Stormy Weather

[Serial_Apologist]

Why are star charts back to front? They have West and East transposed (ok, someone will tell me there's a logical explanation but I know that West is on the left ... ) Also, that website won't let me be interactive.

It seems I have to find Orion's Belt to see if it's Sirius instead of Procyon, and most infuriating, I have temporarily mislaid my compass, I was going to put it on the windowledge last night to get an accurate bearing. Assuming I was awake enough to faff around at that hour.

S_A's warning about London & SE & SW torrential rain for tomorrow with half a month's rain also applies to Sunday it seems with a yellow warning for both days. Here, checking our monthly rainfall we've had 177.5mm (nearly 7") as against the average for October of 73.6mm

marthe, we had an outbreak of the 'tricking' i.e., silly string, eggs, etc., and the local police stamped down hard on it, since then it's all been peaceful, Guy Fawkes is our celebration, but as someone once said to me 'Why celebrate a failure?'

Small children (mainly girls of about 6-7 years of age), in "threatening" fancy dress and facepaint, pestering shoppers with Tricks or Treats this afternoon, no parents within visible view. One woman shopper snapped "NO!!! GO AWAY!!!".

This morning's moderate rain petered out around midday, but the associated frontal cloud veil has not moved on, indicating ahead the system's return tonight as a warm front. Checking October's temperatures for here, the maximum was 0.5 C above normal, but the minimum 2.8 C above normal. That's a huge delay in the autumnal fall usually experienced in October, and helps account for the very high rainfall levels being experienced in the south here, in particular.

[amateur51]

Meanwhile, Anna: tick tock tick tock....

It's too early for panto Caliban!

Oh no it's not ...

[Anna]

It's too early for panto Caliban!
Oh no it's not ...

Oh, Yes It Is. Cali was merely reminding me to listen to the episode of Algernon Blackwood, which was an invitation to the Witches' Sabbath - but I've already heard it! I'm not sure whether he was implying I too could be a Witch .... I do fancy myself as Morgan Le Fay of course!

S_A, Trick or treaters could be construed as demanding money with menaces I suppose? But you have to question the wisdom of parents allowing such young children out on the streets without supervision.

Oh, ontopic, very little leaf fall here and trees very slow to change colour.

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh, Yes It Is. Cali was merely reminding me to listen to the episode of Algernon Blackwood, which was an invitation to the Witches' Sabbath - but I've already heard it! I'm not sure whether he was implying I too could be a Witch ....

No - just a Philip Madoc fan...

Anyone else who fancies 30 spooky minutes of gravelly Welsh gothic on Halloween has 5 or so hours left to listen to the final part of "Ancient Sorceries":

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jvy3

[Serial_Apologist]

Oh, Yes It Is. Cali was merely reminding me to listen to the episode of Algernon Blackwood, which was an invitation to the Witches' Sabbath - but I've already heard it! I'm not sure whether he was implying I too could be a Witch .... I do fancy myself as Morgan Le Fay of course!

S_A, Trick or treaters could be construed as demanding money with menaces I suppose? But you have to question the wisdom of parents allowing such young children out on the streets without supervision.

Oh, ontopic, very little leaf fall here and trees very slow to change colour.

Most of our horse chestnuts are bare, suffering as they have done for some years now from a disease that turns leaves brown in August in this part of the world. Leaves on our "natives" tend to turn colour once there's been an air frost, which hasn't occurred yet, in the south.

[mangerton]

Why are star charts back to front? They have West and East transposed (ok, someone will tell me there's a logical explanation but I know that West is on the left ... ) Also, that website won't let me be interactive.

It seems I have to find Orion's Belt to see if it's Sirius instead of Procyon, and most infuriating, I have temporarily mislaid my compass, I was going to put it on the windowledge last night to get an accurate bearing. Assuming I was awake enough to faff around at that hour.

S_A's warning about London & SE & SW torrential rain for tomorrow with half a month's rain also applies to Sunday it seems with a yellow warning for both days. Here, checking our monthly rainfall we've had 177.5mm (nearly 7") as against the average for October of 73.6mm

marthe, we had an outbreak of the 'tricking' i.e., silly string, eggs, etc., and the local police stamped down hard on it, since then it's all been peaceful, Guy Fawkes is our celebration, but as someone once said to me 'Why celebrate a failure?'

Anna, the starchart confused me too to begin with. Try this. Imagine you're standing facing south. Tilt your head back so that you're gazing straight up. Now take the star chart as shown and hold it above your head, and you'll see that the directions are correct. Yes, it's very strange!

With apologies to marthe, trickortreating and pumpkins are ghastly American imports. In my day, we dressed up, applied burnt cork to our faces and took our turnip (ie swede/rutabaga) lanterns to go guising. We were expected to do some sort of turn - a song, a poem or a few jokes - and in return we would be given an apple or some nuts. With a bit of luck, we might have got a few coppers, which were carefully saved to buy squibs (a penny each, then) for Guy Fawkes night, or possibly letting off on the way back to school after lunch.

OT, pouring rain here, but still mild.

[eighthobstruction]

Why are star charts back to front? They have West and East transposed (ok, someone will tell me there's a logical explanation but I know that West is on the left ... ) Also, that website won't let me be interactive.




:

Just as well they will not allow interactivity....what with as you say - the bottom front, or is it front bottom....

....anyway at the beginning of the universe there was no N,S,E W....

[amateur51]

Just as well they will not allow interactivity....what with as you say - the bottom front, or is it front bottom....

....anyway at the beginning of the universe there was no N,S,E W....

As someone with no sense of direction whatsoever, I find that strangely consoling eighthO

[salymap]

I think that very bright star nearer to Christmas is Orion, or one of his 'belt' of stars.

No rain here so far today but I thought it rather chilly - my back doesn't like it and sciatica strikes.

No trick or treat this year but all the local shops are advertising fireworks. Wish they would give up on Guy Fawkes-he was a failure as someone said.

[Nick Armstrong]

Just as well they will not allow interactivity....what with as you say - the bottom front, or is it front bottom....

Nicely slipped in, 8tho

Frenchie won't have noticed, no worries

[Anna]

Nicely slipped in, 8tho

Frenchie won't have noticed, no worries

But I noticed ... I usually do, when things are slipped in, however nicely!

I can now understand, thanks to mangerton's explanation, why star charts are back to front, thanks. I cannot though understand how anyone can carve a swede. they're hard enough to cut into wedges for roasting, let alone carve a face into one. Quite sweet to think of mangerton as a wee bairn, in his short grey trews, Clarkes sandals, grubby face and a fairisle jersey, reciting Rabbi Burns for pennies. Makes me think of him as a Just William. (I was, quite unexpectedly, trick or treated last night, first time in years)

Ontopic, ok day, bit of mizzley rain, warmish, think Sunday will be nice here.

[Nick Armstrong]

But I noticed ... I usually do, when things are slipped in, however nicely!

I was, quite unexpectedly, trick or treated last night, first time in years

There was a small posse of gruesome infants rambling round the leafy groves of West London last night, covered by parents at a discreet distance armed with light automatic weapons... I fear the innocence of unsupervised trick-or-treating may be a thing of the past

Has anyone seen the episode of "Curb your Enthusiasm" about trick-or-treating? One of the best...

"felony-or-treat"...

... it culminates in Larry David conducting Wagner with a live orchestra on the front lawn of a fellow Jewish neighbour, at dawn

On topic - a bit damp here, drizzle earlier, heavy rain promised later ... hope it holds off long enough for me to cycle home...

[mangerton]

But I noticed ... I usually do, when things are slipped in, however nicely!

I can now understand, thanks to mangerton's explanation, why star charts are back to front, thanks. I cannot though understand how anyone can carve a swede. they're hard enough to cut into wedges for roasting, let alone carve a face into one. Quite sweet to think of mangerton as a wee bairn, in his short grey trews, Clarkes sandals, grubby face and a fairisle jersey, reciting Rabbi Burns for pennies. Makes me think of him as a Just William. (I was, quite unexpectedly, trick or treated last night, first time in years)

Ontopic, ok day, bit of mizzley rain, warmish, think Sunday will be nice here.

I'll let your first para pass. My reaction is the same as Caliban's.

You are quite right.... carving a swede, and it was probably about 8" diameter, was extremely hard work. My mother did it for my sister and me, and when I made a turnip lantern for miss m 35 years or so later, I understood the meaning of the expression "labour of love". But that was what was done in Scotland before pumpkins were invented.

I hope you enjoyed your t or t. I remained undisturbed.

It's been a lovely day here today. I took this pic from the front of mangerton towers this week:

[teamsaint]

when the trick or treaters ask, I always tell them that I'd like a treat .

Damp cold and a bit grey here.




The weathers not much better.

[Anna]

Lovely photo mangerton! And such a blue sky - in Dundee! Without photoshop!

Well, finally, after yet another delay, I have just had had confirmation that my back door, etc., replacement is scheduled for this coming Monday! Luckily the weather forecast seems dry and bright. I also interviewed a General Builder - nice guy, old fashioned sort, comfortingly silver haired and rotund with paint spattered trousers and a Pringle jumper, everyone's favourite Grandpa, who seemed very enthusiastic about fixing my leaky flue but muttered darkly about Roman Tiles being three quid a piece. Anyway, he's going to phone with an estimate. So, hopefully, I shall, by the end of the week, be draughtproof and leakproof!

I see it's half-term in Chambers (or TGIF) and Cali has been infected with the Friday emoticons ...........