Vermilion Sands
An occasional journal
Up a Plum Tree
Aug 25th 2019
We caught this cheeky rat high up in the branches scoffing our fruit.
Our hottest August day so far: 34.5 °C, enlivened with music from the reggae concert nearby and fun with the paddling pool and bubble machine. Admin1 is reading Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch. We scored 12 on the GWQ, though half a point was given for an alternative answer.
Plenty of Sunshine Coming My Way
Aug 23rd 2019
Yesterday was cold and wet; today is the warmest day this month at 31.7 °C with probably more to follow.
Admin 1 is reading Storm Prey by John Sandford. Admin2 is reading Soot by Andrew Martin.
Fruit and Nut
Aug 19th 2019
The first season of little plums from our little plum tree and one of the few remaining nuts from our hazelnut tree after the squirrels have been at them.
Admin2 is reading A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James.
Goulash
Aug 18th 2019
Beef goulash cooked in beer and decorated with dumplings. A warming dish on a chilly and cloudy so-called summer day.
Admin1 is rereading Salt Lane by William Shaw.
We scored oh no oh dear don’t look 5 on the GWQ. Among the worst ever.
Critter of the Day: Peacock
Aug 15th 2019
Well a peacock butterfly anyway.
Admin1 is rereading The Birdwatcher by William Shaw.
The Sun Has Got Its Hat On
Aug 13th 2019
10.45kWh today; the best this month, and the 6th best August day of all time. Admin1 is rereading Sympathy for the Devil by William Shaw.
Tits Hanging Out
Aug 11th 2019
The long-tailed tits are back, and this time they have brought the blue tits with them.
We scored 11 on the GWQ, thanks to Dave’s knowledge of balls.
Stormy Weather
Aug 9th 2019
A rosy-arsed cumulonimbus on a thundery evening.
Admin1 is rereading A Book of Scars by William Shaw. Admin2 is reading FALL, or Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson; one hell of a book set in a cyberspace afterlife shaped by mythology.
Critters of the Day: Long-tailed Tits
Aug 5th 2019
We have never knowingly seen these cute fluffy birds before, but today a gang of them arrived at our bird feeder. Here’s a single individual:
Admin1 is reading A House of Knives by William Shaw. Admin2 is reading Smoke and Whispers by Mick Herron. We scored 11 on the GWQ.
Ramblin’ Man
Aug 1st 2019
A cloud man wandering through the sky with his backpack and dog.
Admin1 is rereading A Song from Dead Lips by William Shaw. Admin2 is reading The Vanishing Futurist by Charlotte Hobson; an English governess experiences the liberating influence of the avant-garde amid the privations of war and the ferment of the Russian revolution.
Critter of the Day: Comma
Jul 29th 2019
Polygonia c-album, the proofreader’s butterfly.
Admin1 is reading Smoke and Whispers and Admin2 is reading The Last Voice You Hear, both by Mick Herron.
Critter of the Day: Triceratops
Jul 27th 2019
Monstrous creature roaming around Merrion Centre, part of the Jurassic Trail apparently.
Today has been our darkest July day ever: 468 watts, a maximum temperature of 17.4°C and 12mm of rain. A week of extremes indeed: raging winds, exceptional sunshine, thunder and lightning, hottest day and warmest night ever and least sunny July day all in six days.
Admin2 is reading The Vinyl Detective: Flip Back by Andrew Cartmel. We scored 8.5 on the GWQ.
Hottest. Day. Ever
Jul 25th 2019
37.8°C. A record in our garden and the country, followed by our highest night-time minimum temperature ever: 21.5°C. It was off the scale on our weather page which only goes up to 35.
Admin2 is reading Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill by Grimly Darkwood.
Cloud of the Day: Lenticularis
Jul 23rd 2019
Hottest day of the year so far: 33.8 °C. And 12.1 kWh: latest day of the year we have had so much sunshine. Ants have grown wings and thunder is expected.
Admin1 is reading Why We Die by Mick Herron.
All Fall Down
Jul 21st 2019
Our hollyhocks, apples and buddleias all flattened by the wind. And our pop-up garden basket blown to kingdom come!
Admin2 is reading The End of the Day by Claire North.
Critter of the Day: Cabbage white
Jul 20th 2019
Pieris brassicae
Its eggs, its baby and the damage done
and how it begins
Admin1 is reading Big Sky by Kate Atkinson.
We scored 10 on the GWQ.
Flower of the Day: Cucumber
Jul 17th 2019
This tiny plant has scarcely developed since it was potted weeks ago but today it has an unexpected flower (and more on the way) and maybe soon we will have cucumbers (or maybe gherkins or cornichons). Thx Jill!
Admin1 is reading The Last Voice You Hear and Admin2 is reading Down Cemetery Road; both by Mick Herron.
Sundog
Jul 14th 2019
Admin1 is all aglow because his cricket team stole the show. He’s also been playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim since his birthday — thanks, Admin2!
Admin2 is reading Big Sky by Kate Atkinson.
We scored 10 on the GWQ.
Raindrops
Jul 12th 2019
We had plenty of sunshine today, but also more rain in one hour than we had in the rest of the month so far.
Coffee of the day: Burundi Kinyovu, Rango, Kayanza