Denise: It’s mid February, nearly 2 months from the winter solstice and at this time the change from one day to the next is accelarating: within another month or so all of nature will be in a frenzy of new growth.  Right now however, there’s little to cheer us up than the brighter skies – I’ll not go as far as to say sunshine – and at last a reprieve from the windiest and wettest winter that even the oldest islanders can recall. There’s plenty of seaweed on the beaches, but right now little enough time to get out and collect it: J’s tied up with engineering and building projects and in the evenings he’s re-wiring our own house. A walk on the beach in the moonlight before bedtime his his only reprieve.