Spring Has Come!

When you think of the Falklands you probably have an image of moorland, hills and rocks. A bare, barren land where nothing except grasses grow and where the weather is dull, grey and windy. Well, I’m writing this post to tell you that if that’s what you think you’d be wrong. I’m sitting, sunburned, in my sitting room writing this and when I look outside there is not a cloud in the beautifully blue sky.

Today I went with some friends to Cape Pembroke. It’s just along the coast from Gypsy Cove and is only a ten or fifteen minute drive away from Stanley. There is a lighthouse which provides a good focal point when deciding where to walk. It is an absolutely fantastically beautiful day, a day when you feel good to be alive.

We walked along the coast to a beach and had lunch. This is the view from where I sat:

We saw lots of different birds. The breeding season is well underway and every pair of upland geese and kelp geese we saw had goslings.

The goslings are always grey and we realised this was to blend in with the boulders which are found on most shorelines.

The birds of prey were also around. We saw turkey vultures, both on the land and in the sky. The thermals much have been just right and there were about 20 soaring above us. They looked like a convoy of planes and it was incredible to have them fly overhead while their shadow passed over you. They are big birds!

We also saw what is either a red-backed hawk or a peregrine falcon hovering intently.

We walked around the cape. Everywhere we went the view was incredible. The sky and the water were so blue it was difficult not to just dive in and have a swim. The only thing that stopped us was the knowledge that the water is currently between 6 and 7 degrees C!

The last few days have had absolutely fantastic weather and hopefully it will continue. What makes it even better is watching the breakfast news in the morning and seeing the BBC weather people standing in the Blue Peter garden wrapped up in thick coats with a night sky behind them telling tails of rain, snow and wind!

So, when you think of the Falklands remember that it while it can be wet and very windy, there are times when the weather is so perfect there’s nowhere you’d rather be.