We extend  our warm best wishes for an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas Day and a healthy and prosperous 2012

Heat Stress factor reading is 43 degrees Celsius

With ocean oil pollution very much in the news there are now reports of confidential data from maritime industry insiders.  Based on engine size and the quality of fuel typically used by ships and cars the report shows that just 15 of the world’s biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as the entire world’s 760m cars. Low grade ship bunker fuel has up to 2,000 times the sulphur content of diesel fuel used in US and European automobiles

An atmospheric research team from Gloucestershire has been monitoring the volcanic ash cloud which has grounded UK flights for a second day.

The team, part of the Swindon-based National Environment Research Council (NERC), took off from Gloucestershire Airport at Staverton on Thursday.

Accompanied by scientists from Oxford, it flew north to the edge of the plume, to collect speed and direction data.

A Dornier 288 plane was adapted to enable the team to take readings.

It was modified with small holes which suck in air, enabling experts to analyse its gas content.

The modifications also mean the team can closely monitor how close to the plume they are, enabling the plane to fly safely near to it.

They looked for evidence of sulphur dioxide – a characteristic gas exhaled by volcanoes which forms sulphuric acid, said Peter Purcell, head of NERC’s airborne research facilities.

“I don’t believe that anybody has really used an aircraft to sample the edge of these plumes before – it is actually very dangerous,” he said.

“If you fly into the ash and your engines stop, you crash.”

A series of canisters positioned under the plane’s wings measure particulates – shards of volcanic ash – in the atmosphere, he added.

Information gathered is expected to aid advice to the airports, as well as improving future forecasts.

The team was standing by on Friday for a second mission.

The grounding of all non-emergency flights from England’s airports – which began on Thursday morning – will remain in place until at least 0100 BST on Saturday, as the plume continues to drift across Britain.

The ash cloud resulted from an eruption in the Eyjafjallajoekull area of Iceland.

Do not be tempted to drive across a flooded roadway.(”Don’t drown; turn around.”) If you find your vehicle stalled in a flooded road way, leave it and seek higher ground. (”Better wet than dead.”)

Kay and Patrick would like to express their thanks to all our sponsors and visitors to the site during 2009, and especially those who have made known to us their interest and encouragement.

Angry travellers said they had been left with no power, air conditioning, food or water.

Rail operator Eurostar said the breakdowns had resulted from technical problems caused by the temperature difference inside the tunnel and freezing conditions outside.

“It is snowing in northern France, it’s very cold, conditions are very bad,” a spokesman for Eurostar, operated by French rail operator SNCF, its Belgian counterpart SNCB and British government-owned LCR, said.

The occasion is celebrated (or rather remembered) on the 5th November. On this date, in 1605, a group of Roman Catholics tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament, with the government, King James I, his Queen and their son.

On the 18th November 1998 we spent a night expecting a ‘free’ firework display of a meteor shower in the wake of comet Tempel-Tuttle. This event happens only once in every 33 years. To many the event turned out to be very much a ‘damp squib’, especially after all the publicity and sky watching.

An extensive high over the Bight covering the whole of Australia was mainly responsible for our weather on the Range. On Wednesday, moist maritime south-easterly winds brought in a little more than the isolated showers forecast and it rained more or less continuously from 3.30am until midnight. Overnight temperatures were above average until Saturday morning when the mercury fell to ten degrees.