Hi everyone up there in the UK & Ireland.

Hurricane Ophelia has made the news here at the bottom of the world ( New Zealand) & looks like it is a right tough old storm. Family and friends have been sharing pics of red skies & storm ridden promenades.

Keep safe everyone & I hope there is not too much disruption and damage.

We had dire warnings of how it was going to bring chaos and devastation to the West of Scotland. Nothing happened.

As ever those of us in disaster management are getting slammed. If we put out warnings based on predicted tracks, and the cyclone/hurricane moves, we get blamed for scaremongering. But if we don't warn people and a Ctaegory Three hits unannounced, we also get slammed. Can't win in our business.

Commiserations to the families of the people who died.

Having lived in the Caribbean for years, I am used to hurricane preparation and the chance it will change direction. But it is much better to be prepared and nothing happens than not be prepared and devastation hits!

Most of the news coverage seemed to centre on discussions about the sun being a funny colour.

It was strange. Here in the west country we had a high wind in the afternoon, but it was also extraordinarily warm, and there was that red sun. I ate lunch outside at a cafe before the wind got up. Now our south facing windows are covered with the Saharan dust.

Yes. One of MrBEVS cousins in Wolverhampton posted up a photo of a rather red sun and red dust settling .