The city has both names, but the county is always called Londonderry. My Irish-government-funded Irish road atlas calls it that.

A glorious bright morning. Piercing autumn sunshine, cold enough to see your breath in front of you, but no frost. All that was missing for the full effect was the scent of a bonfire coming from somewhere.

It was 17c and gloriously sunny yesterday after a cold start. It’s also incredibly sunny right now so hopefully more of the same because we’re going out for lunch.

It was beautiful. We just returned from lobster cooked in a fire on the beach, which was landed fresh from the boats in net cages. Well they did, I just had sorbet from a nearby cafe on the shore, because I’m slightly allergic to shellfish. Not a cloud in the sky. It’s definitely been a degree or two down on yesterday*.

The beach party was unexpected - a random Japanese family insisted we join. Them and some other Japanese, a Spanish artist, a pair of Glaswegians, and a few locals (not including the staff and then the boat crew). We’d started out having tea and cake in a cafe in Crail with a terrace overlooking the sea shore.

Anyway, my mother has gone to the pub, and my son has taken a taxi to St Andrews to have a night out with someone who was a year or two above him at school. I don’t expect him back until after breakfast, although I expect my mother will crash in shortly after closing time - keeping the noise down isn’t her forte.

*just checked, yes, only 15c today, but beautifully sunny, fading to a lilac evening, now with a huge pink moon.

Wind starting to get up again here.

No wind here but no shortage of rain.

It’s sunny and bright and pretty calm.

Wind starting to get up...

Same here for the last hour.

Extremely windy here yesterday evening, I had to 'swim' with my arms and legs against the wind.

All the ferry sailings yesterday were cancelled. Not that I was booked on a ferry, but if I had been, it would have been very annoying.

It’s only just started to die down here, not entirely. It’s been invigorating, and I felt terribly cosy.

It wasn't too bad, round here, and was pretty much over by midnight.

I’ve just sent my son out with a bag of nails and a hammer to repair the shed roof. He’s up there now, poor thing. I’d do it myself, but seeing as his Saturday night out lasted until 3pm on Sunday afternoon, he can slowly return to the land of the living by fixing that.

He has another night out planned for next Friday night in Edinburgh itself. I’m taking him on Thursday and will spend the day giving him a flavour, before he goes off to another person known from school for two nights. The Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday morning are his. I think Friday is a house party so it’s possible Thursday night too is going to be a night out - up to them. Edinburgh is really his choice if he stays in the UK, so I don’t mind giving him the freedom to experience it properly. He’s usually quite trustworthy (and is planning to attend lectures on Friday with his host to see how it is), if less streetwise than I was at the same age.

Before he returns to London next week for school the following week, I have some more tasks set aside for him - so if he thought it was going to be all holiday he’s got another think coming. Today is gloriously bright sunshine and the storm seems to have passed now.

We’ll see how the weather progresses. He’s actually off until the 4th so I might take him to Madrid for a few days next week if he’s good and if we have any more rain. That would be a nice little treat before winter.