I do hear you, but one of the things I love about this country is its fabulously unpredictable weather!
It just refuses to play ball, and that makes it interesting.
So.....a few days short of May, 5deg (again) but feeling colder in the arctic winds. No winter, I was grass cutting in Dec & Jan. After a cold March this is set to be the coldest April ever and May ain't looking much better I'm sad to report. Could be June before even a sniff of 20deg!
They won't tell you this of course, GP's are already besieged with Happy Pill hopefuls as it is, and company after company are issuing profit warnings over unsold stock, winter/summer clothes, garden furniture etc.
The only winners will be travel agents, barring anymore tourist outrages naturally.
I'd emigrate tomorrow if circumstances allowed and on the form the one & only reason would be 'The Weather'.
I do hear you, but one of the things I love about this country is its fabulously unpredictable weather!
It just refuses to play ball, and that makes it interesting.
Ne'er cast a clout till May be out.
'Ne'er cast a clout till May be out' is an English proverb. The earliest citation is this version of the rhyme from Dr. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732, although it may have existed in word-of-mouth form well before that.`
So, the chilly weather and mixed-up seasons isn`t a recent thing, they`ve been saying it for hundreds of years - nothing to do with global warming or any other such BS.
I do know what you mean though.
I want to be lounging in the garden at this time of the year basking in the sun, and would like to think that when i retire i would spend half the year in sunnier climes.
Perhaps in this day and age we all expect things to go our way, one of the things we cannot control is the weather.
There were 2 quite heavy snow falls at Heathrow today.
It was quite a sight for late April, snow howling across the runways in bright sunshine.
The wind was bleedin bitter.
If you don't like the weather in the UK in April, wait 10 minutes and it will change.
I had snow in Galway last week as well.
I like the Weather of the British Isles, it keeps you on your toes. "Nare cast a clout until May is out" and all that...
Not long until summer.
Health permitting when I retire I'll be out of here for three to six months a year. I hate the weather in this country, totally brings you down.
It's quite pointless complaining about the weather, there's nothing at all you can do about it. Tomorrow I'll put on suitably warm and dry cycling clothing and go out for a ride as usual. It's really rather bracing getting out in a bit of weather, the ale seems to taste better apres ride too!
F.T.F.A.
It's April, it's quite often cold in April.
Find something important to get cross about.
I completely understand the frustration, I would love to be attending a festival right now for Kings Night but got to the front door and decided against it, 25mins cycling in heavy rain and wind is no fun at all. Let's hope it's nicer tomorrow for Kings day.
The weather here in the Netherlands is really variable, normally I don't care but tonight it's ruined my plans. Owel...worse problem to have I guess...
Last edited by -Ally-; 26th April 2016 at 21:48.
Landscape/Grounds Maintenance actually. Working outdoors does make us types more aware of the daily disappointments. Only a couple of years more & l'm fortunate enough to be out if it full time😊
As for all this clout out rubbish, that'd be fine if we had summers but if & when a half hearted begrudging effort does happen, it starts in er....August & ends in er.....August!
Next, those who like this climate. Good for you, you've obviously never travelled. Enjoy your heating bills but you'd probably just put another jumper on. You are in denial.
Our climate is an international embarrassment. Britain: 'Land if the white sky' as once described by a CANADIAN!!!
I played golf yesterday, in 4 hours we faced ...winds gusting 30 mile an hour, hail, sleet, rain, sun, freezing cold, and very warm and we are supposed to feel sorry for the Pro's at Augusta when there's a breeze! I hate the British weather with passion, but if it was any better every bugger on the planet would be living here!!
And there's me wondering why I can't sell my cabrio
It's been less than three degrees with icy winds and snow flurries for the last three days. I've just watched the BBC forecast up to Sunday and it's bloody bleak. He was trying to be positive bless him by saying there might be some dry spells at some point.
The weather is just one of a few reasons why I dislike living here (Tories, prices, nothing exists north of Watford etc) but it's a really big reason. It spoils pretty much everything you try to plan. The kids have never seen a great summer and the eldest is 12!
It's bollocks man.
My kids have never seen snow and can't wait.
#2 son was in UK last year and was fascinated by seeing his own breath - also he didn't know the word for radiator ! (we don't have any form of heating in the house)
If it drops to 72F they put on bobble hats and "arm-sleeve" t-shirts.
Just rubbing it in............
^
On the other hand you melt in summer to the point you daren't go out and do any real work...
Last week I was in Indonesia, it was regularly 38C+, but it didn't really feel uncomfortably hot most of the time (jumping on and off a boat probably DID help to be fair).
Someone commented that they'd looked into the relative humidity and that the UK actually is VERY humid and it's that that makes our summer temperatures seem so unbearable (He spends quite a lot of time in Australia and had observed the heat there seemed easier to take than lesser heat in the UK).
I don't know if he's 100% accurate (He's not prone to BSing, though), but it would certainly explain why we wilt at relatively low temperatures that other countries would consider a 'bit chilly'.
M
As I sit here we've got another blizzard accompanied by thunder. Where are those wilting temperatures you speak of? Ah that's right, in other countries.
Glamdring gets it right - perfect temp. You can wear a jacket and enjoy the sun. Even at 22c I get over hot on the tube.
Anyone who likes it nice and toasty should have to commute on London Underground that day and see the appeal then. Answer - there isn't any! Like the snow, great to walk out in first thing in the morning, 20 minutes into the journey its an utter nightmare!! ;-)
I know what you mean. Back in 2014 my son attended the Orange Bowl Sailing Regatta in Miami. One morning, when waiting for the wind, we started chatting with a father and daughter from the American Virgin Island. She was about 12 y/o, born and raised on the island and had never seen snow! She told my son that she envied him because he knew what snow was like. My son couldn't understand why anybody would be jealous for that reason!
(It looks posh when I mention the Orange Bowl, but we were on family visit in FL and learned about the Regatta. So I phoned them and asked if there was a vacant spot. There was, and therefore he was able to attend! Lousy sailing conditions: all days with no or very little wind...)
Menno
I remember being snowed in in about the last week of April in Dorset in 1978. I couldn't get to school for the start of the summer term. It was great.
You wait until its hot and the "What Portable Air-Conditioning Unit Should I Buy" thread appears in a month or 2.
Frustration with the weather at times is understandable. But I can't see the point constant, negative moaning about it. We literally can't control it. So only way is to move to a climate you prefer.
Which is why I've told my wife to **** off to NZ two years before I plan to go because I am sick hearing about it.
;)
I'm not cross about it but I've been fascinated by the weather this week.
I spent my lunch break today outside in the sun with a coffee.. About 2 hours later there was snow in the wind.
Yesterday was much the same but with big hail storms.
My dad is reporting 25 degree t shirt weather in the south of France. Bitter.
Time to Foxtrot Oscar then. I love it here. Take as many with you as you can. This should help with 2 of life's essentials.
1. The price of Donner Kebabs should fall as more people flee.
2. Actually the price drop of Donner's is probably enough but it would be good if all the wingers left.
I know far too many people who have suffered from skin cancers to think of hot sunny days as a pleasurable experience; having to slather up in sun cream to go outside is not much different to layering up for a blizzard in my book, and in the latter case I'm not desperate for a shower as soon a I get home. Although our daily 20 - 24 degrees Celcius and overcast is pleasant, even that gets boring after a while. I tend to agree with the Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes view that there is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.
I also dislike the bloody weather in the UK. Didn`t bother me much when I was younger but I don`t like the cold thesedays. Being retired helps because you can take advantage of the good weather (when it arrives) and not worry about being stuck at work whilst the sun shines.
As previously stated, no point moaning about it because we can`t change it; only option is to move overseas and that's a non-starter for many of us.
Paul
I've lived in Australia for 3 years, France for 3 years, Czech Republic for a year and Switzerland for a year. On the whole I like the English weather best for day to day living, rarely that cold and rarely that hot. Quite benign overall. The weather in Australia was the most intrusive on daily life and I used to be baffled by Brits who had moved to the other side of the world for this one single factor alone. The constant need for slathers of sun cream and hat, sweltering in a suit and tie, droughts, bush fires, monster storms with giant hail stones and fast floods. I'm OK with our UK weather on the whole.
GLOBAL WARMING* - We get taxed the most for it and get made to feel guilty about it every day, yet rarely do we benefit from it.
Oh the irony!
*I'm convinced it's just a ploy to squeeze more tax from those that "care".
It was the King's Day yesterday overhere in Holland. And it was colder than last Christmas
Despite the grim forecasts, the weather was bearable. Traditionally, this day's festivities are ended with local fireworks. Our town's is always located in the park next/behind our garden. And the weather was perfect for fireworks! For the first time in 2 weeks, no wind, no rain and not too cold.
During the day, I noticed that even the small periods of sunshine raise the temperatures. Sort of micro climate: when you pick the right spot, it's warm and friendly in the garden.
Forecast-wise, I prefer https://www.windfinder.com Not only for sailors, but with a lot of open top motoring going on, a very good website for those who want to know what's above their head.
About heat: last year, we went to Tuscany and Venice in July... Tuscany's temps were close or even óver 40C. It took me some days before I got used to it. One afternoon I'd parked my car on the fresh & black tarmac... of the local Coop supermarket. No wind. When I got out of the shop, there was this large Coop sign on the roadside with a clock/temp gauge, reading 51C. I couldn't believe it: until I stepped into the (black...) Volvo. The outside temp gauge showed 52C! The car's AC had a hard time during that holiday. Luckily, Venice a week later was around 30C. That felt good after getting roasted in Tuscany. (fwiw: we have a white car now )
Menno
It's just been awful having to deal with this 30° heat since March ;) hopefully it will warm up a little in Britain for the end of May when in back for the Isle of Man TT :)
It's just a matter of time...
Well, I opened the curtains this morning to see a snow flurry. I felt like closing them again and going back to bed. An hour later the snow had gone to be replaced by bright sunshine. Ridiculous.
I'm now sat in my car watching the rain spatter the windscreen, pretty much had four seasons in one day!
My mate in Oregon (not too far from Canada but it'll be 86 deg Monday) just emailed me to say he's coming over as he's fed up with:
Sitting/chilling(!) in his garden looking at the flowers
Going swimming
Wearing shorts/t shirts/sunglasses 9 months of the year
Knowing what weekend outdoor activity he'll partake in, in advance
People smiling in the street
Using aircon
Eating ice cream outdoors (yep)
Driving with Windows open
Having the house windows open.
He didn't want to go on as he's busy packing his woolies for our summer.
Pretty green Oregon, someone told me they have one or two trees there. Think I saw one once when I was there last. Has rain to apparently, seasons too. In fact, one of their sports teams are called The Ducks.
Just sayin.
Think we all secretly like our dull grey chilly 10 month autumns, in a repressed, british metrological self flagellating way. Bring back the hair shirt I say! We must be punished, we must endure.
Gawd forbid any of us have any thoughts of a pleasurable climactic environment, that's just namby pamby self indulgence.
Snow in June eh.....?
A neighbour is from Eureka, California (yes, the weed-growing capital of the world...) she told us the same about the weather. I always thought that it would be cold out there, but overthere you go out and have diner on your porch from mid February!
The good news is, that Dutch meteo offices are telling about an Azores high coming into our direction. Less wind, higher temps.
Menno
Menno, I want to have your babies.
Well, if you come to Auckland, be prepared for extremely high humidity, that will make a hot day of 26-28 Celsius, feel 10 degrees hotter.
This was the hottest summer I can remember. One morning in Autumn, whilst out for the bus at 6AM, I thought I was in Singapore.
Also, sunburn and skin cancer is joint equal worst with Australia here.
On top of that, house prices in Auckland are barking mad, and the roads are now totally poked with congestion.
Rob.