almost a snake

...fair enough, it's nowhere near being a snake but, if you look at the way those stamens protrude, then it is possible to see why Echium vulgare might have been given its common name of Viper's Bugloss. The coast path and field margins are full of it at the moment and it looks great set against the background of the sea below.

The rain, this morning, was heavy and incessant. At one point, I thought it would remain all day, but early this evening it stopped and started to brighten up. We had sunshine for about an hour and took advantage of it with a quick dash to the coast. By the time we reached the edge of the cliffs, it was getting difficult to stand up in the wind but it blew us home in half the time as usual. Unfortunately, it is tearing the leaves from the trees and making the landscape look very autumnal...