Falklands blog for Wednesday March 27 2013
Sunshine
If is difficult to convey the actual reality of Falklands weather. The sun is strong and shines with a fierce intensity and brightness. There is no pollution down here to block the UV light and faces are tanned, but not bodies. The wind is from the SW, not a good direction; that way, lies Cape Horn and the 40‘s. A world of towering waves and unceasing westerly gales. The trees here – a hardy evergreen cypress bend to the wind and are shaped by it. They are newcomers to the islands, stoical trees that can cope with the acid soil. One keen gardener told me that the pH in the peat was as low as 2 – that is the same pH of stomach acid. How do plants cope with that?
The weather down here is a fickle beast. Winter had arrived in time for the press attending for the referendum. Yet, as they left, the Indian summer came. It was superb when the visitors from the Polar Explorer came ashore. The locals do say that the wind picks up whenever a cruise ship moors up. It did so yesterday, the harbour was covered by white horses, and the roads by tourists sporting Saga holidays baseball caps. Not all left the ship; of the 600 souls on board, only 230 braved the storm tossed journey from the outer harbour by launch to the jetty and dry land.
Chocolate
If you do venture up the hill, past the Globe Tavern, do turn right along John Street and visit ‘Bitter Sweet’. Good coffee, more chocolate than is good for you (is there ever such a thing?) and a cinnamon swirl. Up the narrow stairs to a sun flooded lounge and comfy sofas. Local wildlife art on the walls completes the ambience – a good place to chill.