july 20 2008
The weather has been terrible this week.
Yesterday afternoon it seemed to be a bit better, so I wnated to go to the shopping centre.
It was nice to be out of the house for a short while.
I even managed to find a few things in the sales.
A very nice cardigan. All sorts of grey, with a small spark here and there.
It's one of those items one needs to have for the winter.
It's one you can draw over your knees when you crawl on the couch to watch a good movie.
It was only 3 euro! Woohaaa!!!!
For one of the kids a T-shirt with: "You can't control me", for 2,99!
I didn't feel well, so I suggested to go home with the girls while their dad would get the last groceries of the day.
He needs the quiet and he loves getting groceries.
Outside we saw dark grey clouds nearing, so we hurried home.
I told the girls to go fast when it started to rain and took it easy while feeling the cold drops on my head.
It was one of those summershowers, with thunder coming from far, and rain pouring straight down.
Under the trees on the gardenpath it was dry, and I enjoyed the moment of being alone with nature.
After that I had to put my bicyle away and before I was ready I was soaking wet.
This time I didn't care one bit.
Sometimes it's good to feel the cold rain dripping on your back....
sometimes it's good...
very bad weather
june 23 2008
We were lucky yesterday.
While the clouds were gathering above our head, with lots of noise, I was eating berries in the garden with one of the girls.
Nothing special.
Just one of those moments that disappear somewhere far away in memory and probably would never have come up again.
The berries were nice, far too early in the year.
I was amazed they were so moist, as everything is so dry.
We saw lightning above our head, and when a few drops of rain came down, we just enjoyed them.
A few hours later we heard that a town not so far away had the terrible weather that was enclosed in those clouds.
Hailstones of 4 cm. Going through windows like golfballs, covering the streets with a thick layer of 6 cm of wintery stuff.
Trees were broken by lightning and the enormous wind.
A house set on fire.
We've been so lucky!!!
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opening of the concert season
May 31 2008
Today it's the opening of the open air concert season here in town.
Or to be precise... in one of the parcs at the border of the town.
And as we live quite near the area we're prepared.
Last year I was able to sit outside and listen to some of the better groups.
This year I don't know. It depends on the weather and the wind.
The open air concerts are well visited.
In fact this one was sold out early.
Because the busses are still on stike, people have to find their own way to get there.
When you love walking, it's an option. But it's not very desirable.
I heard from some people who wanted to buy a bus and use it all season to travel to the concerts.
Makes me feel it's hippytime again.
Right now I feel sorry for the people there.
It's raining a bit.
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Thanks!
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The weather in may 2008
may 31 2008
May has been one of the warmest may's ever.
The normal average temperature is 12,7 degrees celcius.
This year it was 15,7.
We started out with 10 sunny dags, sunnier than ever.
But even though the rest of the month the temperatures were above average, we often had grey and dark days.
Yesterday we needed the lights on untill after noon!
It has rained a lot. Especially the last days.
The rains came from the Sahara, so everything now is covered in a fine layer of yellowish dust.
I thought it was pollen yesterday. But it's saharasand. Ugh.
In many parts of europe people have te deal with heavy weather. Rains and flooding.
It's awful.
Strangely enough we had some freezing night in the middle of the month, but I expect they're over now and I can put all the plants outside.
With such a nice month it's always a question here whether we've used all the nice weather which was waiting for us this year, whether all summer will be nice, or whether we'll have to deal with a dull summer with lots of drizzle.
We just have to wait.
Update:
It's just past midnight.
Couldn't be online because of the terrible weather.
It's still raining enormously and the lightning hasn't stopped.
There are many weather alarms here in europe, and here too.
I don't do it often, but during the bad weather this evening I got the girls downstairs. Just in case.
So may ends in a very powerful way.
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Rain, glorious rain!
may 15 2008
I heard a strange noise.
Like a bird fell on a stiff plastic screen.
Then another sound... the same?
And more....
Dark patches of the size of a euro on the pavement.
"RAIN!!!"
I rushed outside, called for a bucket and pulled the almost dry laundry from the lines.
The girls ran outside to help me and in a joint efford we got the large pile in the house.
Like I pushed a button the rain suddenly came down in large quantities.
Rain!! Glorious rain!!!
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Snow at easter
This easter has been amazing.
We've had snow and snow and snow, and even yesterday we were surprised by a white world.
It has't been as cold at this time of the year for 40 years and maybe more.
Never before we were surprised by so much snow.
At some parts of the country even 10 cm fell, which is a lot here.
It's freezing now.
I'm afraid a lot of fruitbuts won't survive, which will drive up the prices of fruit this summer and fall.
Maybe I have to try to take a branch from the apple tree of the neighbouring garden and ent it on a stem here in the garden.
Has anyone experience with this?
Well, for next year we'd better sing:
we're dreaming of a white easter! LOL!
march 10 1008
In the afternoon the storm suddenly started.
It was one huge sweeping wind that bowed the trees, and since then it's howling around the house.
It's not as bad as in England though.
I can't reach my aunt and uncle, so I'm a bit worried.
But maybe they went to their son to stay there untill the worst is over, or maybe they have been evacuated.
So I left a message, asking them to call me as soon as possible, because I want to know if everything is OK.
Storm approaching UK, France, and The Netherlands. Flood warnings UK.
march 10 2008
Stormwarnings are issued for the UK, France and The Netherlands.
Severe flood warnings have been issued for the Devon and Cornwall coast and 44 other warnings in locations including southern England, and the Severn and Mersey estuaries.
This might be the worst storm of this winter.
England and Wales should reckon with winds of up to 80mph (130km/h).
Blizzards and heavy snow are expected for Scotland.
Ferries have been delayed or cancelled, including those between Dover and Callais.
Steve Winston, Cornwall's emergency planning officer, said a combination of factors, including high spring tides and a very low pressure system, could lead to a "severe" event.
For those who want to see the storm "curling", click here and scroll down a but to see the satelite movie.
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march weather
march 8 2008
While large areas in the world are covered in snow, we have to do it with rain.
But not rain alone.
Heavy winds will torture the streets the next days, and their forces are not yet known.
Sometimes I long for the good old days, when even the weather was rather dependable.
In february we had storms, in march lots of drizzle and then spring entered the country slowly and friendly.
Now the first springflowers already have lost their flowers, and the trees and shrubs start to blossom.
The swallows were flying the last three days in huge clouds. Even the blackbirds were afraid of their temper and their loud squeeks while they were looking for a place to sleep.
I stood outside.
Clapping my hands when the hundreds of black flying creatures wanted to push down and sit in the trees behind our garden.
We've given them a place to sleep a few years ago, and everything was a mess.
I don't want that again. No way!
I think the next evenings will be quiet when the winds rage around the house and the birds can't keep their cloudformation.
We'll see.
Bad weather
march 5 2008
Yesterday evening we had a snowshower, but the temperatures were too high for a white world.
The same happened this morning when the girls went to school.
In the south of the country they had 5 cm of snow. Wow!
Even more amazing is the weather in Spain!
They're dealing with bad weather there:
sun and storm
february 29 2008
This morning the sun was shining and it looked like spring.
The hydrangeas are showing faint green leaves, and the forsythia carefully displays it's yellow.
But now grey clouds are nearing our house and we know what that means:
rain and storm.
A stormwarning for the coast has already been issued, but here the rain will first wash away the feelings of pring and promise.
One of my sons is to the coast with school, but he'll be back in time. All he will be experiencing is a firm wind when he crosses the bridge.
He'll be home soon.
Snow in Austria
november 16 2007
In the Alps in Europe the skiseason has started a month early.
There's far too much snow not to.
Last night thousands of people were surprised by heavy snowfall and had to spend the night in their car.
The red cross handed out blankets and rescued mothers and children.
Some had spend 9 hours in the wintery landscape.
People were not prepared for this kind of weather and didn't have the special tyres on their cars, which caught trucks to slide and blocks roads.
For the next day less snow is expected and at many places the temperature will be up a bit.
the storm wasn't as bad
november 9 2007
This morning the weather was beautiful.
We had some spots of sun and almost no wind.
Right now it's raining and the wind is getting firm.
At the coast the storm hasn't caused as much problems as was expected.
There are still places that need careful attention, and ofcourse the usual places are flooded. But it could have been far worse.
In 1953 we had similar conditions, but the storm was just a bit worse.
In England and The Netherlands 2000 people lost their lives when the dykes burst.
Here, inland, the storm was hardly felt. We had trememdous amounts of rain and that was it.
More to come, they say. We'll see.
storm coming
november 8 2007
We're prepared for a storm.
For the first time in 30 years there's careful surveillance of the coast this night.
It's not because the storm will ne as bad, but beacuse there's a high flood expected, because the northwestern winds will swipe up the water to our coast.
Especially the north will get full volume: an estimated 4 metres, which means 3 metres above the norm.
For those who don't know. I'm living in The Netherlands and most of my countries lies below sealevel.
We're protected by the dykes, if they break, millions of lives will be endangered.
I'm living in the eastern part, so there's no immediate danger.
The last full dykewatch was in 1976.
Right at this moment the most southern province at the coast: Zeeland/Sealand is already fully guarded.
South- and North-Holland are next on the list and in the evening the isle of Texel, and the provinces Friesland and Groningen get the advice somewhat later.
Not only dykes protect our country.
Gigantic waterworks are built to enable the rivers to be closed, so no salt water can stream into our country.
The Oosterscheldekering, which is part of the Deltaworks, will be closed.
The Maeslantkering is South-Holland has never been closed before, but depending upon the height of the water orders are expected around midnight.
At the north of the country the ferries to the isles Vlieland and Terschelling have been cancelled.
And those to Ameland are adjusted. The morningboats will leave earlier and after that it's cancelled.
The boats to Lauwersoog and Schiermonnikoog are adjusted too.
The morningboats will leave 2 hours early and the next boats will leave two hours later.
These are the normal preparations for autumnstorms, so we're not really worried.
Huge storm at the end of november?
november 6 2007
I love weatherforecasts.
The weather has it's own individuality and doesn't care one bit what we want.
A british weatherforecaster said we'll get a storm force 9 next weekend.
So what?
It's november, isn't it?
So we're supposed to have storms raging the country, otherwise all those stories and autumnsongs are old fashioned and history.
They're too nice not to teach the children at school and at home.
We're OK with a storm like that.
I'll just put away some things that are now standing in the garden.
Have a better look at some braches, maybe prune them.
I even wish I could go to sea the weekend. After seeing a storm there as a little child I love to be near the sea with that weather. (not to near.)
Piers Corbyn of the weatheragency Weather Action also predicts a storm for the north of europe at the end of november (24-27): force 12. That means hurricane speed.
Well, we'll see.
He predicts the weather from the observations of the sun.
Most scientists say that the solar wind is bended by earth magniticsm and has no influence on the weather on earth.
Corbyn states the solarwind has an influence on the weather.
Well, let's first see if we can find a hole in the sun's surface large enough to create a fierceful solar wind, and then see if there'll be a huge storm here.
Nature just acts the way it wants.
weatherstations at sea
november 4 2007
All over the world there are stations and equipment to measure temperature, amount of rain and a lot more.
On seas and oceans little buoys are measuring temperature and amount of saline of the water. The stations at sea are called Argo floats, and they measure in the top 2 km of the water.
The argo floats provide data to estimate how much the sea is rising though increasing volume due to the rising of the temperature, they can improve the seasonforecasts and they offer insight in the development of hurricanes, tropical cyclones en typhones.
The whole project started in 1998 and aimed an amount of 3000 argo floats.
Now more than 30 countries and the EU are involved.
The Netherlands has provided 11 argo floats since 2004, and soon 9 will be added.
more accidents at the timeshift
november 3 2007
I'm so glad someone reached the international papers about summer- going to wintertime.
Even though it wasn't a scientific report i was so happy with it.
Years after years I've heard mothers complain, fathers complain.
They have all different problems to talk about, but it all comes down to problems that are caused by people who are not adjusted to what's requested of them during a certain time of the day.
The biological clock is out of order because the outside world doesn't fit the needs of the body.
I've been on the watch out for articles in the papers. You know, the tiny ones. Reporting about cars hitting bycicles, for instance.
Often it was said the cyclist wasn't seen by the driver because of the low sun.
So I tried to find out of there were indeed problems of being blinded by the sun.
Well, in a few cases that was the fact, but on many others absolutely not.
It gives the idea the driver was less focussed on driving, maybe because he was laying on the couch at that time during summertime?
Wat do you think?
Do we really need summer- and wintertime?
the weather is normal
november 1 2007
Last year we had so many months with extraordinary weather.
The summer was far too hot, the autumn was far too dry, and the winter was crap too.
This year things seem to have normalized.
The reports say that october was the fourth month on a row with normal temperatures.
Well, it was a bit dryer, but not much.
Still nature in my garden isn't returned to normal.
Some strawberries act like it's spring, and they're grwoing fresh new strawberries at a time they should lay themselves to rest.
In the front garden I saw purple flowers at a plant that should be flowering between may and august.
Will we get a normal winter?
Heavy rains washing leaves from the trees
september 25 2007
The weather has changed tremendously.
We had such beautiful weather this weekend.
And even monday morning the sun was shining beautiful.
Now it's fullblown autumn.
The gardenpaths are slippery from the wed leaves, crushed cherries everywhere.
The bad weather of this afternoon raged through the trees.
We already saw it coming.
First within seconds, like yesterday, it started raining and getting dark.
Then one of the boys called me and told the sky was greenish.
It was.
It was frightening.
But all we had was a lot of heavy rain that washed the leaves of the trees, flooded the garden, and left the area damp and dull.
Internet went down, so I guess there has been bad lightning elsewhere.
warm weather
september 14 2007
It was cold in the morning.
Autumn is well on it's way.
During the morning the weather changed.
The clouds disapeared and a bright blue sky gave birth to... the sun!!!
I needed to get the labforms for the allergytest of my second son.
Ofcourse he could have gone for them himself, but the weather looked so great, and it was warm already that I went myself.
I thought the fresh air would clear my head from the headache I had.
It didn't, but I enjoyed the bycicle ride, and that was the most important.
Had a chat with the doctor's wife.
She worked at the same lab as mu husband during our studies, so we all know each other for a long time.
Now the practice assistant is on vacation she fills in and the practice feels like in the old days.
On my way home I found myself singing.
Had to pass some geese near the lake. They were standing on the path and I had to go past them as the normal way was blocked due to construction work.
The geese looked at me in surprise... a singing woman!
