Sunday, 29 January 2012

Sunday Morning

Weather

The possibility of snow is being forecast. It seems that we're in the grip of a cold front, but that there's a rainy warm front coming in from the west which might turn into snow when it mixes with the cold front.

I guess this explains the belief that if the weather is very cold, it needs to warm up a little before it will snow?

I found this rather detailed but enlightening explanation online: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2051/does-it-ever-get-too-cold-to-snow

Saturday, 28 January 2012

Saturday Morning


It's a bright and sunny day, so far.

Last night I set off to Buckingham to catch the bus to Oxford. I was meeting a friend for some dinner followed by a visit to the theatre. The bus I wanted to catch was the 5.20 pm and I was at the stop by 5 pm. It was very cold waiting outside at the bus stop, and at 5.20 pm a bus did arrive, but it was heading in the opposite direction: to Cambridge. At 5.50 pm another bus arrived, but once again it was going to Cambridge. I finally gave up at 6.10 pm and went to reclaim my car from the car park, and drive there.

As I was walking back to the car, I realised just how cold and disheartened I felt, so I called my friend to say I was going home. A couple of hours later, I got a text from her saying I should be happy that I was at home because the play was awful. I don't know whether it improved later, I haven't heard any more.

The RSPB is asking people to do a big garden birdwatch this weekend. They're asking us to spend one hour in the garden and record every bird that we see in that time. They've supplied a little chart online that you can print off, for keeping track and identifying the birds.
It's ideal for someone like me who doesn't know one bird from another. I was looking out of the kitchen window this morning, and spotted a wren, a house sparrow, a blackbird and lots of starlings.

It's pretty cold, and I've already done one hour of freezing outside this weekend, so I think I'll be forgiven if I stay inside and watch the birds through the kitchen window, rather than out in the garden.