicely. Does anyone want to make an ID from the photos on this Landcare Research page? (link opens in new window)

The grass around the house has been cut for a third time and hopefully I've caught most of the dandelions and Lotus major before they've seeded. My Stihl scrub-bar went like a charm but I need to sharpen the blade before I use it again. Just as well there's plenty of YouTube videos to watch on the subject - I don't learn that well from the instruction sheet!

The temperature has dropped to 9°C; bed and an extra blanket here I come!