picog

The snow has made it down to north Herefordshire — just had a 5 minute snow grain shower!

Yes, it's amazing how the UK authorities do not seem able/willing to keep Jo Public updated about these events — it's the same with foot & mouth and blue tongue. I think that most people have not the vaguest idea how potentially devastating a form of the H5N1 virus that could be transmitted between humans might be. The governments own figures on likely outcomes (morbidity and mortality) for when we get the pandemic seem ludicrous. Stocking up on an antiviral drug that has been shown to be ineffective against H5N1 also seems like another waste of tax payers cash and general ineptitude. Picog

Valencia 99mph

Hi Debs, It looks like it may be clear tonight, so where should I look to see the space station (I'm in Shropshire, near the Welsh border)? Will I need binoculars? Picog

For the first time ever, yesterday we had a kingfisher in the garden. We have a pond (no fish in it), but no close stream or river. It was a very fleeting visit, but the brilliant blue and orange were unmistakable. The regular visitors include blue tits, great tits, greenfinches, chaffinches, dunnocks, goldfinches, house sparrows, robins, blackbirds, song thrushes, mistle thrushes (we have mistletoe in the apple trees), yellow hammers, spotted woodpecker, jackdaws (who live in a hole in one of the bramley apple trees), crows, magpies, jays, and ring neck doves. We also get flocks of starlings and redstarts. On the owl front, we have a barn owl that regularly hunts for voles in the garden, tawny owls, and little owls. Buzzards are also common — in fact, one killed a rabbit in the garden this week (excellent, as the rabbits eat the vegetables). More rarely we get a sparrow hawk trying to catch a bird feeding, bull finches, long-tailed tits and a marsh warbler. Last winter we had 5 robins all feeding in the same area. I'm hoping to see 6 this year! Picog

We have 2cm snow here just south of Ludlow — still snowing and everything is white. (93asl)