Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrr!  What words do you use to describe the wintry weather? There are some great words around the world ...

In Iceland, they talk about gluggaveður which literally means 'window weather' - weather that looks lovely through the window, but is really quite unpleasant once you get outside.

In Japan they refer to fuguyare - a combination of fugu [winter] with kareru [to wither] - this is that specific bleak bareness of the surroundings that comes with the winter season.

In Scotland, in 2015, linguists at the University of Glasgow logged 421 Scots words relating to snow - including unbrak meaning the beginning of a thaw. [tell that to Toni Braxton]

Maybe you are prone to feeling the cold- I know I am. My ears especially react to the icy weather. We bought hats in a CS in Salisbury one surprisingly cold September day, and I now call mine 'My Greta Thunberg Hat because its earflaps and pompoms are just like her Scandi Hat.' 

People who feel the cold in Italy are described as freddoloso, and in Spain they are friolero.  Perhaps they also suffer from brumation - a word coined by an American zoologist in 1965, to describe the sluggish behaviour of reptiles in cold weather.

And we do have a word in English to describe the warmth of sunlight on a winter's day. Now considered obsolete, the word is apricity [maybe people got confused, thinking it was about apricots or April]

However you describe it, just remember to wrap up well. There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing' 

I tried to find the source for this quote - it is attributed to explorer Ranulph Fiennes, walker Alfred Wainwright, comedian Billy Connolly, and 'ancient Norwegian proverb'

Rosie quotes the Dutch cycling mantra to me if I complain about cold, damp weather “Jij bent niet van suiker gemaakt” - that is You are not made of sugar [and you won't melt in the rain]

Do you have 'family' words for cold, wet, or wintry, weather?

I Love Niblings

No, not nibblings - snacks are not good for me - but niblings. I love this word- if brothers and sisters are siblings,  then nephews and nieces should be niblings. I have 1 niece on my side of the family, and 3 nieces, one nephew on Bob's side. The two oldest Almond nieces are expecting babies before Christmas. We're past the autumnal equinox, and the weather has turned- and so I got my knitting needles out. I dug out the Sirdar Baby Book which I bought when Rosie was born. I have definitely had my money's worth with this magazine. 

Already I have done patterns G,H, J, K and L - now I have knitted a jumper in pattern F - a fairly simple stocking stitch piece, with a cable strip up the front and a modern roll collar neckline.

I did it using some Sirdar Snuggly from my stash, in a soft pastel green colour - and found two perfectly matched buttons in my jar. Apart from the front, where the cable pattern took a bit of concentration, the rest of the jumper was quick and easy to knit. Ideal for relaxing in front of the TV. I knitted the 6-12 month size.

On Tuesday I was in Christchurch and walked up to the woolshop. Sadly they have reduced their opening hours because of the pandemic, so I couldn't go in to browse. The corner window had a cute display of baby jumpers showing all the colours in one of their ranges- and the side window had some girls' cardis knitted in Stylecraft Regatta - a pretty random dye yarn, which comes in 6 colourways. I quite fancy knitting one of these. I shall have to price it up. 

I've put my knitting machine online this week. It's not been used since 2015, and there isn't room at Cornerstones. I'm asking £15 for the machine, plus table, 3 extra carriages, a linker, pattern books, and 4500gm of coned yarns. It will be interesting to see if it sells.
I suspect that I am not the only person who doesn't enjoy knitting in hot weather - it is definitely an "only when there's an R in the month" activity for me!

Frost Report

In my ignorance, I thought there was just 'frost' - I was aware of terms like 'ground frost' and 'hoar frost' and 'window frost', but I didn't realise there are significant differences. You can read the full details at the bottom of this post - or just watch this little clip from the Met Office and stun your friends with your weather knowledge [but be prepared for  their frosty or glazed expressions though]

Ground frost ; A ground frost refers to the formation of ice on the ground, objects or trees, whose surface have a temperature below the freezing point of water. During situations when the ground cools quicker than the air, a ground frost can occur without an air frost. 

Air frost; An air frost occurs when the air temperature falls to or below the freezing point of water. An air frost is usually defined as the air temperature being below freezing point of water at a height of at least one metre above the ground.

Hoar frost; From ‘hoary’, meaning aged and whitened, in reference to the shaggy and feathery coating that hoar frost leaves. It occurs under calm, cloudless skies, when there is little or no wind, and when cold air is trapped under warmer air.

Advection frost; Strong, cold winds prettily rim the edges of objects and plants with tiny spikes of frost, usually pointing in the direction of the wind.

Window frost; Also known poetically as fern frost or ice flowers, this is the frost that creeps across window frames forming swirls, feathers and other patterns, caused by the difference between the very cold air on the outside of the glass and the warmer, moderately moist air on the inside. The growth of the patterns responds to imperfections on the glass surface.

Glaze and rime; Frost is sometimes confused with glaze or rime. Rime is a rough white ice deposit which forms on vertical surfaces exposed to the wind. It is formed by supercooled water droplets of fog freezing on contact with a surface it drifts past. Glaze can only form when supercooled rain or drizzle comes into contact with the ground, or non-supercooled liquid may produce glaze if the ground is well below 0 °C. Glaze is a clear ice deposit that can be mistaken for a wet surface and can be highly dangerous.

Wonderful Wensleydale

We just had a lovely break in Yorkshire, courtesy of Sykes Cottages. I hope all their properties are as good as that - our cottage was wonderful. We arrived to find new laid eggs, milk, teabags, home-made marmalade and a tray of cakes waiting for us!

The weather was utterly appalling, and I didn't take that many photos due to the rain. But here are the ones we did manage to get between us.

We arrived in heavy rain on Monday.

Hills and sheep - the view from the kitchen window, out the back of the cottage [longe and kitchen upstairs, to give best views]

 

Hills, sheep, hens and the Settle-Carlisle Railway line. The view from the lounge window at the front.Taken in a brief moment when the sun was shining!

On Tuesday we went across to Windermere. Bob [the saint] thought I would like a trip to the Lakeland Flagship Store!

Here is the Lambrigg Wind Farm. I love these wind turbines, I think they are amazing and graceful constructions.

We got a few Christmassy bits and some baking bits in the shop, then decided to eat our picnic in the park.

Here is a picture of Bob eating his pie from Greggs, sitting on the seat, while Charlie watches me suspiciously. What is not clear here is that it was actually raining when I took this photo. Five minuets later we dashed back to the car, because we were being pelted with hailstones!

We drove on to Hawkshead, on a quest to find a pair of trousers to fit Bob. No joy - but I loved this display of baskets outside one of the shops.

Poppi Red served wonderful tea [in mugs just like those in our Church Hall !]

 

 

Bob's chocolate tiffin cake was flavoured with pieces of stem ginger. Gorgeous. William Wordsworth went to school in Hawkshead.

The grocer's shop had wonderful ornamental gourds on sale.

I had to take a picture, they were so attractive.

Do people ever eat them, or do they just put them in attractive bowls as decoration?

On Wednesday, weather remained poor. We lunched in the cottage and then went to nearby Sedburgh, which calls itself "England's Book Town" [Hay on Wye is in Wales, after all]

We'd taken some unwanted paperbacks with us, and managed to sell them off - and promptly spent the money on more books!

 

Bob enjoyed a wonderful cream scone in a tea shop - run by two Leicester ex-pats!

On the way back we saw a fabulous road sign.

Does "Red Squirrels Drive Slowly" mean

Red squirrels DO drive slowly, or that

Red squirrels SHOULD drive slowly?

I suspect it actually means HUMANS should drive slowly so they do not run over the red squirrels. Not that we saw any squirrels,red or grey!

Thursday we went to Richmond.

It was cold and windy.The Castle was interesting. During WWI, conscientious objectors were imprisoned there.The treatment meted out to these men by our government was utterly appalling.

The "Richmond Sixteen" were actually secretly shipped to the Front Line in France, where disobeying the order to fight could be punished by death. In the end, however, this was changed to 10 years penal servitude.

In the display area, were extracts from the graffiti the men had written on their cell walls. I found it very moving.

From the castle, it is possible to see out over the town. Richmond is an elegant Georgian Market Town.

Also you can see a long way in many directions, toward York, Catterick etc.

Bob took a number of photos till the camera batteries ran out!

Gayle, the lady in the Museum Shop,

  recommended the Cross View Tea Rooms as a good place for lunch.

She was absolutely right there. We enjoyed a splendid Beef Daube with Parsnip Crisps and 4 different veg!

John Wycliffe, one of my heroes, may have ended his days in Leicestershire- but he started life up in Yorkshire.

Bob spotted the plaque on the wall, next to the Building Society.

 

Charlie's arthritis appears to be getting worse.

He found it hard to walk any distance, and spent most of the holiday sleeping in the car or in his bed at the foot of the stairs, by the front door of the cottage.

Fortunately he does not appear to be in any distress.

He is about fourteen now, a good age for a collie.

As we drove out of Richmond, things went rather pear-shaped. Near a sign to the Tan Hill Inn [Highest Pub in England, where Everest have fitted solar panels to the roof, the TV ad keeps telling us] it was raining really heavily and the wind was very strong...and the windscreen wiper snapped.

We had to detour to Darlington [50 miles from the cottage!] to the nearest Skoda Agent, to try and get a replacement. They said they would have it by 8.30am Saturday! We drove very slowly, in appalling conditions, sans wipers, all the way back to Hawes.

By the grace of God, and Bob's good driving, we got home safely, and spent Thursday night listening to the wind and rain and watching Rachel Allen baking Scones on satellite TV. I did lots of knitting!

On Friday the rain had stopped,so we drove into Hawes for a wander round, and home-made soup in the Bay Tree Cafe [I had carrot, leek and ginger, Bob had tomato and parsnip] The little river that runs through the town was full and fast-flowing.

Saw a wonderful cottage door

"AD 1688 - God being with us, who can be against us?"

We had planned to visit the Wensleydale Creamery, but it was closed to the public, owing to a Private Tour.

Well, never mind, another time, perhaps!

Originally Wallace and Gromit's favourite cheese was Wensleydale only because it made Wallace's face look "nice and toothy".

As it turns out  the Wensleydale cheese factory was struggling at the time and almost went into bankruptcy. The success of Wallace And Gromit brought the factory back from the brink and they are currently a thriving dairy!

 

 

I took the picture of the Triumph because it was a lovely bike - but I was sorry its owner had parked in one of the Disabled Spaces in the Car Park.

Such behaviour gets bikers a bad name.

We left at 7.15 this morning, as dawn was breaking. I realised I had not taken a picture of our beautiful little retreat. Here it is, in the early morning light.

We got to Darlington by 9 and the wipers were sorted out. Which was good, because it rained as we came down the M1. Lunch in IKEA, where things were all geared up with half-term entertainments.

The chicken skewers, with harissa and couscous  were delicious.

I managed to get a photo of a man who is actually taller than Bob!!!

IKEA has some nice Christmassy stuff on display. I bought more pickles.

We finally got home around 2.30pm. It has been a lovely restful break, despite terrible weather, and the car crisis.

I'm feeling very relaxed, and greatly blessed. And very grateful,

Grateful to Janice for recommending Sykes Cottages, to Alison and Andrew, the owners of the cottage, to Bob for doing all the difficult driving, and to our Heavenly Father who has been with us and blessed us and kept us safe.

Now it is back to the daily rowing machine,

back to the diet, and

back to the relentless busy-ness that will fill the two months from now till Christmas.

Oh, and back with the clocks!

There's No Business Like Snow Business

Thus far this year, every week has turned out a little differently than expected. Notably

• having an extra week's teaching, when I thought the job ended at Christmas
• spending 1 day in Manchester instead of 5
• spending a night in Hospital
• losing a dear friend, and having to attend her funeral
• spending 5 days in Norfolk instead of 1½

Bob had an important committee meeting on 31st, so I knew if I went, I'd have to go alone.This last trip was meant to be "drive up on Wednesday, attend funeral on Thursday, drive back Thursday afternoon - or if tired, being sensible and returning Friday" But life got very complicated and I ended up driving on the Monday, via Elephant and Castle. Liz rang to say that Rosie was too unwell to go to Nursery, and workmen changing windows meant their London flat was too cold for her to stay home.

I collected Liz and a rather poorly Rosie, and the three of us went up to Norfolk together. Due to an accident on the A11 we arrived just before midnight!

Liz caught the heavy cold too, but still managed to do work 'from home'. We had a remarkably relaxed week [what I needed really] Lots of lolling about on the sofa, plenty of cuddling and story-times, and a little bit of sewing. The plan was that on Thursday I would drive back down, and Jon would drive up, and they'd return together over the weekend. But he rang to say he had the cold and the workmen hadn't finished. I said I'd go back Friday, and take L&R back with me.

Here's the view from my kitchen window at Cornerstones on the morning of Jean's funeral. Isn't it beautiful? I love the snow on the trees.

Very grateful to Adrian and Marion, who collected me so I could travel to the Crematorium with them, and then to the Thanksgiving at church. The three of us went out for a meal in the evening.

Friday my car was loaded and on the road soon after 9 - various neighbours wished us a safe journey. 

We set off. Then a 2 hour delay, totally stationary, due to accident on M11. We entertained Rosie by singing Abba songs and doing hand jives [a driver in adjacent lane was taking pictures on his phone- presumably we're now out there on the Internet!] 

A brief stop in E&C to deliver L&R, and grab a snack, then I set off again. It was raining slightly in London. Just after 3, when I'd got onto the M3, the gantries began flashing "Jns 5-7, 60 minutes delay" and light snow started falling. I decided to come off at the next junction [4] and go down the A31 instead. As did almost everyone else - at which point the snow came down very suddenly and incredibly heavily. 

I was sensible - I could see things were getting worse, and I needed to get off the road and have a rest from driving. I diverted to Bob's sister's house, in Farnham, just a few miles from the M3. The snow got thicker, and the roads got worse, and drivers were skidding, or abandoning their cars... I persevered, and did ok till the final hill up to her home. The line of cars ground to a halt - more drivers parking and walking off- but an enthusiastic crowd of cheerful guys, well wrapped up against the weather, appeared with big shovels and strong muscles, They really helped, by giving our cars encouraging pushes to get us going. I am so grateful to these young men.

I arrived at Denise and Kevin's home at 7. They were wonderful - producing tea immediately, then hot chicken soup, toast, and then insisted I should stay the night. Next morning, we watched the reports of motorists stranded on the M3 - and I was grateful to God that I had left the motorway when I did, and that I had a loving family close by! We discovered my hazard lights were flashing intermittently - and the battery was flat. Kevin charged it up. One of his neighbours had already cleared their road, so I was able to drive away around 10.45am, in beautiful sunshine. 

The clear roads and snowy trees on the Surrey/Hampshire border looked so delightful. Acompletely different picture from the night before, when the freezing cold, falling snow, deserted cars, and the dark had been much less pleasant.

I finally got home at 12.15pm.

What a long week it was! 

Bob had almost forgotten what I looked like - he hadn't expected me to be away for 5 whole days. Yes my week was crazy - but...

• I got to see lots of family members
• I had plenty of enforced rest
• Despite incidents en route, we were kept safe, and I [& car}got home in one piece.
• Bob's meeting was cancelled [due to weather] freeing up time for him to do other things.

"Have you got snow in Ferndown?" I asked him on the phone. "Just a light dusting" he replied. "I try to avoid dusting" I responded - but I came home anyway. I'm feeling so much better than I did a fortnight ago - but continue to be as sensible as I can and take things easy [mostly!] I am so sorry for all the people who were involved in accidents, or stuck in cold snow-bound cars overnight. I know the Scandinavians say "there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing" but all the gloves, boots, and woolly hats in the world don't make travel any easier when it is like this.

Stay safe, keep warm, keep well- wherever you are.

What's the Weather Like Where You Are?

We had lightning and thunder today - and I got in to find an email from my good friend Jan, with this lovely story which I am passing on to you, dear blogfriends

A little girl walked to and from school daily. One morning, though the weather was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her trek to school. By the afternoon the winds had  whipped up, along with lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she feared the electrical storm might harm her child. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along.

At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile. Another and another flash of lighting followed quickly and with  each, the little girl would look at the streak of light, and smile. When the mother's car drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called to her, 'What are you doing?'

The child answered, 'I am  trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture.'

May God bless you and yours today and every day, as you face the storms that come your way.

Let It Snow…

I’ve just made a fast Round Trip to Cornerstones – left at 4pm after the Pastoral Committee yesterday, got back at 1.45pm today. I intended to spend longer there, but when I woke this morning, it was snowing there, and here in Leicester, so I decided to return a little earlier than planned [which meant cancelling lunch with Chris- but we can do that another time!]

I put evergreen wreaths on the front and side doors, my “Light of The World” sign in the kitchen window at the front, my illuminated star [on timer] in the side window, and hung Christmas bunting down the hallway. And left the heating on ‘minimum’ to stop everything freezing up.

I delivered cards to the neighbours, and was sad to hear that Daphne [she was 100 last spring] died last week. I did one or two other tasks – more on that next week - and began reading a new book

This has been on my shelf for ages, but Jim’s recent post on Living Wittily inspired me to sling it in my overnight bag. I would happily have sat in bed till 10am this morning, reading and drinking coffee, but as I say, there was snow.

There was snow on the ground last night when I arrived, and my SIL regaled me with tales of being stuck in Tesco's for 3 hours as a nearby accident on the A47 meant police were restricting the exit from the Supermarket Car Park. [The idea of being trapped in Tescos for three hours actually seems worse to me than being ‘kettled’ in a student demo…] Just round the corner from our bungalow, there was an abandoned car which had apparently skidded into a ditch.

The back garden at 7.30am

On my way home I usually stop here and pick up some eggs

Today the sign was snow covered and all the trees looked like they were auditioning to appear on Christmas Cards!

Horror of horrors! I put the dozen eggs on to the tray – then realised I did not have the right money. After a short dither, I put in what change I had, plus a note with my name and address saying “IOU 10p, very sorry, will pay next time, in December” I know it was only a trivial amount, but I would not want the people at the farm to think that I was deliberately cheating!

The village looked quite charming – but I imagine that a lot of folk do not like the wintry weather as it makes travel difficult. Norwich Airport was closed today due to snow.

The journey back along the A47 was a lot easier than the journey out – the scenery was so pretty and the roads were all clear – but lots of mucky slush being thrown up has left my car very dirty. [Was it Mae West who said “I was pure as the driven snow, then I drifted” ?]

Bob is still working hard on all the connections for the PA system at church. It should all look wonderful when the refurbishment work is finished.

I should be unloading the car and doing other stuff…

Stourhead Story

I promised some more pictures from Stourhead, the lovely National Trust property we visited recently. This has been the home of the Hare family for centuries, one of the first mansions built in the Palladian style. The NT changes the 'theme' every few years, and from 2014-2018, they are marking the centenary of WW1 with "Harry's Story" - there is much about Harry Hoare who lived there from early childhood until his death in the War. This is a useful idea in one way, you get a feel for Harry's lifestyle and that of his parents, Sir Henry and the glamorous Lady Alda - but it did mean I didn't find out much about earlier generations [like the bibliophile Richard Colt Hoare, who set up the fabulous Regency Library] Most of the pictures below were taken by Bob [who has a new camera]

By the reception there is a large book with the first page of Harry's Story, telling of his arrival in the snowy weather of February 1895
We began with a sandwich and a cuppa, then walked down the path to the house itself. Along the path were quotes from the family and their famous friends - some personal comments from Alda's diary, others were public remarks about the War.

I have to agree with her about her husband - I feel the same about mine!

The first person encountered inside the house is King Alfred. I really must find out more about this monarch! 

There were lots of family portraits, including one of Alda, which Bob said reminded him of Klimt's Judith I. Judith was painted in 1901, Alda in 1909. I can see the similarities!

During a massive fire at Stourhead in 1902, much of the centre of the house was destroyed - but family and servants worked hard to save as much as they could of furniture and artworks from the flames. It is remarkable how much was rescued and remains to be seen and enjoyed. 
There is an awful lot of Chippendale furniture - beautiful craftsmanship, wood gleaming with a burnished sheen...

The wine coolers/jardinieres are also Chippendale, but apparently Alda did not like them and had them repainted. I am not sure I like them in this colour.

The window at the top of the library is stunning as the light shines through

I love this collection of wooden document boxes at the end of one of the bookcases

A new sculpture garden has just been opened. The first piece is called Ebenezer Stone's Bicycle. This man worked on the estate but was seriously injured in the War. The bicycle wheels have images of soldiers, a nurse and more. A pair of crutches leans against a tree nearby. I took lots of photos.

  

I really enjoyed visiting Stourhead, and hope to go again sometime when the weather is a little better. The gardens will be beautiful later on I know.