Not Midsummer Weather!

Midsummer has then come and gone. It has rained on and off almost continuously since and I have been caught on more than one occasion. Perhaps the most frustrating consequence of the weather was experienced by Goldcoast Oceanfest, who suffered a lot of rain on the first day (Friday, which was Education Day) and such high winds on Sunday that the music stage had to be closed - I believe the winds were over 40mph! Midsummer indeed.

The Explorers continue to present some unique and awkward challenges and the decision has now been taken to postpone the launch until all issues have been resolved. It is rather a shame to have missed this summer season but there's no doubt that much testing and decision-making needs to be done before a proper launch can be justified. The development and implementation of the devices has been, and continues to be, a steep learning curve and despite the problems I still maintain that it's been a valuable experience. That's not to say it's over!

The web-site is now eagerly anticipated and yes, I have found still more to add to it. It seems that the interesting information about Braunton is never ending and it will be wonderful to see so much of it collated and presented to the world at large. We had a successful monitoring visit from Devon Renaissance's representative yesterday and, although it threw up some action points, it went well. Now progress needs to be made with my self-guided walks leaflets and the recruitment of volunteers for training in leading guided walks. Volunteers need to be of working age but not working full time or be threatened with losing their job if they are working full time. If this applies to you and you would like to benefit from subsidised training, or if you know of anyone who might, please do get in touch. You'll need to be reasonably local to Braunton and have an interest in the area.

Outside work, I am very much looking forward to Yeovilton Air Day on Saturday. No doubt it will rain as forecast (why is the forecast only ever right when it rains?!) but I am determined to enjoy it nonetheless. We are taking my partner's son as a birthday treat - he enjoyed it very much last year and loved the opportunity to sit in a helicopter alongside the pilot, although his legs weren't long enough to reach the pedals. The pilot suggested he come back when his legs are long enough, so we're going this year to see how much they've grown!