The Pollen Count is Going to Get Worse
I’ve just looked at the pollen count forecast on the Met Office web site. Their new system is here.
It would appear that by the weekend the levels will be high.
Yesterday, I asked a friend, who is a racehorse trainer, whether he had been affected. He personally hadn’t, but some of his horses had had hay fever like symptoms, with runny eyes.
He thought the high levels were because we had a warm April, and that has brought everything forward, so all of the pollen has come along at the same time.
Weddings And Rain
When C and I got married in 1968, it was a summer of terrible weather. We had the only fine Saturday in about three months, with lots of sunshine. One of C’s friends got married the next weekend and their much more expensive wedding was a complete washout.
So I was rather pleased this morning, that they’ve just announced that come what may, the happy couple will return from the Abbey in an open carriage.
After all, a little bit of rain won’t hurt them!
The Great Storm
I’m posting this because of the horrendous storms in the United States. It actually comes from my old blog, which I no longer update.
On the 16th October 1987, we experienced one of the worst storms in the UK. Contrary to popular belief, it was not a hurricane, but it caused more damage than any storm for 300 years.
At the time we lived at Debach, north of Ipswich and we were without electricity for nearly two weeks. Luckily we cooked on a gas AGA and surprisingly the phones kept going.
It is also the time, when I had the narrowest escape of my life.
I’ve always got up early in the morning to work, as it is the best time, when you don’t get interrupted by phone calls or family. But that morning although I was up, I wasn’t in the office as luckily there was no power. At about six-thirty the chimney blew over, came through the roof and went right through where I normally sat.
We’d also turned out two horses in the field that night for the first time. One was an old racehorse, who’d been confined to his box for two years with leg problems and the other was a newly-weaned foal.
They had no problems, as instinct kept them to the safe place in the middle of the field, with their backsides to the wind.
So does the Internet help?
Hopefully the warnings and the weather forecasts would be better. But I suspect that the chaos might actually be worse, as many people would be unable to connect and would be suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms.
The Royal Family was Well-Advised
The Queen as we all know finds that nearly all her travels or events are accompanied by extreme weather. But as least her family seems to have been well-advised in their choice of date for the Royal Wedding. The forecast is showing a grey morning with perhaps a shower, but it all clears up for the ceremoney and the ceremonials afterwards.
You can also argue, that their choice of date has been good for the Americans. It seems most of them are over here and have thus missed some of the worst and most dangerous storms in living memory in the Southern States.
What is that Bright Thing in the Sky?
It wasn’t that warm yesterday and it was rather windy, so all of the locals were wearing boots, hats and gloves but the sun was out. Ad how many times have we been able to say that in the last couple of months in the UK.
Last night as it got dark, I walked round the old city and took a lot of pictures of the floodlit sites. I can’t post them now, as there is no SD slot on the computer.
I ended up eating a very large Greek salad and some souvlaki in a restaurant underneath the acropolis. C and I had been to Athens about four times, but we’d never really explored this part of the city. I’ll put it right today.
I’m sure she won’t mind!
The Good News on the Weather
The Times today, has an item entitled, If you thought winter was dull, you were right.
The South East of England suffered its gloomiest winter on record, the Met Office said. The region received 40% fewer hours of sun than usual between December and the end of February. London was particularly grey, with only 98.2 hours of sunshine at Heathrow – its darkest winter since monitoring began in 1957.
In a reversal of the usual winter pattern, the North West was much brighter than usual. Northern Ireland received 223 hours of sunshine, 62% above average, while Scotland was 20% above average. However, those sunny skies were accompanied by high-pressure systems and freezing weather. It was the most brutal early winter since 1890. Temperatures plunged to -21C (-6F) at Altnaharra, Highlands, for example. But while most winters grow colder this one turned warmer and February was remarkably mild.
Another surprise was how dry the season was. Despite the snow, precipitation was 22% below normal. “This is typical of cooler winters, when the weather becomes blocked by high pressure, which brings cold winds but little precipitation,” said Barry Gromett of the Met Office. “Snow doesn’t actually contain as much water as you think; a 10cm snowfall is equivalent to 1cm rain.”
So this is good news for me, as it explains why I’m feeling so lousy. No sun! My cardiologist, who said I needed two weeks in the sun, was right.
When Is It Going To Get Warmer?
I’ve just watched the weather forecast and although it might be sunnier today, it is unlikely that the temperature will make double figures.
But at least my house is warm!
One problem is that I took my warm coat to the laundry because it was so filthy and I haven’t got it back yet.
I don’t think I have ever known such a period of wretched weather in the UK.
The weathergirl on BBC London also appears to be trying to warm, at least the males up, by wearing a short dress with a low neckline, dark tights and high heels.
Are We That Stupid?
The weather woman on BBC Breakfast this morning was giving snow depths in centimetres and then using the irrelevant inches, which I gave up with all the other Imperial units in about 1970.
The Anonymous Widower 