The Offing

There was a very dramatic thunderstorm at breakfast time today- bolts of lightning and loud cracks of thunder followed by heavy rain. I was about to get ready for the Sunday swim and there was much WhatsApp messaging about whether or not to see if we would swim if the storm passed.The storm did pass with half an hour to spare and we did swim. 
It was unfortunate that the itinerant Stromness  jelly fish had decided to shelter beside the slip overnight and were having a bit of a long lie which meant our  dip was accompanied by much screaming and yelling as we tried to avoid them. I felt somewhat braver than some as I had had a hint of what lay in wait and I had donned my Australian stinger suit which gave me some degree of confidence in not being stung.
Nevertheless it was a short stay in the water and, as it did rain a bit, a wet redressing.

The vagaries of the weather meant that there was blue sky shortly afterwards when I went down the street looking for a coffee. It was very humid and hot with not a whisper of wind - there was almost a feeling of the heatwave experienced down south.
It’s been a day of sunshine or at least brightness alternating with black skies. The sea was like a millpond all day which gave good reflections in the water of passing boats.

The Selkies performed well on their 14 mile Midnight Walk last night. It was a pity that the weather wasn’t midsummer like but they seemed to have missed most of any rain. They are gathering tonight to celebrate with a dip and a sauna. I hope the pesky jellies have moved on.