The winter weather continues to confound the usual state of affairs.

Instead of the incessant series of twenty five or so Atlantic gales that usually starts from December 1st through to April 1st, we have had calm, still, clear glorious weather.

The intensity of the winds means folk batten down the hatches for the duration of the  winter - but not this year. While the rest of the UK was under snow, Islay basked under bright snow-free sunshine; and it still is. OK the temperature is unusually low for Islay, even going below zero at night which is rare for the mild climate we  experience here. For God's sake I actually had to use a de-icer on my windscreen this morning.

And yet we are on the 56 parallel. The first habitation you would come to if you travelled west of Islay on the same latitude is Cartright, Labrador. Keep going and you come to Hudson Bay, Polar Bear Provincial Park and the Alaska peninsula. Then the Bering sea, and eventually Moscow.