Oxton Loop, Scottish Borders

28 January 2017

Back in January I had the opportunity to combine a work trip to Edinburgh with a weekend visit with our good friends who live in the Borders. M & K had confidently organised a nice coastal walk, a confidence that came from the fact that, as seasoned walkers and hikers, they had checked the weather forecast. And we checked again on our devices after dinner that Friday evening. OK, it was going to be a bit windy and maybe it would rain for a bit, and we’d be lucky to see the sun through the think grey cloud. But nothing to sidetrack our plans.

Woke up the next morning and the landscape had turned white.

Give the weather forecasters a break – two out of three isn’t bad. It was (kind of) wet, and we certainly couldn’t see the Sun through the grey cloud (and fog). Wear an extra layer, a thermos for tea and, of course, cake. Ready and prepared – off we went.

This endless land of white

 

This endless land of white,

From the skies above it falls,

A trail I left behind,

A blank page yet to come,

The abyss beside me lies so deep,

I barely think it land,

A single well of dreams,

A cold blanket protects,

But I cannot delay,

I must continue on my way,

Throughout nature’s domain.

Photography: Antonio

Words: Mira Sophia

 

Snow on Mauna Loa

When it does snow, we talk a lot about the snow on Mauna Kea as it’s more accessible (and perhaps more visible) from the main populated areas on the  Big Island. However, Mauna Loa also gets a decent sprinkling of snow as this picture shows (taken last week).

Hawaiian snowman

Snow arrived on Mauna Kea as reported in the post below and by Tom. Some neighbours of ours actually drove up to collect some snow in their trunk. This is a tradition here as soon as the snows come in the winter. You see many trucks going up to the summit. The people get out and shovel snow into the back of their trucks (or trunks of cars as in the case of our neighbours!) with their tees, shorts and flip-flops, and then drive back down before it all melts!

Mira decorated our one beautifully, complete with hula skirt, flower behind the ear and hat to protect from the sun!

The snow is back

The mountain is closed for the night and astronomers stranded at the Hale Pohaku Resort & Hotel for Stray Astronomers are huddling by the fire – well, the internet. There are various reports from Tom, Brad, Andrew and Damon provides some interesting video of the impact of the storms at sea level. For a lot of people this is very serious as the flooding the rains are bringing are causing significant damage to their properties.I don’t have any pictures from today, so here’s an image I took last year. The snow was so persistent that it reached all the way down to the 10,000-11,000 ft level. It was the first time that I had seen snow or ice down by the Ice Age Natural Area Reserve sign. There’s irony in that, somewhere.