Wednesday jottings

Last day of February and in weather terms a better day than yesterday. Sun is out as I type, although there is a rash of showers about.

A pipeband has been advised to wear earplugs, because the noise they make is the same as that of a jet-engine at take-off. The pipes went at 108 decibels, but the snaredrums topped the bill at 122 dB. I attended a piping competition 2 years ago, and came away with my head spinning after several hours of bagpipes in the relatively confined space of a conference room.

Tropical cyclone Gamede is finally leaving La Reunion alone, although its northern trail could yet lash both Mauritius and its French neighbour with more rain. Queensland needs to watch the Top End, because a tropical cyclone is forming some 700 miles north of Brisbane. Although I have found the Australian weatherburo to be over-estimating the strength of cyclones in its backyard, an advance warning is in order.

Two people were airlifted to hospital over the last few days. The first was the skipper of a fishing boat who became unwell off the island of Eigg, south of Skye. The boat was taken to the pier at the island, where the local doctor administered treatment until the Coastguard helicopter from Stornoway took him to hospital in Glasgow.

A baby girl, 6 weeks old, was airlifted to Yorkhill Hospital, also in Glasgow, after her twin baby brother died of an unidentified illness. This happened in the island of Barra, 120 miles south of Stornoway. No further details were released at the request of the family.