Early signs of a chilly winter

[mousey]

I remember a few years ago when there was a bad winter, at the bottom of town [300ft - ish near the north sea] there was no snow lying and no snow falling. at the top of town nearly a mile away along the flat [no idea how much higher it is - enough but not huge] the local primary school was snowed in

That was a winter when cars coming down the main street, a big hill leading to a T-junction and the harbour, would brake slip on ice then carry straight on and if lucky get stopped by a bollard on the quayside

 

[Uilleachan]

Well thats winter here. Yesterday we had some rather raw weather in the form of frequent and at times, savage, hail squalls, quite miserable and cold in the squalls. Snow on the hills for the past few days

http://www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/the-ben-nevis-webcam-fort-william-scotland

No surprise there, just going to get snowier up there.

 

[Tiley]

Winter is my favourite season and I love the cold and the weather that accompanies it. I am very wary of those forecasts that presage freezing-conditions-the-like-of-which-we've-never-expeirenced because they never quite materialize. It seems that the media reckon that, by forecasting dire winter conditions, they'll actually be able to put off the onslaught or at least diminish its severity. Either that or they take the view that people will endure the winter and emerge the other side, saying, "It wasn't that bad" and think themselves lucky.

Yes, it is tough; yes, it can be depressing; yes, it is substantially harder work; but it is also incredibly beautiful and great fun.

 

[Uilleachan]

Skiing started in Scotland today:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-24879707

 

[Toddy]

Torrential rain yesterday, froze solid last night, and it's still white out here, and it's a clear, crisp, beautiful sunny day, if on the tad chilly side

I breakfasted on the frozen raspberries, probably the last ones on the canes this year Might take a wander and see what the frosts have done to the last of the brambles too

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Goatboy]

Torrential rain yesterday, froze solid last night, and it's still white out here, and it's a clear, crisp, beautiful sunny day, if on the tad chilly side

I breakfasted on the frozen raspberries, probably the last ones on the canes this year Might take a wander and see what the frosts have done to the last of the brambles too

Cheers,
Toddy

Yup froze solid here last night too, glorious morning, still icy out, just back from the was memorial. Nice to see a good turn out again this year.
Our brambles got mushed with the frosts the other week, so no more sweet treats for me on my walk (well there are some apples left and some of the wee brambles may have survived deeper in the woods.) There's a patch where we have massive ones like they're from a supermarket, and stalks like steel hawsers.
Surprisingly I'm still getting the odd 'shroom when out despite the frost. Wasn't the best of years this year, a short late season, but a few kilner jars are full of dried 'shrooms for mushroom pastries later on

I wish our wild rasps fruited as late as yours Toddy, may have to buy some and plant them out in the wilds here! Still there's always rosehips and yew arils (don't eat the seed!!!) for that sweet hit if you're out tramping.

 

[Toddy]

If you would use some rooted cuttings I'll dig some up for you ? they seem to grow fine wild around here too; there's half an acres worth of them all tangled up with docken and grasses down over the other side of the burn, growing half under trees there too.

Mine grow in the shade and still produce loads of fruit. Not all at once though like the Summer ones, but every day for two months now I've had a double handful of fruits, and early on a huge bowlful a couple of times a week.
Good eating fruits this way, I pick them for my breakfast, or leave them a day or so and make jam or jelly.

Tbh, I think they're more useful than the earlier fruiting varieties since they stretch out the fruit season right up until now

I love yew fruits I think they are one of the delights of the season sweet, juicy, a pleasure to eat on a cold crisp morning.

atb,
M

 

[Goatboy]

I'm always a tadge worried about putting up that I eat the pulp from the arils in case someone crunches into them and eats the inner seed. Feel it may be irresponsible. They are amazingly sweet though, there's a lovely large yew dripping with them not far from the house.

 

[Toddy]

Uhmmm, beautiful; I think I'm away for a walk in the castle policies; I know just the tree

WARNING..... to anyone in the notion of eating the yew arials. We might love the fruit, but learn to spit! Do not eat the stone in the centre of the arial. Do not even scrape it with your teeth; the fruit comes away easily.

atb,
Mary

 

[Goatboy]

Thanks Toddy, I should've done that when I posted really.

I do love they way they seem to glow with an inner light against the dark foliage, at the big tree up the hill there's a definite line all the way around it where I cant reach my arms any farther up as all the lower ones have gone through my snacking whilst out walking. Looks like a half decorated Christmas tree.

Yup when eating I usually pulp the aril against my soft palate with my tounge then spit out the seed. (As folk wait for me to drop down dead).

 

[demographic]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...now-forecast-parts-Britain-early-October.html

Well then it looks like we could be in for some early winter treats. Its already been reported that the poles are cooling very fast and sea ice is expanding faster than recent times so here's hoping we get a brutally cold one and can play in lots of snow

Trust The Mail to blame the poles...

 

[ozzy1977]

True sign of the councils panicking, I got pelted with grit yesterday afternoon around 4.30 as I passed a gritter out near Melton, Suffolk, Come Feb they will be moaning that they are running out

 

[Goatboy]

True sign of the councils panicking, I got pelted with grit yesterday afternoon around 4.30 as I passed a gritter out near Melton, Suffolk, Come Feb they will be moaning that they are running out

We have a salt store on the east side of the village, and yet the lorry's never grit our main street as they come in empty, so we get the traffic but not the benefit. Still they pay for it when we get cut off as they can't get their salt.

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

similar story again today

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/44...-snow-forecast-for-Britain-starting-next-week

 

[dwardo]

I guess when they start asking long term forecasters if there is such a thing they will get varied replies.
When the replies land on the editors desk the replies such as "will probably be average" "will probably be a bit wet n mild" and the headline grabber "new ice age, would you think of the children"""" well you can guess which one gets published.

 

[udamiano]

new Kit testing weather

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

Its only £195 on Amazon at the mo, but it is new

picked up a copy last night on amazon. £30 delivered

 

[Goatboy]

Well there's a light Mr Kipling caster sugar dusting of snow lying on the hills and grass this morning, don't think it'll lay long though.

 

[Uilleachan]

Well there's a light Mr Kipling caster sugar dusting of snow lying on the hills and grass this morning, don't think it'll lay long though.

The temperature is creeping down by around a degree every couple of hours at the moment, so your dusting may well disappear this afternoon but it will likely be back, and some, by morning.

 

[Goatboy]

The temperature is creeping down by around a degree every couple of hours at the moment, so your dusting may well disappear this afternoon but it will likely be back, and some, by morning.

Yippeee!!! I like still snow. Never grew up.