LadyPakal

That's a big ash cloud showing there.

Snowdrops peeking through, it will be a few weeks before they flower though.

USGS details: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0000sdh.php

I am glad for this - they have been risking their lives for their only livelihood - these people have little enough, at least they will have something to start over with now.

No, it's not looking good for them at all and there seems to be no sign of it stopping yet, either. Sky News take on the events: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Indonesia-Mount-Merapi-Volcano-Ash-Clouds-Cover-Village-11-Killed-And-Many-People-Injured/Article/201011115795395?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15795395_Indonesia_Mount_Merapi_Volcano:_Ash_Clouds_Cover_Village,_11_Killed_And_Many_People_Injured

Krakatoa was destroyed when it went bang. The new one building in the crater is named Anak Krakatau - (meaning son of Krakatoa)

What I find the most depressing about this whole subject is the general ignorance of the populace about it. For example, reading the Sky comments after their article on this annual debate - rather a lot of them seem to be under the impression that BST is the normal time and that we put the clocks back in the winter for the farmers.... also that somehow we will get more hours of daylight if the clocks didn't go back - it's a miracle!

The Norwegians go in at 7am and home at 3pm normally - that is how they deal with it. French school kids start a bit earlier, finish at 2pm but go to school Saturday mornings to make time up (imagine, parents, being able to food shop on a Sat morning without the kids filling your trolley with stuff when you're not looking). Other countries manage to work around it, so why do we keep getting this same old argument about keeping the clocks forward every autumn? Stick it to GMT and then leave it alone, I say.

There's a happy medium up here in the north, I find - kind of mid way between high summer & mid winter. In summer going to bed at 11pm or later in broad daylight make me feel like a kid again (and that's not something I want to repeat) and getting to sleep is a big problem, plus the birds start up a few short hours later and it is broad daylight & the sun is high before my alarm goes off. Bear in mind I have 2 large (16 & 19lbs in weight) cats who have body clocks that are ruled by daylight hours and you see the problem? In winter, it is dark when I'm waiting for my bus at both ends of the day and often (if the weather is grey & rainy) it doesn't really get light at all. However, the cats can sleep for ever in the winter, so I get as much sleep as I need then. Edited to add - imagine double daylight savings here in the summer - dark maybe by 2am and light again by 6? No dark at all? I think we'd all go mad... I surely would.

More Merapi information from here: http://bigthink.com/ideas/24693 The brief news on Merapi is bad - pyroclastic flows have killed at least 28 people who didn't get a chance to escape. This is consistent with the reports of burns on many of the victims - the seering gas and ash from the pyroclastic flows will do that, even if you're on the periphery of the flow (if you're in the middle, you're dead). From what I've read, the pyroclastic flows were generated by a dome collapse at the summit crater and funneled down the channels on the south side of the volcano. Much of the area and many homes have been covered in ash as well. There is video of the destruction as well, but be warned, it is graphic. It is also hard to believe that people are already trying to return to their homes on the volcano. Reports today suggest Merapi has settled down some, but is still highly danger - for more details check out the comments from Eruptions readers on the previous Merapi post.

Sky news report up to 19 people killed: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Indonesia-Mount-Merapi-Begins-To-Erupt-Up-To-19-Dead/Article/201010415774167?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15774167_Indonesia:_Mount_Merapi_Begins_To_Erupt,_Up_To_19_Dead

BBC article & video here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11631840 A baby has died from inhaling the ash http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/26/merapi-dust-killed-baby.html

Not sure if this one has been mentioned: Mount Merapi It seems they are expecting it to blow.

This online one looks useful - it shows the planet locations too. All Sky UK Starmap

Quad bike.

http://www.simnet.is/jonfr500/earthquake/tremoren.htm - see the earthquake being recorded... the last thing in red shows a lovely bang then a decreasing rumble.

Oo Oo, Aberdeenshire has an orange weather warning. So have parts of NE England. Heavy thundery showers will affect parts of the region through into this evening with isolated torrential downpours expected, especially inland. Rainfall totals of 15mm within 3 hours will occur in places with isolated totals of 30mm during some thunderstorms.

It's been really warm & humid up here today (22 degrees almost - amazing considering it was snowing 2 weeks ago) - I'd say we've been building up to it all week really - cooling down now with a bit of rain. The rumbles are really long - weird. I think the storm is a long way away but the flashes are bright. Looking at the lightning thingy it is inland almost due west. there are some lightning thingies being recorded further south too (Southern Uplands).

Nice timelapse from yesterday. We are having a thunderstorm!

She's just farting... I am embarrassed....for them. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8692993.stm

INteresting comment on the eruptions blog. Comment 17 from here: http://scienceblogs.com/eruptions/2010/05/a_closer_look_at_the_eyjafjall.php#comments 'The following is a comment from a friend at the FAA/Engine Safety Division, regarding the effect of ash on airplane engines: The engineers have been working every day to try to establish an objective "safe" level of ash in order to allow air carriers to operate. Their conclusion is that a low density, the ash cloud is about the same as flying into and out of Bombay, India, with all its air pollution. The real question is who is going to bear the burden of the extra maintenance required after flying through that kind of debris. It may be safe, but it will cause more rapid deterioration of internal engine parts that will have to be replaced sooner than expected. My bet is that you will see the costs of tickets rise to account for that extra cost.'

EQs map updated now the IMO site is working. http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/myrdalsjokull/#view=table

I've been expecting something - a bit like a horror movie when you know there is a huge man-eating shark in the water but all is calm and quiet and someone has just gone for a swim... Long way to go before it really registers compared to long term activity though: http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/Katla2009/gosplott.html From the eruptions blog, #257 latest entry FYI: 'It appears that IMO web site has frozen up. I am recording earthquakes that don't show up on IMO web page when they should.'

Thoro cam clearing somewhat and there is a lot of steam where the glacier used to be up top. Is there also steam rising from one of the peaks above & to the left of it as well, or is it just cloud?

I'm getting all lyrical in my old age... and on that note, time to go home I think!