Weather

[MrsBiscuit]

21 here today, been a glorious October, in low-mid 20s all month, sun and a tiny bit of wet - definitely ready for some more rain, but really enjoying blue skies, and the yellower light of this time of year, the sun is a lot less intense.

 

[Hen-Gen]

Ah Mrs Biscuit. 21C is hotter than our hottest day last summer. Not that I’m complaining - mild summers suit me just fine. Marigold, the film crews for ‘Shetland’ were extremely conscientious about not spreading the virus and as far as I know caused no problems. I enjoy the dramas though I do wonder at times how many people down south have to switch on subtitles. The young male policeman in it is actually a Shetlander so the series is widely watched. This can’t be bad for tourism and may even attract some folk to move up.

 

[LadyA]

I love Shetland. Although, maybe we should get worried about you, HenGen - such a lot of people getting murdered!
I'll be looking forward to the new series when it becomes available on dvd.

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[MrsBiscuit]

We are in the midst of a wet and windy spell. This morning, venturing down the hill, I had to move half a dozen small pine saplings which had fallen across the road. Last year we had a bad fire around here, and there are still many trees which are all scorched and burnt, but still standing. I guess the first fierce rain and wind has loosened their roots, perched as they are on steep banks in thin topsoil over rock. The small springs and rivers are gushing already, after just 24 hours of downpours. Dodging the rain, its been a good opportunity to plant out veg and seeds for the winter.

 

[LadyA]

It's been really wet here too the last few days, and although today was beautiful, it's lashing rain again now, with a strong wind, and thunderstorms forecast.

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[dianefairhall]

The wee guisers came Friday evening in the dry. It hasn't stopped raining here since.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

What is a guiser, please?

Sublime to the ridiculous here, snow forecast overnight at 1200m (admittedly that's pretty high, so not round here).

 

[LadyA]

What is a guiser, please?

Sublime to the ridiculous here, snow forecast overnight at 1200m (admittedly that's pretty high, so not round here).

Guisers would be children dressed in disguises going "trick or treating " from door to door.

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[Marigold]

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating

 

[Margaid]

"Guiser" is a character in mummer's or folk plays. Origins are 15th century from "guies" - to dress fantastically. O.E.D.

 

[bigyetiman]

You just know don't you when the power is going to be off between 8.30-4pm for two days the weather will turn cold. Plus went to walk down the lane yesterday and thought "mmm that's odd the road is wet and it hasn't rained, then there were puddles, then more water rounded the bend to a giant lake across the road and fields and a huge fountain, the water main had burst, so now we have no water as well, still saved the electricity board having to close the lane to work as a lake and damn great hole are doing that for them quite nicely.
Plus it gives Royal Mail another good reason to not deliver post to us for yet another week. We have a lovely postie, just hoping he hasn't succumbed to something nasty

 

[Margaid]

OMG! Hope they get something sorted soon for you.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

Thanks everyone for the solving of the mystery - I was sure guiser was something to do with the weather, it never occurred to me it was trick or treating! So, is it a term in use in celtic lands, as Lady A and Margaid both responded? Oh,and Hampshire!

I hope you get things sorted BYM. We are having the same wet/wind/cold snap as UK and our phone and internet are off. Our telecoms equivalent of BT are blaming some sort of major infrastructure issue due to the weather.

 

[Hen-Gen]

You’ve probably heard of the Viking Fire Festival we have up here every winter where the squad dress up as Vikings. The chief Viking is referred to as the Guizer Jarl.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

Thanks HG - who'd have thought a thread on the weather would be so educational about something completely different!

Apparently it did snow the other night on the only mountain range where you can ski here - I use the term very loosely, its like 'skiing' down a small hill in your local park. Still very nippy though, beautiful sunny days and cold nights. When we go out for a bike ride at the moment I can often smell loquat trees (the blossom is out now, it smells like baby powder), but today all I could smell was sweet woodsmoke. As an experiment I am burning this Spring's fig wood, as its very lightweight. But I can tell you its still sappy! Waiting on a delivery at the weekend of proper wood, seasoned oak.

 

[bigyetiman]

We had heard of " Guiser" from a mummers play, but the chief Viking Guizer Jarl is new to us, thanks for educating us Hen-Gen.
Always fancied coming to see the Viking fie festival, looks amazing.

As to the water situation or lack of it. You do wonder about some people, the burst is at a T junction with another lane. The roads have all been blocked off with quite substantial barriers, not the usual road closed sign which people can go around. The one on the other lane is open up to a farmhouse and few houses then blocked, last night someone drives down it moves barriers drives down removes barrier by the huge hole which is about 5 ft deep and equally wide and drives into it.
The water board delivered a huge bowser to our neighbour who has cattle and sheep back in for winter, you don't realise how much they drink until you have to fill the troughs.
Electric poles and wires all replaced, still no post, 3 weeks now.

Really cloudy and raining here last night, so we didn't get to see the Northern Lights, but seen some stunning photos from Norfolk, wales and Cornwall. Did anyone manage to see them, from more southerly climes?

 

[dianefairhall]

We saw them here but so you would expect, being 'on the edge' as it were. I hear they were seen as far south as Devon, I suppose in places of Dark Skies. Many stunning photos on Twitter. OH got some good ones too.

 

[bigyetiman]

OH retweeted some lovely ones she saw on Twitter, mainly from Wales

 

[bigyetiman]

Well it's been 9 long days, but today we have water coming from the taps 08 08 08 08.

Road still blocked and big hole but who cares, we have water.

Still no post, entering our fourth week now, bizarrely they have sent a van along and delivered a few small parcels that fit through a letterbox to a neighbour shame they couldn't bring the rest of it

 

[Hen-Gen]

Well this is how it is when you choose to live on these edge of the map places. We never have any such problems here. You bring it on yourselves with your fancy ideas of rural living. ?
But on a more serious note. There are plans to build an offshore wind farm here that would be three times the size of Glasgow and generate enough power for nearly 1 million homes. In conjunction with the satellite launch station on Unst I’m beginning to feel like I’m living in the centre of the Universe.