Here we are on the 1st of October in the Outer Hebrides, basking in 17 degrees with cloudless skies. This is the 3rd day of this – it’s very pleasant indeed. What’s not so pleasant is the number of things that have broken or stopped working recently. We’ve had computer problems of various sorts, new hard drives failing, batteries giving up, oven malfunctions (and successes) and a broken spade (impressive, Toby). Thankfully we’re all still OK, and still spending lots of time in the hides following animals. There are 14 pups now, some quite hefty looking, but it’s noticeable that few new animals have been arriving in the last few days. It’s tempting to suggest they’re avoiding the “hot” weather – but we’ll see.