Just to spread some cheer and joy

[cariann88]

I don't mind the snow. It's went it turns to ice. But it will be harder for me to get to the service user houses if they cancel buses and taxi's are not running.

Fingers crossed it's not a bad winter

[FB.]

Some of my fruit trees have repeatedly been excellent forecasters of the approaching winter's severity, based on how early they start to turn their leaves yellow and how early in the autumn they go dormant.

At the moment, there's nothing unusual to report.

But send me a private message every few weeks to remind me to revisit this thread and I'll tell you what my trees are saying each time.

[FB.]

Just remember if you get what you wish for that's the time your boiler will break down and with the roads blocked the engineer will not be calling today!!!

Our old Potterton gas boiler (which we talked about a year or two ago) is still running, but we expect it to die of old age at some point.

However, for various complex and bizarre reasons, we have about 10kW of electric heaters available which, although more expensive to run than gas (partially offset by us having solar panels, albeit low power generation in winter - worse if covered by snow!), would help see us through unless the power went off.

If the power goes off we would get the candles and coal fire going - we keep several days worth of coal and logs in the garage but usually only used for effect at Christmas. Also in the garage are a pair of 2-3kW petrol generators with long-run fuel tanks (8-10 hours).

[Nicos]

25 cubic metres of wood for the 2 woodstoves ( 1 having an oven and 2 hobs!)
A 3 kw generator ( for the freezers)...and a car full of petrol which can be syphoned off if nec.
A 4x4 wreck of a Disco- which can get up the hill.
Enough jam and preserves and food in the 3 freezers to keep the hamlet going!

I'm OK Jack

famous last words eh???

[Lumpy]

I agree that every year the 'we are doomed' reports start happening but I also think that this year might hold a bit more weight to the doom and gloom.

I know scientists like nothing more than to refute each others work but...El Nino is doing a tango, the Pacific is hotter than its supposed to be and our summer well......

I do hope that anybody mooching through the Vine see's these kinds of thread as it might enable them to speak to neighbours, friends, family etc, if the weather starts heading towards extreme so that a plan for those that are elderly, disabled, parents and kids, ill etc can be mulled over.

[Potstubsdustbins]

One good thing about gas they will only ever turn it off in a dire emergency and I mean DIRE!!!

If they lose the gas supply the costs and consequences would be enormous. I have been in the industry 53 years and in all that time I have only ever known it happen once and that was a stupid mistake by a contractor who cut and capped the wrong main and cut off an entire village. That's why all repairs, connections etc are done 'live' i.e. with the gas supply still on.

[FB.]

....and our summer well.......

Relatively speaking, it has been a good summer here. Well above average. Some parts of SouthEast England set new temperature records this summer.
Our solar panels confirm the amount and strength of sun we've had because they have been producing a lot more power than in previous years.

[Potstubsdustbins]

^^^^^^^^^^I would say your one of the lucky ones, my mates solar panel production is well down on last year.

Have you thought of offering your trees services to the Met office (for a price of course) it might just help them get it right for a change.

[JanieB]

I well remember the winter of 62/63. I was 15. It was followed by a beautiful summer. The trouble I've found with this summer is that it has never really got going and it's nearly over. We've had some lovely hot days but there hasn't been a night when it has been too hot to chuck the duvet off.

I've had 2 winters with no heating or hot water, and I don't want another one especially if it's like the 62/63 one. I CAN cope but I don't really want to have to.

The good news is that I now have a choice of 2 builders, both of whom can start work next month.

[Potstubsdustbins]

^^^^^^^^^Check their public liability insurance.

[Potstubsdustbins]

For a few years in my early 20s I lived at Buxton in the High Peak, climbing, caving and courting SWMBO though not necessarily in that order. The winters up there were something to behold but they were that used to it you hade to have a foot of snow before it started to cause problems and that was only because you would get drifts up to 12ft on the moorland roads. They even had snow ploughs for the pavements a little like a petrol lawn mower.

When SWMBO threw her engagement ring back at me I came home to Notts in the February and people thought I was daft walking round in my shirt sleeves.

[1Bee]

Presumably she reconsidered? I'd love to hear the story....

I remember that hideous winter we had a few years back. I recorded a -15 in the car park at work. We stopped using all the rooms at home, and were managing fine until the drain in the kitchen sink froze solid... the outlet pipe had a column of frozen dish water three foot high. How does water freeze solid vertically?!?!

I think that may have been the same winter the [redacted] in the BMW spun out on a snowy corner and wiped out my beloved Golf. My neck and knees have never been right since... I'm reasonably confident driving in snow and ice, but I think twice and thrice now, because of the other idiots on the road...

[Potstubsdustbins]

^^^^^^I feel exactly the same way. I learnt to drive in snow all those years ago in Buxton, but 2 inches of snow here in Nottingham and the roads become a very dangerous place. Speed wise we get two extremes (1) Just as fast as normal, no way of stopping if they need to. (2) That slow they get stuck on the slightest incline and block the road.

Therefore it is just not worth risking the van to go to work........... so it's days off all round.

[Bal]

My mother arrived in England in the October of 62 from Mombasa in Kenya. She had never seen snow. It was the biggest shock of her life. She didn't even have a pair of shoes let alone boots. Shad always only ever worn open toed sandals or flip flops, and they had an outside loo back then. She got through it though. She never did wear shoes though stuck to her sandals. Until very recently. Even in the snow

[FB.]

Some of my fruit trees have repeatedly been excellent forecasters of the approaching winter's severity, based on how early they start to turn their leaves yellow and how early in the autumn they go dormant.

At the moment, there's nothing unusual to report.

But send me a private message every few weeks to remind me to revisit this thread and I'll tell you what my trees are saying each time.

I remembered this topic from a few years ago and have something of interest to add....

My 'forecaster' fruit trees have been behaving as if it's late autumn in the last few weeks. They're yellowing leaves and dropping them. It's not heat or drought stress (they're triploids on M25 or MM111 so they're strong, healthy trees).
Note that the usually reliable weather forecasters are just three trees out of over a dozen apple trees.

So they're suggesting to me that winter in my area (Cambridgeshire) will come early and hard.

I'm not making a forecast; merely observing and passing on what my fruit trees are saying to me.
It will be interesting to see if the trees are correct. Certainly the last few days looks like the trees are crazy to predict an early hard winter.

Let's see if they're right.