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St Helena Weather

26/10/2013

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PictureSundown toward Diana's Peak on a good day
Possibly because of the British connections here or perhaps
  because the weather here is so changeable, there is always a conversation going on nearby about the weather here.  
 
We are just coming out of what is called winter here… “Scruffy
  August and September" are usually the coldest and wettest months with days of fine rain driven over the top of the island by strong southerly winds.  There is an area just above where I am staying called Scotland, and well named it is in the winter as
its one of the  coolest and wettest inhabited parts of St Helena.  

The rain here is very Scottish, very fine and almost horizontal at times.  Temperatures at this time
of year in the evenings can go as low as 10 to 12 degrees C, which doesn’t sound cold but the damp and un-insulated housing means electric blankets are common!

Now that Spring is here there are Amaryllis flowers in the public gardens and the birds are singing (mynah birds mainly).  The weather is getting warmer and certainly more sunny.
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Clouds scudding across Jamestown bay
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As St Helena is close to the Equator, the sun isn’t always welcome as 15 minutes over here will equate to the start of sunburn.
I washed my car this morning at 10.00am and by the time I had finished I could feel my neck tingling from the rays. 
If it wasn’t for the clouds this island would certainly be uninhabited.  

PictureBroad Bottom Mist
These  pictures show the phenomena of clouds being created by warm damp wind off the Atlantic hitting the island and creating in these pictures mist.  Depending on
weather conditions it could be fog, mist or just cloud.
Whichever it is there is always a photo opportunity.

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Adios Julian

25/10/2013

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Julian Morris has been our Chief Executive for Economic  Development for the past two years.  

His time on the island is coming to a close and the inevitable round of  leaving events have been scheduled.  

One of the first ones was held by my colleagues at the training restaurant a couple of Sundays ago.  

This was a surprise party for Julian as can be seen by the look on his face when walking down the stairs into our basement and garden.

PictureMe Julia and Mandy organising the food!
We kept the format simple and easy with a “Saint Barbecue”
planned.  

Chicken and local Tuna were thrown on the barbecue and were accompanied by a  variety of salads and potato dishes. 

Plenty of wine flowed that day and a great time was had by all!

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Flax and Gumwood

25/10/2013

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Gumwood Trees overlooking Sandy Bay
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The mill looking south
PictureSt Helena Gumwood Tree
There are many rare endemic plants and animals on St Helena owing  to its isolated location.  Some are  prettier than others, the tree ferns at the top of Diana’s Peak entering the top of that category for sure.  

The gumwood tree used to be an endangered species but has been pulled back from the abyss by the management of the non endemic flax which was brought here by the British in their wisdom .  

The idea was to start a flourishing flax industry which did  happen for all of 20 or so years and many mail bags in the UK were made from St
  Helena flax. 

The introduction of plastic mail bags put an end to that but that didn’t stop the flax from growing
and now there are swathes of the island covered in the stuff.  

The photos here are taken near an old deserted flax mill.   The flax plants can be seen covering the upper hillsides in the picture below

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Solomon's Farm Sandy Bay
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