The fight against global warming may be struggling but I see the UK and Scotland in particular have the problem licked, at least at local and national level. 11.7C in Aberdeen today- very impressive result.

I have been urging my neighbours to increase their endeavours ( cutting down on barbecues and paella parties etc) in order to match those excellent achievements, but to little avail, although a bit of coastal haar today has brought some temporary relief, keeping the temperature down below 30C.

Congratulations to all concerned. Keep up the good work- you know it makes sense

I'm doing my bit too, Bilbo.
I've stuck to using rain water to water the garden with ... three weeks now ... and if it keeps up like this it'll be a wash-out for Saturday's birthday BBQ so definitely gettin' intae this fight against global warming
... but I'd be prepared tae give it a miss on Saturday.

Keep up your electrolite level (Bacardi & Coke). Good luck for the burfday bash. I had my 69th in Turkey 3 weeks ago and so was on the raki.

Cheers Bill. I've got photographs of year upon year of birthday BBQs where golf umbrellas are keepin' the Meisterchef dry in the storm.
Glorious 34° during the week and all day Saturday till around 5 or 6 when the fire's about to get lit. You can watch the storms building up in the southwest in the Swiss mountains and then time them; here in an hour and a half.
Over here the Summer Solstice produces ... storms

Tomi, ever thought of just poaching the food

See, this is the beauty of the worldwideweb ... There's always an older and wiser head out there with the right answer.

The first and last time I was on that stuff I bought it from an Arab off licence who sold it in 7 different proofs. Being young, foolish and Scottish I bought the top of the tree, the one that caused major hallucinations, absence of all sensation and a medical intervention hang over.

It's winter here but that's only a cultural distinction left over from colonial times. Round about Christmas when it's 35.C (95Fh) Listening to the happy clappers singing about the "snow lay on the ground" ''White Christmas"
And sending cards with holly branches and freezing reindeers driven by blokes in thermal red survival suits leaves me rather bemused. The temperature dropped to 19C today but the weather was beut. no humidity clear blue skies and a breeze. It is advisable to poach food in the Summer
TH. according to Taoist dietary principals any way. However in practise, taste wise nothing beats a "Barbie"( double entendre not intended; on second thoughts???) at any time.

I heard this report on the news last night.

preliminary report from an international panel of marine experts said that the condition of the world's seas was worsening more quickly than had been predicted.

The scientists, gathered for a workshop at Oxford University, warned that entire ecosystems, such as coral reefs, could be lost in a generation.

Already fish stocks are collapsing, leading to a risk of rising food prices and even starvation in some parts of the world.

The experts blamed the increased amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for pushing up ocean temperatures, boosting algae so there is less oxygen and increasing acidity of the water.

The conditions are similar to every previous mass extinction event in the Earth's history.
-----------------------

World's oceans move into 'extinction phase'
The next generation may lose the opportunity to swim over coral reefs or eat certain species of fish, scientists have warned, as the world's oceans move into a 'phase of extinction' due to human impacts such as over-fishing and climate change.

Does nobody, well nobody any enviromentalist takes notice of, attribute the decline in fish stocks to the rapacious appetites of the countries with the biggest clout. America, north and south, Japan , ignore all conservation treaties on conserving tuna. Look in your supermarket and see the sheer ammount of tuna available; then equate it with store stock around the world. A giant Irish factory fishing ship was refused entry to Australian waters because of the huge ammounts of fisheries it could devastate in a single pass. And have a look at the Grand Banks in Canada No cod for the last ten years due to it being fished without regulation.

Well, the storms have passed and it's drying up a treat and Colin and I can finish off triming my massive hedge which we started Wednesday before rain stopped play.
Lookin' good for tommorows BBQ.
Meanwhile our Twin Town in England has just been given the title "Sunniest Spot in England". So get off down there and cheer yourself up.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-20...iest-spots.html

Thanks Tom , but for the time being , I'll stay here.

There can be no forgetting-or forgiving-such catastrophic pillaging, Sparked by a second wave of environmentalism focusing on the state of the world's oceans, the Grand Banks cod collapse became a talking point, a sujet noir, now studied at universities and fisheries research centres, wherein students from around the world repeat this mantra: we must never allow our fisheries to go the way of the Grand Banks cod.

I'm now wondering , because of the critical condition of the oceans
should we even bother about the fisheries

I was was a deck hand on trawlers in the 60's sailing out of Grimsby mainly fishing for white fish (cod, haddock, sole and plaice) in the North sea. Even then there were complaints that the North sea was overfished and that the future of the fishing industry didnt look to good, those days the complaint was about Spanish and Russian trawlers using a net mesh that was to small.

What news of the charcoal Tomi, is it glowing yet

I've just looked at the time!
Great night.
One guest was a guy whom I met who used to part-time where I took the job where I could meet Mary. He was a Customs Officer; a border guard ... Born-Again-Christian border guard.
We hadn't seen him or his wife for years so when Mary bumped into them she invited them to my do.
He's now the über, über, über, uber über Chief Kommisar der POLIZEI.
The Big nebby.
Our Werner.
Soon as he and wife left, around midnight, Kriss was off to skin one up.
Took all precautions and set out Plan B because of the heavy clouds which hung around all day but it was warm enough and only after darkness fell did we notice what a brilliant diamond studded sky we had above us. Standing in a dark corner I could cleary make out the Milky Way ; with my eyes: LOL
Dolores, an Italian friend brought me a self made Birthday cake ooozzin' wi fruit and ... 67 candles on it.
I bet you aint got that many candles in your church.

Any way, I'm off; kriss is up 9, Colin flies back to Berlin at dinnertime and daylight's paintin' the western sky here from this window so I'm off.
Cheers all.

Must have been some party, Tomi ! The sun rising in the west an' all.

From this window Bill I can only see the west and northwest sky so when there's daylight filling that part then it was long over the eastern horizon.

Really Tomi, you should get out more

I'd love to go out now ... but it's over 35° on the SW facing balcony

You obviously had a great birthday, TeeHee. Your cake sounds delicious. Hope you have a nice year and many more.

Och, did yi' leave the barbeque burnin'

That's my reminder now that when I've drank this coffee I have to go and clean the BBQ grill ... in this heat
Last Wednesday and Friday (Thurs. was a national holiday where everything stops ) Colin and I were trimming the hedges during the 1/2 hour intervals in otherwise continual downpours.
Right up until we fired up the BBQ around 6pm Sat. we were still unsure if the tables should be brought into the garage.
After a few nippy sweeties we couldn't care less.

Now we have a heatwave.

... and at 5.30pm the temperature reading on the balcony thermometer was an incredible 38.5°C with the rollerblind down all the way, Sun was at WSW at that time.

... and further, 30°C at 9.30pm while watering the grass ... rolleyes.gif

Global warming may be real but if it is to blame for the awful light bulbs we are suffering methinks people are taking the green/global bit a tad too far. Don't know if the europeans are being forced to use these bulbs but next week I intend to go out and stock up on the old bulbs - as many as I can get my hands on. There's no ambience, the lighting is either glaring or dull and the ones that are supposed to match the old 100 watt are nowhere near it.
That's my grumble for the week.

Man / women / person made coo fart globlal warming is twaddle, it is merely a lame excuse expounded by capitalist goverments to levy "green taxes" on the poor suffering public.

Aye Chrissy, here in the UK incadescent filaments are on the way out in favour of those horrible mercury filled "low energy" affairs. They are souless and create the ambience of a morgue. Yet ahain, we are being reamed by idiotic Euro legislation. <SPITS>

Many are unaware that these low energy bulbs present a big problem that aint been thought about much, that is their disposal at the end of their life cycle.

You see these things are are pretty full of Mercury, and thats a pretty nasty element to dispose of or recycle. Out of the frying pan into the fire, yet again.

Anyways, I am stocking up with boaxes of auld fashioned candle bulbs fur my ball room chandaliers here in Ra' Palais de La Toonhiede.

Goat standards to maintain due to entertaining dignities, royalies and similiar scunners.

I agree with you regarding the quality of light provided by low energy bulbs, but I think your comments about mercury a bit OTP. Your picking on the EU is highly biased, given that this development is pretty well global.


http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/news/200...ry/07010803.asp

Och awe, there is nothing a bit OTP when dealing with Mercury, if yer have ever handled it or it's compounds or "guises" it is a no brainer that, no matter how it is dressed up in glossy web sites / mags / witeffer that in any quantity, it's pretty nasty, 'orrible stuff. However, it is necessary in certain techologies due to its unique quality, liquid metal at "normal" tempertures and when excited by electrons it emits uv radiation. Been used in floo tubes fur dunkeys years.

It's a strange element, it is heavy yet with prolonged exposure it builds up in yer brain no yer feet! Also, it's effects are cumalitive, one you got this guff inside yer there is nothing that can be done to get rid of it just builds up on each contact, ultimately like life, it's effects are fatal.

Ye may recall the expression "As mad as a hatter". This comes from the days when hatters used mercury in the process of manufacturing tophats. I have had the pleasure of working with the stuff in instrument making / calabration as ye dea. It used to come in wee 1lb staine jars. Drop a wee blob and see how far it spreads. Worse than this accidently spill it on an airframe and see how popular you are with the riggers as the airframe transforms intae Swiss moosetrap cheese.

Eventually LED technology will prolly supercede this form of lighting, however it is still relatively costly, so not ecomonic. Hence, it's is always better to pollute the planet than spend coppers developing a replacement.

As for the EU, of course I am a tad biased. I am no exactly yer standard flag waving "Europhile." However, it is EURO legislation that it forcing this change on the UK.
It goes without much saying I am all for getting out the accursed bliddy EU. The Common Market notion was fine but the shebang has become a self consuming monster now. Jist imagine, "United States of Europe" with President Blair at the helm... god help us.

My faither and grandfaither, many uncles and grand uncles fought to prevent us from becoming an annex of "Europe", only to be sold out by politicains.

Right it's Friday, its..... Suns nearly oer the yardarm, so it time for medications, will be leaving oot the Mercury, for today.

Hope Murray can pit Nadal in his place! Oot the semi finals!

the South African goverments contribution to the Kyoto agreement was to initially hand out millions of energy saving globes into the black townships, they have now started going round the houses and flats in the suburbs replacing old style globes on a one for one swop basis.

... but for a freelance rigger it made for a good wee earner.

Time to shut down and get out in the bathed in sunshine garden now.

1st July and it´s gone like the Scootish Highlands now, apart from the temperature. All misty and clammy.

lovely weather here , I've been out in the yard most of the morning
before it gets to hot , hope this weather stays over the holiday weekend

Things are back to normal now- sunshine and blue sky. It can change so quickly here, just as in Scotland. Maybe it´s because we are in a valley. Getting ready for the gran invasión on Monday- the daughter and family for 3 weeks.

well Bill , that will keep you and your lady wife busy for awhile ,
hope you all have a pleasant time.

Och well, always next year Andy missed a few real sitters and well.... was punished and deserved it.

Whits this nonesence aboot global warmin.
Its the middle of winter here one o'clock in the afternoon and only 12c and rainin.
We dont get rain in winter whats goin on? normally its blue skys and plus minus 18c
Global warmings a fallacy LOL

Aye, and practicin' his bowing didnae help either.

we have been having glorious weather in this part of Ontario,
its about 10am here and with the humidex reading the temp is about
32' cel. and promises to get hotter as the day goes on ,
but for some areas they are forcasting severe storms , that should dry the air somewhat.

Winter here and the weather is glorious; 20C. every day, blue skies only 55% humidity and the ocean's as flat as a tack with hundreds of whales passing all month. It's school holidays and the visitors are getting better conditions than last summer. Why isn't it always like this??? I suppose we need something to complain about.

Dunvegan , you have described such a lovely picture and with the pefect temp. for me , it's about lunch time here and the humidex reading is already in the 30s +, and I find that quite uncomfortable and the forcast is for higher humidity over the weekend
during this time my little contrbution to global warming , is to
raise the airconditioning temp. at home a few degrees higher which cuts down the use of hydro, I would like the house a bit cooler , but I'll
just suffer, for the good of mankind.

We've had quite a pleasant day weatherwise today, bit humid but only a minor smirr of rain. Not so for our friends from Embra, 15 minutes of rain today left several areas (including Morningside) under water and houses getting flooded. Yep, still summer and still July

Never mind Ash , just pack your bags and you and you wife go somewhere really nice , for a holiday Try California. it's dryer.

Where do you need air conditioning at this time of the year Angel?. I, got air conditioners but never use them except when the humidity gets over 80%. I dont like them except to cool down the bedroom for an hour on hot humid nights or when we have company at for dinner in the summer. Heat never bothers me; cold does and excess humidity.

Dunvegan , to answer your question I need air conditioning in my car and my house, could not survive without it , warm house in the winter and cool house in the summer , when there is little humidity the house is cool, Humidity over 40% I would'nt be able to move ,I just might die.

Angel

I know how you feel. At 6pm this evening in NY the temp was 83 but the humidity was 92. I don't get along with humidity either.

N.Y. is famous / notorious for the humidity in July. Now I know why you are using an air conditioner.

Play has been suspended at the Scottish open golf until 2pm at the earliest because of the rain. Aye, it's still summer and still July

I'm sure the rain will stop sometime Ash.

At 8am the humidity reading was 73% and the humidex reading
was 31C , of course this will change as the day goes on. we have
lots of sunshine.