Thursday 12 November 2015

Weather.

Having just listened to the week-end weather forecast I feel like drawing the curtains, lighting the wood-burning stove, cooking a large pan of soup and hunkering down.

I am not sure that 'naming' this year's storms is a good idea.   Somehow just saying that a stormy week-end is in store for us doesn't sound as bad as saying that 'Abigail' is on her way over the Atlantic and is set to wreak havoc across the North West - the further North the worse it is set to get - with up to six inches of rain forecast for some areas.

We live on the Eastern side of the Pennines, so in theory should miss the very worst of it, but we shall have to wait and see.   The farmer is abandoning his plans to walk on Saturday (I had planned to go out to lunch with friend W - and he insists he wants me to do this and he is happy to 'cope' on his own, so I shall take him up on that.)

You will see that I have put our local river, the Ure, on as my header as well as on the post below.   If the forecast is as bad as it says it is going to be then the Ure will flood much more than this and York will end up with major flooding.   I suppose it is the price we pay for living in such beautiful countryside with its hills, its dales, its becks and its rivers - you can't have one without the other.

The farmer is hurriedly cleaning out the loose housing, shovelling up the manure from last year with his large shovel on the front of his tractor.   He has borrowed a massive tipping trailer from our friend and neighbouring farmer G and this afternoon has taken six trailer loads out into the field to make a long heap, where it will be left for the rest of the winter to rot down and mature.

By the beginning of next week the dry straw 'bed' will be down ready for in calf cows and heifers to arrive.   If the fields are really wet  then farmer A will want them off the grass and into warm and dry conditions to avoid foot problems.

If you live in the West of the UK then keep warm and dry and look forward to next week when it is set to improve a little.

22 comments:

Penhill said...

Yes it doesn't sound very good for the weekend!As you say though we live in a lovely part of the world .Drove from Richmond to Ripon today, the Dales were at their best in the late Autumn sunshine.

Rachel Phillips said...

I think it is a lot of fuss about nothing. Something we used to take in our stride and say on Monday morning what a windy weekend we had.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

It does seem that ever since Mr Fish wrote himself into the annals of over-optimistic forecasting that no one dares to make such a mistake again and even that cheeky Tomasz Schafernaker now seems as doom-laden as Huw Edwards announcing that Wales have lost at rugby. Lets hope I'm right and they're wrong anyway!

Barbara said...

Goodness! That does sound bad.
I'm in agreement with you about naming the storms. It seems that the forecasters blow everything out of proportion (if things are like they are here in the States). It's as if they want to see disaster and mayhem.
However, I will be praying for safety for all those in the path of the storm.

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

I'd like to hunker down, but I need to be active too! Got to try and get a 20 mile run in as my final training run of injury hampered marathon training! Will get tea on the go and read when I'm not outside though.

angryparsnip said...

Sounds like inside weather, with a fire.
We are having a strange fall, cold evening more like what we have in January.
And possible rain this weekend ? so strange.

cheers, parsnip

Gwil W said...

Had a 12 mile run this morning in the Vienna Woods. Bit of a breeze but no rain thankfully. The Abigail cloud looks impressive on the satellite photos. Whenever I hear these weather stories I can't help thinking of poor Michael Fish and the lady from wherever it was and the great storm.

Bovey Belle said...

I love your header photo. The forecast does sound dire for you folks up North and in Scotland. We had a hooley of a wind around teatime and heavy rain but it's eased right off now so I guess it's travelling northwards. Keep safe, and I hope that the flooding isn't too awful, although 6" of rain in such a short space of time bodes ill . . .

I know they have a tendency to "talk things up" rather these days - "gusts of up to 50 mph may be expected." That doesn't seem too bad to me. Yet the 90 mph they are predicting for Scotland IS bad.

We're off to Brecon and Hay tomorrow, so I shall report back.

John Going Gently said...

Pat
I want to have a storm called fanny
Wouldnt that be great

Dawn said...

this afternoon it got really wild, now its calm again, we have a weather warning tomorrow, as long as trees dont come down before hubby gets home I dont mind

Mac n' Janet said...

Hope the storm doesn't turn out to be too bad. They've even started naming our winter storms over here, seems weird.

Joanne Noragon said...

Naming the storms is wierd. Too much time on some hands. They obviously missed the blizzards of 1950 and 1977. Seen them, seen them all.

Wilma said...

I like that hurricanes have names - it makes it much easier to remember them and put them in historical context. It might be overkill to name regular winter storms. Hope there is no flooding from Abigail and that you can stay warm and dry.

Deb said...

I hope you stay dry and don't get too much flooding. :)

Frances said...

Weaver, our NYC November weather has been so odd. Much warmer than usual, with some miserable windy, grey, rainy days. I much prefer rain to arrive while I am asleep and depart before I wake. Well...nature might not agree.

I do like seeing the river view in your new header photograph.

Your husband, as always, seems to well in tune with the demands that nature makes upon his farm. I continue to be very impressed.

Hoping you do get to meet up with your friend, whatever the weather. Do you all have that expression about "fair weather friends?" Not quite a compliment!

xo

Cro Magnon said...

Already hearing reports of nasty weather in the Scottish Isles. Yes, a warm fire and plenty of soup sounds right.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Penhill, we must live quite close to one another but can't get on to your site to find out. But one thing is for certain, we shall most likely share the same weather today!

Heather said...

Your usually peaceful little river is looking a bit angry. I do hope any flooding wont cause too much damage and that everyone will be safe. Luckily for us, this time, we are further south and might escape the worst. Keep warm and dry, and enjoy your soup. Fortuitously I made two good batches earlier in the week.

Anonymous said...

Like April here today- rain then sun although the temp has dropped. Hope Abigail doesn't unleash fury. I'd also prefer to just call a storm a storm.

Gerry Snape said...

I woke in the night to the pounding of rain on the bedroom window...but this morning only the wind in the silver birches is left to play with the remaining leaves as the potter tries to gather them into a heap!!...stay warm and dry Pat!

The Weaver of Grass said...

It is sunny and breezy one minute and pouring with rain and blowing a gale another. I almost wish I lived on the west coast - the seas must be spectacular. Thanks for calling.

Gwil W said...

It can remember the newspaper headline:
Icebergs in Morecambe Bay.

It could be worse.