Vermilion Sands
An occasional journal
Cloud of the Day: Cumulonimbus
Feb 11th 2020
It’s still raining.
Admin1 is reading The Fire Court by Andrew Taylor and Admin2 is rereading The Thing Itself by Adam Roberts.
A Storm Blows Itself Out
Feb 9th 2020
It blew back again later and delivered more rain in one day (31.8mm) than we had in the whole of January (30.0mm).
Admin2 is reading The Drop & The List by Mick Herron. Admin1 is reading Fallen Angel by Chris Brookmyre, and worked out the culprit, the identity of L and who Amanda was halfway through. Still, a good read.
We scored 9.6 on the GWQ.
Mercury Falling
Feb 6th 2020
Spot the dot (it’s between the two lamp-posts and about a third of the way from the top).
Here is the observation team at work.
The mercury is falling because Storm Ciara is coming.
Admin1 is reading Breathe by Dominick Donald, a superb crime novel set in smog-bound London in 1952; appropriately atmospheric, convincing and beautifully written.
Admin2 is reading Fallen Angel by Chris Brookmyre.
The Moon in the Water in the Wind
Feb 4th 2020
The moon is the wobbly white thing at lower left.
Admin1 is reading Tell No One by Harlan Coben. Admin2 is reading The Cabin by Jorn Lier Horst.
Clouds of the Day: Cumulus humilis divided by Cirrus uncinus
Feb 3rd 2020
Admin1 is reading The Devil’s Dice by Roz Watkins (absurdly melodramatic, in a jolly sort of way). Admin2 is reading Cockroach by Ian McEwan, a cautionary tale about Brexit. Too late.
We scored 8 on the GWQ.
Missing EU Already
Feb 1st 2020
Compare with the papers that started it off: what have they wrought?
You’ve had your chance
Now we have the mandate
If you change your mind
I’m afraid it’s too late
January was our warmest January ever recorded and slightly above average on the solar panel front.
Admin1 is reading The Whisper Man by Alex North — police procedural meets father/son misery lit.
Moss
Jan 30th 2020
Admin1 is reading The Body in the Mist by Nick Louth — police procedural meets Cold Comfort Farm. Admin2 is reading Mother Land by Paul Theroux; seven squabbling siblings and their 100+-year-old manipulative mum.
Weather of the Day: Rain
Jan 28th 2020
Bits of sleet, too; the most wintry weather we’ve had so far.
Admin1 is reading The Body on the Shore by Nick Louth and Admin2 is reading Firefly by Henry Porter.
Nest Eggs
Jan 26th 2020
Part of our Chinese New Year banquet. The eggs were cooked in stew (brown), tea (marbled) and red cabbage (blue, and Admin2′s own invention).
Admin1 is reading The Body in the Marsh by Nick Louth (competent and readable, if a bit predictable) and Admin2 is reading The Scent of Death by Andrew Taylor. Yes we do read tasteful books. We scored 9.5 on the GWQ.
Starlight
Jan 22nd 2020
The stars of Orion tracing out trails as the Earth turns. Betelgeuse on the top left was until a few weeks ago a brilliant orange star but it has recently become much dimmer (now about the same as Bellatrix, top right) and is expected to explode into a supernova at some point in the next 100,000 years.
In an unrelated event, today was our warmest January day ever recorded: 18.1°C.
Admin1 is reading Firefly by Henry Porter, an excellent but distressing thriller about refugees coming to Europe via Lesbos, an ongoing story. Admin2 is reading The Sand Men by Christopher Fowler, a story about expats building a massive high-end shopping complex in Dubai (we saw plenty of ads for this sort of thing on our Emirates flights) which did not need a background ancient conspiracy to be terrifying.
Traffic Lights
Jan 21st 2020
Oh I am enjoying the night photo facility on my phone!
Admin1 is reading The Scent of Death and Admin2 is reading The Second Midnight, both by Andrew Taylor.
City Lights
Jan 19th 2020
Admin1 is reading The Second Midnight by Andrew Taylor and Admin2 is reading The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco, a story that puts all the conspiracies of the 19th century into the hands of one very nasty man.
We scored 11 on the GWQ.
Pink, Orange, Blue and White Sky at Night
Jan 17th 2020
Admin1 is reading The King’s Evil by Andrew Taylor.
Happy Birthday Audrey
Jan 14th 2020
Two cakes!
Admin1 is reading Now You See Them by Elly Griffiths. Admin2 is reading Sewer, Gas & Electric by Matt Ruff (thx Admin1), a mad caper written in 1997 but set in 2023.
We scored 10.5 on the GWQ.
Sight of the Night: Penumbral Eclipse
Jan 10th 2020
This is the only eclipse this year: a faint bit of five o’clock shadow on the moon’s chin, seen through hazy cloud (it was clearer in Sweden).
Admin1 is reading Cabin by Jorn Lier Horst and Admin2 is reading The King’s Evil by Andrew Taylor, a sequel to The Ashes of London with an intermediate volume missing but no spoilers of significance.
The House of the Rising Sun
Jan 9th 2020
Admin1 is reading The Drop & The List by Mick Herron. Admin2 is reading Slow Motion Ghosts by Jeff Noon, which was fairly interesting but rather ridiculous.
We are watching Chernobyl.
Pink Moon
Jan 5th 2020
Half a moon in a rosy sky.
Admin1 is rereading London Rules by Mick Herron and Admin2 is reading The Sea Lady by Margaret Drabble;a boy/girl, man/woman, pensioner meets pensioner story, distinguished by some excellent scientific disquisitions on fish.
We scored 11 on the GWQ
Crowd of the Day: No War with Iran
Jan 4th 2020
The Conservative government has only had a majority for three weeks and already the anti-war crowd needs to hit the streets. At least this time there are Labour banners for the first time in twenty years.
Admin2 is reading Now You See Them by Elly Griffiths (thx Admin1); more entertainers, more murders.
Critter of the Day: Squirrel
Jan 2nd 2020
This cheeky animal is eating next door’s birdseed.
Admin1 is rereading Spook Street by Mick Herron and Admin2 is reading Dan Leno & the Limehouse Golem by Peter Ackroyd: music halls and murders.
Happy New Year
Jan 1st 2020
Another year over and a new one just begun. 2019 was a good year for us but a terrible one for the world. Today we found out that this year there will be no May Day holiday but VE Day instead. How fast things are moving in the wrong direction.
Admin1 is rereading Dead Lions by Mick Herron. We are watching Game of Thrones season 8 (thanks Admin2!).
The solar panel summary for 2019 is now available. TL;DR: third best!