Some like it even hotter than record-breaking Kinlochewe - Vladimir McTavish

When I left home, Scotland was basking in unseasonably mild weather. In some places, it was even actually warm. The temperature in Kinlochewe reached a near-record 19 degrees Celsius last weekend.

Descending Glen Docherty in the north west Highlands towards Kinlochewe, which set a provisional UK January temperature record that was then beaten by a provisional record set in nearby Achfary

Well, here in Perth it’s as hot as two Kinlochewes plus the rest. It is currently forty degrees, which is probably the aggregate temperature were one to add up the entire figures for January in the Shetlands. And the mercury has been hovering around the forty mark all week. Even the locals are calling it a heat wave, and they are used to this stuff.

Unlike a pasty-faced Scot with jet-lag and a hangover. When I opened the door of my flat yesterday to take an ill-advised morning jog, it was like walking into an oven.

Two weeks ago, I was taking the train through to Glasgow when we were having to cope with high winds, driving rain and subzero temperatures. The Scotrail express was in total chaos. Services were cancelled and those that did run were delayed by round thirty minutes.

Fast forward fourteen days, and I’m standing on the platform of my local station to take the train into the city, and hear a tannoy announcement from TransPerth informing me that there are speed restrictions on the line due to the extreme heat. Is there any weather that is ideal for rail travel ?

I will be out here for the entire duration of the Six Nations rugby. The games are not shown live on terrestrial TV, although I can catch them on the big screen at Perth Casino.

I’m not sure I’m going to take that risk tonight when we play play Wales in Cardiff. Four years ago, I went to the casino with some English mates to watch the Calcutta Cup, which was played at Murrayfield.

It was wonderful to spend a balmy evening watching events in Edinburgh in a horizontal rainstorm, and we all had a laugh about how lucky we were to be Down Under in the heat. But it was a dull match and England won.

The taxi ride home with two crowing Englishmen made me pine for a wet Scottish night among fellow sufferers. Good luck today, Scotland. If I take the gamble of not going to the casino, I reckon we’ll win.