The cold air arrived

4.8C in the night and cries of pain in anticipation from the valley bottom fruit growing areas of Tuscany like the Val di Chiana to the south west of Arezzo. Later rain and thunder as the mass of arctic air thickened. If it’s gets to zero fruit, vines and olives will be threatened.

This is getting to be a pattern: an early heatwave and then frost on the delicate buds once they’ve been persuaded out.

I heard first hoopoes today. Ironic as one has been on the Isle of May for eight days.