Wednesday 31/01/07

Today, a report was published of the findings into the causes of the sinking of the fishingboat The Brothers off Skye last June. Fatigue was quoted as the main contributory factor. Very misty and grey today, totally uninspiring. Head for the shop to get the necessary in. A couple got arrested in Bo'ness on the River Forth west of Edinburgh for the supply of base materials for the production of metamphetamine to the USA. Red phosphorus and iodine crystals are freely available in the UK, but their supply is outlawed in the US. There was also the story of the orcas in the Firth of Forth, eating seals under the Forth Rail Bridge. The report showed our tanker, the Border Heather, steaming upriver towards Grangemouth. Cyclone Dora is intensifying in the Indian Ocean, but is 750 miles from the nearest land. Of more concern is a developing cyclone east of Darwin, Australia. Whilst browsing the Net, I read the weather report from Oimyakon, Russia, which has an average temperature of -50C during the winter months.