Okay, after a few rants, I thought it was worth redressing the balance with updates on my own life.

PhD still continuing at a steady rate, while in the meantime I had another reunion with old schoolfriends back in March- a very satisfying experience. Then I enjoyed the storms and convection during the first half of April (I forgot to upload my subsequent photos of cumulonimbus cells and lightning- will do soon). I like to pop down to the Grad Bar on some evenings and get a game of pool in- the recent snooker championships have spurred me into a desire to play more cue-based games. (I'm particularly proud that I can play snooker/pool with both hands, though obviously not as well as Ronnie O'Sullivan).

The current weather is quite amazing for the time of year, not exceptional in itself, but if current model runs are near the mark, its persistence will be unusual- temperatures widely into the 20s and mostly unbroken sunshine rarely lasts for more than a few days in May. I didn't feel as enthusiastic about this kind of weather in April 2007, after the abnormal warmth of the preceding half-year, but this feels different- we've had quite a varied spring so far with plenty of cold synoptics and wintry, showery weather, so a notably warm, sunny May would provide a suitable contrast with the frequent average to cool weather of March and April.

Indeed, as I started taking weather records in 1993 (just after the remarkable May 1992), the only really summer-like May that I can vividly remember was that of 2001, although 2004 was also pretty good in Lancaster. But I really do think that May 2008 is likely to be every bit as exceptional as those of 1989 and 1992, maybe even more so.