Occasional musings on meteorology and other bits of Earth science
Author: hcpI don’t seem to find time for this blog unless I am on strike; the last two posts come from the strike of late 2019 and this one is written on the first day of the strike in February/March 2020. (Previous strike posts here, here and here.) I think I have said enough about theContinue reading Writing on the wall
Number 2 child has been at university in Dundee for the last few years. In that time, the drive up to Dundee has taken us past an obvious classic lump a number of times, but we have until now never had time to stop to visit the summit. The driver descending from the plateau aroundContinue reading Above the silvery Tay
Well, here we all are again, out on strike. I am furious and very disappointed that it has come to this. Yesterday was very similar to the first strike day in March 2018: A wet soggy morning on the picket line at King’s Buildings… … followed by a rally in Bristo Square. The PA systemContinue reading Sigh. Again.
When I have had time over the summer, I have got a little more done on the sundial. The Wikipedia page on sundials says that the angle, H, of the hour lines is given by tan H = sin θ tan (15° x t) where θ is the latitude and t is the number of hoursContinue reading Sundial — continued
My current science/garden project is this sundial. The pillar is a pile of bits that we found in the garden, cemented back together. They didn’t all fit; there must have originally been two pillars, of which we have some of both and all of neither. We found the dial in the cellar of the house,Continue reading Sundial
It is peak season for columbines (aquilegias) in the garden right now, so here are some pretty pictures of them. I have a somewhat ambiguous attitude to this plant. On balance, I like it. It has pretty flowers (which the bees like), attractive foliage, and it flowers in that gap when the bulbs and treeContinue reading Columbines
I have written before about my enthusiasm for peas; I’m always excited at this time of year to get my pea plants out and growing in the garden. I was about to get a tray of well sprouted Telephone and Oskar planted out when I saw that they were harbouring a strange interloper. An albinoContinue reading Doomed albino peas
These classic lump posts are like buses: you wait ages for one and then two arrive at once. Gop Hill, near Trelawnyd is at the north end of the Clwydian range of hills, and has the distinctive feature of the largest prehistoric mound in Wales at its summit. It is a short climb from theContinue reading The largest prehistoric mound in Wales
I was back in Snowdonia a week or two ago, staying at the excellent Bron-y-Gader outdoor centre. The weather was chilly, but good enough for a walk up a slightly bigger classic lump than the one I wrote about two years ago. At 610 m, Tal-y-Fan is not enormous. And, as with several spots alongContinue reading Tal-y-Fan: another classic lump
I was down in the south of the Lake District a couple of weekends ago. I did wonder whether it was worth the trip, but I and my daughter managed to make the ascent of a classic lump among classic lumps: Stickle Pike, on the loveliest possible autumn day. (For other classic lumps, see here,Continue reading A classic among lumps.
