Another week – another week of rain. Not quite. We’ve actually had some pretty decent weather this week – a couple of days of bright skies and sunshine and mild temperatures for the time of year. Once again the birdlife have raised their game a notch or two and are singing as if the future of their species depended on it.
16 February 2014
Another week, another seven days of wet and windy weather. And so it goes on. The forecaster’s job has certainly been pretty easy these past weeks. On Friday and Saturday it seems we had a months’ worth of rain in two days – considering that we’ve already had several months’ worth of rain we are coming to the conclusion that this is just getting silly. Continue reading “16 February 2014”
9 February 2014
Welcome to soggy, squelchy, sodden, mushy and moist Byfield. Yes, it’s still raining and more is on the way. It’s been the wettest January since records began and we had three times the “normal” amount of rain last month which is always a pretty wet month! An item on the news night before last told us that our reservoirs are full and even if we had no more rain at all, we have enough water in the system to last until September. So, hosepipe ban by about the middle of September, I reckon. It’s also been pretty mild which I suppose is the silver lining to these particular rain clouds – day before yesterday I heard and then saw our first housefly of the season! Even the weather forecasters are beginning to get a bit embarrassed – “Yes, more of the same I’m afraid, Fiona” as they give us the forecast they could have given every night for the past eight weeks. They’ve started describing it as a “conveyor belt” of storm systems which keep coming one after the other after the other. And last night I ran across an article warning cat owners to keep their pets indoors due to the danger of them being blown away by the gale force winds. Frankly, it’s all getting a bit tedious.
2 February 2014
Happy Groundhog Day to you all. I hope you all see your shadow (or don’t – I can never remember which event is supposed to mark an end to winter). We could certainly do with an end to our rain – it’s been wet and windy most of the week, just for a change. And, guess what the forecasters are predicting for the week to come? More (and more, and more) rain and more flooding particularly in the south-west and Wales although today is supposed to be bright and sunny, if somewhat on the cold side.
26 January 2014
Good morning to you all on what is expected to be a wet and windy day in beautiful downtown Byfield and throughout much of the UK. Just what we need! We have had a few glorious days this past week – bright, bright clear blue skies with mild temperatures and, of course, lots of mud for Molly to attract on our strolls. We’ve also had a couple of very frosty mornings when no hosing of the dog is required but this weekend, apparently, we are due to be “back to normal” with dull, grey skies and more and more rain. The Environment Agency is predicting more flooding and in Somerset they have declared a “major incident” which is rather similar to what happens in the States when a “state of emergency” is announced. Places in Somerset have been underwater since the beginning of January and whole villages have been cut off and indeed even abandoned. Continue reading “26 January 2014”
19 January 2014
Good morning to you all. Hope you’ve all had a good week and that those of you who have been enduring unusual or extreme weather have seen its impact mitigated. We were intrigued to read Pam’s weekly Whiner and reflect on the change in temperature at the Lake moving from minus a million to a balmy, spring-like 50o F in a few days. Crazy! We’ve had a few chilly and frosty days but the latter part of the week has been relatively mild for the time of year, much to the disorientation of our local flora and fauna – the song birds are busily performing symphonies in an effort to attract a partner for the season and the buds on the trees, shrubs and bushes are beginning to show signs of action. I haven’t the heart to tell them it’s only mid-January and the worst is yet to come! Still, lots and lots of rain and continuing flooded rivers but not quite so bad as in the past few weeks – still every bit as muddy, though, much to Molly’s chagrin. Continue reading “19 January 2014”
12 January 2014
We’ve had a pretty good albeit somewhat mixed patch of weather this week – some very nice bright, crisp, sunny mornings, some overcast and drizzly days and some more torrential downpours (but mainly during the night which is more or less acceptable). The recreation ground is a quagmire so Molly gets a hosing down both in the morning and in the afternoon following our walk around the Edgecote estate. She’s not happy about it but reluctantly comes to the faucet and stands still while one sprays her legs, paws and undercarriage. The worst aspect from her point of view is that she’s not allowed into the lounge, her favourite slumbering spot, until she is dry. Naturally, this prompts a series of intermittent barks as she demands to be let in. What is it about “no” that she doesn’t understand? Continue reading “12 January 2014”
5 January 2014
Happy New Year to you all. I hope your New Year’s celebrations were everything you hoped they might be and the New Year brings you peace, health and happiness. We marked the beginning of the New Year in the manner to which we have become accustomed over previous years – sound asleep. Why spoil the habits of a lifetime?
I would like to say that the New Year dawned with a gloriously sunny morning with clear skies and moderate temperatures. Unfortunately, that would be untrue. The New Year dawned with more rain and it continued to sheet down all day – more floods all over the country, I’m afraid. And, it’s still going on. The Environment Agency has issued a record number of severe weather warnings for this weekend and folks are being advised not to go out to watch the storm waves from coastal paths and sea fronts – a number of people have already lost their lives having been swept out to sea by the huge waves. Continue reading “5 January 2014”
29 December 2013
Hope you’ve all had a splendid holiday break filled with all manner of festive fun.
We’ve had a very mixed end to this year’s weather which created a lot of excitement and disruption in various parts of the country, fortunately, though, not too bad in our area. There have been severe storms and high winds resulting in floods and downed power lines. A considerable number of folks were either homeless or had no electricity over the festive period. Not much fun, I shouldn’t think. We’ve had Christmas disrupted by power cuts in the past but fortunately never for days at a time (over the Christmas period, at least). The storms arrived on Christmas Eve and lots of folks trying to get away for Christmas – either to family in this country or abroad – had their travel plans severely disrupted. Not much fun trying to sleep on a camp bed at Gatwick airport, especially if you’ve got little ones to try to entertain. And how do you explain to your four or five year old that Father Christmas had a bit of trouble making it to your flooded house this year? Continue reading “29 December 2013”
22 December 2013
We’ve had a couple of stunningly gorgeous mornings this week. It’s been brilliantly bright & clear, crisp and frosty with the sun so low in the sky it seems to scrape along the horizon. In the mornings on my rambles around the recreation ground with Molly I have to pull my hat down well over my eyes and stare at the ground a few paces ahead to avoid burning a hole in my retina. Hmm, perhaps that’s how I got it in the first place. Of course those couple of gorgeous mornings have been interspersed with the usual collection of grey and dreary mornings accompanied by the occasional deluge of Biblical proportions with gale force winds. What would we talk about if the weather weren’t so variable?