Mild.

Mild again today, the highest temperature today at the Lifeboat Station was 13C/ 55F. A bonus has been that it didn't rain at all. The radio has just told me that it has been the warmest New Year's Eve on record with a high of 15.8C/ 61F in Somerset.

Last night I was up late, (just after 1.00am) went to see if Speedy was waiting to come back in and was surprised to see, or rather not see, that all the street lights were out leaving the world in darkness. Normally the lights on the road running along the cliff stay on all night presumably to prevent people driving off the cliff at the junctions. This included the lights running along the beach road. What was most amazing was the fact that the fronts of the incoming waves were glowing. Not blue, just white but with no moonlight or street lighting it must have been the bioluminescent plankton seen earlier in the year maybe due to the unusually high temperatures. It was definitely worth standing out in the rain to see the 'sea horses' lit up like that. There's a good chance we should be able to see it again tonight.

There were medicines to be collected from the pharmacy so after breakfast I did my usual walk along the beach. While I was at the pharmacy I also collected some more Lateral Flow tests in case we find ourselves mixing with other people and/or feeling unwell. There's talk (right now on the radio) of a shortage of tests especially for NHS workers but though yesterday there was a message on the NHS site saying you couldn't order the test kits by post I just asked at the pharmacy and they gave me a box.

On the beach the tide was out leaving a good sandy strip to stride along. There were a lot of people out exercising dogs and children and at the time just one surfer and one swimmer who wasn't even wearing a wetsuit. Later on as the waves increased in size there were at least a dozen surfers out on the water. (Is it on or in for surfers?) On the way back from the beach I had a conversation with my neighbours part of which was in Welsh. Ha! It was only a 'Good morning, how are you? I'm very well.' exchange but our neighbour is very keen to help us in our language endeavours.

My holiday task for the day was to remind myself how to crochet the dragon scale pattern I'd used some years back to make a pair of bootee slippers and a tea-cosy. The tea cosy is still in use on Vytas' teapot but he now uses a Japanese style metal teapot which is flatter than a standard teapot and the cosy doesn't fit very well. He sounded keen when I offered to crochet a new one for his birthday in February so that's what I shall do. I found the pattern, which I'd bought from Esty but not my small wooden box of crochet hooks. There were three hooks in the knitting needle box but they were too small and though I tried the biggest one it kept snagging on the wool when I began practising the stitches. So now it's a matter of continuing to look for the box of hooks or buy another hook next time I go to town.

Having come to a halt with the tea cosy instead I cut the pole for the hanging plants, painted it and ordered the rings and clips I think I need to hang the plants from the pole.

I checked the trail cam and thought there was nothing on it until I came across a close up of a sparrow looking right into the lens. That was all. In an attempt to see if I can try some manual settings on my camera to photograph any fireworks tonight and possibly the glowing waves I've been looking at the on-line manual for my camera. I never knew what my camera can do. There's even a setting for fireworks but so far I haven't been able to locate the correct icon. There's something to be said for actually reading a manual.