Searching for variability, we have observed a sample of hot post-AGB stars
and young Planetary Nebulae candidates with the Very Large Array at 4.8, 8.4,
and 22.4 GHz. The sources had been previously detected in the radio continuum,
which is a proof that the central stars have started ionising their
circumstellar envelopes and an increase in radio flux with time can be expected
as a result of the progression of the ionisation front. Such a behaviour has
been found in IRAS 18062+2410, whose radio modelling has allowed us to
determine that its ionised mass has increased from 10^{-4} to 3.3 10^{-4} M_sun
in 8 years and its envelope has become optically thin at lower frequencies.
Different temporal behaviours have been found for three other sources. IRAS
17423-1755 has shown a possibly periodic pattern and an inversion of its radio
spectral index, as expected from a varying stellar wind. We estimate that the
radio flux arises from a very compact region around the central star (10^{15}
cm) with an electron density of 2 10^6 cm^{-3}. IRAS 22568+6141 and 17516-2525
have decreased their radio flux densities of about 10% per year over 4 years.
While a linear increase of the flux density with time points out to the
progression of the ionisation front in the envelope, decreases as well as
quasi-periodic patterns may indicate the presence of unstable stellar
winds/jets or thick dusty envelopes absorbing ionising photons.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication on MNRA