Stormy Weather

[Serial_Apologist]

It's a boy, Spencer ? (33/1 with William Hill).

If she has a second son, he could be named Mark, then!

[Nick Armstrong]

Royal doings all around... Wonder what the new Windsor will be named?

Well whatever he is named, I'm sure Shakespeare and Holinshead and all the earlier chroniclers would have had a field-day with the fact that the new Windsor's first night is being accompanied by huge storms - thunder and lightning overhead now (hence ditto, the new heir to the throne a few blocks away) plus torrential rain....

LENNOX
The night has been unruly. Where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i' th' air, strange screams of death,
And prophesying with accents terrible
Of dire combustion and confused events
New hatched to the woeful time. The obscure bird
Clamored the livelong night. Some say the Earth
Was feverous and did shake.

MACBETH
     'Twas a rough night.

Ha well....

... on topic for this thread, or what ?!

(PS Marthe - I've watched the White Queen and always have to have a few wikipedia pages open to understand who Margaret Beaufort, Anne Neville, Lady this, Sir Somebody that etc etc are ! )

[marthe]

Thanks Cali, I was beginning to feel quite stupid about keeping the names straight. Anna, alas no full moon visible over Newport. Too many clouds.

[amateur51]

If she has a second son, he could be named Mark, then!

[Anna]

Totally amazing lightning storm started about 4am. Low rumbles then sheet lightning, flashes as bright as day silhouetting the trees and hills – flash after flash like someone flicking a switch on some powerful arc lights, couple of cloud to ground usual forked, then strikes streaking across the sky with seemingly many ‘tails’ and even loops. (I was watching from the window and wondering if this was wise and would I go blind as it was so bright!) No severe thunder claps just constant rumbles and around twenty minutes in the spitty rain became a bit heavier. It was all terribly exciting!!

It moved slowly in a ENE direction and by 4.50 it was all over except for a growling and occasional flash in the distance and the rain (which only amounted to a paltry 2.03mm so I still had to water the beans this morning) stopped. And that seems to be it for us, no more storms forecast, maybe a shower today and some heavier, persistent, rain on Thursday. It’s feeling a bit fresher and predicted to get no higher than 24° so a pleasant day.

(Offtopic: Really surprised Cali is watching The White Queen after he described it as 'decorative tosh' )

[eighthobstruction]

Surely better to watch Doc Gregory in this effort....http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...als_Episode_1/

[cloughie]

If she has a second son, he could be named Mark, then!

Better to call this one Mark - then the next can be Mark II.

[salymap]

Back on topic, just as hot etc here today as yesterday. The teacup of rain we had has long disappeared and even the Japanese Anemones [white] are hanging their heads today. It's nice to see them just outside my back door,very cooling flowers normally

[Serial_Apologist]

Totally amazing lightning storm started about 4am. Low rumbles then sheet lightning, flashes as bright as day silhouetting the trees and hills – flash after flash like someone flicking a switch on some powerful arc lights, couple of cloud to ground usual forked, then strikes streaking across the sky with seemingly many ‘tails’ and even loops. (I was watching from the window and wondering if this was wise and would I go blind as it was so bright!) No severe thunder claps just constant rumbles and around twenty minutes in the spitty rain became a bit heavier. It was all terribly exciting!!

It moved slowly in a ENE direction and by 4.50 it was all over except for a growling and occasional flash in the distance and the rain (which only amounted to a paltry 2.03mm so I still had to water the beans this morning) stopped. And that seems to be it for us, no more storms forecast, maybe a shower today and some heavier, persistent, rain on Thursday. It’s feeling a bit fresher and predicted to get no higher than 24° so a pleasant day.

(Offtopic: Really surprised Cali is watching The White Queen after he described it as 'decorative tosh' )

See, I was right, wasn't I??

Caliban's post-midnight storm skirted around to our north west. These high-base storms (like the ones in Arizona I posted pics of a few weeks back) allow for amazing viewing (at a safe distance!) and I sat on our grassy knoll watching ribbon lightning form endless patterns until warm rain started falling here, and came inside. Rain from these types seems very localised - here very little fell, as in Sidcup, and it quickly dried on the ground. Now it feels stifling and another one is heading in from the SW; my mate phones to say it's hammering down over in Esher - we've agreed on postponing what was intended to be an evening out - meal in local Goan restaurant, followed by my regular gig in New Cross, tonight featuring a tip-top Russian saxophonist - on weather grounds and because I really can't cope with cooked meals in these conditions. (He tells me by the way that his daughter is involved in producing a remarkable play currently on at the National whose subject matter is the fall of the Lumumba regime in the Congo brought about by the Western powers in 1963).

[mangerton]

Totally amazing lightning storm started about 4am. Low rumbles then sheet lightning, flashes as bright as day silhouetting the trees and hills – flash after flash like someone flicking a switch on some powerful arc lights, couple of cloud to ground usual forked, then strikes streaking across the sky with seemingly many ‘tails’ and even loops. (I was watching from the window and wondering if this was wise and would I go blind as it was so bright!) No severe thunder claps just constant rumbles and around twenty minutes in the spitty rain became a bit heavier. It was all terribly exciting!!

It moved slowly in a ENE direction and by 4.50 it was all over except for a growling and occasional flash in the distance and the rain (which only amounted to a paltry 2.03mm so I still had to water the beans this morning) stopped. And that seems to be it for us, no more storms forecast, maybe a shower today and some heavier, persistent, rain on Thursday. It’s feeling a bit fresher and predicted to get no higher than 24° so a pleasant day.

(Offtopic: Really surprised Cali is watching The White Queen after he described it as 'decorative tosh' )

That all sounds fun. I don't think you'll go blind, although something similar happened at the start of Wyndham's Day of the Triffids I like a good storm. There were a few large bangs here mid morning, but it's bright and sunny now.

[Nick Armstrong]

(Offtopic: Really surprised Cali is watching The White Queen after he described it as 'decorative tosh' )

I think Janet McTeer as Lady Rivers and Amanda Hale as Margaret Beaufort are a distinct cut above and their performances hooked me in

The predicted continual rain today hasn't really materialised since the overnight / morning downpours.

[BBMmk2]

We had rain during the night. As I saw this morning! No storms as yet! Pah!

[EdgeleyRob]

Tremendous storm around 6 am today and rain until mid morning.
Since then it's been mainly dry,warm,muggy,close,humid and sticky!!

[salymap]

Plants are dying with the continued drought and can't now lift a watering can. Ah well, expect when it starts we will long forthe sunshine.

[Serial_Apologist]

Ah - last of the storm clouds clearing to the north-east, a few small cumulus appearing in the wake of a deep blue sky, air as clear as a bell once more, with temperatures returned to a civilised 22 C - sheer heaven!