Stormy Weather II

[Old Grumpy]

Brilliant red/gold/hazy sunrise today up here.

[Old Grumpy]

Lovely evening light over Scarborough South Bay yesterday evening as we walked back to the car from a theatre matinée.


And a splendid bright autumn morning today to boot!

[Serial_Apologist]

I return to Brixton tomorrow with the intention of buying a low-priced electric blanket at Argos. The £30 model is a lot cheaper than I'd been expecting.

The new electric blanket was ready for collection when I visited Brixton Argos yesterday afternoon, and it works! I was surprised and delighted that having been told that the £35 version I was seeking was not available, they only charged me £35 for the £45 version. Now, that's what I call good customer relations!

[oddoneout]

A lovely day yesterday so I went for a wander along a riverbank walk, willow carr on one side and watermeadows with photogenic cattle grazing on the other, and then sat on a bench in the sun to enjoy the warmth and sun and admire the colours and shapes of the trees.
Today is wet and rather cool so it won't seem such a problem staying indoors to get some tiresome jobs ticked off my list.

[Serial_Apologist]

With any luck this claggy weather will start to clear on Sunday, beginning in the north and west, then spreading across the entire country as substantial high pressure builds up in the E Atlantic to our west. Some possible showers mainly in the E and S midway through next week, but no proper rainfall expected until the 21st. Sunday will be on the warm side, but temperatures otherwise expected to be a few degrees below November norms, particularly tomorrow, but fortunately with continuing light winds. Very dry at ground level, masses of crispy colourful leaves await clearance.

[Serial_Apologist]

There is a strong possibility of snow in the South and Midlands Midway through next week - amounts to be ascertained. The colder weather starts on Monday, and could last some time. I'm banking on a cold winter - it often happens after an El Niño year.

[oddoneout]

There is a strong possibility of snow in the South and Midlands Midway through next week - amounts to be ascertained. The colder weather starts on Monday, and could last some time. I'm banking on a cold winter - it often happens after an El Niño year.

Looking at the possible overnight temperatures next week I shall have to finish sorting out my less hardy plants this weekend - the run of mild weather has been a bonus with the fuchsias and other tub plants, but all good things come to an end.
And speaking of end, I am very glad to be out of the 'anticylconic gloom' period. My volunteer gardening was made much more enjoyable by sunshine and blue skies setting off the tree colours, and it has been much easier the past couple of days to deal with the dark coming sooner when there is light in the sky fading to a proper twilight, but not the need for lights in the house during the day!

[Serial_Apologist]

Looking at the possible overnight temperatures next week I shall have to finish sorting out my less hardy plants this weekend - the run of mild weather has been a bonus with the fuchsias and other tub plants, but all good things come to an end.
And speaking of end, I am very glad to be out of the 'anticylconic gloom' period. My volunteer gardening was made much more enjoyable by sunshine and blue skies setting off the tree colours, and it has been much easier the past couple of days to deal with the dark coming sooner when there is light in the sky fading to a proper twilight, but not the need for lights in the house during the day!

Quite - and as regards my own outdoor fuschias, some of them have managed historically to survive even quite extreme low temperatures (i.e. down to - 8C), others not. It seems that those that succeed in reaching the woody stage of stem development cope best; even though they may appear dead come the following spring, I keep a patient eye out for recovery which, if it is going to happen, manifests as tiny shoots gingerly appearing at the base of some stems around about May time. Something I've also noticed this year, in comparison with the past few, is how early and rapid now is the leaf fall. Last year and the one before we had leaves still on mature trees on Christmas Day - something which in my childhood would have been out of the question: leaves would be all expected to be down by December 1. I have heard it say that "nature" has some ability to foretell the severity of a forthcoming winter, and act accordingly. I wonder how true this is. At horticultural college I was told that new shoots in early autumn prompted by temperatures up in the growth range are as much responsible for leaf fall, namely by cutting off ("abscissing" the technical term I believe) the dying leaf at the base, as the waning light and falling temperatures. Such jettisoning would maybe account for many fallen leaves still containing a large chlorophyll content, manifest in their greenness. Again, I'm not so sure as to the truth of this.

[oddoneout]

Quite - and as regards my own outdoor fuschias, some of them have managed historically to survive even quite extreme low temperatures (i.e. down to - 8C), others not. It seems that those that succeed in reaching the woody stage of stem development cope best; even though they may appear dead come the following spring, I keep a patient eye out for recovery which, if it is going to happen, manifests as tiny shoots gingerly appearing at the base of some stems around about May time. Something I've also noticed this year, in comparison with the past few, is how early and rapid now is the leaf fall. Last year and the one before we had leaves still on mature trees on Christmas Day - something which in my childhood would have been out of the question: leaves would be all expected to be down by December 1. I have heard it say that "nature" has some ability to foretell the severity of a forthcoming winter, and act accordingly. I wonder how true this is. At horticultural college I was told that new shoots in early autumn prompted by temperatures up in the growth range are as much responsible for leaf fall, namely by cutting off ("abscissing" the technical term I believe) the dying leaf at the base, as the waning light and falling temperatures. Such jettisoning would maybe account for many fallen leaves still containing a large chlorophyll content, manifest in their greenness. Again, I'm not so sure as to the truth of this.

I don't know about plants being able to "foretell" but they do react to unusual conditions in ways that require a certain amount of genetic imprinting about outcomes - reactions to drought and temperature for instance are designed to minimise damage and risk's to the plant's survival. Round here weeks of dryness meant that a lot of leaves were shed - mostly brown rather than showing any of the normal autumn colour - prematurely. Those that did keep their leaves have been able to respond to the arrival of some rain a few weeks ago and go through the usual sequence of chlorophyll withdrawal so have been colouring up properly. I had to take the car beyond the usual town-based circuit on Tuesday and the return of blue sky and sun set off the roadside planting along a bypass section beautifully. I think the best colour is reckoned to come from a combination of cold/slight frost nights(to initiate the shutdown process) and warm days.
I remember abscission layers from school biology, and the fact that the horse chestnut, appropriately, had a nice big horseshoe shaped scar on the twigs from the leaves falling off.

[Serial_Apologist]

I don't know about plants being able to "foretell" but they do react to unusual conditions in ways that require a certain amount of genetic imprinting about outcomes - reactions to drought and temperature for instance are designed to minimise damage and risk's to the plant's survival. Round here weeks of dryness meant that a lot of leaves were shed - mostly brown rather than showing any of the normal autumn colour - prematurely. Those that did keep their leaves have been able to respond to the arrival of some rain a few weeks ago and go through the usual sequence of chlorophyll withdrawal so have been colouring up properly. I had to take the car beyond the usual town-based circuit on Tuesday and the return of blue sky and sun set off the roadside planting along a bypass section beautifully. I think the best colour is reckoned to come from a combination of cold/slight frost nights(to initiate the shutdown process) and warm days.
I remember abscission layers from school biology, and the fact that the horse chestnut, appropriately, had a nice big horseshoe shaped scar on the twigs from the leaves falling off.

Interesting - many thanks. I seem to remember being told that comparison between circle of dots inside the cut off point on a fallen horse chestnut tree and the nail points in a horse's shoe was the origin of the "horse chestnut" name.

[oddoneout]

Interesting - many thanks. I seem to remember being told that comparison between circle of dots inside the cut off point on a fallen horse chestnut tree and the nail points in a horse's shoe was the origin of the "horse chestnut" name.

Yes, that's what we were told, and I see it still is said today; presumably the connection with horses has been around for a while(though perhaps to do with veterinary use) judging by the 'hippocastanum' part of its name. A couple of weeks ago I found out that the conkers have also been used as a laundry preparation as they contain saponins.
Back on topic, it was a return to grey and sunless today, rather disappointing, but tomorrow is supposed to be better although quite a bit colder.

[vinteuil]

A couple of weeks ago I found out that the conkers have also been used as a laundry preparation as they contain saponins.

I remember being told that during the War conkers were used not only as a source of cordite * , but also for making soap products - I believe that that ultimately led (for the Germans) to the creation of the Badedas bath products. Time was that Badedas was omnipresent in telly adverts ** - haven't seen any such for many years...


* https://historicengland.org.uk/listi...-help-win-fww/
.
** https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...e-with-badedas

[oddoneout]

I remember being told that during the War conkers were used not only as a source of cordite * , but also for making soap products - I believe that that ultimately led (for the Germans) to the creation of the Badedas bath products. Time was that Badedas was omnipresent in telly adverts ** - haven't seen any such for many years...


* https://historicengland.org.uk/listi...-help-win-fww/
.
** https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...e-with-badedas

"Things happen after a Badedas bath" became a family joke as shortly after my father deciding he fancied trying it he came down with German measles*...

* I suppose in these more enlightened days I should say Rubella.

[Serial_Apologist]

"Things happen after a Badedas bath" became a family joke as shortly after my father deciding he fancied trying it he came down with German measles*...

* I suppose in these more enlightened days I should say Rubella.

Brilliant!

[Serial_Apologist]

A reasonably pleasant November day today with breaking stratocumulus and gentle NW winds - temperatures normal, maxing out at around 11C, as will be the case tomorrow and Saturday.

It looks now as if with the possible exception of Dartmoor and Exmoor we here in the SE are out of the picture for any snow next week - most likely victims being any north-facing coasts, Scotland and N Ireland, and northern hills in general, but all will depend on the pace and timing of developments from Tuesday as a deepening low, with trailing fronts previously expected to traverse N France, crosses the middle of the country. With a return to more "zonal" conditions the following weekend temperatures should lift, but still remain on the cold side for late November.