Stormy Weather II

[BBMmk2]

Looking good!

[Old Grumpy]

The wind has abated somewhat thank heavens which will improve the temperature situation. Nice demonstration earlier of wind chill; it felt mild as I was putting compost scraps in the caddy outside the backdoor as the back of the house is sheltered from westerly winds. However putting rubbish in the bin out the front I was exposed to the wind being funnelled up the road between the houses and it definitely did not feel mild! The forecast of rain has gone now as well, so that will make this morning's errands a pleasanter prospect and perhaps I will even be able to get some washing on the line - problem there is that the whirligig isn't as well anchored as I would like and exposed to much more wind as it's further down the garden.

No damage here as far as I can see apart from a patio covered by randomly distributed, upended garden chairs and an empty garden wheelie bin. The main bin (luckily contents bagged) was also blown on its side. Lovely (but still breezy) day today.

[Serial_Apologist]

No damage here as far as I can see apart from a patio covered by randomly distributed, upended garden chairs and an empty garden wheelie bin. The main bin (luckily contents bagged) was also blown on its side. Lovely (but still breezy) day today.

Winds easing now as I prepare for my major groceries cycling trip - this time to Brixton Tesco, since my local Sainsbury's has deteriorated considerably in recent weeks, not presenting half of the items I visit for, and too often having half the freezer compartments completely empty, usually missing the entire range of vegetarian merchandise. Brixton is 3 miles up the road, so I'm hoping for the best!

Today is my chosen shopping day rather than tomorrow, which looks as if it is going to be very wet and windy. Doubts were expressed just now on the BBC forecast over what developments will take place on the low due to deliver tomorrow's bad weather: will it deepen as it crosses the Midlands, and then suck in much colder air following in behind the cold front, and possibly snow for the Midlands, central southern and maybe SE England on Sunday night/Monday morning?

[BBMmk2]

SA, our Sainsbury’s is similar. Logistical problems I believe. We normally do an internet shop, either with Ocado or even Amazon.

Going to be wild, wet & windy, today and tomorrow!

[DracoM]

.........well. at the mo, a strange and rarely seen light in the sky here!
BUT
...........for how long?

[Petrushka]

Don't think we've had more than a day or two here since the cold spell before Christmas without heavy rain. Currently lashing it down yet again.

[oddoneout]

Turned out rather better than expected here. Horrid first thing, and so dark I thought my clock was wrong and it was pre-dawn. The sky has lightened considerably, the rain just about finished, and the wind has eased a little, so I can get out after lunch. Dropping off newspapers to a friend and some items to the charity shop will conveniently get the fresh air and exercise box ticked in a rather more pleasant fashion than I first thought. The prospect of frost overnight with all this standing water is not welcome.
SA I hope your shopping expedition was successful - did you get any help from the wind at all or was it battle against the elements all the way?

[DracoM]

Temp here now 3C. Bitter. Wind rising.

[Serial_Apologist]

Turned out rather better than expected here. Horrid first thing, and so dark I thought my clock was wrong and it was pre-dawn. The sky has lightened considerably, the rain just about finished, and the wind has eased a little, so I can get out after lunch. Dropping off newspapers to a friend and some items to the charity shop will conveniently get the fresh air and exercise box ticked in a rather more pleasant fashion than I first thought. The prospect of frost overnight with all this standing water is not welcome.
SA I hope your shopping expedition was successful - did you get any help from the wind at all or was it battle against the elements all the way?

Yes, pretty successful thanks, oddy: Tesco seem to display their merchandise better than Sainsbury's and sport a wider product range. A lot of dependable regular items do nevertheless seem also to be missing from there these days, such as veggie burgers in 6 packs, those lovely nutritious nut burgers in 4's you just stick on a hot baking tray in the oven for 20 minutes from frozen - maybe the firm making them has gone out of business; bags of frozen broccoli and spinach appear to have gone out of fashion! An enjoyable cycle ride too, since the wind had abated by the time I made my trip - similar mellowing conditions this afternoon for an hour-long walk taking in the Sydenham Wells and Crystal Palace parks with the temperature hovering around 10 C: smiling grown-ups, kids doing their best to empty puddles by triumphantly jumping into the middle of them - I was almost tempted to join in!

[oddoneout]

Yes, pretty successful thanks, oddy: Tesco seem to display their merchandise better than Sainsbury's and sport a wider product range. A lot of dependable regular items do nevertheless seem also to be missing from there these days, such as veggie burgers in 6 packs, those lovely nutritious nut burgers in 4's you just stick on a hot baking tray in the oven for 20 minutes from frozen - maybe the firm making them has gone out of business; bags of frozen broccoli and spinach appear to have gone out of fashion! An enjoyable cycle ride too, since the wind had abated by the time I made my trip - similar mellowing conditions this afternoon for an hour-long walk taking in the Sydenham Wells and Crystal Palace parks with the temperature hovering around 10 C: smiling grown-ups, kids doing their best to empty puddles by triumphantly jumping into the middle of them - I was almost tempted to join in!

Good to hear your expedition was successful on both shopping and weather front. Do you think the shortage of some items might be due to Veganuary?

[Serial_Apologist]

Good to hear your expedition was successful on both shopping and weather front. Do you think the shortage of some items might be due to Veganuary?

I wouldn't have thought so - many vegans (of which I am not one btw) would probably regard my ready meal purchases as not in keeping with the spirit of veganism.

[BBMmk2]

A good day for a perambulation, not on my mobility scooter but with my rolator that I nowhabe, since my visit to the hospital.

[oddoneout]

I wouldn't have thought so - many vegans (of which I am not one btw) would probably regard my ready meal purchases as not in keeping with the spirit of veganism.

But they aren't the ones involved in Veganuary, which is intended to draw in new people who are more likely to go for the easy option.

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/aldi-500-sales-rise-veganuary/

Discount supermarket chain Aldi U.K. has announced a significant surge in plant-based sales during January. Reporting a spike of 500 percent against last year’s January sales figures, the budget retailer has attributed the numbers to an increase in Veganuary participants.

This refers to 2022 obviously, but I doubt it will have gone down significantly of at all this year. If it comes on top of (possibly temporary) supply issues then you have empty shelves.
However there seems to be a continuing problem of erratic supplies, even without such distortions, across the supermarkets.

[DracoM]

Snow on very tops of north-facing fells. Temp 3C, North/Northwest winds.

[Serial_Apologist]

Pleasant enough day for a 3 and a half mile circular walkabout this afternoon, taking in Sydenham Wells Park (nearly half their pansies in flower); the "old" Sydenham village centre; the heights to its north - from which looking north offers spectacular views of the architectural muddle that is now the City and Canary Wharf to its east, then, turning 180 degrees to face south, the distant woods and fields of the Kentish North Downs; and finally the steep path down to the Sydenham Hill Station, before cutting past the church Pissaro included in one of his 1870 paintings of the district and returning home via the council estate.

Maximum temperature 7.5 C - an instructive threshold indicator for convection in air streams such as this one, indicated by the way today's showers, generated over the relatively warm Channel, hugged the south coastline: for those showers to spread inland surface winds would have had to back to the south west or south, since ground level temps have to reach 6 C to generate enough convection energy for showers to form inland, (assuming no forcing factors present, eg orography, convergence). The sun is now setting into a thickening mass of upper cloud, announcing the next frontal depression, which is expected to come up the Channel. It will be interesting to see how far its associated rain belt extends, and whether overnight temperatures fall sufficiently low for snow.