- Updates from the Islands -

- - Dominica - -

- Beautiful Morning.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:40:25 -0400

Good morning all,

After a fitful night, with rain pounding on the roof, we have woken to a beautiful

morning. Sun shining, light breeze, sea blue. Plenty of fresh water run off from the rivers

by the look of the colour that is spreading out to sea. A stunning turquoise. What I can

see from the view from the balcony is a haze hanging over the sea. It looks like low lying

rain cloud, but it is not moving.Visibility not so good, because we can normally see for

miles. The horizon looks to be in a whiteout. Humidity feels high. Feeling hot and sticky

already. To much info hub says.

Quick peek at the sat pic's seem to show a nice clear patch over us. Hot, hot, hot

for the weekend ? ?.

I'm going to repeat myself, and tell you guy's going out to sea to go with care.

Not sure how I manage to do it, but I always seem to lose a couple of days every now and

again. Lost Thursday this week, totally convinced it was Thursday today. O well, Thursday

couldn't have been an important day.

I'm off to have another coffee, which hub' is making for me. Check out that haze see

if its moved at all.

You all take care and have a fantastic day.

Tommiegirl.

- Really Weird!

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:30:29 -0500

We had quite a lot of rain yesterday and looking out there to the Atlantic it looks like we could be getting a lot more agua next week. I just hope it stays bright for the weekend as we are planning a barbecue of sorts on Sunday night!

Thanks for the comments on the painting, and yes, Mrs Jno Baptiste, your son's photo of you is very impressive - I shall enjoy the challenge.
. It is somewhat ironic that I should have painted Elvis the icon and now yesterday we lost Michael Jackson, that is so spooky. We both loved Michael Jackson's music and Elvis' as well. What a shock. So many talented musicians die young, mainly from drug overdoses it seems. Down to the the life style I guess.. One of my favourite artists was Janis Joplin; what a sad life she had but what an awesome voice.

Jaco Ladd was a professional cabaret artist/,singer/,guitarist and played and sang many different songs from hundreds of artists, we grew up in the 60's listening to those amazing musicians, just fantastic.

I had better paint Michael Jackson in a while - I will think of something appropriate. We feel sad for Michael's children and family.

- Raining.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:10:01 -0400

Good morning all,

Time is 1. 06 am. Wide awake.

It's windy out there, and the rain is coming down, heavy, and a lot of it.

Fairly humid. Unable to say what the sea looks like, it's too dark to see it.

A small craft advisory is on the Dominican meteorological site, warning of

swells up to 10ft and hazy visibility. So any of you guys going out to sea, go

with care.

Those of us staying on land, watch out for those land slippages and the

bouncing boulders.

You all take care, stay safe, and have a great day.

Tommiegirl.

- Two's company (Elvis and Marilyn Monroe in the 50's)

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:32:09 -0500

We are having really clement weather at the moment, it is especially
cool in the valley today, we have hazy sunshine.

Yesterday we were both in town; it was hot and sticky, coming home, so
we went for a swim in the river - as you do - which refreshed us and
made us appreciate so much our mountainous surroundings, the cliffs
overlooking the river are amazing, full of different colours and
contours.  We have an abundance of herons and bird life by the
riverbank - I forgot to take the camera but will be armed next time.

Here is my latest painting.  I think these two would have made an
amazing couple!  If anybody out there is interested in buying a
painting of mine or having their portrait painted for that matter
please let me know.

Attachment: P1040951.JPG
Description: JPEG image

- Wet and Warm.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:32:00 -0400

Good morning all.

Yesterday was a bit of a wash out. Planned to go help out over at Rosalie, but the

rains came and just kept on coming. Our friends who live in the Pond Casse area have

what is normally a nice pretty little gurgling stream running through their property. Yesterday

it turned into a raging torrent. Nothing else for it, but to turn round and come on back home.

We bought friends back to the house with us, and had bacon butties and lime cake, with a

few Kubilis to help wash it down. So all was not lost.

This morning the temp one hour ago was 79f. Still nice and warm. A bit on the breezy

side, which is a nice cooler. Sky, overcast, and grey, sun trying to push it's way through. Sea,

a kind of middle of the range blue, better that than battleship grey. Looks choppy from our

view point. Birds singing. Mozzies biting.

I'm off for my coffee, hopefully watch the sea turn into that lovely sparkly blue.

You all take care, watch for the land slides and bouncing boulders. Have a great day.

Tommiegirl.

- Rain & Guests

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:19:39 -0400

Good morning all,

Hope all fathers had a nice relaxing and peaceful day yesterday. LOL.

The past week here, on our part of the west coast has been glorious. Bright

blue sky, lots of sun, well up into the 80f and the occasional 90f. Odd little

shower, to help cool things down and give the plants a drink every now and

again. That was till Saturday morning, when I wanted to go into town for the

market. Then the rain came down in torrents. O Hum, never mind, we will

survive with whats in store, but come rain or shine next Saturday we will have

to go. Light breeze. Only a couple of strong gusts, which were more in the

evenings. So I can live with that.

This morning we were planning to go into town. Guess what. Yep, the

rain is coming down heavy, enough to give a white out. Water barrel is now

refilled. The rain has eased slightly while writing, but I can see more coming

over my neighbours roof, and should be with me any minuet now. Temp at

8am was 77f so warming up nicely again.

We have two new house guests, but we have to be careful in the mornings

where we walk. A couple of very small lizards have moved in with us. They are

funny, and brave for such small things. Especially when they stand their ground

and puff out at me to try and scare me away.

Still raining, no breeze, everything perfectly still. I'm off for my other coffee,

watch the rain. Hopefully it will stop soon and the sun will come out.

You all take care and have a good day.

Tommiegirl.

p.s. Hope your both having a good time Mr & Mrs C on the Dominican.

- Photos

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:18:42 -0500

Fathers day turned out to be a glorious sunny day here, there were many parties on the river and the beach. We ended up watching the 20/20 cricket from the UK with some friends as we are too remote for cable TV in the valley but satellite sevice is in the offing. This was good fun - Pakistan were worthy winners and the cricket was of very high standard. We of course wish that the West Indies had made it to the finals.

Jaco Ladd came with me on Friday to Portsmouth, specifically the Tane Tane area. This is a very attractive part of Dominica, having a beautiful harbour where the yachts catch a mooring and anchor when visiting the island. The anchorage is very sheltered and overlooked by Fort Shirley. This certainly looks stunning due to Lennox Honeychurch and his crew renovating more and more of this historic site.

Yes thank you Conan -oops! I think you are absolutely right, the photo looked to me like the Emerald Pool; my friend sent me the photo's and the captions, sorry.

The weather is cool and cloudy at the moment but it feels like it will be hot and sunny later.

- Correction to Photo

From: Conan Shillingford <nichs at hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:03:15 +0000

Greetings to All!

Its been a while since posting... The weather in Dominica is really fabulous with lots of showers mixed with golden sunshine which is normally the case year round except for the odd pesky storm or Hurricane which may chance upon us. My Congrats to Lisette on the photos taken of Dominica -our Nature Island of the Caribbean, however she was a bit mistaken with photo number three. I do believe that the correct title of photo # 3 is the all famous Emerald Pool of Dominica with its lush rain forest landscape and Not the Spanny's falls.

May all of our visitors and locals be ever thankful to God for this gem of the all isles, truly the Cinderella of the Caribbean. Our prayers for this year's hurricane season are as strong as ever, we hope that the mercy of our Lord Jesus will be extended to all of our islands. May God bless us all!

Conan.

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- Photo's

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:28:51 -0500

We are getting lots of rain at night and plenty of sunshine in the day time; this is perfect for the garden and of course anyone enjoying a holiday in Dominica. One of the great things about this island is the many different things to do while on a holiday here. There are beaches which are not crowded in any way, beautiful rivers which have plenty of pools to swim in - alternatively, tubing and canoeing down the streams to the open sea which has plenty of thrills and spills and beautiful scenery to look out at. There are trails opened up to trek on for miles, not forgetting the waterfalls and hot sulphur pools to relax in.

People who love to scuba dive or snorkel in Dominica are spoilt for choice as it has arguably the most beautiful dive sites anywhere in the world, plus of course there are whales living/migrating around the island and well booked up boats can take you out a mile or so to see these magnificent mammals. The zing of deep sea fishing - and if you're in to ornithology, coastal and forest birds abound. Boredom on vacation is not an option here in Wai'tukubuli..

I have included some photographs taken by a friend of some of the lovely scenery here. We have had some people writing to us asking us to take photo's so we are going out now armed with the camera and will try to post more material..

Attachment: Cabrits National Park.jpg
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Attachment: Kachibona Lake.jpg
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Attachment: Spanny's Falls.jpg
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Attachment: Hampstead Beach.jpg
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- Wood Ants

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:47:58 -0500

We had our first real thunder and lightning storm yesterday for the season, the weather was really heavy and bleak all day with claps of thunder and nasty forked thingamees. I was in town, it was very oppressively hot and muggy.

Once or twice a year the wood ants after the first heavy storm decide to become lemmings; they take flight and fly to the nearest light which in our case was our cottage! Luckily I was on the deck and saw the onslaught, rushed inside pulled all the screens over the open windows and shut the double doors. Even taking these precautions I had masses of dead bodies to vacuum and sweep up this morning. Jacko Ladd went out at about 2.30 a.m. to see what the dogs were barking about and was amazed to see wondrous electric storm show that must have been occurring over the ocean in the far distance - quite stunning he proferred.

Today, it looks like the depression has nearly passed us by and hopefully the sun should be popping out sooner rather than later.

- Thunder and Wet.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:48:07 -0400

Good morning all,

Well it's wet, wet, wet. Been raining hard most of the night. The garden water barrel is

now overflowing. The sound of the rain, woke me at about 6. 15 am. Some thunder and

lightening thrown in for good measure. The sky is just grey. Thick heavy cloud. The cloud is

so low it is now rolling across the top of my neighbours roof. Cloud is so thick, unable to see

the mountain, which is at the front of the house slightly to the sth/ east. I'm sure if I was to go

look properly, think I might see the clouds rolling down the road. We have had that on occasion.

Great fun, being able to walk through the clouds. Although not so much fun when you come out

the other side, cold and wet.

Sea, well that's reflecting the sky. Just grey. No breeze at all. Everything is perfectly still.

Its still raining heavy, and we are still getting some thunder.Haven't seen any lightening for awhile .

The rivers are probably high, can see the change of colour in the sea where the mud is being

washed down. When we get heavy, continuous rain like this its time to watch out for landslides,

falling rocks and boulders. Can be quite scary going along some of our roads where the cliff

face overhangs the roads. It's fairly humid, that will bring out the little vampires. So if anyone

spots a woman walking around with a spray can of deet, don't worry, it's only me.

Just had a very loud roll of thunder, sounded like a giant walking across the roof, and it's

getting darker. I'm off for another coffee, work out a change of plan. Was supposed to be the

garden today, still trying to get a veggie patch going, but it looks like it might be the dusting

instead. O hum, very exciting.

Take care out there today, no rush, it is only a small island, at the most it will take an

hour, and it will probably still be there tomorrow, you might not be.

You all take care and enjoy your day.

Tommiegirl.

- First clap of thunder

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:57:41 -0500

I decided to take an early morning walk this morning with the three dogs. It was good to be out at dawnlight; as I got half way down the road a huge clap of thunder gave me a scary fright. I am really afeared of lightning so I swiftly turned around and walked back the way I came! Pronto! We had torrential rain for a good 15 minutes - to my delight no more thunder and absolutely no lightning!

We have already mentioned that our dogs are fantastic hunting dogs. As if on cue yesterday evening, we were about to turn in for the night, when lo! and behold lying across the deck was very dead Manicou placed neatly across the mat . Mindy, the mother dog had been out on her own and caught the creature and decided that it was a gift from her to us humans - the other dogs sat around giving us the paws up that it was ours!

- Bit Wet Tonight.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:07:45 -0400

Good evening all,

Not such a good evening here on the west coast. Rained most of the

day here on and off. Bit different to yesterday, when the temperature went up to 90f.

In the shade. It is still raining. Coming down heavy and loud. Had to turn the volume

up on the tv at one point, due to the noise of the rain on the galvanized roof. Good

strong gusts of wind every now and again. We seem to be getting the gusts just

before another downpour. Plenty of mozzies and no-seeums out and about partying.

Aah well that's the price. Had a quick peek at the sat pic's and there appears to be

nothing over us, except clear skies. Hmmm.

Expect tomorrow will be different again. All part of the fun.

Well I'm off to start the refreshed glass. You all take care and have a good day tomorrow.

Tommiegirl.

- Hunting

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 08:03:09 -0500

The weather has gone back to being hot, hot, hot!  This is OK as the
river is handy for getting cool, cool, cool!

Well, it is that time of year again when the hunting season is upon
us. We have a really weird patch annually through the summer months -
storms notwithstanding - as we have some very strange visitors, in odd
attire who try to buy, cajole or take away our dogs!!  Yes, they come
up the drive very dramatically waving leads and cash and asking if
they can take the dogs, indeed, once some shady characters tried to
catch our canine bodyguards and cart them off with them! Hunting dogs
have a natural instinct to track the local vermin, singularly or
within the pack

In the country we have Agouti which look like an over sized guinea pig
and Manicou who are really ugly looking creatures, almost
opossumlike,( sorry Possums) - very weird, they have a pointed face
with huge eyes but the rest of their body is chunky with a long boney
tail like a rattle snake, they are our biggest rodent, we also have
wild pig. Many Dominicans like to eat these animals.  We don't mind a
little wild boar pate on the side but draw the line at the other two.

Our two adult dogs lived in the wild before we took them in and are
both amazing at hunting so would warrant a high price from any avid
huntsman.  The dogs though are family so no takers there.

On a more colourful note, here is my latest attempt at art, the
amazing Bob Marley, good to put in the cottage gallery!

Attachment: P1040926.JPG
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- Hot and Humid

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 22:52:28 -0400

Good evening all,

Another beautiful day here on the west coast. First thought we might

be in for a wet day, but no , the sun came through and stayed. Just checked

the temperature, and it is still reading 80f. Very humid though, with plenty of

vampires about. Breeze has dropped to almost non existent. Some large

dark clouds earlier, which just floated right on past.

All seems to be well in our little piece of paradise.

I'm off to finish whats in the glass before it all turns to water.

You all take care and have a good day tomorrow.

Tommiegirl.

- Fresh and Cool.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 09:38:41 -0400

Good morning all,

We have had some totally glorious days here on the west coast, Hot hot, hot,

and been kept busy, busy, busy.

The rains came last night. Loud and heavy. So this morning is slightly

cooler and fresher. The sun is playing peek a boo with the clouds this morning. No

breeze at all. Everything is perfectly still. The sea looks blue and calm. Can see the

run off from the rivers, stretching out to sea. It is a pretty shade of turquoise, so I

guess a lot of fresh water is running down from the mountains. Usually we see a

horrible shade of brown, where the mud is being washed down.

The only noise is the birds singing and twittering, so all is well.

Looks to be a good day for the garden, the heat has kept me inside. The

weeds are making a takeover bid. I also need to go and check out the neighbours

garden, while she is off island.

I'm off to have another coffee before I start. Check out that view.

You all take care and have a great day.

Tommiegirl.

- Cooler Weather

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 08:05:17 -0500

It is the beginning of June and the weather is definitely a little
cooler which is a welcome change.  No thunder and lightning yet but
all in good time no doubt.

It was a bank holiday here yesterday; there were many parties all over
the island, we went to the beach in the afternoon.  What a colourful
scene with so many families having picinics and cook ups.  Lots of
different aromas on the air mixed with the salt of the ocean very
inviting.

I have to report that our baby Nellis bird has finally managed to fly
back to it's home high up in the bamboo, so all is well for another
year we hope.

I decided to paint Captain Jack Sparrow for our home; we hear there is
to be another movie -' Pirates of the Caribbean 4' - we do hope that
Disney decide to come back to Dominica for the film.  I have added a
photo of my painting, I am having lots of fun with my new hobby!

Attachment: P1040863.JPG
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- Baby sitting

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 10:12:07 -0500

The weather is just amazing, hot, hot, hot with the odd shower through the night to keep the water tank topped up and the flowers and vegetables in the garden growing nicely/

We went to Fort Shirley, Portsmouth last night for the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Cocktail party. The night was fantastic, it is the first time we have visited the fort and were very impressed by the work Lennox Honeychurch has achieved with his Dominican crew to restore the fort back to it's former glory. The view from the battlements amid the pristine cannons - as you can imagine - is quite stunning; we were so lucky to see some wonderful rainbows but no rain.

The evening was tailor made for the social mix. Many local businesses were represented giving us a wide variety of tastes; such wonderful food and drinks including some very nice light sparkling wine. We have to thank all the hard working folk who put this party together, it was a great success.

This morning over coffee we were watching with interest our family of Nellis birds. The baby still has not been able to fly back to the nest which is at the very top of our bamboo - so the baby is on a half way house tree which is across the lawn from us! The baby seems to be really doing very well with no effects from it's stay overnight with us in our home. The parents keep tempting the baby to fly back to the nest but this dear little feathered baby just can't pluck up the courage yet. So we are on dog watch to save the bird - we do not want the baby in Tippy's mouth again.

A trip to the river is in the offing llater on - only two secs from our home, just another day in Paradise. Let's hope that it is going to stay calm in the Caribbean; it is the 1st June tomorrow and the official start day of our hurricane season. Good luck to all our dedicated posters keeping us up to speed on the weather throughout our Caribbean Islands. We toast all of you.

- Fledgling time!

From: Lisette Stevens <jaco.lass at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 28 May 2009 07:07:08 -0500

It is a while since we have been posting on Stormcarib. Jaco Ladd and I have been very busy. The weather is incredibly hot at the moment, but we still exercise by walking and running early in the morning, actually at first light; it is usually a lovely cool time for this, but at the moment we come back a lot more hot and sticky than usuall!

The 1st June is nearly upon us and the time for watching those hurricanes crossing the ocean towards us is back; hopefully, there will not be very many and those that we have we hope will not be serious ones. It does feel very heavy today as if the thunderstorms are coming very soon, I really hate thunder and lightning.

We have had another incident with the puppy and a baby bird, the same thing happened this time last year! We have these amazing black birds with long tails and a hook beak I think they are called Doctor Nellis birds, (I don't have the bird book available) - the birds are a relative of the cuckoo family but they bring up their young themselves and live in a family unit. The birds were teaching the baby to fly when it fell to the ground and before we could get the baby the puppy had it in it's mouth, luckily she did not harm it. We rescued the baby and had it spend the night with us as dusk was fast approaching. In the morning I climbed up the ladder and put it in the bamboo where the parents have their nest. The baby fell out of the bamboo onto the ground then disappeared into the leaves and twigs below never to be seen again until - thank goodness - this morning, There the baby was in the tree across the lawn with mum and dad, we are so relieved as we had no idea whether it would survive or not.

It amazes us that all the birds who live with us in the forest take geat interest in what is going on around them, they actually seem to interact and show their displeasure with the dogs, dive bombing the puppy carrying the baby, etc. What drama we have here! All's well we feel, fingers crossed another life saved for another year!

- Hot, & Sulphur Pools.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 20:27:40 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Another hot, hot day. Humidity high. Did think we were in for some rain. Sky early

this morning was grey and overcast, but no it just floated on past us. The sun came out

and stayed with us all day. Sea did not look too inviting. Grey and choppy. Plenty of the

little blood suckers about.

Had an excellent day yesterday. Friends birthday, so we all headed for the hot

sulphur pools at Wotten Waven for a nice relaxing time. One of the group managed to find

some sulphur mud. So we all had a good scrub, even though its a bit smelly.

The good thing is that it makes your skin feel so soft and clean. The bad, is the smell

tends to linger a bit on your skin and beach towels.

We then all headed for a little road side cafe, The River Rock Cafe, where the lady there

makes the most delicious sandwiches. Although the cafe looks small, you need to go in and

through to the back, where one of the most beautiful views on the island is to be found.

So a good day had by all, with lots of laughter.

I'm off to enjoy the evening, refill the glass. You all take care and have a great day tomorrow.

Tommiegirl.

- Sunny Days.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 23:04:06 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Two near perfect days. Hot, hot, hot. Having a light shower of rain while

writing. Very humid this evening, so plenty of vampire activity. No breeze to

help keep the little blighters away. Are they actually any good for anything ? Apart

from feeding the bats and black swifts. Both need to eat faster. Frogs in full voice

tonight.

After all the rain we have had, if it is this hot tomorrow and taking a peek at

the sat pic's it is going to be, the garden is going to need a drink. I was so pleased

when I found 3 lettuce's had sprung up from lettuce that I left to run to seed. Now

shriveled and gone to the great lettuce in the sky. Ah well that's the price we pay

for living in paradise.

I'm off to finish whats left in the glass. Enjoy the rest of the evening.

You all take care and have a great day tomorrow.

Tommiegirl.

P S. The rain is getting heavier, perhaps it will help clear some of the humidity.

- Chris's Canyon.

From: Tom Fullbrook <fullbrookt at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 22:36:09 -0400

Good evening everyone,

Over on the east coast again today, and a lovely day it was. Sunshine all day.

Very light breeze every now and again. Sky that beautiful baby blue. River fast and

deep flowing. Light shower late afternoon.

The river is right next to our friends plot, and it has crystal clear water, a deep

area for swimming , but I haven't been brave enough to try it yet. With all the rain we

have had over the last few weeks the river over flowed the banks, washed through a

neighbouring property and appears to have caused a good deal of damage. It has

also washed part of the bridge away. Unless you have 4 wheel drive, you now have

to walk across. All part of the fun.

A group of us went to help our friends move a 1000 galleon water barrel up a

small hill today. Thank goodness without the water in it. Great fun and a lot of

laughing, But it is now at the top ready to go onto it's base. A few mishaps, like one of

the group falling into a ditch, although she must have crossed it a 100 times before now,

and being told at least 4 times, ditch coming up. Unfortunately she had to lay there while

photos were taken and everyone had stopped laughing. So the ditch has now been

named after her and will be forever known has Chris's Canyon. Arrived back home

tired and covered in cement, but a good day had by all. A couple of fruit rum punches

and a shower works wonders.

This evening is warm, sky is clear, there are a zillion stars out. A nice gusty

breeze blowing, helping to cool it down and keep the little vampires away.

I'm off to finish my drink and have a well earned early night.

You all take care and have a great day tomorrow.

Tommiegirl.