SEASONS. 9 



the day being bright and clear, and the 

 ground smelling sweet and fresh. The mornings 

 and evenings are very chilly and cold in winter, 

 the thermometer often registering only 51 in the 

 early morning once 1 remember it 48 ! 53 

 or 56 is very usual ; and as there are no stoves 

 in the houses, and very often the outer doors 

 open into the rooms, you can imagine the cold 

 is a reality. The middle of the day, however, 

 when the sun is shining, is always pleasant 

 except when the south wind is raging. In the 

 hottest months 1 find 85 to 98 about the 

 usual temperature in the house in midday. 



This is a most wonderful place for high winds. 

 A clay without wind is a rarity. The prevail- 

 ing wind is from the south-east, but often it 

 rages violently from the north, and is most 

 unpleasant, scorching everything up, and mak- 

 ing the skin feel dry and uncomfortable. Some- 

 times, after a most painful day of raging north 

 wind, after sunset it will suddenly veer round 

 to the south or south-east (a sweet " whiff 

 of the sea" being the first indication of the 



