Tuesday 26 January 2016

Fickle January.

Just about every kind of weather has been thrown at us during January this year.   Floods, mild spells, snow, high winds - and now the fall out from storm Jonas in the US.

It's funny how our hopes are raised, only to be dashed.   I suspect it has always been thus in January.   We come out of the Christmas period thinking that there are still a good two months of Winter left.  Then, suddenly, the sun is out and the temperature rises; the aconites pop through the ground.   They are subtle - they have their yellow heads out of the ground, but they don't open their faces to the sun.   

Then we get huge downpours, the fields flood, roads are closed, folk are washed out of their homes, and we go around saying that Winter is back in a big way.   Then last week-end it is very mild.   The aconites open their little golden faces to the sun and the snowdrops peep through their leaves.   Yesterday they made the decision to come fully out and under the Scot's pines there is a white carpet.

And now today there has been heavy rainfall higher up the Dale - two inches in some places on higher ground than here - and even worse in the West of the country where the fall out from Jonas really hits home.

But our Spring flowers are a hardy lot.   They have seen it all before.   They will continue to cheer us up, whatever the weather.
This morning friends W and C and I went into our favourite cafe for coffee and scones, as usual on a Tuesday.   During our coffee the rain began to come through the top of the window and quickly fill the row of cake plates decorating the window cill.   And when we came out of the cafe, the wind caught W and I and blew us down the footpath clinging on to one another.   We just managed to stay upright.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

16 comments:

donna baker said...

I guess it is just where we live/are planted. It has been cold and windy, but no rain. I actually had to put water in the goldfish pond yesterday. Yet, the next few days are going to be warm - make the next cold days even more miserable. My fantasy place to live is in Carlsbad, CA. 70 degree days and blue skies year round. My husband would never go.

angryparsnip said...

January seem early for spring ?
February is really our winter rain month. We have some rain off and on in January.
These are the female rain, the nourishing rains, as the summer rains are the male rain, fast furious and destructive.
According to the Tohono O'odham people or Desert People who live in the Sonoran Desert.
We are to have some rain and snow next week the start of February. So happy.

cheers, parsnip and thehamish

Gwil W said...

Today with 15 C Vienna (Austria) was warmer than Cairo (Egypt) with 11 C. Very unusual weather system. They say its due to El Ninio. But such an El Ninio must be due to something pretty unusual.

Wilma said...

When we lived in Minnesota, we could count on real winter lasting all the way through March with a melt full force in April. Your winter, for all its variability, seems so much better and more civilized!

Penny said...

So glad you managed to stay on your feet.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

We're on the other side of the world and having strange weather too - right now we are in the rain/wind/rain/wind cycle - with one of two days of partial sun - and our temperatures have warmed up quite a bit - which is what happens - when the east coast of the US is cold - we are warmer - and the reverse is true. I'm enjoying a slice of lemon pound cake and a cup of tea while listening to the rain beating merrily on the skylights. Soon - back to washing the dishes that sit in the open-shelved china hutches and finishing the vacuuming - a good winter day. Hope you don't blow away

Joanne Noragon said...

How often we have similar weather, an ocean apart. I've had trouble making headway in the wind, this afternoon.

Pondside said...

Your weather sounds like ours, complete with blossoms to a little colour to the grey. It's a good thing that you and your friend were hanging onto one another, or one of you might have done a Mary Poppins!

Cro Magnon said...

I really couldn't see what weather we had yesterday; we were thick in fog all day!

Librarian said...

After a cold spell with a bit of snow, we're now back to mild and sunny here in south Germany. I am in two minds about taking the afternoon off to go for a run in the sun, something I haven't done in months.

What surprised me about your café visit was the mention of coffee. I expected you to say you were having tea and not coffee with your scones.

thelma said...

Hi Pat, our weather is of course a lot like yours, strong winds and rain. If I have to walk down that muddy puddled lane with Lucy again (which I will of course) I shall curse the weather gods that have changed our snow to rain.

Heather said...

I hope I am not speaking too soon, but we seem to have been spared the worst of this latest onslaught. It is just wet and windy which has become the norm recently. One day of hard frost, no snow so far this winter. As soon as I see snowdrops and crocus I begin to think that winter is nearly done, but of course it often has a surprise or two up it's sleeve.
Glad you and your friend had each other to cling to in those strong gusts.
This storm is named Jonah, so what happened to Henry and Ivan? I don't recall hearing about either of them.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thelma - can't think of worse paws than spaniel's for soaking up the mud!
Librarian - we usually drink coffee mid-morning and it goes beautifully with cheese scones.
This changeable weather certainly gives us something to talk about in what is usually a dull 'after-Christmas' time of year.
Thanks for calling in.

Dartford Warbler said...

I could just imagine you and your friend being bowled along the street in high winds. We are in the middle of a storm here and I am about to go out to feed the animals in the teeth of strong winds. Invigorating as long as you can stay upright!

baili said...

i really miss my flowers which do not like to bloom in winter ,
hope you will have soon fresh blooming dear

Shirley said...

Odd weather all over. Christmas was very cold here in central Alberta Canada. This week, though, we've had temperatures warm enough to melt snow. So of course we now have ice and have had rain too.