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Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 7:05 pm
by Monika
We may have been lucky wit the weather but this September has provided us the most incredible cloud formations and absolutely gorgeous sunsets. At this very moment the tall trees across our house are lit up brilliantly by the setting sun and look almost golden.

I know I am "banging on" about this, but our summer here has been anything but wet - no great extremes, but very pleasant throughout. A farmer's daughter told me this morning that her parents nearby who rely on a borehole have not had any of their own water for nearly two months because it's been so dry.

And the skies have been so clear lately that we have seen the Milky Way clearly with the naked eye, too.

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 7:46 pm
by Diane
Wonderful - never seen the Milky Way. I agree with you regarding the sunsets - it was beautiful down here in Dorset this evening. Very cheering after a dismal rainy afternoon.

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 6:25 am
by oldherbaceous
Dear Monika, i think us and a lot of other people are very lucky, in that we still get a huge amount of pleasure from what is just around us. even though we have probably seen these sights many times through our lives.

But long may we enjoy it.... :)

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 7:10 am
by Pa Snip
I think our appreciation of such things is in no small way due to our efforts to work the soil and assist nature by growing plants.

There are of course things other than natural events we appreciate and are in awe of.

Apart from the natural cloud formations and sky colours I bet there are not many who would not look skywards should that manmade object 'Concorde' or its like ever fly over us again.

The full colour spectrum of autumn will soon be upon us in the UK

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 1:21 pm
by oldherbaceous
Gosh, there are a whole load of natural wonders that are amazing....maybe we could extend this topic, to name some of our favourites......here are a few of mine....

Conkers.
Spiders webs with dew on them.
Digging potatoes.

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 2:18 pm
by Primrose
I agree there is something absolutely magic about finding the first shining conker of each autumn. I never can resist picking it up and popping it in my pocket. It usually makes a reappearance weeks later having lost its shine. Somebody once told me she collected them and left them in bowls around her house to deter spiders. Old wives tale? I'd never heard that one before.

Earlier this morning i went foraging in our local park and collected about three pounds of walnuts from trees there. There were dropping so regularly you almost needed a hard hat! . But I don,t have high hopes of a fruitful harvest from them. They were all a lot smaller than last year and almost half of the ones I foraged a few days ago were completely empty inside. - another sign of our very mixed summer weather I suppose.

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 3:47 pm
by alan refail
Coming back to OH's suggestion about natural wonders.

The smell after a rain shower after a long dry spell
Bees and wasps on ivy flowers
A warm hen egg

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 3:50 pm
by alan refail
IMG_1584 (640x480).jpg
IMG_1584 (640x480).jpg (241.72 KiB) Viewed 4052 times


And talking of dewy spiders' webs!

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 4:49 pm
by oldherbaceous
Quick, get some of Primrose's conkers... :)

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 6:36 pm
by Beryl
I agree with all the comments, there are so many wonders and perhaps we enjoy them more now because we have the time to appreciate them.

Beryl.

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:47 pm
by Elaine
I agree with all of the above. The wonders of nature never cease to fascinate and entertain me....
Fungi emerging and opening their caps.
The beautiful garden spiders on their webs and the arrival of the house spiders.
The jewel like berries in the hedgerows.
The arrival of our winter avian visitors like Redwings and Fieldfares.
The Robin and his song belting out after his low profile during the summer.

I am developing a huge interest in astronomy, though I'm not very knowledgeable yet. I love watching the night sky, trying to pick out constellations and named stars. When the Perseid meteor showers show, I'm out there for hours watching them. I have yet to see the ISS passing over yet though, I'm probably looking in the wrong direction! :roll:

Forget the telly....unless it's a Natural History programme....I'd sooner be outside looking at my simple pleasures.

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 10:21 pm
by Geoff
You could go on making lists forever. Every time a seed germinates or a cutting roots - I love raising plants and do far too many, sometimes neglect them later when that first challenge is over. Always something new, saw my first Hawk Moth caterpillar recently, what a beast!

Have you discovered http://www.heavens-above.com Elaine, can get ISS predictions, all early morning at the moment.

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
23 Sep -2.7 04:40:19 45° SSE 04:40:19 45° SSE 04:42:58 10° ESE visible
23 Sep -2.0 06:13:04 10° W 06:15:51 25° SSW 06:18:37 10° SSE visible
24 Sep -0.4 03:50:24 13° ESE 03:50:24 13° ESE 03:50:49 10° ESE visible
24 Sep -2.5 05:23:05 30° SW 05:23:46 33° SSW 05:26:47 10° SE visible
25 Sep -1.5 04:33:16 23° SE 04:33:16 23° SE 04:34:47 10° ESE visible
25 Sep -1.4 06:05:57 12° WSW 06:07:34 16° SW 06:09:39 10° S visible
26 Sep -1.6 05:16:17 20° S 05:16:17 20° S 05:18:10 10° SSE visible

Doesn't copy very well but you can get the idea.

Back to the original title - here's one from last month.

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 7:56 am
by Primrose
We have a footpath near our house where stag beetles breed in the wood of decaying felled trees. . They're amazing creatures to see, especially when they're flying around. They take abiout eight years to gestate unfortunately and risk getting todden on by pedestrians who don't see them sunning themselves on the path. We,ve had to put up notice at the entrance to the foootpath with a photo of them, asking people to "watch where you walk,"

Ankther of my tiny miracles is watching frogspawn turn into tadpoles, and then into baby froglets the size of a finger nail who I often find hopping around my vegetable patch.

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 6:43 pm
by Monika
Two audible natural events I also love: the dawn chorus in spring and hearing rain pouring down when I am in bed.

Many years ago, before I could identify birds by their song, I was lying in bed one spring morning and heard a really loud birdsong amongst the others (we always sleep with our windows wide open). I got up, put on a dressing gown and slippers and went to investigate on the nature reserve opposite our house. My OH woke up, found me gone, called my name - no answer. So he went downstairs and found the backdoor wide open - panic. Luckily, at that point I was just coming back, having seen the noisy singer, a wren! My OH was not best pleased ......

Re: Clouds and sunsets

Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 8:38 pm
by Elaine
Yes, thanks Geoff, I do use the Heavens Above site. I'm on a couple of Astronomy pages and going by what someone advised me I think I did see the ISS earlier this year...though I didn't realise it at the time. :D