Tuesday 28th August

Today I helped Bob, one of our regular visitors with a guided walk. We tried to cover all aspects of the island: the flowers, insects, and birds, as well as some of the history. There weren't huge numbers of birds around but I think everyone enjoyed it. Maybe this is something I would like to do more of in the future.

Monday 27th August

Autumn is almost here and the whole island is covered in fruit. In the past week we have been picking blackberries, damsons and apples. We have been using these in jams, pies, and for flavouring spirits. Other natural foods are also around in abundance. With the fruit, mushrooms, fish, and the vegetables from the patch we are almost self-sufficient!

Saturday 25th August

This time of year - at the start of the Autumn migration, can be good for birds. But this year the birds have not arrived, or they have just flown over the island. Migration patterns are always affected by the weather. We believe we may be seeing a gradual change in the numbers and types of birds arriving.

Thursday 23rd August

Every morning I do a 'round' of the south end of the island. This is one of my favourite parts of the job as I get to see the island at dawn before the crowds arrive. Sometimes there are lots of birds on the ground and flying over, but most often it is quiet at this time of year.

Monday 20th August

Today I discovered a new fishing spot at the south end of the island. Here two currents merge and the waters are pretty rough. It's pretty deep too and there seem to be lots of fish there. I caught a bag full of mackerel in about half an hour. It seems to have lots of potential given calm weather conditions, but it's perhaps not the place to go in a south-westerly.

Saturday 18th August

Today was a momentous day in the history of my new vegetable patch. I managed to harvest my first carrots. The first few that I pulled were stunted and split, but soon there were a few that were actually carrot-shaped. It was great to have some fruits from all that labour. I cooked them up and they actually seemed to taste better than 'shop' carrots but maybe that was just wishful thinking!