The air may be cold but the sillage is obviously not.

Here are lots. All parked up waiting for an occasional sail on the Solent.

The floating bridge plies between the two.

Free to pedestrians.

There's a ridge of chalk (limestone) that runs east-west across the middle of the island.

This is the older sedimentary rock just to the north of the chalk ridge.

Built in the 1860's when Britain was concerned about a possible French invasion.

The shells for the muzzle loader weighed about 250lb (120kg).

Ali and old friend Jutta trying to stay warm.

The eroded tip of the chalk ridge.

The thin spiky bits that gave them their name have long since been eroded away.

There's a fierce wind blowing.

Hence some spectacular landslips.

About 800 years old.

Closed during the week in winter.

Its a locally made Romahome on a Citroen base.

The old cattle shed protecting the dilapidated ruin of Brading Roman Villa has been replaced.

An enthusiastic volunteer explaining the site.

It must have taken forever to lay the 20mm square tiles.

This also has a building which is unique among Roman mosaic floors in England.

The round things on the wall are hand driven mill stones.

This is a rebuilt section of local stone tiled roof from the villa.

There were also half round tiles from a later era.

The Roman underfloor central heating system.

The original harbour, presumably used to export agricultural produce, has silted up.

New boots for me. Waterproof overtrousers for both of us.

It used to be the capital but went into decline as the harbour silted up.

There's a couple of salt ponds to the left.

Strange how we keep colliding with "salt".

Newtown was a rotten borough. It had shrunk to just a few houses, yet still returned two members of parliament.

No longer though!

The ornithologists of England, of whom there are many, have apparently been seeing birds that they used not to.

I guess it would work well in the muddy bottom.

No boats around at this time of year (sensible?) though they must be a reasonable size.