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323.

26th Oct 1947. A cold, dry day with strong harsh E wind, mainly dark & gloomy in forenoon, but afternoon mostly with bright & very hot sun in sheltered places, so that at 2.30 we got out on bikes & rode through Rathfarnham to Whitechurch & home via Rockbrook, Mr. Venus & St. Michaels (Cosgraves!) & Templeogue: from Willbrook to Whitechurch walked most of the way, where we were sheltered by Marley wall & trees & sun very warm: much ivy in blossom on Marley wall & near Whitechurch & many insects at this including 6 Red Admirals (4 at one clump in sight at one time, the other two separate & at some distance), 1 fresh ♀ of Bombus lucorum sunning herself on wall outside church at Whitechurch; many ☿☿ of Vespa vulgaris at ivy near Whitechurch; & lots of Drone Flies, Bluebottles & other Diptera. Collected a few stems of Equisetum hyemale in lane near Mt. Venus for Mr. Holder of Southport.

5th November 1947. A very mild, dull, misty day; with easterly breeze along coast, after a mild day on 4th & strong gale with heavy cold rain on 3rd & cold wet day on 2nd. Rode in afternoon to Dundrum, Sandyford & home via Lam Doyle's [[Lamb Doyles]] & Rathfarnham. 

324.

10th to 20th Nov. 1947.

After very mild weather a sudden drop in temperature came on 14th & on night of 15th there was slight frost. On the following night, 16th (Sunday) there was a very severe frost followed by snow on 17th 18th, with 3" of snow at Tullamore & 2" in Kilkenny; much snow in Dublin hills on morning of 18th, but nearly gone below 1200 ft on 19th, which was less cold. On 20th - the marriage day of the Princess Elizabeth - we awoke to find the temperature out of doors about 15 to 20 degrees higher than when we went to bed & everything in the house covered with "sweat" from condensation on the cold surfaces; a strong, hot, damp, SW. wind blew all day! On 16 saw a male (?) wasp fly from ivy blossom south of Willington House, by the bridge over the Poddle; & several flower spikes on the Winter Heliotrope at Templeogue Bridge.

- till 2nd December 1947.
Cold weather with frosty nights prevailed, for the most part, & on night of 1st Dec. there was a very hard & sudden frost, when 12 dead Chaffinches were picked up dead in Zoo on morning of 2nd & several ducks frozen to death on the Zoo pond, although  

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♂♀☿