Weird communication zone, weather and spouse induced. Nice weather precludes the internet. Yesterday was fine and windy and we didn’t have internet all day. So, I enjoyed working in the garden, baking and a walk up Barn Hill.
Barn Hill is my favorite place of the week. It’s close to the house with tall cliffs and great views. 
I explored the southeastern side with views over Dragon’s Tail.
And perhaps a man rock.
Today, there has been front after front rolling by with thunder, lightning and buckets of rain. Tim had just unplugged his computer when lightning struck the house and we saw a bright flash in the living room, where the phone, VHF, HF, internet, computers, fax, TV and copy machine live. The phone was out briefly but everything else seems to be in working order. Today, Tim is doing me a favor and won’t let me use the internet in an attempt to save my computer. In the meantime, he’s been surfing for hours.
There are two groups of kayakers hunkered down on the islands. Three are over on Erith Island who can’t go anywhere because of the weather and a lone kayaker is camped here, waiting to go to to Flinders Island. There is a strong headwind predicted for the next couple of days, 25-30 knots, so they will probably be here for the next few days. They arrived under their own power, 35 miles off the mainland, with another 35 miles to Flinders Island and then island hopping to the Tasmanian coast. In the meantime, the wind, rain and lightning keeps sweeping over the islands.
Yesterday, however, was fine. Fine is a legitimate term in Australia. It can be mainly fine, fine and windy, partly fine. I think it means clear or perhaps sunny. Two of the kayakers visited us yesterday and we were talking about brewing beer.An Australian company, Coopers , sells beer brewed in the bottle, which is not clarified. They use the slogan, “Cloudy but fine”. We wouldn’t get it in the states.
The garden started by the caretakers before us continues to produce. We’ve been eating carrots, beets, silverbeet, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, peas and beans. Tomatoes, cucumbers and corn are on their way. I only hope we do as well for the next caretakers.
I was doubtful a barbecue would take place because the wind was “fresh”. The sky was the clearest it has been and the weather was mild, it was 100f in Melbourne during the day. But the party happened and we went down to the cove. While we were looking at the stars, we saw a satellite pass overhead. We have seen the Southern Cross and the Milky Way but Tim mentioned that there were clouds in the same place over a couple of nights. They looked like another galaxy. It turns out they are. We saw t
Along the way, we spotted the perfect Christmas tree. It’s strange to be gearing up for Christmas in sunny, relatively warm weather. Will Santa find us here? Yesterday was our summer solstice and the longest day of the year. He doesn’t have a long enough night to do everything he needs to do.
Island and North Country Life 