mullethunter Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 We did get -4 last night as forecast and as it went foggy as it got dark we had a very spectacular frost as well as very thick ice everywhere. Very pretty but I was quite pleased that the sun came out and the temperatures got above freezing for long enough to defrost everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Wow, that's seriously cold for your part of the world! I hope you are all surviving OK, at least if the sun comes out you can do a bit of basking (whilst dressed up in umpteen layers no doubt). I think there must be a cold snap everywhere, its quite parky here, although not in your league. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Guess what? Raining! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Freezing rain here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 My word it's cold down here. -5C this morning which came as a shock because yesterdays forecast again said -1C at worst and we've had no frost at all before. All drinkers frozen and for the first time since we came here we've closed all the window blinds. Yesterday we added a double layer of greenhouse bubble wrap to the outside of the kitchen door to an unheated store room; just in time (eventually we'll replace the door)! It's supposed to be sunny this morning, but so far it hasn't cut through the mist, so shopping will be delayed until we can open the car. On the bright side it appears the internet is working properly at the moment, but for how long we don't know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 I think the cold may be moving up to you from us! Yesterday was the coldest I have ever known here, only -0.7, but we never go below zero according to our outdoor thermometer, although frost isn't uncommon. This cold snap has been here for a short week, and forecast for another. Its so cold that the hot water in the upstairs bathroom doesn't get above lukewarm, and yesterday it was cold all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Ice, ice baby . . . Very pretty here. Sun is out with the first clear sky for ages. No wind which is making it feel warmer than it looks. I went out in layers upon layers and I sweltered! Thick ice on the duck baths so easily lifted off. I cleaned and refilled them last night so the ice is beautifully clear! And now the movement of the birds and the sun's warmth will keep it from freezing much more slowly.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minnie&Moose Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Bit chilly here too - even the sheep were frosty this morning! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Lovely photo M&M. We used to keep two-horned Jacobs in England and I do miss them, particularly when the lawns need cutting. Forecast -5C tomorrow morning and then SNOW for Saturday through to Sunday; snow is very rare here, having had two mornings of it in three years, which had melted by late afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 2 hours ago, Beantree said: snow is very rare here, having had two mornings of it in three years, which had melted by late afternoon. That sounds like my kind of snow 😊 I do love it though when I don't have to go anywhere and it looks all pristine and sparkly, but hate walking in it when it is all slippery and I might fall over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 Even colder this morning at -6C or perhaps lower, because the nearby city of Tarbes recorded -8.6C. Fleeced the Aloe Vera plants yesterday and hope we weren't too late; the babies around the bases might be dead from the frost yesterday but hopefully the main two plants have survived. Couple of years ago they closed down one of the nuclear power stations which was built in the 1950's and was well past its intended service life. This left France about 5% short of peak demand they said at the time. But despite all the changes with low energy light bulbs and the fact that a large number of business are not operating because of Covid they are saying that the system is overloaded this morning and can we try to reduce usage, so no laptop charging and no clothes washing they suggested? I suppose having so many electric cars now won't be helping either? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 Its snowing!!! We are suffering from something called Depression Filomena, hence all the cold. 2 days ago, when it was exceptionally cold, apparently the coldest temperature ever recorded on the Iberian peninsula was -34, in the Spanish bit of the Pyreenees. I see Madrid airport is shut because of snow. You will need an accurate ruler to measure ours. One that shows 1mm! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 14 minutes ago, Daphne said: Its snowing!!! You have snow and we have had about an hour of sunshine - the first I've seen all week. It's been so grey all the time. Cold and sunny I really don't mind, but cold and grey and lockdown is just miserable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 We had our snow, but it wasn't much more than Daphne had. Whilst it lasted all day, it was very light and didn't settle. Now it's just above freezing, dull and will stay like that until tonight when it clears and gets very cold, perhaps -5C again? Then tomorrow starts clear, turns to rain and we are back to normal Winter temperatures of 3C minimum and 8C maximum, hoping that some sun will make it warmer and save some heating oil. The pictures of snow in Madrid look terrible. Not had snow like that for 50 years they said. It's the wet stuff that sticks and brings down trees and power lines. We had a spell like that in Derbyshire 25 years ago when the power lines collapsed and left us without power for a week. Managed to find a hire centre with a generator fortunately, although it was 25 miles away, so we could get the heating working and have a few lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 It’s rained pretty much non stop during daylight hours this weekend. SO fed up of it now. My chicken run is covered on the top and two sides and then about a quarter of the way down on the other two sides and yet about half the woodchip is soggy with bits near the door where there was actually standing water this afternoon. Horrid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Was watching the weather radar with the types showing. We had pink for snow hanging over us for most of the day while the clouds moved from the west - interesting because the wind was coming from the east! No wonder it stuck! Turned to rain eventually. Very misty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 We've been battered by some storm system or systems for 3 days now. Had strong winds and over 8" of rain so, despite having land that slopes, everywhere is a bog. Put another way that's 200 litres per square metre (20 watering cans) and the total on the land comes to 2,000,000 litres. Apparently all the rivers in our County are flooded, which isn't surprising. All the chicken runs are mud, despite being covered. Difficult to imagine that in another month the sun will be shinning and the grass will be growing madly and will need cutting twice a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 All the plants are going bonkers. Crocuses up before the snowdrops, even the daffs are up and budding before the snowdrops appeared. Gradually they are appearing but daisies are already blooming and the primroses are out. Add camellias to that and it looks like a spring race. 2 days ago the nuthatch was gathering food in it's beak - surely not nesting yet? But a chaffinch today was yanking up moss. Well we have a lot and he needs to work harder. The ducks didn't stop laying, well, Dixie and Cooter and now it is just Dixie with 2 youngsters. Even Peppermint Patty, the bantie light Sussex laid all winter and now that Fizz has started, Patty is having a rest. Meanwhile the snow has gone apart from clumps falling off the roof and it is still misty! But warm - I didn't need my coat this morning. Just as well as it is hanging in the boiler room still drying after getting a soaking last night. Looks like rain headed for us on the radar - which times it perfectly for sorting out the birds tea later on! I hope my coat is dry by then! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 We have a big dehumidifier in the bathroom Valkyrie, which is where all the wet clothes go to dry. Our boiler is in the garage and our radiators (actually convector emitters) run at a low temperature, so won't dry anything; intelligent thermostat which predicts rate of heat loss. We had another 2" of rain yesterday afternoon, so 4 months rainfall in 4 days. But today it's warm, no wind and the sun is shinning and that's it for a few days until the rain returns. Some daffodils coming up here, but we haven't got much of a garden apart from roses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Our boiler room is always warm - except when the weather temperature outside falls below the levels that the boiler is set to. It works by external thermometer and if it is cold outside it either gives a little boost when needed or ticks over instead of a mega boost to warm the house up.   As a result we use less fuel as the house is warm enough to keep OH happy. Which means role reversal - I now feel the heat and he always feels cold. Long gone are the old boiler days when I used to turn it on and him turn it off. I thank menopause for that and for a while I gave him a basinful of what he had done to me. We turn the water on if we need it because the solar panels charge up the heating system for hot water and anything extra power that we aren't using is passed onto the grid. Which means the money we get from the grid pays for our water bill which has seen a big rise due to filling up duck pools! We use a lot of water nowadays! We also have plenty of water butts and tanks - when the set up is finally in place, I'll be making use of the rain to fill those! The rain here has been quite the penetrating sort - and I have a waxed coat! It just takes a bit longer to dry inside the lining. Luckily those days are few and far between - it's only happened twice this winter so far. Radiators work nicely - I only dry the microfibre cloths and jumpers on them - the cats play with the rest! Otherwise everything goes into the tumble dryer - free electricity on sunny days and sometimes cloudy but bright days too.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 We are about to get 20 to 30 cm of snow this weekend! 😳 And next week temperatures around -6 during the day! I’ll freeze... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 Snow is forecast here too - Storm Darcy is coming. Funny how the last few times the snow has come at the weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 We are forecast -10 to -15 next week... so for the first time in 7 years of chicken keeping I took the side panels off of the Go and inserted the insulation panels. I dusted of their water heater too and added extra tarps to keep snow and wind out. Â 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 Blimey CT that’s properly cold. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything below about -8 and that was in Austria. Has it been that cold in your part of the world before? Hope your gang keep warm x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 That should keep out any cold wind and snow @Cat tails Just once we scored -10 on my weather gadget. Then when the Beast from the East came a couple of years ago it was still -6 by the time I had got to school. One of the children complained his head was hurting soon after arriving. I asked him if he had worn a hat.........no, he said. Well, I guess that was why his head hurt so much 🙄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...