Well Scotland this week saw a short lived spell of warm weather when temperatures touched 30 ° C, which is pretty warm for us, but not as high at the record temperature which was in 2003. The highest recorded was 32.9 °C, which is a little over 91° Fahrenheit in old money, at Greycrook ( on the Scottish Borders) on 9 August 2003. And the maximum sunshine duration in a month: 329 hours at Tiree (Argyll and Bute) in May 1946 and in May 1975, which was a very sunny and dry year throughout the U K.

Why is it a Record?

But of course when they say it was the record temperature ‘since records began’ which means not a long time really. The 10 hottest years on average since records began have apparently all happened since 1997. Not that you’d always feel it in our part of the world. But not many people know whose records  they are and when did they begin.

I feel the Mercury Rising

The oldest ongoing instrumental record of temperature in the world is the Central England Temperature Record, which was started in 1659 when temperatures were taken monthly. In the eighteenth century, about 1775 they started to take temperatures daily and record them centrally.  But it wasn't until the mid-19th century that scientists started to take the temperature 'globally', and not until 1873 and the foundation of the International Meteorological Organisation that methods of taking the temperature were standardised. How different could they have been?

The Very Essence of Summer

Now I can’t forecast the weather, but I can forecast that you will be warmed by the summer offers we have on our lovely Portmeirion pottery. It is just the thing to capture the essence of a fleeting summer’s day; with nicely cut sandwiches, fairy cakes and a cream tea. And when Andy Murray wins Wimbledon again you’ll be able to celebrate with more than a little style with tea and cakes served just how they should be.

https://www.jamespirie.com/portmeirion/botanic-blue.html