Stormy Weather

[Serial_Apologist]

Bit of a shock to the system today - not the fact of waking up to blue skies and sun but setting forth at 7.45am without a jacket, nor the trusty Berghaus in case of showers! I'm sorry to hear of Draco's clouds and rain - here it's a very warm,19.9° as I type, a few clouds building now. However yesterday morning we did have a thick frost (enough to ice up windscreens) although it became very warm. Lovely to have such light evenings and dusk not even thinking of setting in until way past half-nine, couple of lovely starry nights last few days.

Assuming it holds for the weekend then gardening must be done (having completed, for the time being, decorating) although the ground is still very wet in places and hasn't warmed up at all for sowing.

Very similar here, Anna, 20 C and half cloud cover, a mixture of convective cumulus (cauliflour) and inversion stratocumulus (pancake cloud); hoping very much it holds until Sunday - as looks likely - since we have an open-air environmental musical event taking place in a local park, an historical guided walk-about - last week's was oversubscribed! - and the first of nearly two months' worth of open garden days with one opening just up the hill from me in a house set in a very secluded woodland location I've always wanted to investigate! Shame I can't find any link to post because all the gardens looks absolutely stunning - not like when we lived in W London back in the 1950s and London's atmosphere was so polluted nothing apart from sycamores would grow higher than about a foot!

[BBMmk2]

Likewise here SA!

[Serial_Apologist]

Likewise here SA!

30 years on I revisited the Earls Court address where we lived until I was 12 to find two 30 foot sycamores, doubtless self-sown, growing from the concrete behind the railings out front. Those were little saplings back in '58. Then last month I passed the same address on my bike, only to discover that they had been removed. All that struggle against ininmical growing conditions, brought to a rude conclusion!

Similar 4-storey mid-Victorian properties in that district are currently on the market for £1-3 million per floor, I saw in an estate agent's window

[EdgeleyRob]

Working from home today,just been out for a lunchtime stroll with the dogs.
BLIMEY some seriously hot weather out there.

[Serial_Apologist]

Looks like the highest temperatures so far this week will be reached tomorrow or Sunday, followed by a thundery breakdown next week, mainly in the south and west, while remaining still warm.

[Anna]

Yesterday BBC Wales confirmed I was in a Welsh hotspot (!) with a peak of 21.3°, today is warmer, local weather station showing 21.9° (it certainly felt burning at lunchtime) but I'll wait for confirmation from local BBC tv roundup. However, it's gone very cloudy and is heavy and close now, uniform low cloud not a hint of a breeze so not very nice.

S_A, hope you enjoy your Open Garden weekend - and what an excuse to be a nosy neighbour! I've bought some new plants for the new bed I've created - (in case anyone is interested they are Astilbe Astury White, Heuchera Delta Dawn, Euonymus Harlequin and Campanula Ambella) - where is marthe, she is good with plants. So, planting at the weekend followed by rain to settle them in sounds good to me.

[Serial_Apologist]

S_A, hope you enjoy your Open Garden weekend - and what an excuse to be a nosy neighbour!

The catalogue blurb says:

"Opening time: 2.00 pm - 6.00 pm Admission £3.50 in support of NGS (raising money for cancer, caring and gardening charities). Children free. Teas and homemade cakes. Sorry, not suitable for wheelchairs. No dogs please.

The garden is approximately one acre and combines lawn and flower beds with mature woodland of oak, yew and rhododendrons. The site is on a gentle hill and so there are several different perspectives of the garden to be enjoyed, always surrounded by greenery and trees, and pieces of sculpture blend in with the woodland. If the timing and weather are kind then the wonderful wisteria should be in its full glory".

Too late for the wisteria, helas!

The gardening open days would appear to be some sort of offshoot of the annual Dulwich Festival, which also includes an historical guided walk on that day and an envirionmental musical event based on the River Effra, as it mostly tunnels its way north from nearby, via Brixton to the Thames, (third item down the webpage link below):

http://www.dulwichfestival.co.uk

So I hope there'll still be a few of those homemade cakes left by the time I make it back here!

How about this one on Sunday June 15th?

"Sunset Soiree 6.30 - 8.30pm. Admission £20 to include welcome drink and canapes. Cash bar. In support of Dulwich Helpline and Southwark Churches Care. Sorry, no dogs. Access via gravel drive so difficult for wheelchairs.

"A contemporary garden that was designed to frame and complement a new home, incorporating several existing mature trees. Features of the garden include woodland planting, specimen trees, ornamental reflecting water and a walled herbacious and productive garden. Come and have a glass of wine and listen to the band on our terrace"

One almost expects Alan Titchmarsh to be on hand! At least it doesn't say "Sorry, no Blacks, no Irish"! I think I'll go along in fancy dress as a ragged trousered philanthropist.

[arancie33]

Just back from short walk round the forest pond to admire the bluebells and taddies. Very muggy though and all the little biters are out in force. La Signora is coming up a bit bumpy in parts - my syrah-laden blood stream seems to give some immunity though.

[BBMmk2]

Golden Orbistastic!! :) :) :)

[Petrushka]

Fantastic Spring day! Hardly a cloud in the sky, very little wind and very warm.

This is my favourite time of year.

[Serial_Apologist]

It's actually quite dull here now, like they said it would be, temperature having peaked around 2 pm at 23 C, but although some of the cloud base is quite dark the inversion should hold, I reckon, preventing any showers from forming today.

[Don Petter]

Originally Posted by Don Petter

Hope it lasts until Sunday, as I'm due to shoot at Bisley, and hate shooting in the rain!

Hope you aim right!! :)

Well, it looks as if it will be dry.

Now to hope for lack of wind (or at least not too much variation.)

[teamsaint]

On my hols. Got to Skye about 6.00 pm, and its absolutely widdling down.

Lovely place, and gorgeous views, so no complaints.

I dont think folks come here for the weather !!!

[Serial_Apologist]

On my hols. Got to Skye about 6.00 pm, and its absolutely widdling down.

Lovely place, and gorgeous views, so no complaints.

I dont think folks come here for the weather !!!

They must go there for the views - which must, however, be quite difficult to actually see, given the weather...
On second thoughts, they go there for the fresh air. And the convivial islanders.

[Nick Armstrong]

On my hols. Got to Skye about 6.00 pm, and its absolutely widdling down.

Lovely place, and gorgeous views, so no complaints.

I dont think folks come here for the weather !!!

Spent a couple of summers there in the 90s, lovely Some stunning weather - I remember bathing in the turquoise waters at the entrance to Loch Coruisk, after a walk listening to Bax's 3rd! We stayed in a remote house by the road down to Elgol and the landlord was Ian Anderson, flautist extraordinaire from Jethro Tull and then a salmon farmer down there ... I think he's moved away now

Guess you won't be sea bathing but have a wonderful time and do spend plenty of it in and around Talisker (the distillery itself - great little hostelry opposite - and the amber nectar suitably en-glassed)