Belated Summer

Derek mentioned yesterday that he'd heard some guy on the radio earlier in the week who is 'an expert' in folklore about the weather. This guy said he was prepared to stake his reputation on a prediction that Summer would begin on Wednesday. Why? Because he'd seen storks fly up a mountain.

Whatever about the reasoning, there's no denying that I woke to a major shift in the weather compared to what we've been lumbered with for all too long now. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the temperature was higher, people were mowing the grass and doing gardening -- all in all, the sort of morning we'd expect in June or July but have had to wait until now to see since April. So I was delighted when one of the guys from the Music Group phoned to say he'd be calling at 12.00 to take me out to lunch. We went to a hotel at Donabate Beach, north of Dublin. We ate al fresco and went for a stroll along the beach afterwards. It's a long, beautiful sandy beach -- but I'm afraid you'll have to take my word for that, since I left the house without the camera and didn't think it fair to ask my chauffeur to go back to pick it up.

I ventured into town later on myself, taking the Luas tram to Heuston Station and walking back along the Quays. I got lots of promising shots but plumped for this one of what looked like a weary traveller enjoying a sunny rest on the James Joyce Bridge.