Tag: Weather

Looking out

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When a cat wants to look out of the window they don’t care what’s in the way. A few days ago I found one of my cats with their back half on the box of bird food and their front paws on the window ledge. The bird activity at the moment is quite busy because of the warm weather we have been having. It was 18 degrees Celsius yesterday in this area and has been 19 degrees in the Midlands today. The highest temperature in the country today was 20 degrees the hottest since records began for a February day. The normal temperature is about 5 to 8 degrees at this time of year. Last year when the beast from the east was here we were getting lows of minus 5 degrees.

Part of the reason for all this is the fact that Britain is in a temperate area. We have winds that arrive from all directions, and depending on the direction we get lots of varied weather. At the moment we have had a high pressure area situated over us so we are in a quite stable situation. There is a big dip in the jet stream so warm air is being pulled up from the south. We are actually in warmer air than in Greece at the moment. The pressure is due to reduce and we are expecting cooler air and some rain later in the week.

Anyway I was talking about birds but got distracted.  My husband bought a woven birds nest yesterday that wrens can nest in. We are expecting blue tits to nest in the garden this year and we also get blackbirds that nest in the hedge and the ivy on the house. The only problem is this warmth is bringing insects out but their food plants are not flowering yet. We need it to be cooler for at least another month .

The cats enjoy watching the birds, chattering at pigeons and sparrows. I’m glad we don’t let them out in the garden. But we have many cats that visit so we try and keep the vegitation cut enough but leave some cover for birds to hide in.

Anyway I’m feeling pretty bad at the moment with tonsillitis so I think I will just leave this ramble here.

X

In the grey

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It started with a fog that lingered, it did not burn off in the sunlight, in fact it got denser. The winds had dropped so there was nothing to blow it away. Looking out the window you could see drops of water clinging to the trees and bushes.

The weather forecasters tried to explain the phenomenon. More water in the atmosphere, a storm must come soon to clear the air, but that was months ago. Plants were not doing well for lack of sunlight and because there had been no rain to help the buds burst. Slimy mould was starting to cover some plants and others had a black fungus growing on them.

Then the reports of food shortages started  Crops had failed. Fruit was not swelling and growing but remained stunted.

People started to call it “the grey”, cars were banned as they were turning the fog to a thick smog. Satellite images showed the only parts of the world that had been left clear of the fog and mist were the larger seas and oceans. The grey clung to the edges of the land. Continents were visible only as cloudscapes.

Then the riots started…….

Today I should be drawing

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It’s windy and sunny today. I should be out in the fresh air drawing with urban sketchers. Instead I’m inside with a runny, snotty nose and head cold.

I could still go out, but I’m tired. I have a friend visiting tomorrow and the house needs tidying.

The cat just came and stretched up and sharpened her claws on my leg (her way of being friendly) ow!

Shall I go or stay? Or just go back to bed….

Get some asprin or paracetamol and decide….. To sleep

We have snow

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But don’t get excited! It’s wet and about an inch deep. But something we were going to tonight has been cancelled because of it.

Meanwhile over in Europe this week the snow fell so heavily that roofs have collapsed and people have been killed in avalanches.

Britain is situated in the Atlantic ocean in the gulf stream. We only rarely have a lot of snow so we are a bit out of practice with it. No one puts snow chains on car tyres, we don’t possess snow shoes, and the only time skis are worn is when people go up to the (mainly) Scottish mountains in the middle of winter.

Anyway an inch of snow is the most we have had so far this year. If it’s pretty in the morning I will take better photos.

Yellow sky.

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I was looking out of the window and the sky was so yellow I knew it was going to snow. I don’t know why I know that but there is a certain tinge it takes on when the snow is coming.

I looked out later and indeed big white flakes of feathery snow were falling, mixed in with a cold rain.

The cats are curled up and warm and I’ve got an extra heater on and I’m sitting here with my hot water bottle (for my bad back). I’m huddling, watching the sleet and wondering if I should go out shopping. Life goes on.

Sun pillar

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It was about 5 years ago when we were on holiday in Devon. We had arrived at the camp site late in the evening after a leisurely drive down from the Midlands.

As the Sun started to set we walked down through the dunes to the beach. My eye was taken by a pillar of sunlight shining from below the horizon where the Sun had just set. I have seen sundogs before (reflections off clouds on either side of and above the Sun that look like tiny parts of rainbows). But I did not know what this was. Luckily I had my camera with me and snapped these shots.

I later found out this was a sun pillar, caused by the sun reflecting off high icy clouds. I’ve never seen another one.

Where are you?

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I look out of the window, see the scudding clouds blowing along parallel with the coast. The house is too quiet, no sounds of you around the corner, or upstairs or outside in the garden .

You must have gone out before the sun rose, before the moon set, while I was asleep curled up in bed.

The door was locked tight after you. I searched for my keys and dressed quickly. Now I need to decide whether to look for you or wait?

The wind is blowing stronger now, the clouds are black and the rain falls in great engulfing rivers, like all the world’s grief descending from the sky.

Two hours of darkness followed the dawn, then gradually a glimmer of sunlight stole under and through the cloud layer. Now I can go and look, now  I can see over the sea out as far as the island. Now I might see him? Standing on the pier, holding onto the metal handrail slick with water. I watch, and wait.

(This could also be called “which tense are you writing in? Past or Present?”)

Freezing rain

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The mild balmy weather which is so unseasonal for this time of year now seems to have disappeared. The cats are curled up over the radiator on their cat tower. The central heating is now on full time. The weather forecast is for freezing rain and possibly later on snow. I’m lucky not to be shivering outside in this bad weather. People are living outside in this, finding shelter in doorways and under  sheets of plastic or in tiny cheap tents.

Why is this? Our country has a policy called Austerity. Money has been cut from benefits for everyone. Whether you work or not incomes have reduced since the world crash of 2008 and are only recently starting to increase again. Austerity is said to be over but I can’t see that happening soon.

Now we have the follies of Brexit. Enough said. Government is distracted by this stupid policy and in the meantime people can go to hell in a handbasket.

Will no one listen to the poor, the huddled masses? Not if you live in some of the richest countries in the world, and certainly not if you live in poorer countries.

Democracy, a way of governing by committees and voting. Except it doesn’t always work. I do not think we should be anarchists, but we should try and fix democracy.

Fun fact: 80 men have as much money as half the world’s population that’s

80 : 3,600,000,000 (approx).

So, its freezing rain out there. I’m keeping snug. But who can say what will happen to any of us in future?

Sunshine and showers.

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We have low pressure and winds from the north west are sweeping across the country. With the low sun earlier on  there were huge dark clouds, laden with rain, waiting to drop onto already sodden ground. Peeking underneath the clouds a bright sun burst through and shone across the road.  It turned the cloud base orange, but I could not see a rainbow, perhaps it was behind the buildings.

I took these photos.  The tree across the road is in flower although its only December. It usually flowers in March.

Looking round the garden, we still have blue Lobelia flowers, also begonias, a fuchsia, a nasturtium.. these should be gone by now but it has been mild , too mild. ….

Talking about rainbows.  Years ago I stepped out if college and onto the street. There was a sprinkling of rain, and dark clouds. The sun was low and bright. I saw a beautiful rainbow only a few yards in front of me. It was actually touching the ground. I did that thing you do in dreams, I chased it! I kept chasing and it kept moving away. In the end, after about 100 yards, I gave up. I just stood and marvelled at the beauty of it until it faded……