Afternoon jottings

Four guests arrived at lunchtime, so it was a rush without mistake. Two people from Germany, two from England. Pity the weather took a turn for the worse with a "little rain", which can soak you in minutes. Went to the library to double-check my project - and fished out at least 100 more names that had slipped my net. Gulp. Loads of people wanting to use the free Internet access that is on offer there; if you go elsewhere, it can be £1 for 20 minutes.

The remains of a tropical cyclone has wreaked havoc in the southern Indian state of Andra Pradesh. I have continued to track its progress through the Indian weather service's warnings, and the BBC is now reporting 45 dead and major damage being done to buildings and communication lines. I should add that it is also the onset of the annual monsoon, a bit earlier than normal. This is always accompanied by heavy rains, flooding and loss of life. The depression should move into the Arabian Sea, where it needs watching: it could re-develop into a tropical cyclone.

The Atlantic remains quiet, as far as hurricanes are concerned; the East Pacific is slowly wakening - the signals are changing although a cyclone is not immanent. The Western Pacific is also very quiet, although the typhoon season there is year-round.