Spammed laughter

I normally just chuck spam in the bin and don't even read it, but there was this message that Hotmail once more failed to recognise as spam. So I had to see it. Well, apart from the usual cacophony of errors in grammar and spelling there was also this colossal turn-off. Someone passing themselves off as a 19-year old woman, saying that age doesn't matter in a real relationship, so she is comfortable with my age.

Yes dear, next please.

Sunday 28 February

Last day of the month and last day of the meteorological winter. And it's been a long, hard, cold, snowy and icy winter this year. Officially, winter does not end until March 21st, I know. Today is bright and clear, with visibility approaching 20 or 30 miles. Went down to the Braighe, the isthmus linking the Eye peninsula (Point) to mainland Lewis, and the northeasterly wind made it feel icily cold. Very bracing. The tide was right out - we're having the equinoctial springtides, bringing a difference between high and low tide of 18 feet, 5.4 metres, here. Spare a thought for the people along the Severn estuary in southwest England, where the tidal difference is 14 metres, nearly 50 feet. The Severn bore, a 7 ft tidal surge, will be putting in an appearance at 9 am tomorrow morning.

The tsunami has done its worst and is currently fading in the Pacific. It seems to have wrought destruction in Chile, where an 8 foot surge wrecked boats and harbour facilities. The last major impact was seen in Japan, nearly a full day after the initial quake, with a 90 cm surge. In Chile meanwhile, ungainly sights of looting mar the efforts to save people who remain trapped in ruined buildings.