November: unseasonable contrasts

Dapper male eiders at Sandhaven Harbour

The mild weather of recent weeks, 16c a week ago, has brought the gorse back into extensive flower. This morning the path over the Cairnhill was lined with fragrant gorse. Stitch wort bloomed at the dykeside, alkanet flowers in the shelter of the gorse and, despite the gales of the weekend, a few frail campions are flowering in the ditch by Monthooly dookit. By Sandhaven Harbour and on Boothby Road we have seen new leaves of Lesser Celandine, there are already daffodil shoots several inches above ground.

Pink strawberry flowers, possibly a variety known as Pink Panda growing on the bank outside Hillhead of Pittulie Cottage

The Broch Beach yesterday, deserted and swept by winds topping 70 m.p.h, though the temperature was 14.5c. This morning it had fallen to 6.5c.