Yes, I own to some extent to being obsessed with the weather. If you were here to see me walking with Priscilla, you would realise just how slowly I walk. I love my daily walks and this is partly because I know they are doing me good in many ways both physically and mentally. But I also know that however heavily it rains I can't speed up - I really only have one speed. Therefore I have to be fairly assured that the weather will be fine for the next three quarters of an hour after I set out.
But I do also agree with those of you who say that the British are obsessed like no one else with the weather. Now a quote in today's Times does to some extent suggest that this applies to those in America too. The American poet James Russell Lowell (1819 - 1891) in his poem 'Under the Willows' says 'May is a pious fraud of the almanac , a ghastly parody of real Spring'. So it is not just this year it is most years when May is changeable. This year in the UK up to May 18th we had had twenty six percent more rain than we usually get in the entire month and added to that the temperature had been well down. But we get what we get - the weather is never perfect - I just want enough fine weather to keep my muscles getting stronger.
I am managing to keep up good levels of conversation - my other aim. I always have my carer for an hour. This morning, added to that I had the lady from Lifeline to check on my wrist button that it was working accurately (it was) and then my neighbour H came round for a coffee and a Maid of Honour (a box of six home-baked left by my carer as a surprise for when I went into the kitchen. ) We had one each with our coffee and they were delicious.
At last (6.40pm) the sun has burst through the clouds but it is still pouring with rain so I shall not be walking today.
I also see in today's Times that Wally the walrus who is believed to have reached Britain earlier in the year on an ice floe and had been spotted a few times around Tenby in Wales has been spotted again, this time around Padstow on the North Cornish coast. What fascination we British have in any kind of wildlife. After life on the farm where we had such a lot it is a bit thin on the ground here but I do have two permanent residents in my back garden - two male blackbirds, who seem to spend the majority of their time arguing. I can only assume that somewhere in the hedge around part of my garden there are two Mrs Blackbirds who are sitting on eggs or hatching chicks.. They take not the slightest notice of me but they can't stand the sight of one another. Maybe it is because I don't have any interest in eating worms.
I shall now go an consult my pine cone to see what tomorrow's weather holds. I agree Rachel and Derek - it is as good a method as any. I love my barometer too, which hangs just inside the front door and which I adjust each morning - it too is reliable. As to the weather on my phone - never bother with it.
Until tomorrow friends...
.JPG)
32 comments:
For those of us that have anything to with the land or gardening, the weather is always at the front of our mind.
To continue the weather theme, here on Sheppey today it has been like a winter's day with severe gales and violent gusts of 50 mph and more, all day. Some of my roses have been snapped before they have had a chance to flower, flower pots have been rolling around. This day last year saw temps. of 28 degrees - today it was 12 degrees.
In this time of COVID, I suppose the weather is as good as anything to be obsessed with. :) ~Andrea xoxo
When we first moved to Wales, you almost always had a heatwave in May - our stream used to dry up. Not so any more, sadly. This May has been quite wretched - cold as winter, and as wet and windy as March. Of course, weather is always a topic of debate if you have a casual conversation in a queue (as outside Boots today). The chap in front of me wasn't too happy with the wind and rain either.
Like you, Keith can't get along very fast any more (muscle wastage from the long term steroids he is on isn't helping). If it rains when we are out for our daily walk, we get wet - can't sprint back to the car these days!
At least you had some nice conversations today. How cheering it is to chat.
It had better watch out in Padstow, it might be on someone's menu tonight.
If it's lucky Rick will be away for the weekend.
Living on a boat I'm also obsessed with the weather, can we move or can't we?
Are we pinned safely? We currently have a tow puddle beside the boat rather than a tow path.
I do admire your tenacity and determination to keep on walking with Priscilla.
Wally was in Tenby near me for weeks and yet I never got to see him - if he returns I shall definitely go. They think he is unlikely to return to the arctic - perhaps he will be a local celebrity for years to come! Meanwhile, I saw a dead porpoise on the beach the other day - sad.
You are going to have to explain your ‘consult the pine cone’ ? My only reference point was my mother’s ‘ consult the tea leaves’, and I doubt I’m right with that! I hope your weather improves, or you’ll need webbed feet!
I couldn't help of thinking that ' rough winds do shake the darling buds of May' Do enjoy your walking , it will get better when you've got the sun on your back!
Wally will be a huge tourist draw, as he has been here in West Wales. He seems to have played up to his celebrity status, and not been put off by people trying to get close to him. Presumably the water will be even warmer that far south - the very opposite of what he should be aiming for?
When I was a working girl my boss always booked his holiday to coincide with Wimbledon fortnight as the weather was always good then. Once upon a time it was reliable. Today I had a protest sit in on my own as the weather was foul - howling gale and pouring rain -and stayed that way for much of the day. I suppose it will improve eventually but I am not holding my breath for tomorrows effort.
Virginia - pine cones open up when the weather is very dry and when it rains they close up tightly - all to do with the air pressure.
Eachel/Derek - clever comments about Rick Stein the pair of you!
Wouldn't it be boring if we lived on the equator, with no changing seasons, totally predictable weather, and equal length days and nights all year. We would really have to hone our conversation skills!
Oh we Americans are INDEED obsessed with the weather. Now that we can access weather info ANY time of the day or night, trust me Pat, we are checking it, on any of a dozen or more apps on our phones!!! It literally runs our lives! Especially those of us who garden, bird watch or, like me, who also bike and walk and hike. I suppose there are worse things to become obsessed over! :)
Canadians are also truly obsessed with the weather. This past week and through the weekend it is reaching 30C - way too hot for this time of year. It will go back to a more normal 18 to 23C the following week so that will be a relief!
I look at the weather for the week every morning, on my phone.
Our weather in Massachusetts does change quickly. Lately we've had little to no rain. 80 degree days and 60 overnight. Observing wildlife is always enjoyable. On my woodland property, bull frogs are plentiful, baby snakes are emerging from under rocks, a beautiful red fox passes through daily, chip monks are dashing about, the general bird life is diverse and the wild turkeys are doing their mating dance. Observing wildlife is interesting and there is a lot to see, for those of us choosing to watch.
We are obsessed with weather here. we often hear the quote, "If you don't like the weather, wait 20 minutes."
It's us country folk/dwellers who most care about the weather; it controls our lives, and that's the same the world over. A native Londoner or New Yorker probably doesn't even notice it, or even know what season it is. Children never seem to care about weather, I need their secret.
In Germany, we have a so-called "Farmer´s rule" that says "May cold and wet fills barn and barrel"(Mai kalt und nass füllt Scheune und Fass). The last years May was always very hot and dry so even when I can´t go outside because it is raining really hard I tell myself it is good for the nature.
Hilde in Germany
I often get frustrated by my own obsession with the weather but, much like yourself, I have good reason. Do I hang out the washing? (I don't own a drier), do I need my waterproof leggings on my commute to work, or, more importantly, deciding whether or not to go walking on the fells. X
I truly wonder where the conviction comes from that the British are more obsessed with the weather than others. Believe me, they are not! Everyone I talk to here in Germany, be it colleagues at work, business partners, neighbours, family or friends - we all go on about the weather as one of the first topics of conversation. It was exactly the same during all the time I spent on Sicily, when I was still part of the family there. It is obviously something in our nature, and I like it - after all, we are on this weather-driven planet, and when it comes to the basics, our very lives depend on the weather. Too cold and too wet means bees can not pollinate, crops can not grow, same as too hot and too dry.
I agree with Librarian, the weather is part of this planet's life, we depend on it for the food we eat. But here in Yorkshire, it is cold, cold, cold, my moan for the day.
My mother-in-law used to say she had two speeds: "dead-slow and stop".
Again such interesting reading and it has persuaded me that it is not just the British who are obsessed with the weather - it is country folk. And how fascinating to read of your sayaings, your attitudes to it all - thank you one and all.
I used to work with someone who had two speeds - flat out and flat out. The first was going at top speed but the other, more frequently seen, was lying about doing nothing!
Considering how much people talk about the weather it's amazing how ignorant they are on the subject. When I led walking holidays I could sometimes see a belt of rain approaching and would advise everyone to get togged up for the downpour, but only about half would take any notice. At other times you could see it was only going to be a brief shower and you'd see folk getting dressed up like North Sea fishermen!
My off the cuff comment about the pine cone, Virgnia, was meant as a joke as I am sure Weave was aware. She is indeed right in talking about the opening and the closing of the pine cone to indicate wet and dry weather however the pine cone is part of weather folklore here in Britain, along with "the cows are laying down in the field so it is going to rain" and a tongue-in-cheek way of predicting the weather. A pine cone would definitely not be any use for predicting a long range weather forecast, the context in which I used it!
Also, "red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning" - "red sky at night, shepherd's delight".
Re the pine cone, if the seaweed is damp it's going to rain, if it's wet it is raining and if you can't see it it's foggy. Good British folklore.
The British weather is often so changeable that it is naturally an endless source of fascination!
I love reading your blog. I am from the. US so many times I have to look up unfamiliar foods, places and politics. I enjoy that. I like hearing about everyone's weather. We definitely all have that in common. I know rain, cold and gusty wind even if I have to look up
Escape to the Country, The Death Railway, airing cupboards and Maid of Honor. Here in a beach town in Delaware it is sunny and warm. No rain expected for several days. Nice for me, not so much for the farmers nearby. Rose
Another lovely post Pat - you really know how to keep this ex-pat happy with memories of so many English things from my past, even the weather!
Post a Comment