We fancied a turn around the reservoir but were late getting out and the so sun was setting as we ambled along the drove road toward the res. These images were taken over a period of about half an hour. Ngaio took the first, we collaborated on (argued over) the second and I stitched three shots together to make the third.

Yesterday's faint breeze was replaced today by a very strong, buffeting gale from the west, so we thought we'd do the res again, just to clear the cobwebs.

We have our back to the wind here and it's a challenge to keep one's footing. The gale is driving squalls before it, the gusts are curling over the wall of the res and are being dashed down hard on to the surface of the water creating these rippled areas that are driven straight out across the res, out of sight in a couple of seconds.

The sun breaks through the clouds briefly to pick out the standing water on the adjacent levels. We're not alone in our enjoyment of the elements and the sheep + walkers shot has atmosphere but the shot completely fails to capture the gale that was blowing right to left across the scene.

The ripples fetch up on the other side of the res ... it's only a kilometer in diameter but the gale is whipping up a lot of "white horses" --- there are some all-but-indistinguishable dark spots in the near distance; they are moorhens, part of a winter flock of several hundred birds.

The afternoon sun is quite low in the sky and a chink in the cloud cover allows a few shafts of sunlight to pick out the colours of the landscape.

Somerset's old name is "Summerset", meaning literally "set in summer". In winter, it's a different matter.