Chit-chat

It was 13 November and I had been reading my junior weatherman’s book and to my surprise I found a phenomenon! In the distance I could see fanned out sunbeams streaming down to earth through holes in the cumulus clouds. The scene before me actually matched the picture in my book, I’d cracked it now all I had to do was find out what sort of phenomenon I was looking at. The sun, 93 million miles away, shines down through holes in an upper layer of clouds and bounces off the top of the lower layer of clouds, with me so far? OK. The sunlight reflected back towards the upper layer of clouds then reflects back down through the holes in the lower layer of cloud showing up as those beautiful rays of sunshine that make you feel all good and warm if you happen to be directly underneath one. Next phenomenon to look out for is Noctilucent clouds! They appear in the middle of the night in the North at midsummer and what better place than Orkney to look for them! Watch this space.


I met a couple of friends I used to work with and we had a good old fashioned natter and generally put the world to rights and that afternoon Pat and I sat and watched a Grey Squirrel hunt through our garden for some food. He even came and looked through the Patio window and tried that mind trick on us , the one where they look all hungry and pitiful and you’ve just got to give them the last piece of your favourite cake! Only trouble was we’d already eaten it and so the poor Squirrel got none!


Over the last few days I have been weaving and knitting trying to get some bags and scarves ready for Christmas - if anyone would like to see some, leave me a comment and I’ll post some pictures, and Pat has been researching the Amateur Radio regulations. Bharat in Felixstowe rekindled our interest and we are now the proud owners of re-activated Radio Licences and can transmit again. Look out amateurs everywhere, we’re back!


We spent a couple of hours with Roger at our local amateur radio shop (free coffee and it’s warm and friendly inside) learning all about the new equipment that has come onto the market in the last 8 years and boy have we got our work cut out for us now. We’re going to have to swot up on antennas and regulations and all such manner of things and….. on top of that I think I’m going to have a go at learning the Morse code. We don’t have to now but I’ve always fancied being able to listen to it and know what’s being said. It’s going to be a hectic winter here, we’re already getting the TT’s (technology tantrums).


On a lighter note I found a spider in the bath yesterday and decided to leave him in the warm and persuaded him to climb out of the bath by using the hand towel hung over the side. He immediately walked around the rim of the bath and fell back in again.. Thinking of Robert the Bruce I got him on to the floor using the towel again and he crouched against the side of the bath trying to make himself small and invisible. I knew he’d get squashed there so I prodded him in the back to encourage him to go behind the bath panel. The nearer he got to the dark corner the slower he walked and despite my prodding he would not go into the dark hole. I think we’ve got the only spider that’s afraid of the dark!


We’re hoping to be able to get back on the road next week. We seem to have been at home forever and we’re both getting itchy feet. We need the sea!!!