Stormy Weather

[eighthobstruction]

....I was just thinking "I could do with one of Anna's Lamb Curries...."....

[vinteuil]

....I was just thinking "I could do with one of Anna's Lamb Curries...."....

... like Wm: Pitt, and "one of Bellamy's Veal Pies"??







.

[Petrushka]

... most impressed by the size of Petrushka's garden and his neighbour's fence panels!

The 16 panels are those that go round my garden and also the neighbour's other neighbour on the other side. There are actually 6 on my side and 10 on the other as theirs stretches further back. They also fenced off the rear of their own property so there was a lot of money involved, and, I think, 20 panels in total. They insisted on paying, although under no obligation to do so (at least as far as the other side neighbours were concerned) and got the best panels available. At £100 per panel plus labour etc this was an expensive job but, as I said, the panels are totally secure.

If you find, as I did, that every strong puff of wind would blow a panel out when the old ones were in, it might be worth investing in something much stronger always assuming you have pots of money of course!

I am incredibly lucky because the neighbour on my other side is a professional gardener and, as I've neither the time or inclination, he maintains my garden for a nominal sum.

Back on topic, dry and sunny here after a day of solid rain yesterday.

[eighthobstruction]

...luckily not........at such a time something lemony prob'....

[Anna]

If you find, as I did, that every strong puff of wind would blow a panel out when the old ones were in, it might be worth investing in something much stronger always assuming you have pots of money of course!

I certainly don't have pots of money but I did have some featherboarded fence put up last year at the side, these two panels are very old and have been repaired before so I'll get them replaced with the same sort as well. Local chap did it (handcrafted by artisans!) and it wasn't dear.

...luckily not........at such a time something lemony prob'....

Well I'm glad you're not in a last legs situation and about to expire like Pitt! No curry here today but I can offer you a slice of lemon drizzle cake ....... (I too love sharp tangy lemony things)

[Petrushka]

I can offer you a slice of lemon drizzle cake ....... (I too love sharp tangy lemony things)

My 11 year old niece made a gorgeous lemon drizzle cake a few weeks back. It was heavenly and much, much better than anything bought in the shops.

[Anna]

My 11 year old niece made a gorgeous lemon drizzle cake a few weeks back. It was heavenly and much, much better than anything bought in the shops.

Good for her - but cake must be regarded as A Treat and Not For Everyday Eating!! .
Oh Dear. The amber warning for Devon & Cornwall has now been extended and turned into Storm Imogen: The Met says "Please be prepared for disruption to travel as well as possible damage to trees and structures, and interruption of power supplies. This is an update to the warning to extend the amber area to cover more of the Bristol Channel, including Cardiff and Bristol, and also English Channel coasts of Sussex and Kent" So be prepared BBM. And then it seems another storm will arrive mid-week. I'm really fed up with this Winter so far, although this morning's been ok.

[Serial_Apologist]

Good for her - but cake must be regarded as A Treat and Not For Everyday Eating!! .
Oh Dear. The amber warning for Devon & Cornwall has now been extended and turned into Storm Imogen: The Met says "Please be prepared for disruption to travel as well as possible damage to trees and structures, and interruption of power supplies. This is an update to the warning to extend the amber area to cover more of the Bristol Channel, including Cardiff and Bristol, and also English Channel coasts of Sussex and Kent" So be prepared BBM. And then it seems another storm will arrive mid-week. I'm really fed up with this Winter so far, although this morning's been ok.

At the moment it looks like what is known as the M4 corridor is going to be one of the worst strips affected tomorrow, as there is expected to be a "sting outflow" running west-east along its entire length, which is where one gets air forced downwards in the vicinity of a bent back occluded front, or one that's pierced through the middle of its low and is being spiralled anticlockwise in its rear as the winds veer into the north west - if that's not too technical! But it should be out of the way by midnight tomorrow, and I don't see anything worse than fresh to strong winds affecting most areas, leading up to Thursday, which is not so far showing up as another storm in the Force 8 upwards category, just a moderate-force depression approaching from the south west on Thursday night. Tomorrow does look like the strongest blow of the winter so far, for anywhere south of Birmingham. Cycling's out then!

[Serial_Apologist]

Sudden mini-hurricane here 20 minutes ago, lasting around ten minutes, with very strong gales force winds, hail rattling the windows and visibility down to maybe 300 metres, followed by one very large flash of lightning and a long booming roll of thunder 4 miles to the east. Now all is quiet and the rain petering out, though winds are expected to pick up very quickly, and I see a whole area of thunderstorms now approaching the SW tip of Wales.

Thank heavens I managed to get all my shopping done earlier today - no need to go out tomorrow

[Nick Armstrong]

Sudden mini-hurricane here 20 minutes ago, lasting around ten minutes, with very strong gales force winds, hail rattling the windows and visibility down to maybe 300 metres, followed by one very large flash of lightning and a long booming roll of thunder 4 miles to the east. Now all is quiet and the rain petering out, though winds are expected to pick up very quickly....

That was unbelievable, wasn't it ! Set off a few car alarms here, plus a few branches flying around... Just popped out to check my motor (all ok) - cloudless starry sky now!

We picked a fortunate day for a trip out to the wilds of Kent - lovely sunny ride out this morning, a lovely drive, damp this evening returning. But on the M20/26, warning signs illuminated of 'high winds and dangerous conditions' for tomorrow (Monday) - and Saturday was 'orrible. Lucky choice of day today!!

Or, as my granny used to say "Looking like the Wreck of the Hesperus" !!

That was another of my granny's too!

[Serial_Apologist]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]That was unbelievable, wasn't it ! Set off a few car alarms here, plus a few branches flying around... Just popped out to check my motor (all ok) - cloudless starry sky now!

It shows up beautifully on the playback from the BBC weather site at 23.00 hrs last night as a cold front line squall SSW/NNE-aligned and 50 + miles long crossing London, with the tropical intensity rain picked out in bright yellow. What is amazing is that an hour later a second line squall had developed in the interim hour and moved east in parallel with the first, which just goes to demonstrate the volatility of this kind of weather situation:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/se19

Click on where it says "Maps", then again on "Observations", which is to the bottom right of the Maps window, and then click the < slider below in reverse until the 23.00 bit is reached. But better be quick, because each hour that passes removes an hour from the front end of the slider!

(Oh and don't worry about the se19 - it just happens to be my postal code).

Believe it or not, our gardener has just turned up with his rotary mower and mowed our grass! - the first time in all his years of gardening he has ever had to do it in February, he said as I passed him his coffee storm in a teacup.

Winds still fresh to strong, just about touching gale in the strongest gusts, but the worst is yet to come - if it's to come. There's too much "clag" (low-level scud cloud) to be able to see any approaching or developing shower clouds, although the amount of disorganised cirrus visible suggests a lot of torn off remnants of showery activity. Temperature currently 9 degrees Celsius (or 48 F for any oldies around!).

[Nick Armstrong]

It shows up beautifully on the playback from the BBC weather site at 23.00 hrs last night

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/se19

Click on where it says "Maps", then again on "Observations", which is to the bottom right of the Maps window, and then click the < slider below in reverse until the 23.00 bit is reached. But better be quick, because each hour that passes removes an hour from the front end of the slider!

Oh good Lord, yes! Amazing - at midnight it looks like Armageddon (which is how it sounded!) and then by 1am, clear as anything.

I've never noticed that 'observations' facility before - thanks for drawing my attention to it !

So far, much calmer and less wet today than feared, here. Still time though!

[Anna]

....the tropical intensity rain picked out in bright yellow. What is amazing is that an hour later a second line squall had developed in the interim hour and moved east in parallel with the first, which just goes to demonstrate the volatility of this kind of weather situation:

We had that here about 3 or 4 hours before you (didn't look at the clock) but by 9pm when I wanted to watch W&P it was so loud (wind) and monsoon rain driving against the windows I had to turn the sound right up in order to hear. In fact, that was worse than most of what we've experienced today in amount of water and the river has been upgraded from alert to flood warning for undefended areas (I'm on the hill so ok, environment agency will update at 6pm) Not particularly warm at the moment at just under 8C. Met Office have confirmed waves of 63' in St. Ives and winds of 85mph at Avonmouth! However it seems like it's almost blown itself out and tomorrow will be calmer.
Your gardener is lucky to get the grass cut - it needs doing here but ground so utterly waterlogged that walking on it and heavy mower will do more harm than good

[eighthobstruction]

....Has anybody else been having very bad problems with the ITV channels this winter from the Yorkshire TV transmitter....Since the windy and rainy weather started in November it coincides with poor glitchy, snapping audio, fractiling buffering picture (and obviously recording quality too). At these times the diagnostic says that the signal quality is well below 50% and often much lower. Meanwhile turn over to BBC and it is as clear as a bell....BUT my point is that it does not have to be THAT bad weather for it to happen....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

....Has anybody else been having very bad problems with the ITV channels this winter from the Yorkshire TV transmitter....Since the windy and rainy weather started in November it coincides with poor glitchy, snapping audio, fractiling buffering picture (and obviously recording quality too). At these times the diagnostic says that the signal quality is well below 50% and often much lower. Meanwhile turn over to BBC and it is as clear as a bell....BUT my point is that it does not have to be THAT bad weather for it to happen....

Ah! I thought it was just my crappy telly - signal strength quite higher (70%), but lots of picture freezing (the sound continuing in the background). Trying to remember if there's the same problem on the Beeb channels ...