Stormy Weather II

[gurnemanz]

Stunningly lovely day today in London

.. and down here in Wilts. Daughter and partner were down here in Wilts for the weekend from Streatham, SA territory. We had lunch in the garden.

Planted-out runners are starting to climb after a shaky start and tomatoes seem OK. Courgettes not looking strong. It looks as if the next next few days' weather won't help.

[Serial_Apologist]

.. and down here in Wilts. Daughter and partner were down here in Wilts for the weekend from Streatham, SA territory. We had lunch in the garden.

Planted-out runners are starting to climb after a shaky start and tomatoes seem OK. Courgettes not looking strong. It looks as if the next next few days' weather won't help.

I had forgotten that I had bought a bottle of seaweed fertilizer a couple of years ago, then I re-discovered it lurking at the back of the gardening etc part of a cupboard, and, remembering how well the plants responded the last and only time I applied it, did applications to all my outside potted plants with enough over for one of the weaker hybrid-T roses. The stuff, which is quite revolting in both smell and appearance, has to be mixed one capful to 8 litres of water, which is very generous for such a cheap product (I can't recall how much I paid, but it was astonishingly low-priced, I thought). Since I don't possess a watering can capacious enough for 8 litres, but only a small one, I used half a capful mixed with just 4 litres. Since there's no mention of the capacity on the can, this had to be done using my 1 pt measuring jug!

[oddoneout]

I had forgotten that I had bought a bottle of seaweed fertilizer a couple of years ago, then I re-discovered it lurking at the back of the gardening etc part of a cupboard, and, remembering how well the plants responded the last and only time I applied it, did applications to all my outside potted plants with enough over for one of the weaker hybrid-T roses. The stuff, which is quite revolting in both smell and appearance, has to be mixed one capful to 8 litres of water, which is very generous for such a cheap product (I can't recall how much I paid, but it was astonishingly low-priced, I thought). Since I don't possess a watering can capacious enough for 8 litres, but only a small one, I used half a capful mixed with just 4 litres. Since there's no mention of the capacity on the can, this had to be done using my 1 pt measuring jug!

Something of a nothing day weatherwise seems likely today - not cold, not sunny, not wet, not blue sky - uninspiring but better than high speed northerly winds and torrential rain...
Your fiddling with the seaweed fertiliser sounds familiar. I use it quite a lot, mostly as a foliar drench, and using the cap as a measure, apart from being very approximate, always results in dribbles of brown down the bottle when it's screwed back on. I do at least have a watering can of known capacity for large quantities and a small trigger bottle with capacity markings for individual/small scale use. It doesn't smell that good(but the "chemical" versions don't either) but doesn't hang around for days like the chicken pellets do and, as someone who used to use ownbrew comfrey liquid on the allotment it really isn't an issue!

[DracoM]

Wet, wet, wet westerly, low temp - is it still March? Yuk.
Poor swallows - just in from Africa to THIS!

[Petrushka]

Did I see some nonsense about this spring being the warmest on record in the UK? Seriously? Where are they getting the data from?

Here in the Midlands we had one good week at the beginning of May when temperatures reached a high of 23 degrees. Apart from that it's been incessant rain (it's raining now), strong winds, thick cloud and below average to average temperatures. There has in no way been anything to make it a hot, or even warm, spring.

I'm genuinely baffled.

[vinteuil]

Did I see some nonsense about this spring being the warmest on record in the UK? Seriously? Where are they getting the data from?

Here in the Midlands we had one good week at the beginning of May when temperatures reached a high of 23 degrees. Apart from that it's been incessant rain (it's raining now), strong winds, thick cloud and below average to average temperatures. There has in no way been anything to make it a hot, or even warm, spring.

I'm genuinely baffled.

... weather chap on BBC1 News explained - much warmer in Scotland than usual, also much warmer night-time temperatures than usual. So it might not have been warm in the daytime, nor fr'instance down here in the south - but the overall average for the UK as a whole was the warmest on record...

[smittims]

I'm afraid that sounds like 'how to lie with statistics' (or averages) . I can't remember when all this rain started, it's so long ago. My neighbour built what looked like an Ark in his garden , turns out to be a shed, so I suppose he's heard it will stop , one day. Meanwhile, after a bright start it's chucking it down yet again here.

[Serial_Apologist]

... weather chap on BBC1 News explained - much warmer in Scotland than usual, also much warmer night-time temperatures than usual. So it might not have been warm in the daytime, nor fr'instance down here in the south - but the overall average for the UK as a whole was the warmest on record...

My local readings for the spring were as follows, concurring with vinteuil's impression.:

March -

Max: 12.0C - 1.0C above mean
Min: 5.3C - 2.1C above mean


April -

Max: 13.5C - 0-5C below mean
Min: 6.9C - 0.9c above mean

May -

Max: 17.8C - 0.8C above mean
Min: 10.4C - 1.4C above mean

Higher than mean or average night time temperatures are a characteristic of seasons dominated by cloudiness, which keeps the warming sun at bay while providing a protective blanket at night.

[DracoM]

Up here, some sun, but a nasty NW wind kept temp well down to 6-8C tops, and then......came the rain! Huh!
June? Joking June?
Heating came on automatically - that's how COLD it was indoors.

[Serial_Apologist]

Up here, some sun, but a nasty NW wind kept temp well down to 6-8C tops, and then......came the rain! Huh!
June? Joking June?
Heating came on automatically - that's how COLD it was indoors.

Indeed, even down here my mate called my flat cold on his visit today! And I'm afraid it looks like cool conditions are set to continue for the forseeable future - qwe're stuck between low pressure to the NE or E and high pressure to the west making no attempt at inroads into affecting our weather, apart from keeping it mainly dry.

[gurnemanz]

Pleasant weather down here in N Wilts. We visited a nearby NGS garden open day. Short sleeves possible in balmy, wind still conditions with sun coming through. Masses of roses in prolific bloom.

[DracoM]

EVERYONE in town up here is genuinely shocked at the cold, made no easier in vicious NW winds last night, and today is more like earliest March than June. And now, rain, no horizons, low thickest cloud.
Phew!
Sumer is icumen in is it?

[DracoM]

Tonight up here, drenching wet, chilly, horizon-less filth

[oddoneout]

Tonight up here, drenching wet, chilly, horizon-less filth

Foul weather here today, a version of what you had travelled through the night it seems. Very high winds, perishing cold(still in single figures even before wind chill from northerly air flow taken into account), the currently light rain due to become heavy shortly. The heating may go on later...

[Serial_Apologist]

Foul weather here today, a version of what you had travelled through the night it seems. Very high winds, perishing cold(still in single figures even before wind chill from northerly air flow taken into account), the currently light rain due to become heavy shortly. The heating may go on later...

Indeed the jet stream - or what's left of it! - seems to have got into another rut, which has now become a kind of defaut rather than representing one of those legendary exceptions of old. Gone seem to be the times when we could optimistically look forward to summers as we languished through seemingly unending winters, because now the only choice seems to be a binary one of either cool and unsettled or stiflingly hot and drought-ridden.