Early Winter Bits and Bobs.

[Primrose]

Robo. I sympathise. It's often case of "I'f you want a job done properly, do it yourself".

And some people want to give 16 and 17 year olds the vote! Maybe everybody should have to wait until they're 40. I look back at a few silly things I remember doing at your grandson's age and cringe. .
There,s the old saying, " When I was 18 I was shocked at how little my father knew. By the time I,d become 21 I was surprised at how much he'd learned in such a short time,"

[Shallot Man]

Robo. I sympathise. It's often case of "I'f you want a job done properly, do it yourself".

And some people want to give 16 and 17 year olds the vote! Maybe everybody should have to wait until they're 40. I look back at a few silly things I remember doing at your grandson's age and cringe. .
There,s the old saying, " When I was 18 I was shocked at how little my father knew. By the time I,d become 21 I was surprised at how much he'd learned in such a short time,"

With me slightly earlier, After receiving a letter from the King inviting me to join his Army, I went away thinking my Dad wasn't with it. came back two years later after service in Egypt, surprised how much he had learn't whilst I was away.

[robo]

I would not care if he was a stupid lad but he is an intelligent young man ,he was probably thinking of a certain stupid girl who is chasing him

[Westi]

Been a bit blowy down here! I've never had to re-secure the membrane paths & throw more bricks on my covered beds so often in such of short period of time, not to mention the consistent rain. My bean arch is a goner but will let it fall as it might hold the plastic down for a bit on those beds! I know I said I like a challenge but that's the growing bit, not the peripheries!

[Stephen]

A move to Italy seems even more attractive this morning.

[Monika]

Thick snow this morning! Much of it has gone now but the remaining stuff is really heavy and wet, not good for the few vegetables still out or the wallflowers, pansies etc.

[Stephen]

Just rain down in the south, Monika. Relentless last night. Heavy yesterday morning and windy with it.
The clay/chalk ground here is saturated and very slippery (No, I haven't fallen over yet).

Snow looks very pretty when freshly fallen but soon loses its allure for me. It was more inviting when I was younger and living in London. From my flat it was easy to walk to Clapham Common or Battersea Park and wander through the dusting that London getts (it's very rarely deep). Here in a small town in the Chilterns, it seems colder, muddier and wetter.

[Monika]

I grew up in snowy climes, Stephen, and used to ski to school some winter days, so I have always loved it. Now, that we no longer have a car, it also isn't nearly as disruptive in daily tasks as when we had to use the car to get to work!

[Westi]

Can we call this 'Early Wetter'?

[Stravaig]

The weather in Kyiv has been really weird this year. By mid-November last year we were knee deep in snow and it stayed that way until mid-March. Apart from a quick flurry of snow a few weeks ago, which didn't lie, the temp here has been relatively mild. We're not even down to zero in the daytime yet. The Met Office predicts it's heading that way by the end of December.

Much as I dislike the cold and trying to walk on snow, I have to admit that I'm missing my outside freezer (the balcony) with the festive season coming up.

We had a brief visit to the UK (Kent) last week and the temperatures were a few degrees higher there than here, but the wind and rain meant that it felt much colder. I'm not even needing to wear gloves and a hat here yet.

[Stephen]

People often say how other factors make the UK feel so much colder than central Europe (or in your case eastern Europe). My (limited) experience of Switzerland is similar. My Romanian neighbours comment on it and a Finnish friend said much the same.

[alan refail]

People often say how other factors make the UK feel so much colder than central Europe (or in your case eastern Europe). My (limited) experience of Switzerland is similar. My Romanian neighbours comment on it and a Finnish friend said much the same.

If I remember rightly from my school science back in the early fifties, it's all to do with latent heat. When it's freezing what is being frozen releases heat, whereas when it's thawing the heat it taken out of the surroundings to enable the thaw.
The first time I was in Russia it was minus fifteen in Leningrad (as it was then) and was much pleasanter than the zero to plus two which it was in Moscow.
Not to mention that the humidity level also contributes to how it feels.

[Shallot Man]

I would not care if he was a stupid lad but he is an intelligent young man ,he was probably thinking of a certain stupid girl who is chasing him

These young ladies' have a lot to answer for.

[Clive.]

Christmas week digging has commenced
Rather more seedling weed being deeply buried than we would normally associate with the garden at hone here... and only workable just, due to the underlying sandy nature of our ground.

Seasons greetings,
Clive.

[oldherbaceous]

How I wish I could start my digging, Clive, the ground is quite water-logged at present...we also had some hefty showers today and with more rain predicted for Thursday, it's going to be well into the New Year before I get the spade out....a lot of chickweed needs burying too....