I've been watching the sky here, on the southern shores of the Solway Firth,
since the eruption, looking for anything unusual. Yesterday's sunset was
nothing to write home about, but I did get some rather nice photos of the
new moon with Venus and Mercury. This afternoon I spotted a rather diffuse
solar halo. So far as I'm aware these are caused by ice particles, not dust
or ash, so I imagine it's just a coincidence. The sunset this evening,
though, was very richly coloured, and I went down a neighbouring field with
my camera to follow the sun as it disappeared behind the Galloway Hills. I
can't be sure this colourful sunset was connected with the volcanic ash
though. We get loads of lovely, colourful sunsets here, and I've seen others
just as good - or better - without the assistance of distant volcanoes. Who
knows?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allybea...7623747588841/

Lovely to have no contrails for 24 hours though, and none of those
artificial-looking clouds that develop from them. The sky looked as it must
have done before the age of aircraft.

ally