Amateur Weatherman/woman
Mummy Muddy Paws
Posts: 671
Have others noticed that when you start to get interested in gardening, you suddenly start to shush everyone when the weather forecast is on? I'm now borderline obsessed with the weather!
The ladies at my son's primary school have stopped watching the weather forecasts and just ask me now (no pressure!), I wondered what other people do to try and predict our unpredictable climate? I use a mix of TV forecast, long range forecast from the interweb, what's going on outside the window, and various bits of weather lore (like lots of berries on the rowan = long or cold winter, we get what America gets but 6 weeks after them etc)
Is it just me that's obsessed (not much else I can do in the garden as I don't have a greenhouse), or is everyone else the same? What do you do to try and predict what to sow and when?
Posts
I have been a weather watcher for 5+ years - not because of the garden but to know what to expect when I have to take the dog for a walk. I don't have to garden if it's not suitable weather but she has to go for a walk.
Ha ha, yes I am obsessed with it too - I'm always checking it. Partly so I can work out when a good washing/drying day is coming up.
I worked with someone who was obsessed with the weather. Nearly drove me round the bend as it was the first words that came out of her mouth every morning. She's still a good friend.
I try not to listen as, that way, I'm not disappointed. According to the forecast at the top of this page, on Wednesday, it said that by today it should be a lot warmer and tomorrow and Sunday would be even better. It's not and I'm not holding my breath for the weekend. I'll take it as it comes.
I'll just say one of my other interests is astronomy, so I have it bad, so bad in fact that when I start my web browser it automatically opens 8 weather-related websites!
Astronomy affects the weather? I know that the moon controls tides, but had no idea that what's in the skies (apart from the sun, obviously), has an impact on the weather? Tell me more, I'm interested! I'd be even more interested if you can predict us some solar flares for a lovely summer
I'm interested in astronomy too Bob...we've had a couple of lovely dark skies this week
I think that the only time I get really obsessed with the weather is when I'm wanting to plant out my little darlings grown from seed. My BiL is a retired farmer...now he is absolutely weather-obsessed.
Nope, nothing in the universe (apart from the Sun) has any bearing on the weather at all, but I can't use my telescopes if it's cloudy, so have to try and plan my viewing sessions around the clouds. Bit tricky (to say the least) in the UK!
DOH! Didn't think of that, of course, you can't see the stars when we're wearing a blanket of cloud.
My beloved is a control freak so insists on taking charge when we get the 'big scope' out...but I have a nice old 4" orion that I can whip out of the garage as and when I want to use it. Living 3 miles from a busy city centre we don't see much...but we still get good views of the planets.
I'm a farmer's daughter so my childhood was governed by the weather - the house fell silent when the weather forecast came on the radio and tv. Nowadays the farmers have much more specialised forecasts available to them but way back Pa relied on Bill Giles and Michael Fish et al. I also grew up learning how to study the weather and look for signs to see what sort of weather was coming, recognising which direction the wind is coming from and the height and type of clouds etc.
Nowadays I check in with the Met Office website every day.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.