Stormy Weather

[marthe]

Calum, our common language again! Water butts, of course. This would be the butt of a big joke over here! Of course this could apply to cig ends as well as one's nether side.

[Serial_Apologist]

I am the butt, but who is the joke?

[salymap]

The downpipe of the guttering at the side of my bungalow is blocked. Water pours from a spot near the back door when it rains heavily. I am thinking of putting a bucket [no nice water butt] under the little hole to catch the rain as at the moment it catches me if it has rained much. I can't think about new guttering at the moment, so many things need doing here.

[Serial_Apologist]

The downpipe of the guttering at the side of my bungalow is blocked. Water pours from a spot near the back door when it rains heavily. I am thinking of putting a bucket [no nice water butt] under the little hole to catch the rain as at the moment it catches me if it has rained much. I can't think about new guttering at the moment, so many things need doing here.

Saly - a friend or neighbour with a ladder could probably fix this quite easily.

It says, in The Home Expert:

Clearing a blocked downpipe
Put a bowl at the base of the pipe to stop debris getting into the drains. Poke a stiff wire {e.g. an untwisted wire coat hanger maybe?] up through the shoe to remove any lower blockage. Now work from the roof - remove any rubbish from the downpipe opening and then use a piece of stout hooked wire [i.e. bend the coat hanger using pliers] to life up any debris from the upper part of the pipe. Push a long bamboo cane down the pipe if there is a straight run - if all else fails, you have to dismantle the pipe.

With any luck it shouldn't come to that, saly, being as you're in a bungalow.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

a hose pipe would be handy, flush it and poke it at the same time ...

[salymap]

Thanks both, I shall copy out instructions re guttering downpipe and wait for a suitable person to do it.

Quite nice today but leaves are beginning to drop here. Does Autumn begin on 1st or 21st September? I have heard both quoted.

[vinteuil]

Does Autumn begin on 1st or 21st September? I have heard both quoted.

I think for meteorologists the seasons are -

autumn = sep oct nov
winter = dec jan feb
spring = mar apr may
summer = jun jul aug

But I think there are other professions which divvy up the seasons differently...

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks both, I shall copy out instructions re guttering downpipe and wait for a suitable person to do it.

Quite nice today but leaves are beginning to drop here. Does Autumn begin on 1st or 21st September? I have heard both quoted.

Quite likely the trees that are shedding leaves are horse chestnuts, saly. They've been doing that from about July onwards for a number of years now, due to some disease, which is said not actually to kill the trees, but I wouldn't mind betting will shorten their lives considerably. Very sad, given that mature horse chestnuts are such a wonderful part of our landscapes and put on such a show in May

As far as seasonal start and finish times are concerned, I've even heard it said that summer begins on midsummer day! That seems ridiculous to me!! I'd go with the Met Office's annual subdivision into the three 3-montly stretches as mentioned above, though November these days seems to be turning more into a winter month. On the other hand, seasons can be so varying. Snow down here before the end of November last year, and in October 2 years ago!!

[mangerton]

I'd go with the met office too, but some people (can't remember who) reckon seasons begin with the equinoxes and the longest/shortest days.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'd go with the met office too, but some people (can't remember who) reckon seasons begin with the equinoxes and the longest/shortest days.

I tend to go by maximum temperatures - maxima, because I'm always too safely tucked up to register minima as germane to the seasonal question - I trust to my max-min thermometer, in its unscientific positioning on my north-facing wall!

Hence, when temperatures reach and exceed + 13 C (55 F) more often than dipping below, for me spring has arrived.

For summer, + 17 C (63 F) and above
For autumn, + 15 C (60 F) or below
For winter, + 10 C (50 F) or below

For my purposes the moment when seasons can change thus remains flexible, and I usually bide my time!

The Swiss would probably not accept my broad definitions. When I was working there, daytime maxima did not exceed freezing point for over three months. And then, one day, I noted tiny trickles of water just starting to emanate from the compacted ice and snow on the pavements, and pointed this out to my Swiss host. "Ah", he exclaimed, "spring has arrived!"

[BBMmk2]

Sunny intervals down this part of the woods. Quite wqarm though.

[vinteuil]

I
For summer, + 17 C (63 F) and above
For autumn, + 15 C (60 F) or below
For winter, + 10 C (50 F) or below

For my purposes the moment when seasons can change thus remains flexible, and I usually bide my time!

:

Serial - Apologist

sounds to me as if you might be suited to the 'ecological seasons'...
I quote from wiki -

Ecological seasons
Ecologically speaking, a season is a period of the year in which only certain types of floral and animal events happen (e.g.: flowers bloom—spring; hedgehogs hibernate—winter). So, if we can observe a change in daily floral/animal events, the season is changing.
Temperate areas
Six seasons can be distinguished. Mild temperate regions tend to experience the beginning of the hibernal season up to a month later than cool temperate areas, while the prevernal and vernal seasons begin up to a month earlier. For example, prevernal crocus blooms typically appear as early as February in mild coastal areas of British Columbia, the British Isles, and western and southern Europe. The actual dates for each season vary by climate region and can shift from one year to the next. Average dates listed here are for cool temperate climate zones in the Northern Hemisphere:

Prevernal (ca.1 March–1 May)
Vernal (ca.1 May–15 June)
Estival (ca.15 June–15 August)
Serotinal (ca.15 August–15 September)
Autumnal (ca.15 September–1 November)
Hibernal (ca.1 November–1 March)

[amateur51]

Serial - Apologist

sounds to me as if you might be suited to the 'ecological seasons'...
I quote from wiki -

Ecological seasons
Ecologically speaking, a season is a period of the year in which only certain types of floral and animal events happen (e.g.: flowers bloom—spring; hedgehogs hibernate—winter). So, if we can observe a change in daily floral/animal events, the season is changing.
Temperate areas
Six seasons can be distinguished. Mild temperate regions tend to experience the beginning of the hibernal season up to a month later than cool temperate areas, while the prevernal and vernal seasons begin up to a month earlier. For example, prevernal crocus blooms typically appear as early as February in mild coastal areas of British Columbia, the British Isles, and western and southern Europe. The actual dates for each season vary by climate region and can shift from one year to the next. Average dates listed here are for cool temperate climate zones in the Northern Hemisphere:

Prevernal (ca.1 March–1 May)
Vernal (ca.1 May–15 June)
Estival (ca.15 June–15 August)
Serotinal (ca.15 August–15 September)
Autumnal (ca.15 September–1 November)
Hibernal (ca.1 November–1 March)

Were these category names devised by someone from Brissle?

[vinteuil]

Were these category names devised by someone from Brissle?

when I was sent out to West Africa as a young VSO, our charlady - from Bristol - was most worried -

"But bain't that a malarial arial? .. "

[amateur51]

when I was sent out to West Africa as a young VSO, our charlady - from Bristol - was most worried -

"But bain't that a malarial arial? .. "

- you can tell ff's away, innit