New paintings and regular art updates.
We might get a cold snap in the next few days. At the moment though they are clinging on. Inside our house, I’ve just had to torn the heating off. We had a radiator mended in the week and now it’s pumping out warmth. I’m sitting here in a tee shirt and thinking I might turn it back off at the valve…
Let’s see what happens when the weather cools. If it gets frosty, if it snows. Then I won’t just be wearing a fushia pink tee shirt, and the flowers outside might be gone.
What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?
My favourite month is May, when blossom opens on trees, the sky turns a beautiful cerulean blue, and suddenly bees and insects wake up. Then I watch the blossom unfurl, tight buds become satin skirts and whirl outwards. Scent fills the air. Beware storms, thundering through the sky, their gusty winds can strip the flowers before they are pollenated, or frosts can burn their delicate petals. Their safety ensures a good crop of cherries or pears. Apples too can sink or swim depending on the weather.
May brings beauty in other forms, buds and leaves follow the blossom, the leaves stretch as water floods into their veins, brilliant greens or pinky mauves fill in the gaps between the twigs. Warm sun is absorbed as the leaves feed on the light. Photosynthesis is a miracle of nature. Clean air circulates, breezes stir, hedgerows grow and light up with May blossom.
Yes May is my favourite month, the warmth of the sun starts to return, days are longer, brilliant and lovely, if we are lucky we can enjoy the seasonal spectacle.
There’s still leaves on the trees and we are almost half way through November! The air hasn’t been very cold so the leaves are only gradually turning autumnal. And we have not had too much strong wind here so they haven’t blown off yet. This was the view from the car park at the garden centre today. A lovely blue sky, bright sunlight from a dazzlingly low sun, trees still in leaf. Feels like summer except it was quite cold.
Reflected in the car window bue sky and grey cloud. The air is chilled and breezy, a little plastic windmill with curled coloured sails spins in the wind. I don’t want to go out, I’m staying in and keeping warm.
Cold air is circulating near my feet, warm air rises, so it can take a while for it to descend and fill the room. Having cats popping in and out, that can’t close the door behind themselves doesn’t help.
It’s fearful to wonder what the bills will be like this winter. Fuel costs have apparently come down, but not for customers. I guess it’s good in one way because it reduces how much power we are using. But that means extra layers of clothes, in my case a tee shirt jumper and a cardigan. But it’s no hardship compared with being homeless in winter. A “Lifestyle choice” according to our Home Secretary, what an uncaring attitude.
Just looked at my Barometer, it’s dropped to 957 millibars which is the lowest I’ve ever seen it. The pointer has dropped all the way down to “stormy”. And yet fireworks are going off all around us. It will be bonfire night, or Guy Fawkes night in the UK tomorrow. (Remember remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot). This was in the reign of James 1st when Guy Fawkes and fellow plotters tried to blow up the houses of Parliament by getting gunpowder into it’s cellars. The British people celebrated the failure of the plot by burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes and letting off fireworks.
So the weather isn’t good for it tonight. I doubt there will be many bonfires because of all the rain we have been having. But the fireworks are crackling and banging all over the place, and it’s not even the 5th yet!
Hundreds of miles of the South of England have been badly affected by Storm Ciaran (pronounced kiaron).
Rooves have been torn off, trees uprooted, a branch like a spear pierced the roof of a mobile home and punctured the bed the occupant had just vacated. A woman woke in the storm and grabbed her baby from it’s cot just as the windows blew in. 107 thousand homes had their power cut off. Many have had it restored but 20 thousand are still without electricity.
The channel islands have suspended ferry crossings and their airports are closed. There was a red weather warning indicating danger to life and property.
Meanwhile Northern France was also badly hit by the storm. I think there were wind speeds over 110 miles an hour. We are lucky to be far north of this weather event.
I love clouds so when I saw these on Saturday I had to take a photo. I loved that they were lined up diagonally. I think they are cumulusclouds. I ought to check the cloud appreciation society page on Facebook but I thought I’d post it here first. November is near and grey skies abound, so it was good to see a little daylight for a change.
Heavy clouds, dark grey
Scudding past,
light and dark
Dark and light.
The ivy waves
in rippling winds
A force is behind it.
Pushing the clouds.
Autumn rattles branches
September ends in gales
But no rain, no lightning
Just the windy gloom
Of a September afternoon.
In a country that often gets more than its fair share of rain, today is rather dull, overcast, wet and windy.
It’s also flipping wet, raining cats and dogs, dark over Bills mothers house, persisting it down, good weather for ducks.
Other phrases spring to mind. If its not raining yet just wait five minutes… A bit damp, mizzling, drizzling, raining stair rods, blowing a gale, blowing a hooly, damp. Stormy, showery.
I’m sure there’s more, just can’t remember them all! Have a good day, stay safe, and if you do go out take a brolly and wellies!
It’s cold in our house today- on a grey overcast bank holiday Sunday. I was having a rest on our sofa, but woke up to a cold shiver down my spine. This is British Summertime so what do I expect? I’ve lived long enough to see snow in June. So this is nothing. It’s just I don’t want to put the heating on. Cost of living and all that!
So what do I do? Add extra layers, curl up and keep out of draughts. Have a hot cup of tea or coffee. I don’t think I will see steam rising! It’s not quite as cold as that, but I’m…. brrrrr… Cold… I’ll try and get a cat to sit on me x
Mallaband-Brown