Stormy Weather

[salymap]

Congratulations Patrick OD on your Wedding Anniversary.

I found some old RT copies under the carpet in one room some time ago. They were certainly better than today's magazine but it's hard to give it up, I find.

[Chris Newman]

Congratulations, Patrick. 1963 was the awful winter. Permafrost 6 foot down in the soil in June. I was a schoolboy and drove my dad's tractor clearing snow for weeks. There was no coal or oil at school for the boilers so it was a mixture of tobogganing and hard revision at home for our O levels.

I never buy the RT as I keep the mag that comes "free" with my Saturday newspaper.

[PatrickOD]

Thank you, saly and Chris.

I don't take any credit, you know. It's the luck of the draw, or Fate, or whatever. I notice though that the expression 'If God spares me' occurs more frequently in conversation. But, like making a decision about dropping Radio Times, I'll think about that tomorrow. On second thoughts, maybe I'll keep up the Radio Times in case Fate senses a weakness in my resolve to live forever! Oh God! Maybe that's tempting Fate.

[marthe]

Patrick O'D, many good wishes for your golden anniversary! I can hardly believe that 1961 was fifty years ago as it seems like yesterday!

[salymap]

I'm glad you said that marthe. 1961 does seem like yesterday although I was already 30. The 1960s in London were indeed 'swinging' for me. My favourite decade for lots of reasons and life was fun.

I hope your New Year celebrations go well marthe and everyone. Can't believe another year has nearly gone, either.

[johncorrigan]

Warmest congratulations to you and Mrs OD, Patrick - good on ye both.

I don't come here except for a look from time to time but I've been rather overwhelmed by the weather this Christmas up here in Angus. Every year on Christmas night the four of us head to my wife's sister's in Alyth to join up with the family. Last year we had to trek down the track to the big house where we had our car parked with about six layers of clothes and sliding everywhere. The temperature was minus 12.5C as we set off on the five mile journey west into Eastern Perthshire. This year we set out on the same journey. I swithered about whether to wear a coat or a jacket. The car was parked right outside of the house and the temperature was 12.5C when we got in. That's 25 degrees of a difference.

[salymap]

Itseems much cooler here now as it is absolutely pouring with rain. Still windy too. Indoors weather for me.

[mercia]

swithered

that's a nice word

[PatrickOD]

Warmest congratulations to you and Mrs OD, Patrick - good on ye both........
I swithered about whether to wear a coat or a jacket. The car was parked right outside of the house and the temperature was 12.5C when we got in. That's 25 degrees of a difference.

Thanks john.
I don't appear here often myself either, but I read all the 'bars' anyway. And 'swithering', which appeals to mercia, rang a bell which some people might enjoy. Dialect is close to the people like folk music, and both of these are the proud informers of language and art, thought they don't need to touch the forelock in the process, as you well know. Anyway, 'bars' is a local dialect word for news or gossip, and you'll have to work out what Me an' me Da is all about.

http://www.moneydarraghps.org/Recitations/livinindrumlister.htm

P.S. A short biographical note for your information:

http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/wfmarshall.htm

[johncorrigan]

Thanks john.
I don't appear here often myself either, but I read all the 'bars' anyway. And 'swithering', which appeals to mercia, rang a bell which some people might enjoy. Dialect is close to the people like folk music, and both of these are the proud informers of language and art, thought they don't need to touch the forelock in the process, as you well know. Anyway, 'bars' is a local dialect word for news or gossip, and you'll have to work out what Me an' me Da is all about.

http://www.moneydarraghps.org/Recitations/livinindrumlister.htm

P.S. A short biographical note for your information:

http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/wfmarshall.htm

Thanks for that Patrick - I had to look up clabber (good old google). I liked the use of the word skiffled in 'So I skiffled back an’ forrit' - I had not heard the word used this way - it's certainly different from the musical term. Anyway on the subject of clabber here's a word which I only encountered when the kids used to annually do their Scot's language poem at school - slaister's another word for clarty, Patrick ( or clatty as Mr Marshall might put it) and this is very much the style of jk annand's poems.

http://www.chirnside.scotborders.sch.uk/slaister.htm

[PatrickOD]

I hope you didn't get 'curdled milk' for 'clabber' john. Clabber is glaur! And of course glaur is good old muck. Clabber to the knee could be translated as muck to the eyeballs - same difference! And I'm sure most of us have been 'extremely dirty' at one time or another, but I'd rather be clabbered and slaistert - it's much worse!

[Anna]

A staggering 13.8 C today and, somehow, I am yearning for a good hard hoar frost and icicles! Last year I took a photo of the severe frost, my brother entered it in a competition, and it got second prize! Noticed today forsythia is in full bloom and roses still blooming, neighbour's daffs are about 3" high. This year has been weird. Not sure I like it.

[mercia]

yes, a neighbour's camellia is in full flower and I saw an ornamental prunus beginning to flower yesterday (that must be about 3 months too early)

[marthe]

A staggering 13.8 C today and, somehow, I am yearning for a good hard hoar frost and icicles! Last year I took a photo of the severe frost, my brother entered it in a competition, and it got second prize! Noticed today forsythia is in full bloom and roses still blooming, neighbour's daffs are about 3" high. This year has been weird. Not sure I like it.

It's been too warm here for December. I've also seen forsythia, ornamental cherries, snowdrops (mine) in bloom. My daffs are also up about 3". Today it's rainy, in the 40s, generally a dull day. Tuesday and Wednesday, we're expecting the boom to be lowered with low temps below 10F! We don't get that pretty hoar frost here. The ground takes on a hard, frozen look and anything that's still green turns brown or grey.

[salymap]

This is odd. Not a sign of spring flowers or shrubs here. However the grass is still growing fast and the neighbour/gardener has stopped cutting for the winter.

All the best marthe for the new year and keep in touch. saly