All posts,  Weather

A hack, leaves and some stats

It’s winter here at Granite Glen… did you know this? Have I whinged much about the cold out loud yet?  I generally do.  Am not a frost-lovin’ kinda gal.

*Hack, hack, cough, cough*

I guess that generally I don’t MIND winter so much – even when I am battling a cold.  Although the mornings are never too much fun, regardless of my health status.  My toes and fingers stop communicating with the rest of me…  they think they are on some snow-capped mountain somewhere and go into hibernation under the impression they have frostbite.  Dramatic darned digits.

Winter also means less hues for me to work with in Photoshop. It usually sucks the colour from the landscapes of Granite Glen and surrounds  because this season is normally our driest.  While we haven’t had big rainfalls so far, little soft drizzles here and there have managed to keep some green in the vistas and the temperatures a little higher than normal.  ‘Normal’ here can mean temps of below zero degrees C (32 degrees F) minimums and below 20 degree maximums (68F).  Cold southerly winds often make outside work seem less than enticing.  We have recorded only two or three frosts here at the house so far – amazing really.  (Remember this cracker of a frost last winter?)

Most of the native trees in this part of the world are not deciduous – so our landscape doesn’t usually change much in that way.  We do have one tree planted by my Mother here at the house which reflects the season….

leaves_0667

A flame tree.  It’s gorgeous, and is dropping the very last of its leaves like mad at the moment.  I arrived home from another day at the yards last week, to find the late afternoon light working its magic.  (Talk about magic on my legs… I wish they were this long and lean!)

leaves_0638

And then there was the earlyhalf-moon was peeking through the brittle rust-hued leaves at me…

leaves_0641

What’s a girl gonna do? Cook dinner for tired loved ones? Or take pics… ah, yeah.

We did eat. Eventually!

Our outlook this week (from the weekend just passed, onward) looks cool and cloudy.  Only minor frost risk (my toes are rejoicing!)…

weather june 26

Actually a sneaky southerly wind looks to be returning.  I wonder how many office jobs I can give myself this week? Hmmm.

To give you a look at what is ‘normal’ and extreme here – our local town (50 km away) records show that no sub-zero temps have been noted this month (we get a little colder here) and that the average minimum is three degrees higher than normal.  It’s not as warm as 1962 though – 30 degrees (86 F) in June – people must have been checking their maps to see if they’d accidentally ended up in the Arizona!  Freaky!

june maxandmin

And 1967 (a vintage year in so many ways!) brought some astounding June rain.  My dad might have taken a day or so off work with that kind of deluge, to help his wife care for their delightful three-month old firstborn. Ahem. I wonder if Mum can recall this kind of precipitation, and if her husband actually took some time off during it. (For the uninitiated, my Pa is not known for his ability to relax.)

So how about you?

Is it wet, warm, wild, cool, cold or mild where you are?

22 Comments

  • JENNY TALIA

    You can have some of the Chicago rain – it’s done nothing but rain on & off for weeks – and it SUMMER!
    I may have to borrow that camera/sun/angle if that’s OK. I want legs like THAT.
    Also proud of myself for not having to google ‘deciduous’ – a big girl word I finally KNEW!
    Maybe you are slowly educating me after all BB!
    JENNY TALIA´s last blog post ..get your motor running

  • Jayke

    It’s pouring down rain here at the moment, which is nice for me because my SO doesn’t work in the rain (landscaper) so I get to sit on the couch under the pretence of “working from home” while he bustles around me cleaning the house!

    And there’s more rain in the forecast for tomorrow…
    Jayke´s last blog post ..Scarlets Photo Shoot

  • Nancy in Iowa

    It’s 76F here at 9:30am in Iowa, but we’re headed for the high 80s. Not too bad compared to the high 90s we’ve had. We’ve got 2-3 sunny days ahead, then back to our raging T-storms, although they have mostly been coming in the middle of the night. My cat gets in my bedroom window and pushes her way between the vertical blinds to watch the storms, so the lightning flashes light up my bedroom! Argghhh!

    Nancy in Iowa

  • Leenie

    We have absolutely GLORIOUS SUMMER! It only lasts a couple of months. Temps warm enough to open all the windows, spend the evening on the porch with a can of mosquito spray at the ready. Mornings cool and sparkly. I have to keep reminding myself that THIS is why I endure MONTHS of snow.
    Leenie´s last blog post ..THE DANCE

  • Leenie

    By the way, we are on the west side of the Rocky Mountains in Idaho, U.S.A. And I don’t know about you, but I really like how the low angle of sun in the fall gives my shadow such long thin thighs (I can dream can’t I?) Love the moon-leaf effect.
    Leenie´s last blog post ..THE DANCE

  • Kelly

    We have about a 40 or 50% chance of rain in the next 24 hours which should keep things a little cooler for us (in south Arkansas). I don’t think we’re supposed to get above 95F today and maybe only in the low 90s the next couple of days. Still fairly humid, though.

    I always love your “moon” shots!
    Kelly´s last blog post ..Salmon Pot-Pie

  • LeeNJ

    Today: Scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 87F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

    Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially during the evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

    Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. High 83F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.

    Tomorrow night: Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 56F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

    Wednesday: Plenty of sun. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 50s.

    Thursday: Plenty of sun. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the low 50s.

    Friday: Plenty of sun. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 50s.

  • Lynn

    How do you pronounce “whinged”? I know what it means; some things I can figure out on my own, some not! 🙂

    Thanks!

    P.S. Enjoying your blog in hot and humid Katy, Texas.

  • jeanie

    Possibility of showers, mostly sunny, partly cloudy all week – they have certainly covered all bases, hey!

    It says today the min is 17 and the max is 22 – but as it is currently 13, I think they know not what the meaning of “minimum” is.

    That tree reminds me of Grandma. Great shots.
    jeanie´s last blog post ..Do you believe in magic

  • ellie k

    What a great day, today my cookbook came in the mail, I have looked at it and read recipes and found a number of them that I plan to make. Your choc. cake sounds so good and I will be making it. Thank you so much. Life is good and blogger friends are so great.

  • Red Dirt Mummy

    It is cold here in Perth but blue skies with not a speck of rain in sight. The nights have been hovering around 2C and the days are around 16-17C. Not my favourite time of year and, even though I personally hate the rain, we sure could do with a few good downpours.
    Red Dirt Mummy´s last blog post ..And Now He Is 8

  • Naomi

    i’d give an awful lot to have such nice temperatures as you have right now. i’m really not a summer person. it’s hot (not as hot as you get, but enough to make me miserable) and humid here. i’m tired of the rain though. we’ve had the wettest spring on record ending a long drought. while that’s a good thing, it’s too much of a good thing and many farmers weren’t able to plant at all because of the wet fields. cattle are fat and happy in the pastures though.

    let’s see, what does the weather show for saskatoon this week…
    Tonight
    Clearing near midnight. Wind southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light near midnight. Low 15.

    Tuesday
    Sunny in the morning then a mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of showers late in the afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm late in the afternoon. Wind becoming southeast 30 km/h in the morning. High 29. UV index 8 or very high.

    Tuesday night
    Cloudy periods. 40 percent chance of showers in the evening with risk of a thunderstorm. Wind southeast 30 km/h becoming light overnight. Low 17.

    Wednesday
    A mix of sun and cloud. High 26.

    Thursday
    Cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. Low 14. High 22.

    Friday
    Sunny. Low 8. High 20.

    Saturday
    Sunny. Low 13. High 24.

    Sunday
    Sunny. Low 12. High 24.
    Naomi´s last blog post ..Business and Pleasure Really Long

  • Scotty

    Well, the lowest we’ve had in my neck of the woods so far is 3C – this morning it’s 8C and the daily maximum has been hovering around 15C for most of the week. Like you, BB, my fingers suffer a disconnect when it’s cold so today, I’ve got my Steptoe gloves on.

    Did you see the partial lunar eclipse the other night?

  • Tracey

    We’ve had chilly mornings here this week (well, for us on the mid-north coast of NSW – I always feel I have to preface any observations about the cold with that!) – only 1 degree C yesterday morning around 6am! That’s COLD for round these parts. These parts being a place where we get by with no heating!

    Up till yesterday the days have been nice – always nice here when the sun shines, but today was overcast and gloomy – the sort of day where you feel chilled to the bone. But you get a couple of days like that here each winter…. most of the time you rug up in the morning, then have to strip off because it gets too hot!
    Tracey´s last blog post ..If you’d told me…

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