stubai

I go away for a week and the bees go mad. I don't mean so mad that they put their honey in a pot for me - only that they seem to have filled up the hive to the top, probably with rape. And this despite them being a new swarm, in place only since late May. That's 13 kg of honey (err, with wax mixed in of course, since the frames in the top super were foundationless, because I was in a hurry. They did not put their own comb neatly in rows). Also while we were away the houseleeks have come out into full flower, even better than last year. That one is unadjusted, but not really true colour.…
The Economist has a Special Report on "The melting north" (hopefully that works for you, I have a subscription so I'm not sure if its behind their paywall or not). And what it says - A heat map of the world, colour-coded for temperature change, shows the Arctic in sizzling maroon. Since 1951 it has warmed roughly twice as much as the global average. In that period the temperature in Greenland has gone up by 1.5°C, compared with around 0.7°C globally. This disparity is expected to continue. A 2°C increase in global temperatures—which appears inevitable as greenhouse-gas emissions soar—would…
Did you miss me? I've been to the Stubai, again. There will be a travelogue over there. Refs * A short walk in the Stubai: day 2: Aperer Turm
I don't think I mentioned that last summer we dragged the kids off to the Stubai (Franz Senn and Sulzenau), and they liked it enough that we did it again this year (FSH and Neue Regensburger). Stuff from that when I have time, but in the meantime I know I *have* mentionned my shiny new GPS watch which I took with me. And here is one result (Westliche Seespitze from the Neue Regensburger Hutte): Cutesy, eh? Note that the embed is a bit stupid, so you'll have to click on "satellite" to see stuff, and then zoom in on the peak for the most interesting stuff. But I wish I'd known the shape of the…
In 2001 I had the chance to visit the Stubai for a couple of days at the start and in the middle of a conference in Innsbruck. It was wonderful, and I didn't kill myself. I've finally uploaded the pix; see flickr if you're interested. The mountains are great for either solo'ing, or an easy introduction. And the huts are splendid too. And not all the people look as silly as that, though a beret is remarkably practical. Miriam and Miranda forced me to shave the beard off, eventually.