Odds & Ends # 38

[Howard Brown]

On the BBC Proms tonight was a little piece by Cesar Franck, Les Djinns. So I looked up the OED to find:

‘jinn’  an intelligent spirit able to appear in human and animal form.

So do we have a jinn in our clouds?

[Marsha Smithhisler]

Don’t know about jinn, but there is always something magical about them. As in this video from China, in which beautiful, mysterious clouds interact with the beautifully strange mountains. Hope you don’t have to endure an ad, but if you do it will be worth it.          http://abcnews.go.com/    Sorry, this takes you to ABC News, but if you scroll down to “Clouds cause Chinese forest park to look eerie” you can click on the video. I think “eerie” is the wrong word, as it has a negative connotation.

[Marsha Smithhisler]

So my eldest daughter sent this link to me:   https://www.rt.com/viral/400159-brazil-cloud-video-photo/

I think she may be getting cloud fever. She also sent some lovely shots that she or her daughter took of the Sangria mountains “clothed” in clouds, but I don’t know how to send them from my phone.

[Howard Brown]

Some cloud 400159 in Brazil. I seem to remember a freaky Russian cloud a while back.

Meanwhile, Magritte; I thought Michael would enjoy this EU diplomatic barb:

UK proposal on invisible Irish border is like this surrealist painting by fellow Belgian Magritte, says @GuyVerhofstadt pic.twitter.com/FMG9L02huf

— Adam Fleming (@adamfleming) August 30, 2017

Magritte is also discussed in this 2011 Dutch thesis (6mb PDF) on pages 26/27 if you want to delve into the academics of a border

http://gpm.ruhosting.nl/mt/2011MASG24KamphuisOlaf.pdf

[Howard Brown]

BBC Proms

I take my proms in an arsy-versy way. On radio Tchaikovsky’s mellow 2nd Piano Concerto sent me out to check the sunset – I was not disappointed. I guess this is the reverse of music to watch clouds by which pops up now and again.

On TV, the Big Band Swing Prom played Stan Kenton’s Peanut Vendor during which the camera briefly zoomed in on the bust of Sir Thomas Beecham – did I see a quizzical eyebrow? And Hiromi is a force of nature with her hair swept up a la Cu Nm – where have I been since she came on the scene?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiromi_Uehara

[Howard Brown]

Busted

http://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/collections/art/henry-wood

My apologies to two and all, but that bust in #229308 is of Sir Henry Wood (but not you will note the image in the link)

[Howard Brown]

We could have told him – no way to spot clouds

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/41160643/czech-man-climbs-worlds-hardest-cliff-in-norway

[Howard Brown]

In the interests of equality

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/women-rock-climbing-angela-eiter-ascent-planta-de-shiva-a8031406.html

[Howard Brown]

Battle of The Clouds

I was surprised When Paul Simons, Weather Eye, The Times (UK), wrote about this in his column today – first I have heard of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Clouds

 

[Howard Brown]

It is so sad to hear of disaster in Yosemite

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-41436218

(There are other sources of the story).

[Howard Brown]

https://www.londonnewspictures.co.uk/portfolio/G0000VITL9nfI_e4/I0000rQ0a15fpzMg

Not what I was looking for, but…

[Howard Brown]

VOS

A letter in the i newspaper, UK, today from Roy Martin, Southampton, lauded the work (now steeply declined if not gone) of the Voluntary Observing Ships (q.v.) providing twice daily meteorological reports including cloud base height and cloud cover and types.

[Howard Brown]

Oscar Wilde was quoted on BBC Radio 3 this evening as saying ‘We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars’. It would be nice to think that in 21C he might have said clouds not stars.

 

[Howard Brown]

https://us11.campaign-archive.com/?u=3b978e064761964547808bac4&id=aa49821697

I loved Claude Monet’s thoughts in today’s Cloud-a-Day. It reminds me of GWW who always wanted a horizon or something to better judge the clouds. (Granny Weather Witch, ex UK Met Office).

[Howard Brown]

Two more clever corvids (but behind The Times pay barrier). The first is a raven which enjoyed hot chocolate on Dartmoor. The second in the same article (but no link that I can find) is a magpie with reference to The Lost Words recently voted one of Britains top ten nature books.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/breathtaking-sky-dance-lifts-a-mood-of-sadness-m7trqqpfr

 

[Howard Brown]

Scanning the Court Circular, as one do, one finds (make of it what you will)

7 February 2018
Kensington Palace
The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron, Action on Addiction, this afternoon officially opened the new “Clouds in the Community” treatment centre on Runwell Road, Wickford, Essex

[Howard Brown]

Glad to see from last Sunday’s Cloud that Andrew Pothecary is still around – ‘Poth’ was a moderator on the old CAS Forum.

[Howard Brown]

https://en-gb.facebook.com/jonathancoombesphotography/

Some fine landscapes (and birds) from this photographer.

[Howard Brown]

P.S. (Since no Edit facility)
Coombes has a heart shaped murmuration in The Times, UK, 20FEB2018, but I can’t find it on-line (or I might have put it next to the recent bird-shaped one). It was credited JONATHAN COOMBES/MERCURY PRESS.

[Howard Brown]

Hampshire, UK, Humidity (which I wanted to track)

Last year in the January sales I picked up for a snip a London Clock Co ‘Digital thermo-hygrometer and weather forecast clock’. They don’t seem to offer it any more, but it looks like an old fashioned mobile phone. It has in the centre ‘Weather forecast icons’ which always seem to include a cumulus cloud which is nice sitting on my kitchen window shelf. Temperature and relative humidity are shown digitally below the icon.

The point of this is to say that once last year the cumulus vanished.

It happened for a second time this afternoon, albeit briefly, when the relative humidity dropped below 40%. The cause this time was the cold east wind coming in from Scandinavia and the Russian Urals.

A few times the relative humidity has gone above 80%.

[Howard Brown]

Alec Jones

Can anyone point me at Alec’s departure note, please? I missed it and today was wondering why he had gone quiet – I see some references to his departure.

Hygge has gone quiet being sidetracked by kick starting

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/hillier-gardens-wildlife-uk3760023864

 

[Hans Stocker]

Hello Hygge, too busy with Hillier garden wildlife that you missed Alec’s leave?

I did some forum archeology for you to find out when he left the forum.

On the 8th of January 2018 Alec wrote on the Sunrises and sunset Volume II thread: “The millstone slows and finally comes to rest. The sky is on fire and the Earth is silent once more….”.

This was his last contribution to the forum. A poetic one for sure.

On the 26th of December 2017 Alec announced his upcoming leave in Contrail Thread Volume I in this way:

“Ok folks, I am not sure when I have to leave but my time here is short before I have to attend to other matters with Dr. Corvidova. I’ll try to cram in as much as I am able to before my departure. There is something particularly aeolian about this one that I like.”

Replying to Keelin that same day he also wrote:

“Keelin, other projects beckon and after all I am under obedience to the great Doctor. I am not sure when I will receive the call but I promise to all here that I shall return when my duties and responsibilities have been fulfilled.“

[Howard Brown]

Thank you, Hans. Poetic and enigmatic. I am not quite sure about Dr Corvidova but guess it is linked to the picture of a corvid used with his sign on. Alec came back like a whirlwind and left almost with a cri de coeur. We can but wish him well and hope for re-entry.

[Hans Stocker]

Yes Hygge, so do I. I remember it was you who lured Alec back to the forum at the end of 2017. After a long absence he gave the forum a boost and we still profit from it having some nice permanent threads for specific aspects of clouds. Let’s hope the great Doctor he refers to, will dismiss him soon from his duties and enable him to re-enter the forum. The species of the Corvidae are after all as intelligent as viable.

[Howard Brown]

28/28 vision

I have talked about my London Clock before. For the third time in 18 months the cumulus cloud disappeared recently and I was surprised to see 28 28 in the bottom line; that’s 28C and 28% humidity, a rare combination in Hampshire, UK.

[Howard Brown]

Aeolian satellite

I have been hearing on BBC Radio about this new satellite to study winds for meteorologists but oddly it does not google for me – although its lift off was delayed by winds….

I had forgotten the name relates to winds, but I doubt Michael has since he seems to get an annual dust storm in Phoenix

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_processes

 

[George Preoteasa]

Could it be Aeolus?

https://phys.org/news/2018-08-tracking-satellite-delayedby-adverse.html

[Howard Brown]

Spot on George, thank you.

As a modern jazz fan, since there is not much of it about, I listen to classical music on BBC radio 3 without paying much attention to any linking words. But today ‘Luke Howard’ sank in and my ears pricked up

https://twitter.com/KateRomano2/status/1033036240340373504/photo/1

[Annette Huber]

Hello everybody,

as I haven’t looked much into the forum I am not quite sure if this is the right thread for my topic (it’s rather crowded in here), but since it seems so odd to me, I’ll just put it down here:

A friend told me about “square” clouds, which seem to be quite popular in certain areas of the internet.

Here’s an example of the kind of reports that circulate about them (or just google “square clouds” and see where that leads you):

Abnormal Square Clouds Form in the Sky Around the World and Nobody Can Explain Why

I am really not sure what to make of this; is it a hoax, a trick of the eye, or a natural phenomenon indeed?

Looking forward to your expert opinions!

Annette

(who would love to come to Lundy Island where she spent a wonderful week volunteering with the National Trust in – oh dear –  1988 …)

 

[Hans Stocker]

Hello Annette,

To begin with: This topic is OK to put your question forward. Odd square clouds aren’t they?

It is also possible to create a new topic. There are may ways.

When I first followed the link you provided about square clouds I got almost lost in lots of conspiracy nonsense with – of course – also the famous non-existing chemtrails popping up. But then I remembered there was a  square cloud on the CAS gallery.  It even got picture of the month in august 2014 with the explanation you are looking for.

Cloud of the month august 2014

After some googling I also found next link that supports the analysis together with some discussion and more extensive info.

Explained: flying carpet

I hope you like it.

Hans

 

[Howard Brown]

Thanks for the memory, Hans.

Which makes me think that might become a CAS song:

‘Thanks for the memory

of square clouds in the sky

of cloud streets up on high….’

Any budding lyricists out there?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?source=hp&ei=tBSHW6Fq4-OSBcqrmuAB&q=thanks+for+the+memory+lyrics&oq=thanks+for+the+memory&gs_l=psy-ab.1.1.0l10.6500.12959.0.17864.21.14.0.7.7.0.99.813.14.14.0….0…1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.21.1036…0i131k1j0i131i10k1.0.h1yI_FA06Fs

‘Of rainbows on a wave’?

[Hans Stocker]

Ha memories Hygge…. For some unknown reason they seem to hide better and better, but eventually this one was not able to flee.

[Patricia L Keelin]

Danke je, Hans, for the link with clear explanation on those squarish cloud forms. Alternative theory below offered in jest.

[Hans Stocker]

Dat is een heel mooi vierkant gat in de wolken Keelin. Very funny and applicble also, this negative variety of a square cloud.

[Howard Brown]

Hygge enjoyed the Penultimate Night of the Proms on Tango (Hygge does not enjoy the Last Night). There were even two jazz trumpet solo breaks which drew immediate applause!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/50b5e9d1-5587-4ceb-bf00-54fd61c576c1?

So I looked up Argentina in the CAS Gallery and was amazed at the fantastic clouds:

The Cloud Appreciation Society

And I did not know that Finland was hooked on the tango – we live and learn

The Cloud Appreciation Society

[Howard Brown]

Square clouds (see end of August above)

I saw half of one tonight. The left hand side was straight but the right rather stretched out and wiggly. Obviously of contrail origin.

[Hans Stocker]

How about an iridescent square Hygge? I found it scrolling through my archive. Its origin might be contrail but I am not sure.

 

[Howard Brown]

Flipping heck

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/05/magnetic-north-pole-moving-pretty-fast-towards-russia

[Howard Brown]

Looking down on clouds (interesting but not for cloud pictures)

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/solar-powered-aircraft-putting-satellites-in-the-shade-v8f9j63g0

https://astigan.uk/

[Howard Brown]

bit.ly/2J010Xn

This link from Paul Simons, The Times, UK, 9MAR2019 is to a video of a pair of mysterious lights, pinky peach sheens, under water near Bangor, Northern Ireland (as ever that type of link does not work for me). Witnesses (one named Eve O’Connor) mention it on Facebook.

[Howard Brown]

Anecdote in Sathnam Sanghera’s Notebook, The Times, UK, today:

‘Viral tweet of the week from the comedy writer @pauleggleston: “I’ve written a script for a low budget version of ‘The Tempest’. It’s just a draught at the moment.” ‘.

[Howard Brown]

Ruskin, Turner & the Storm Cloud: Watercolours and Drawings

[Howard Brown]

Grand National – #33 Vintage Clouds fell at the first fence today

[Howard Brown]

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.180695

So that’s why we set our thermostats = the highlands of East Africa

[Howard Brown]

Boeing 737

On UK Channel 4 TV News Captain Gabriel, now a senior aeronautics lecturer at London City University, mentioned the 737 was designed in 1966; in those days the design team would have known the Nat King Cole hits

‘Straighten Up And Fly Right’ (1943) ‘(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66’ (1946)

[Howard Brown]

Wrong type of rain

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hot-and-wet-june-could-be-the-new-normal-v2230w2rz

 

[Howard Brown]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sprites-that-are-bright-enough-to-outshine-venus-xxdglfjtn

[Howard Brown]

Here’s wishing a

Cool Yule to y’all

(the link is only likely to interest Big Band Swing fans)

[Michael Lerch]

[Author]

Posts