Stormy Weather II

[Serial_Apologist]

Persistent night frosts here are starting to affect new shoots on our roses - they should be OK, but will probably be growth-delayed a month or so. Hopefully tonight's will be the last as the north-easterly gets cut off and daytime temperatures start picking up.

Lack of any sign of rain for the forseeable begins to get a bit worrying.

[Serial_Apologist]

Stunningly beautiful today, albeit there's a slight haze as compared with yesterday, and at 12 C at noon still rather cooler than one would like. The slow down in spring's progression has kept the daffs in bloom for longer than I can remember, but now a few bluebells are starting to appear in the nearby woods. I shall probably take a long cycle trip across the river this afternoon and visit old haunts for the first time this year: time to pump up the tyres. Posh S Ken should be beautiful with all the blossoms out. Yesterday's couple of hours basking in the sun has produced my first signs of slight sunburn.

Forecasters predict largely dry here for the remainder of the month, with temperatures near or slightly below the 14 deg late April average.

[Joseph K]

Yep - not a cloud that I could see today. Nice temperature too, quite idyllic.

[DracoM]

Flawless here.

[oddoneout]

After a murky start first thing it has been a lovely day - properly warm at last. The combination of sharp frost at night and the strong drying winds during the day in recent weeks have not done the garden much good - bulbs are going over quickly and there has been considerable damage to top growth even on plants not normally affected at this time of year. Early fruit blossom has been badly affected - what's been left by the dratted pigeons which have mounted an all-out assault this year, adding plum to the cherry blossom they go after each year. The lack of rain isn't helping; there is water in the soil but not much in the topmost layers so seedlings and some perennials are struggling to keep up with water drawn out by the wind.

[BBMmk2]

Another lovely morning, down these parts.

[DracoM]

Flawless up here!

[Serial_Apologist]

A tad warmer than for yesterday's 15-mile cycle ride across Battersea Bridge, but with some convective cloud build-up, possibly leading to an evening shower or two as pressure falls ahead of tomorrow's weak cold front, and, sadly, a return to sub-normal temperatures.

I really need to get my leg muscles back to strength!

[Bryn]

A tad warmer than for yesterday's 15-mile cycle ride across Battersea Bridge, . . .

Phew! You must have cycled across and back again a good many times to add up to 15 miles.

Four and a half decades ago, I use to work from just east of the south side of the bridge.

[Serial_Apologist]

Phew! You must have cycled across and back again a good many times to add up to 15 miles.

Four and a half decades ago, I use to work from just east of the south side of the bridge.

It's about 6 miles from here to Battersea Bridge, so that makes up 12 of the miles, to which I added approximately another 3 cycling around Chelsea and S Ken.

[DracoM]

Mighty drop in temp up here - or rather SE wind with edge and mission - hence wind chill. Feels like early Feb. Pale sun - but cannot feel it.

[oddoneout]

Mighty drop in temp up here - or rather SE wind with edge and mission - hence wind chill. Feels like early Feb. Pale sun - but cannot feel it.

Substitute NE for SE and that's here described!

[Joseph K]

Very pleasant - cloudless.

[DracoM]

High moon tonight, but suspect hefty frost on way.
AND still no rain!

[oddoneout]

High moon tonight, but suspect hefty frost on way.
AND still no rain!

Sharp frost here too last night - again. I was told a couple of days ago that we've had just over 10% of the usual monthly April rainfall here, so no wonder things are a little dry. Horribly dusty, all set for a Fen blow at this rate if it doesn't get properly damped down soon.