Hail The Sun?

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

We are now into Summer time, having missed out on an hours sleep on Easter Sunday morning when the clocks went forward. The weather was bitterly cold during the whole holiday. This photo shows hailstones but not from the recent holiday. It belongs to another era, but illustrates perfectly well the way the weather is misbehaving right now.

My daughter, Deb, did manage to get to our house for the Easter Weekend but it was touch and go whether she could get Rick, who has autism, into the car or not. He is too old/big to force into the car and he isn't able to look after himself if she went away for a weekend even though he is almost seventeen. Nor is he responsive to bribery or threats of a computer ban as he would just accept what came his way if he really didn't want to do something. Anyway, after being warned not to buy in any extra food or go to any trouble in case Rick wouldn't get into the car, at the very last minute, Deb phoned to say they were just leaving at about noon on Good Friday. Once he was here, he settled in very well though preferred to stay in his room in the semi darkness with his iPad. However, teenagers tend to do that anyway. He has tremendous power to control the rest of the family, though.

It is a bit hard on Dean, who really appreciates going on trips away and it must be really trying for Deb. She is hoping to get help for him and has recently had a few visits from different organisations in her own home, concerning Autism. Lets hope that something comes of that.

After Deb remarking that the west coat of England was so very much colder than the east, (and I've always experienced the opposite) the day after she left on Easter Monday, we had beautiful sunshine and I was able to sit out on the bench in the sun and enjoy the new light in the garden since next door cut his huge Leylandii tree down.  I did wrap up in a fleece though. It has continued to be sunny but cold. However that is a move in the right direction, isn't it?

To Snow Or Not To Snow.

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

I took this photo back in April when we quite unexpectedly, had a sudden shower of hail.

It didn't last long, but I thought it was rather beautiful and I'm glad that I was able to capture the scene before it melted.

I had meant to post this picture when it happened but the daffodils died back long ago and have been replanted and the moment is over.

Or is it?

I am hoping that our recent warnings of snow will not come near to where I live. I expect anyone who knows me will realise how much I hate walking on the stuff.

Granted, there is beauty in a new fall of snow that stealthily surprises us over night. Snow that hasn't been walked on when everything is fresh and clean.

When this happens there is a real quietness that hangs over everything. This always seems to come with each fall of snow..... the quietness. Have others noticed this?

I like to think that we will get Christmas over before we get any snow and possibly the New Year as well.

A few days ago I was surprised when I saw a woman walking up the road carrying a brand new toboggan because it was fairly sunny.

I called out to her and asked her if she new something about the weather that I didn't. She just laughed.

The toy shops seem to be full of toboggans.

Waiting......

If the worst should come to the worst this year, I have some grips to put on the bottom of my shoes. I ordered them on the internet earlier in the year, but by the time they arrived, the snow was over and I never got to try them out.