Spring 2016

[David Whipp]

Have emailed cleansing about the litter bin...

[Stanley]

Good! There are some sick people out there David....
At 21:00 last night we had, as forecast, a light east wind bringing in broken cloud but dry. This morning we have the same wind, dry and an even overcast. The glass is down slightly on 1016mb. The forecast is for a much cooler day (9C) with a constant light NE/N breeze and a high chance of significant rain all day. That's about it, a front coming through, sooner it clears us the better!
06:05. Back home after a dry cool walk, the rain hasn't started yet. The waste bin in Valley Gardens is upright again but loose on its base....

[Sunray10]

Its been a chilly old day today, not much like Spring. Damp and drizzely from early afternoon onwards, but a few dryer intervals in between. Maybe a bit better tomorrow, and getting a bit warmer Friday onwards. Not looking too good for Bank Holiday Monday, with cooler, breezy conditions and maybe some rain later in the day. Was over in Barlick at lunchtime getting shut of some rubbish at the Council Recycling Facility, and then a visit to Greenberfield Locks to see where the abandoned branch canal runs alongside the main cut. Very interesting too.

[Stanley]

Light rain came in yesterday at about 14:00 and at 21:00 it was the same. Boring I know, but the same this morning! The glass is down at just over 1010mb. The forecast is for a warmer (11C) but heavily overcast day with light rain early on and the chance of more at any time. The wind is a very light breeze from the W/SW all day until late tonight when it will swing into the NE. No sunbathing today but lots of growing!

05:30. We went out early despite the gloom because it wasn't actually raining, just a light drizzle, enough to qualify Jack for a rub-down but not warranting a waterproof coat. It's a bit warmer than yesterday and you can see stuff growing! The waste bin in Valley Gardens has been re-set in concrete but it looks like a dry, poor mix to me. We'll see how long it survives....

[Stanley]

Very mild and dry last night at 21:00 with a breath of East wind. Thick, slow moving overcast. Same this morning, no rain during the night. The glass is up a shade at just over 1012mb. The forecast is boring! A dry, slightly warmer (16C) uniformly overcast day with a very light, steady East wind all day. The only excitement might be a bit of sun or mizzle this afternoon. Never mind, it's growy weather.... the humidity is very high and the plants love that. Could be good for insects as well and in that case the Swifts and Swallows will be feeding well.... They tend to fly very low on a day like this.
Completely unremarkable walk to and from the butcher's. Calm, mild, dry and an even overcast. It looks as though it will stay like this all day.

[Stanley]

Calm, mild and overcast at 21:00 last night, what breeze there was was from the East. Clear sky and a heavy dew this morning, still calm and dry. Could herald a brighter day. The glass is unchanged, rock steady on just over 1012mb. The forecast is for a mild (15C) bright overcast day with a constant light East wind. Quiet weather..... still growy!
06:15. shirt sleeve and padded waistcoat walk. A sharp morning but not cold and a clear sky with full sun coming in. Very pleasant. The Town Square is fitted up for the Bands and I like the fact that one tent is labelled 'Lost parents and children'.

[Stanley]

Calm and mild again last night, clear and a good moon. Light overcast this morning but still calm and dry. The glass is down slightly at just over 1010mb. The forecast is for a warmer (17C) bright day with a constant very light East wind and no sign of rain. Nothing exciting but a good late May day! Not long until 'Flaming June'! We'll see.....
06:35. Back home after a pleasant walk marred only by the sea of litter, drink cartons tins and bottle and the occasional pool of vomit. Two litter bins overturned, one on Skipton Road and one in Butts. The organisers evidently did a good job in Town Square because there is very little litter but on the periphery of the town centre it's a mess, particularly Church Street and the top end of the Green. Part of the problem is that some litter bins were soon filled up but a lot is just plain simple 'drop it, someone will shift it'. Am I just being an Old Fart? Is this the accepted norm these days?

[Stanley]

Clear calm and dry last night after a nice day. Still light at 22:00, bit of a shock as usual to realise that we are only 3 weeks off the longest day, June 20th. I always feel a sense of doom as the days start to draw in again, we are on the slope to another winter! Still calm dry and clear this morning. Glass is up a touch at 1013mb. The forecast is a repeat of yesterday almost. High of 17C, good sun with some broken cloud and a light wind, no rain. The only variation is that the light East wind will increase slightly and start shifting towards the north by late tonight.
05:55. A pleasant shirt sleeve walk marred only by the evidence laid about everywhere of the amount of fast food and alcohol that was consumed last night.... more broken glass this morning. Cloud is holding the sun back at the moment but that will soon start to burn off.

[Stanley]

It was a nice day in the end. At 21:00 last night the sky was high overcast and almost calm. I think what wind direction there was came form the SW but it was hard to tell. Clear and calm this morning and sun is coming in from the East already. The glass is still rising very slowly and on 1016mb. The forecast is for a bright overcast day, a bit cooler (15C) under the influence of a moderate N breeze but dry and consistent. Still good settled weather....
05:55. Perfect shirtsleeve walk even left me hat off! A big black fearless crow perched on the rail over the mill race and examined me and Jack very closely. Totally relaxed and making slight mewing noises. It looked to me like a very happy bird! All black including the bill and no trousers on so I think it actually was a crow.... Nice morning with full sun.....

[Marilyn]

Much cooler these past few days here, with rain and morning dew.
I tried to put a fleecy on this morning but then thought I was going to self combust if I didn't get it off again. Then I tried a long sleeved T, but had the same problem working in my sunny kitchen. So I am back to short sleeves...
D thinks I am mad. He has several layers on ( including a jumper) and keeps rubbing his hands together to warm them up. I told him he should sit in the kitchen! Big window and full sunshine...
I heard him call from the bedroom this morning "Maz...can you bring me a bowl?" Thinking he must be sick, I went to see what was happening. He had been sat on the bed putting his socks on when he spied a FROG in the corner of our bedroom. It was just sat there in the corner on the carpet, looking a bit confused. It's in the garden now. I expect it made its way in under the front screen door. I have the solid internal door open all day and there is a bit of a gap under the screen door.

[Stanley]

It takes me a while to adjust as well Maz.
Far more cloud at 21:00 last night and this morning but still dry and no dew. Yesterday afternoon the wind was a bit stronger and gustier than forecast. The glass is Up slightly at almost 1020mb. The forecast is for a cloudier day and cooler (14C) but still dry. There is a faint chance of some light rain early on but nothing serious. The wind is steady and moderate from the NE. Still good weather.....
06:00. Back in the house after a pleasant and uneventful walk. Overcast is heavier and a lot lower than of late. The foliage on the trees is lovely, they are enjoying the quiet weather.

[Stanley]

Broken cloud on a North wind last night at 21:00 but mild. More overcast this morning but still mild. The glass rose slightly yesterday but is back on 1020mb this morning. The forecast is for a misty and possibly drizzly start to the day but I doubt if there will be rain. There will be a constant light NE wind all day which will hold the temperature back to 13C. From mid morning onwards it will be a bright sunny day with some broken cloud. Not Flaming June but nevertheless a good day if you have to be outside.
06:00. Back home after a shirtsleeve walk with no sign of rain. It's a dull but otherwise nice morning. Plenty of heavy cloud but that will go away later they tell us. We are doing better than places further South, they are under the waning influence of a Continental low pressure system. We are benefiting from a high North of Scotland, that's what is generating this NE wind.

[Marilyn]

I've had similar problems to yesterday trying to find the right weight of clothing to wear. Very warm in the sun but cooler indoors. I would rather be too cool than too warm. I can't think straight if I am overheated...

[Stanley]

There is a lot of truth in the old saying Maz, there's no such thing as inclement weather, just bad clothing choices.
Yesterday turned out OK but that North wind had a bite in it. Calm dry and overcast at 21:00 last night, light until well after ten o'clock. Clear sky this morning and the sun is coming in as I write at 05:00. The glass is down slightly at just below 1015mb. The forecast is for a bright, dry day with a high of 16C. The rise in temperature is down to the fact that the HP system north of Scotland is moving slowly westwards and so the wind is gradually swinging from north to north east and later on will be an easterly. It will be lighter than yesterday as well. The outlook for the next few days is a continuing improvement in temperature, could be good for washing bedding! Dennis and Sparky will be getting glossy coats......
We were back in the house well before 07:00 after a very pleasant shirt sleeve walk down to the butcher's. Almost calm and a cool fresh morning with full sun coming in from the East. It's sunny now as I write.... Looks like a nice day!

[Stanley]

Lovely day yesterday with full sun. At 21:00 last night it was calm with high fluffy clouds. This morning it is calm, overcast and misty and much warmer. The glass is down a touch at 1013mb. The forecast is good, high of 21C, full sun, no rain and a light East wind all day. This is a day for washing the bedding!
Back home at 06:30. Lovely morning! 100% light overcast, calm, dry and 5C warmer than yesterday. No sun as yet but that will come in time. It's a good growy day and I have my duvet covers in the washer! Things could be worse.....

[Stanley]

Yesterday never quite delivered on its promise because, though dry calm and mild, the overcast never really burned off. It was calm and mild at 21:00 last night with high broken cloud. This morning looks a bit better so far, it's mostly clear, cooler, and there is a dew. The glass is up slightly on 1016.5mb. The forecast is good. We are promised a day of full sun with a high of 22C and a very light East or ESE breeze. With a bit of luck it could be the warmest day of the year so far.... The outlook is settled and if I had a meadow of grass ready for cutting I'd be out there as soon as the dew burns off! Someone somewhere is taking the first cut of the season.
06:30. Back in the hutch after a nice walk, sun burning through the very thin cloud and the birds singing their hearts out! Good to be alive and walking round the town this morning.

[Wendyf]

It was lovely up here, I got sun burnt while cutting the grass. A lot of activity in the fields opposite me over the last couple of days Stanley, they were rowing up yesterday so I expect they will be siloing it today.

[Stanley]

They look like thin rows Wendy but it will be high quality, with a bit of good luck they could get three cuts. There was a saying in Warwickshire, "A load of hay in may is a load of hay, a load in June is a silver spoon. A load in July isn't worth a fly." But of course the season is earlier down there, I reckon you can add 4 weeks up here and especially at 1000ft! Hay-time always excited me, wonderful when it went well but soooooo frustrating when it was catchy weather!
Lovely day yesterday with full sun all day. Calm, mild and dry last night at 21:00 with broken cloud. Same this morning but more overcast than yesterday. The glass is slightly higher at 1017mb. The high is moving slowly eastwards and so we can expect the wind direction to tend towards the south which should be a warmer air flow. The forecast is for full sun and a high of 23C, slightly up on yesterday. No rain forecast and the light and variable wind is basically from the east but tending all day to SE as expected. The outlook is settled..... This and better will do!
06:15. Back home after another perfect walk. There is a light overcast and some mist but not thick enough to stop the sun breaking through and it will soon burn off. Oldest daughter Margaret rang from Perth (WA) this morning and they have 19C today so we are warmer than West Australia!

[Tizer]

A sticky 28C in our bit of Somerset this afternoon. It gets very humid here when the temperature is high and 28 is too much for us these days. (The Aussies will laugh at that!)

Talking of Aussies, I hope our OG members there are not affected by the bad storms.

[Stanley]

It was warm in Barlick but tempered by our position and altitude, a nice day! At 21:00 last night it was mild, calm and almost clear, just very high wispy cloud. This morning it's clear, calm, dry and mild with a dew, looking good for today! The glass is rock steady on 1017mb. The forecast is for a clear sunny start to the day with a very light east wind. Mid morning this wind will swing into the west, strengthen slightly, and bring in cloud which, by early evening could possibly give us some thunder showers. The high will be 22C+ and on the whole it is going to be another nice day. The sun is coming in from the East as I write....
06:00. Another lovely early morning walk. Mild, calm, and sun coming in through light scattered cloud in the East. No two ways about it, this is proper summer and Grass Day was slightly early this year. The old farmers round here always reckoned on the second week in June as the time when we were frost free and cattle could lie outdoors all night. Global warming seems to be bringing this back to the beginning of June. I think most will have got their first cut and what is needed now is some rain. Not certain we will get any today but the next few days should see some warm showers as the Atlantic low takes hold. It's a good season so far! This and better will do nicely!

[David Whipp]

There's a yellow alert for localised heavy showers in our area this afternoon - potential for a torrential downpour...

[Stanley]

It never really happened David. We had some rumbles of thunder early in the afternoon and a couple of heavy showers later. It was raining gently at 21:00 last night but the flags are dry this morning and it is misty and very mild. The glass is up slightly at 1019mb. The forecast is for a mainly bright, overcast day with a high of 20C. There is a good chance of a shower mid afternoon and the very light west wind will swing into the North this morning and then right round into the east. Very growy weather and the rain last night will have done good. The outlook is similar for tomorrow at the moment. Farmers and gardeners are getting a good deal!
06:10. Back home. Dead calm, mild and misty. You can hear stuff growing! I forgot to take notice of Butts Beck but the ground on the green is no longer cracked and the grass is growing like hell! It's a good morning all round.....

[Stanley]

Light warm rain at 21:00 last night, the garden is loving it! Dry, calm and overcast this morning. I did the Rain Dance yesterday and cut my hair off, no doubt this will trigger falling temperatures..... The glass is down a shade at 1018.5mb, negligible. The forecast is for a bright but overcast day with no rain and a high of 20C. The very light east wind will start to shift this evening and end up in the S/SE. It looks as though the Atlantic lows are gaining the ascendancy again. The outlook is slightly cooler and wetter. Still growy and very acceptable weather.
06:20. Another very pleasant walk. I took notice of the dam on Butts Beck this morning. The trickle over the cill has increased slightly but this is a good sign, it demonstrates that the rainfall we have had has been absorbed by the ground before it could run off. Exactly what is needed at this time of the year. Everything is looking good!

[Wendyf]

Everything isn't looking good! Sparky was struck by laminitis yesterday, presumably caused by the flush of grass after the rain. I noticed something was wrong at about 7.30pm, got him inside onto a deep bed and dosed him with an anti-inflammatory drug. by 10.00pm he was looking more comfortable and the throbbing pulse in his fetlocks had settled back to normal. I'll call the vet today.

[Moh]

Just had three weeks at the caravan - weather has been glorious, too hot at times. We have had no rain but there was a thunderstorm over Lancaster and the Bowland Hills which I sat on the decking to watch.