The clouds before the storm.

We circumnavigated Mersea Island today, around 14 miles including an unexpected detour inland where the sea defences have been breached and a couple of short stop-offs for ice cream and drinks.   There is a lot of wildlife here, and the highlight for me was seeing an adder, the first time I have seen a snake in the wild in the UK.  It didn't hang around for very long.  Today the weather has been hot, sunny, cold, rainy, thunder and lightning, windy, calm.  What we Brits call changeable weather.   It's a balmy evening though, which is pleasing as we have ordered a take-away seafood platter for dinner and plan to eat outside.