Puffy MacCloud

Sorry to hear of your condition @mardatha but glad that you’ve learned to cope with it. We’re beginning to sound like the weather ward in here. Keep taking the pills everyone. Another beautiful day of cloudless blue sky, sunshine, and crisp, frosty atmosphere that I love. Well, except for the slippery ground conditions that had me doing my Bambi on speed impression as I tried to fill the bird feeders. And my lungs hurt in the cold now, which isn’t perfect. However, the breeze has dropped to nothing today, so for most people it’s a get out and exercise sort of day. Temperature currently the high for the day at 3.8⁰C up from the low of -1.6⁰C at 09:55, humidity is 76%, wind is 0 to 2mph west-northwesterly with a maximum gust of 10mph at 00:35, pressure is 1014.9hPa rocketing upwards, there’s been no rainfall in the last 24 hours, cloud cover is 0/8 and the dew point is at 0⁰C.

Thank you @dryfie for your concern and advice; both are much appreciated. I’ve had a number of courses of steroids over the last two years or so and no adverse effects to this point. However as soon as the post-festive pink elephants and red-nosed unicorns disappear I’ll reassess the situation and take the appropriate action. I got a warning on my phone at 09:00 saying it would snow at 10:00. This was surprising as there wasn’t a single cloud anywhere in the sky at the time. Come 10:00 and still no clouds, nor at 12:00, nor at 14:00, nor at 16:00 and not now. It’s been a beautiful sunny day throughout. Blooming Baltic though, and breezy all day. High temperature for the day was 2.2⁰C at 12:38 up from a low of -2.4⁰C at 03:58 and now 0.1⁰C, humidity is 88%, wind 9 to 20mph northwesterly, pressure 1003.6hPa rising slowly, there’s been no rainfall in the last 24 hours and cloud cover is 0/8 with the dew point at -1⁰C.

The sky has cleared, wind has completed its swing around to the north and so the temperature has dropped to -2.4⁰C now, while pressure has risen to 1000.6hPa steady and the dew point has fallen to -3⁰C, leading Diablo to postulate that snow might be on the way. So that’s that faffed then.

I designated yesterday as a no alcohol day and a healthy eating day following days and days of debauchery, and, surprisingly, I stuck to the plan all day. Actually, it wasn’t difficult as I had ample reserves of food and drink on board after a family get together on New Year’s Day when I disappeared a load of assorted beers, wines and whiskies together with half a family sized steak pie, all of which I blame on the vast quantities of steroids I’m taking at the moment that fuel my appetite. Today I intend to continue with the plan. Abstinence makes the tum grow smaller. Weather-wise, high temperature for today was 8.6⁰C at 01:03 sinking to 6.7⁰C at 11:35 and now back up to 7.2⁰C, humidity is 92%, wind is now 0 to 2mph westerly having swung round from southerly earlier and with a maximum gust of 22mph at 01:09, pressure is 996.0hPa rising slowly, there’s been 8.0mm of rain so far today and cloud cover is 8/8.

Temperature high for today was 9.9⁰C at 14:19 up from a low of 5.9⁰C at 02:05, maximum humidity was 91% and minimum was 79%, wind generally 5 to 13mpg southerly with a maximum gust of 18mph, pressure around 994.2hPa steady, there was 0.6mm of rain today and in the last 24 hours, cloud cover was from 6/8 to 8/8 so it was mostly dull despite still being unseasonably warm.

Happy New Year my darling Kilties. Here’s tae us, Wha’s like us? Damn few and they’re a’ deid! It’s 13.0⁰C up from a low of 10.9⁰C at 00:38, humidity is 73%, wind 3 to 9mph south-southwesterly with a maximum gust of 25mph at 08:02, pressure is 1001.0hPa rising slowly, there’s been 1.8mm of rainfall today and 2.6mm in the last 24 hours, cloud cover is 4/8, the sun is out and it’s a nice day.

My new high-capacity oxygen line arrived at lunchtime and so I’ve made it through to my study for the first time since the 7th of December, which is nice. It means that I can provide some science-based, rather than just observational, weather data at long last. I may even scroll through the menus on my weather station console to note the data for the month, if I can remember how. Of course, I wouldn’t have to do that if the data logger thingy I got with the console had actually worked, rather than refusing to be recognised on my PC, then turning a deaf ear to my shouted instructions, and then exploding as it accidentally hit the study wall at 90mph, but there you go. Today the temperature now is the high so far at 11.9⁰C up from a low of 9.6⁰C at 02:16, humidity is 85%, wind is 4 to 12mph southerly with a maximum gust of 19mph at 10:39, pressure is 1007.0hPa rocketing upwards, there’s been 4.8mm of rain today (mostly before sunrise,) and 6.6mm in the last 24 hours, cloud cover is 8/8 and the dew point is at 9⁰C, so snow unlikely I would guess. December highs – temperature 12.2⁰C, humidity 97%, wind 25mph, pressure 1041.4hPa, rainfall total 112.6mm. December lows – temperature -3.6⁰C, humidity 72%, pressure 964.5hPa, dew point -6⁰C. Yearly highs – temperature 28.2⁰C, humidity 97%, wind 29mph, pressure 1042.8hPa, total rainfall 1201.6mm. Yearly lows – temperature -9.7⁰C, humidity 28%, pressure 964.5hPa, dew point -11⁰C. (All the above according to Diablo, so care advised.)

Photos are from a year ago. Today isn't like that at all. Not at all. It's grey, dull, damp and warm. Almost stuffy inside so I've opened windows all over the cottage. Fresh air festiveness!

Oh, so that was the monument? I assumed it was the @mardatha house. I wondered how she got her hands on such a magnificent erection.

Yesterday turned out to be an odd day really. You know these text message scams you get, the ones telling you about a mythical delivery you’ve got coming, and instructing you to phone a number to make arrangements that then costs you £500 a minute? Well, I’ve had a couple lately, about furniture being delivered, that I’ve studiously ignored so as not to be caught out. Except that a bloody wing-backed armchair in a dreadful beige check pattern arrived in the middle of the afternoon, delivered by two pleasant enough operatives who brought it in, set it up, and left. Oh, and they said the rest of the order will be delivered next week… Oh God. What have I done? Later on my daughters arrived for tea. I think the older one was looking a tad sheepish when she saw my new chair. I will investigate that further, later. They decided that my long term investment in the Father Christmas look (shoulder length greyish hair and matching beard down to my chest,) had reached its natural end, so they pulled me out of my ermine cuffed red wool jacket, sat me down and set about my head with a beard trimmer set to very, very short. Half an hour later, sat amidst enough hair and beard clippings to fill several nesting boxes, they declared me fit to enter the New Year. Or prison. Whichever comes first. Then, late evening, the owner of the wee black curly-coated dug arrived to reclaim her darling, none too pleased at having been set around the houses to find the bloody animal. So I awoke this morning without the customary tongue in my ear and tail being wagged in my face, which, dogs aside, is not a bad way to be woken up. And now, here I sit today in my new chair, with no hair and no dog, looking out at another dull day, bit of a breeze, dry, and so warm that I’ve switched the heating off again. A fine day to check my overly-festive drunken browsing history.

Hard to tell what kind of day it is because it’s still dark. 09:45 and still flipping dark. Not dull. Dark. However, I’ve sent the little black weather sensor out to do a check and it’s come back wet underneath, wet on top, not particularly cold and somewhat windswept, if not interesting. I can see that the front windows are also wet, meaning that there’s an easterly component to the wind, and I can see little else, which means the overcast cloud is thick and dense. Hang on, the weather sensor wants back inside; you can work the rest out for yourselves.

Got home yesterday and now enjoying splendid isolation for the first time in ten days since I went into hospital. Well, except for the wee black dug, which means I am never on my own no matter what I want to do. Not sure exactly how I ended up with the animal but I’m pretty sure it happened while I was asleep. So now we’re sitting looking out at the weather together and from time to time the dog goes out to the garden to take, and leave, samples. From these I can tell you that it’s cool rather than cold, it’s wet underfoot but not raining, and I can see that the earlier sunshine has been lost to thin overcast stuff and there is no breeze at all. Not a bad day, all in all.

Turns out that watching snow falling, even at this festive time of year, is a subjective enterprise. Last night, for example, as I watched the snowflakes fluttering down from the hole in the barn roof right above me, and felt the soft coldness of them landing on my hay bale, my tilley lamp and me, I was prompted to observe that you can shove your faffing white Christmas up your apse ended barn, I’m going to get the roof fixed. Jolly cold today, calm, overcast and occasional flurries of snowy type stuff. Happy turkey sandwich to you all.

Well, there we were again, propped up in the old four-poster, looking out at the street in front of my cottage and watching the drizzle all very much as before. Except for the dog. Unexpected dog. The wee, black, floppy-eared, curly haired dog that licks a lot. The dog isn’t mine. It came with my daughter, who moved in to oversee my recovery. The dog isn’t hers either. It was left with her mother by a friend who’s abroad visiting family, but mum is also now away visiting family, so the dog’s here. And I mean right here. Under my armpit helping me type this. And here is now up at the farm where I’ve been whisked off to for Christmas. I’m quartered in the barn, in a bale of hay with the sheep and chickens and something that rustles occasionally over in the corner by the door, for that authentic Christmas experience, although I suspect it’s a lot colder than the original. Thankfully no angels yet. Just the hound from Hell. It’s a bright, almost sunny day, but deeply cold and gently breezy, and smelling of poultry and animals. I wish you all, specially those a bit under the weather, all the very best of the season. Have a great day.

Home! Tired. Raining. Nap.

Mist has dispersed and I'm told I might get out tomorrow, which has raised my mood as much as the temperature on the models at 5 days plus.

Started off (07:30) cloudy and frosty this morning with 7/8 cloud cover and a decided look of coldness about the place. Now the mist has descended again, the frost has changed to a thick dew, and it looks a tad less cold. All this discerned through the window of my private room, you understand. You’re in the company of royalty here, dear Scotties.

You mean you went in there armed with nothing but logic and fair-minded compromise?! Wow! The sheer, mad-cap bravery of the man. The sun is breaking through the fog now giving that gorgeous quality of light that makes everything look slightly soft and hazy, as if one is looking through very lightly obscured glass. Oh no, hang on a minute, I’m havering again. I am looking through lightly obscured glass. Kindly unread this last bit.

Good morning all you free-roamers out there. It’s a foggy looking day from where I’m sitting and I can see frost on the ground, or maybe a heavy dew, so it looks cold and even in here it feels cold, especially when one is wearing one of those ridiculous goonies where your bahoochie hings oot the back. Why do they make you wear those? For fun I suppose. No sign of the fog lifting any time soon. BBC weather app has given up on snow for Christmas at this location but it’s been replaced with cold temperatures and sunny skies, which is absolutely the next best thing.

I am, and I am, thank you kindly for asking Norrance. Saw this a bit earlier. Alloway, which is where my ipad approximates my location, is right on the coast. Snowy beach walks! Whoop whoop!!

You have my complete sympathy JamesM, and I hope your recovery continues at pace, but I bet you didn’t have to trick your way into hospital in the first place. I did. Yesterday I had to lie to the NHS to circumvent an impossible situation entirely concocted by my useless GP practice. Regular readers will recall that I previously thought I’d actually managed to penetrate my GP surgery’s impregnable defences earlier on in the week, and I had in a way, but I hadn’t really; I’d only got as far as the System Administrator. I did however receive a reply, and in fairly swift order. It said that as my enquiry related to Covid 19 related symptoms the surgery couldn’t deal with it due to ‘new’ advice from the Scottish Government insisting that all such matters be directed towards NHS 24 by phone on 111. That annoyed me because I have a respiratory condition that entails displaying respiratory system type symptoms without my lungs having any knowledge that these are inevitably similar to symptoms of other respiratory complaints, like, say, Covid 19 for instance. Any self-respecting GP practice would know that having one didn’t necessarily mean having the other. I resolved to respond with the snottiest of all snotty epistles ever, but was disturbed halfway through, after about three hours, by the phone ringing. The display said “GP Surgery”. Play it cool, Puff, play it cool “Hello,” said I. “Hello, this is Doctor “%&*£^%&” said she who doesn’t work Wednesdays because it spoils two long weekends at her holiday home in Fife, I’m calling regarding your request via AskMyGP.” “Oh good,” said I, “I won…” “So just to stop you there,” she says, (I can hear seagulls in the background.) “We have new instructions from Scottish Government saying we ‘must’ refer any cases with Covid 19 symptoms to NHS 24, and you have Covid 19 symptoms.” “No, I have pulmonary fibrosis, as you are well aware, and I’m very nearly unable to breath as we speak”, I managed to say without swearing. And without passing out. Just. “You could have Covid 19.” “No, I did a test yesterday and two days before and I don’t have Covid 19.” “Can’t help, Scottish Government says I can’t. And I’m very busy getting ready to go on a course.” “St. Andrew’s?” “Pardon?” The next bit isn’t capable of being reported here due to the potential for children to be present. Or adults of a sensitive disposition. Or moderators. Right, 111 it is then. For those who haven’t called NHS 24 on 111, it’s a question and answer pre-recording type thingy. It’s also currently configured to identify Covid 19 cases, with a limited number of other conditions, and reject all others by referring these back to their GPs. Ring, ring, ring, click, “Hello, this is NHS 24, please listen to the following questions and respond as appropriate. 1, Do you have Covid 19?” “No.” Then it asked maybe four or five other questions and concluded, “You do not currently qualify for NHS 24 assistance. You should refer to your GP. Thank you for calling.” Click. “Bugger.” 111 again. Same message, same first question, “Do you have Covid 19?” “Yes.” “Please hold the line, an operator will be with you momentarily.” “GET-IN!!!” “Hello, I’m the operator, my name is Angel, what symptoms do you have?” “Em, well, actually, I don’t have Covid 19 but this was the only way I could get through to you.” “Sorry, can’t help, you should refer to your GP.” Click. “Bugger!” 111 again, again. Same message, same first question, “Do you have Covid 19?” “Yes.” “Please hold the line, an operator will be with you momentarily.” “Hello, I’m the operator, my name is Hope, what symptoms do you have?” “ I have shortness of breath, high temperature, continuous cough, loss of taste, loss of smell, rancid boils and suppurations (steady, Puff, steady,) and I’m about to pass out (which was true). She asked for my name and address and dispatched an ambulance, which arrived half an hour later, just as my daughters arrived. What happened next deserves a tale of its own, but we’ve all had enough of this for now, so I’ll precis the next bit. I told the very nice paramedic ladies the truth and explained the sad tale that had tricked them into this situation. Completely unphased they started connecting wires, pipes and cables to me and soon the box of tricks was blasting out a series of beeps, boops, squeaks, donks, and trills in a concerto of salvation. “You’re not at all well,” they said, “why did you wait so long to call us out?” “Emmmm….” “Never mind, we’re taking you to hospital right faffing now.” “Crosshouse?” “No, it’s full, Ayr.” And here I am, having done an ECG or two, CT Scan, X-rays, blood tests aplenty including that horrible one they do in your wrist, and constant SATS, blood pressure tests, heart rate and probably others they did in my sleep last night. So far so good. Oh, here comes another test… Daughters brought down some stuff for me this afternoon, travelling down in perfect sunshine, and drove past a view of Arran floating in a sea of mist, as attached. Half an hour later the fog was almost too dense for them to get home. Bonkers weather.

I managed to sneak through the surgery’s defences this morning in an online dawn raid and was able to leave a message, which I decided should be diagnostic rather than diatribal, despite initial urges. Now back in forward observation post awaiting a reaction… Dull morning outside. It’s bin day, just so as you know.

Nicer day today with some reflected sunshine making it into my bedroom in the afternoon for a couple of hours. Wee bit of rain early in the morning. Wind stuck around a gentle breeze. I’ve been persuaded to seek help from my GP as I’m getting worse and not better. AskMyGP says “$^&$%!* Medical Practice isn’t currently accepting online requests”. There isn’t an operational alternative option. If I don’t make it through this I swear I’m going to haunt the basket to Hell.

The view from the window today hardly merits a report, but here goes anyway. It’s dreich. Very dull, occasional showers and signs of a fairly fresh breeze. Already getting dark. But, @edo, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing worth watching. I have a machine here that extracts oxygen out of the air around it and it’s turned up to such a level that it’s starting to have an effect outside my cottage where an oxygen vacuum has resulted and dogs and small children are going wobbly-legged as they try to pass in the street. Parents are starting to look a bit threatening. I think I may be pulled up in front of the Witchfinder General before too long.

Spent another day in the downstairs bedroom propped up in the four-poster watching the world go by in the street outside. My weather observations are thus:- cloudy but bright, maybe a sprinkling of rain judging by the waterproofs being worn, not too breezy. I have no figures for any of that. What I do have figures for though is my blood oxygen level, which fell to 74% following an aborted trip to the kitchen. That figure is poor even for me as I’m usually between 87% and 90%. (You are probably around 98%.) My cleaners are here tomorrow. Maybe they can make me a mug of tea and feed me a doughnut. And pump me up a bit.