Stormy Weather

[Pianorak]

I find the following quite useful. You may have to register (free) with the first one, and the second one takes ages to load but well worth the wait as it shows you the actual weather (best using Firefox).

http://www.metcheck.com/

http://www.skycams.co.uk/

Edited to say you don't have to register with metcheck.

[marthe]

I do not feed the local foxes for fear of encouraging them. Yesterday however I gave them a particularly tasteless shop veggie pie and they ate every scrap but left loads of torn up paper, certainly not from here. Ungrateful beasts.I shall clear it up when it stops raining. Poor things, they don't belong in the Kent suburbs, or anywhere really.

Saly, we have coyotes rather than foxes as an urban, or suburban, nuisance. They certainly don't belong here but are becoming bold and numerous. Though they are shy of humans, they prey on small animals and deer (which have also become a real pest in their own right.) Today's local paper ran a story about a family pet (black labrador) being attacked by a coyote. The poor dog died from its wounds leaving a sad family behind. I fear for my cats during the summer when they go outside more than they do right now. I suppose they should be indoor cats, but we didn't start them off that way and they're accustomed to going out.

[salymap]

Morning marthe and everyone. I managed to resist my night time visit to the MBs but a cup of tea became imperative by 5am; it's all the tablets that give me a thirst I think.Coyotes don 't sound so good. Iturned against foxes when I found dismembered hedgehogs in my garden years ago. Foxes somehow manage to attack them in the tum, their soft area. Dead cats were also discovered on Chislehurst Common, near me, although fox lovers say they don't attack cats. They certainly stalk them with intent, I've seen it myself. Allthe best,sal

[marthe]

Sal, I think larger animals will always stalk smaller ones with intent! Though here the coyotes, about the size of a large dog (think of an Alsatian), also go after deer which are bigger than the coyotes. Foxes have become scarce around here. Years ago we'd often see a fox or two while taking an early morning walk but no longer. Foxes and pheasants seem to have become scarce in these parts. I don't think we have hedgehogs over here ...except as pets. The daughter of a friend had an African pygmy hedgehog that she used to bring along to local cricket matches. It was a sweet little creature and my children were fond of it. bws marthe

[salymap]

Morning all. It's going to get colder with a chance of snow somewhere, was it the Chilterns? Oh, lovely.

Marthe, my silly mind thought, hope the pygmy hedgehog doesn't get near cricket match and roll himself into a ball. An interesting pet though! bws

[greenilex]

Sounds like Alice and the flamingo croquet match...

[antongould]

Which I would suspect was played on Sidcup High Street!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

According to BBC Radio Humberside this morning, today is said to be the "gloomiest" day of the year. I beg to differ. I know there are those strange people who like witheringly hot weather, bright sunshine in their eyes, overcrowded beaches, summer traffic jams, yobbos driving cars with windows wide open blairing out loud noises that they consider to be music; but give me the cooler winter, when it's possible to control one's body temperature and there is still freedom to move about without experiencing the world's overpopulation first hand.

[Uncle Monty]

They say no good deed ever goes unpunished -- well, we put out extra bird-feeders in the front garden during the bitter weather, and now that's gone (we hope) there's a lot of chaffy spillage on the ground, whch has attracted a lot of rodents. Now we don't mind the Woodmice, and we positively love the Bank Voles, but now a larger vistor has been spotted. . .

I suppose this means a phone call to the Council

Much milder here today, not a hint of frost. I feel myself coming alive again. Like Alpen, I don't cope well with very hot weather either, but there are limits. . .

[greenilex]

Better get a terrier...

[Uncle Monty]

Better get a terrier...

Got two Chocolate Labradors! But they're so used to having it easy, they have no interest in snacking between meals Any chance of renting a Jack Russell for a day?

[marthe]

Morning all. It's going to get colder with a chance of snow somewhere, was it the Chilterns? Oh, lovely.

Marthe, my silly mind thought, hope the pygmy hedgehog doesn't get near cricket match and roll himself into a ball. An interesting pet though! bws

No fear of that! Reggie the hedgehog was usually curled up in A's lap who spent most of her time sitting in the tea tent. Stray cricket balls never came in that direction! Most of the sixes went into the hedge on the other side of the field.

[Eudaimonia]

Evening all!

What's new? This weekend, I made a bunch of outdoor winter shelters for people who manage feral cat colonies (or have strays lurking around their property). This time of year, strays tend to take cover under cars to stay warm, and there are so many needless deaths. Why not do what you can to make a difference?

I made up my mind to help after seeing the heartbreaking spectacle of a cat whose growth was stunted by frostbite, having been born in the open winter air: his body was as small as a kitten, but his long, spindly legs were scarred and deformed and he lost most of his paws...the poor thing was hopping around his cage, purring and being affectionate to all who came by. Agh! Horrifying. This is also why I volunteer for "spay and neuter" clinics.

Anyway, the simplest way to help is to gather up discarded styrofoam shipping boxes, cut a six-inch hole in it with a kitchen knife, line it with straw or some other kind of insulating material, and set it outside in an out-of-the-way area. I like to encase mine in heavy plastic and duct tape for weatherproofing, but anything is better than nothing-- would you believe that temperatures in boxes like these can reach over a hundred in even the worst snowstorm? Nice and toasty!

I do hope you'll think about it...here's a picture that shows the end product. Good luck!

[marthe]

Euda, I like your cat shelter. In our old neighborhood, there was a cat colony managed by a local (and statewide) group called Pawswatch www.pawswatch.org/ . They do wonderful work with feral/street cat colonies and are one of the organizations in town that I support. One of the ideas on their website is to use thermal pool covers to drape over outdoor cat shelters. My own kitties have been curled up in warm spots today, moving around the house with the sun, napping near the radiator, or snuggled up in the upstairs bathroom sink!

[salymap]

Morning all. I thought it very cold yesterday as I walked to the doc's. Luckily just at the corner of my road.

Hope you all have a good day today. Mustgetgoing as cozes [!] are due later.