Ascension : Weather Report/Metchat
Submitted by The Islander (Met Office) 22.12.2003 (Article Archived on 05.01.2004)

Statistics for the week ending Monday 15 December 2003

Statistics for the week ending Monday 15 December 2003

METCHAT

Mind your head. Actually the weekend started with lots of mind your this or that, mainly in the form of Martin, who armed with a big drill and little screw-driver was screwing notices on various walls and gates. Mind the drop, mind the sheep, mind the gap. No, no, that’s next week and brings me to the point of this little tale. The boys were up at Rock Cottage having a farewell celebration for Pete and Andy, medic and Chief Clerk, who will be the guests of 216 on the Saturday northbound and will no doubt be ‘minding the gap’ come Sunday morning.

Well warned of the various dangers and all set with the odd beer in hand the assembled crew settled in to have a very enjoyable weekend. There was a Saturday BBQ thanks to blazing inferno Mr Jones who tried to significantly add to Ascensions already significant ash. The sausages were excellent Davy, as was the baked wahoo later that evening and then the outstanding Sunday Lunch of roast garlic and lamb. A superstar, albeit ably assisted by Adey, as in “Adey what does gas mark 195 mean” and “is the oven on, bloody hell I’ve just burnt my head”. Garry, who disdained simple beer and got straight into the clear liquid, retired early to ensure that no serious damage was done – to his head. The same could not be said for the rest who pursued trivia until the small hours, with eventual winners Steve and Pete, but they had the novice questions at their end of the table.

There was a question about snoring in the dorm on Sunday morning but no one owned up, the consensus held that it was probably Garry since he had had longer to practice. In bunk bed city Adey climbed on top of Stan, into the upper bunk. Stan then spent the rest of the night in fear for his life - they were children’s bunks and Adey is a big lad. Andy chose the double bed, he said he wanted to practice being in a proper full sized bed again, ha, ha, it was actually two saggy singles and so no matter what angle he tried he dropped into the middle. Steve chose the Sofa which, once he’d settled, held him like a well padded vice, he didn’t move all night.  Davy, fearful for his garlic, or perhaps it was to be near the garlic just in case of goolies, slept on the kitchen floor. 

The morning saw the walkers out on the Mountain. Andy, Stan, Martin and the Laird did Elliots rat spotting, nine dead three alive, the poison may be working, and then cow spotting on the Bishops meadows. Needless to say they saw no cows. However they were building up an appetite ready for Davy’s roast garlic, red onions and lamb. 

Oh yes, back to ‘mind your head’ and serious damage. Well the Laird didn’t and blood was the result – 5 foot door lintels, those marines of yesteryear must have been a tad shorter than the cod liver oil generation. It was ominous that Pete started reaching for the emergency medical box, he said he was just checking the contents, as if he hadn’t done that 100 times already, but all was well, the Laird only bled for a minute or two.

Good luck to the medic and chief clerk and thanks for a great weekend.   The Laird.