The halo visible around the moon last night (pictured over the diving board in Salthill) is cause by light reflecting off ice crystals in the atmosphere. Full explanation here.
Irish Rail introduced a new timetable yesterday. There were plenty of signs in stations to remind travellers of the changed times, but maybe their own staff didn’t read them. The train to Galway trundled into Athlone 30 minutes late this evening – the delay was announced about 30 seconds before the train was supposed to arrive – even though Irish Rail were aware of the fact at least half an hour earlier. And when it arrived, it was missing one thing – heat. On one of the coldest nights of the year, we didn’t take off our coats off for the journey. We had another delay in Ballinasloe (the next stop) because the trains can only pass each other in the stations, and the delay of one train has a knock-on effect on every train coming the other way.
In a few weeks, the motorway from Galway to Dublin will be opened, and even if I have to leave a carbon footprint the size of an oil-tanker, I’ll be saying goodbye to my train-going days. At least I have a heater in my car.
I had noticed the halo around the moon but had no idea of the reason, very interesting. Anne