Chilly Summer

Here be the forecast maximum temperatures today in Western Australia. Perth's all-time lowest Feb maximum is 19 degrees, and we'll struggle to surpass that with a full day of rain ahead.


Forecast for Thursday 9 February 2017

Kimberley

Location		Max.	Summary
Broome		32 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.
Derby		32 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.
Fitzroy Crossing		32 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.
Kalumburu		30 °C	Showers. Storm possible.
Wyndham		31 °C	Showers. Storm possible.
Kununurra		30 °C	Showers. Storm possible.
Argyle		30 °C	Showers. Storm possible.
Halls Creek MO		30 °C	Showers. Possible storm.
Bidyadanga		33 °C	Possible shower or storm.
Wallal		32 °C	Showers. Possible storm.

Pilbara

Location		Max.	Summary
Exmouth		27 °C	Rain periods. Storm possible.
Onslow		28 °C	Rain periods. Likely storm clearing.
Karratha		28 °C	Showers. Wind easing.
Roebourne		29 °C	Showers.
Port Hedland		29 °C	Showers.
Marble Bar		28 °C	Showers.
Paraburdoo		28 °C	Possible morning storm. Showers.
Tom Price		24 °C	Possible morning storm. Showers.
Newman		27 °C	Showers. Windy.
Barrow Island		29 °C	Rain periods. Likely storm clearing.
Dampier		29 °C	Showers. Wind easing.
Pannawonica		26 °C	Rain periods. Likely storm clearing.
Telfer		34 °C	Possible shower or storm.

Gascoyne

Location		Max.	Summary
Carnarvon		27 °C	Windy. Rain periods. Storm likely.
Coral Bay		26 °C	Rain periods. Storm possible.
Meekatharra		32 °C	Shower or two. Becoming windy.
Denham		29 °C	Windy. Rain periods. Late storm likely.
Gascoyne Junction		30 °C	Showers. Storm possible.
Mount Magnet		32 °C	Shower or two. Windy.
Mount Augustus		27 °C	Showers. Possible storm.
Murchison		31 °C	Showers increasing.
Paynes Find		27 °C	Shower or two.
Yalgoo		29 °C	Rain increasing. Wind easing.

Goldfields

Location		Max.	Summary
Kalgoorlie		21 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.
Leonora		31 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.
Laverton		31 °C	Showers. Possible storm.
Leinster		34 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.
Norseman		18 °C	Rain periods.
Coolgardie		20 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.
Kambalda		21 °C	Showers. Possible storm.
Wiluna		34 °C	Possible shower. Windy.

Eucla

Location		Max.	Summary
Eucla		25 °C	Partly cloudy.
Balladonia		21 °C	Rain periods.
Cocklebiddy		24 °C	Possible shower or storm.

North Interior

Location		Max.	Summary
Balgo Hill		32 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.
Kiwirrkurra		37 °C	Shower or two. Possible storm.

South Interior

Location		Max.	Summary
Warburton		38 °C	Possible shower or storm.

Central West

Location		Max.	Summary
Kalbarri		29 °C	Rain increasing.
Geraldton		29 °C	Rain periods. Becoming windy.
Jurien Bay		23 °C	Rain periods. Becoming windy.
Morawa		27 °C	Rain increasing.
Moora		20 °C	Rain periods.
Badgingarra		21 °C	Rain periods.
Carnamah		25 °C	Rain periods. Wind easing.
Dongara		29 °C	Rain periods.
Eneabba		25 °C	Rain periods. Becoming windy.
Mullewa		27 °C	Rain increasing.
Northampton		28 °C	Rain increasing.

Lower West

Location		Max.	Summary
Ellenbrook		19 °C	Rain periods.
Yanchep		20 °C	Rain periods.
Perth		20 °C	Rain periods.
Joondalup		20 °C	Rain periods.
Scarborough		20 °C	Rain periods.
Fremantle		20 °C	Rain periods.
Rockingham		20 °C	Rain periods.
Midland		18 °C	Rain periods.
Kalamunda		17 °C	Rain periods.
Armadale		17 °C	Rain periods.
Swanbourne		20 °C	Rain periods.
Rottnest Island		21 °C	Rain periods. Windy.
Mandurah		20 °C	Rain periods.
Pinjarra		21 °C	Rain periods.
Gingin		19 °C	Rain periods.
Lancelin		20 °C	Rain periods.

South West

Location		Max.	Summary
Bunbury		24 °C	Rain at times developing.
Busselton		26 °C	Possible rain developing.
Margaret River		25 °C	Partly cloudy.
Augusta		22 °C	Partly cloudy.
Bridgetown		22 °C	Possible rain developing.
Collie		19 °C	Rain at times.
Manjimup		22 °C	Partly cloudy.
Boyup Brook		21 °C	Possible rain developing.
Pemberton		22 °C	Partly cloudy.
Yallingup		25 °C	Partly cloudy.
Harvey		21 °C	Rain at times.
Walpole		20 °C	Cloudy.
Windy Harbour		20 °C	Cloudy.

South Coastal

Location		Max.	Summary
Albany		18 °C	Cloudy.
Denmark		20 °C	Cloudy.
Mount Barker		19 °C	Possible late rain.
Jerramungup		16 °C	Rain periods.
Bremer Bay		18 °C	Rain increasing.
Gnowangerup		17 °C	Rain at times.

South East Coastal

Location		Max.	Summary
Esperance		16 °C	Rain periods.
Ravensthorpe		14 °C	Rain periods.
Hopetoun		17 °C	Rain periods.
Salmon Gums		15 °C	Rain periods.

Great Southern

Location		Max.	Summary
Narrogin		15 °C	Rain periods.
Katanning		17 °C	Rain at times.
Lake Grace		14 °C	Rain periods.
Hyden		15 °C	Rain periods.
Brookton		16 °C	Rain periods.
Corrigin		16 °C	Rain periods.
Wagin		16 °C	Rain periods.

Central Wheat Belt

Location		Max.	Summary
Dalwallinu		21 °C	Rain periods.
Northam		17 °C	Rain periods.
Merredin		18 °C	Rain periods.
Southern Cross		18 °C	Rain periods.
Cunderdin		17 °C	Rain periods.
Dowerin		18 °C	Rain periods.
Mukinbudin		19 °C	Rain periods.
Kellerberrin		17 °C	Rain periods.
Wongan Hills		19 °C	Rain periods.
York		17 °C	Rain periods.

Weird Summer Weather

After last week's tropical downpour, and after a summer lacking any significant heatwaves, the weirdness continues. I have never seen such as ridiculous forecast for Perth as this one.

Oban

Here in the view of Oban from the ferry to Mull.

A Pleasant Pheasant

Near Galloway, I spotted a pheasant in the hedgerow. A very stupid bird, it took fright and ran along the road away from the car, rather than hiding in the vegetation.

Unknown

Err, I've forgotten where this was, but it seems Middle-Earthish.

Hopping across to Scotland

After a short flight from Dublin to Glasgow, this is the Galloway Forest.

Dark Hedges

Obscure tv show "Thrones Game" features this magnificent avenue of trees in Northern Ireland. It's now a top tourist destination.

A Stillery

If you build up a thirst visiting the Giant's Causeway then head to the nearby Bushmills Distillery.

Resuming my Irish Holiday

Picking up the story of my recent holiday to Ireland and Scotland, I've now crossed the border into Northern Ireland and reached the Giant's Causeway, on a sodden day.

Top Ten Novels of 2016

2016 was a solid year of fiction reading for me. And of the 220 novels I consumed, here are my favourite ten.

10.  Bleak Expectations by Mark Evans  - hilarious story of young Pip living in Dickensian London

9. The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman - Harry Potter for adults

8. Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink - nearly as weird as the podcast

7.  The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter - true horror, although  when I say true I mean fictional

6.  Pet Semetary by Stephen King - his creepiest story

5. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson - amusing travelogue

4. The Crook Factory by Dan Simmons - the fictionalised life of Hemingway in Cuba

3. Patricia Highsmith Selected Novels and Short Stories - captivating

2. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith - inspired the film Carol

1. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain - humorous, tragic and historically fascinating all in one

American Snow Cover

Despite the northern winter being unusually warm, the snow cover currently reaches all the way down from Alaska to Mexico. There was even some snow in sunny Florida yesterday.

This map is from the National Centers for Environmental Information, but Intellicast has a prettier one (below):

My Cat's Top Ten Movies

My cat appreciates quality film-making as much as I do. And these are his favourites from the last year.

10.  Star Wars Rogue One

9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

8. The Brand New Testament

7. The Big Short

6. Steve Jobs

5. Maggie's Plan

4. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

3. Where Am I Going?

2. Trumbo

1. Spotlight

And honourable mentions go to:

Hail Caesar
War Dogs
Café Society
Eye in the Sky

Top Ten Films of 2016

Having broken my personal record of annual cinema visits (115 so far in 2016), there are plenty of difficult decisions to make in narrowing them down to a top ten. So somewhat arbitrarily, here are my favourites.

10. High Rise - J.G.Ballards dystopian fable on society breaking down in one apartment building

9. The Witch - haunting and authentic, set in New England in the 1600s

8. The Limehouse Golem - entralling and atmospheric horror

7. Hell or High Water - moody Texas crime drama

6. Hacksaw Ridge - memorable true war story 

5. Nocturnal Animals - gripping noir story within a story

4. Where Am I Going - funniest film of the year, (Italian)

3. The Revenant - Leo vs various bears 

2. The Finest Hours -  an unbelievable but true shipwreck rescue

1. Carol - so poignant, fabulous cinematography  shot on low res Super 16 film

With honorable mentions to:

Miss Peregrine's House for Peculiar Children
Jason Bourne
Sisters
Spotlight
Steve Jobs
Anomalisa
Trumbo

I R E L A N D

Lost In Ireland

The photos (other than the first) were taken on Inish Oirr, one of the Aran Islands, off the rugged west coast.

Craggy Island transport

This shipwreck features in Father Ted's opening credits