As you can see from these pictures, we do get some gray, overcast days here. But it’s very rare that we get more than five of them in a row — Andy checked before he bought our solar storage batteries.
That’s a far cry from Ithaca, NY, where we lived for 8 1/2 years. There winter started around the end of October and lasted until May, and we saw the sun only about six days that whole time. I didn’t mind it then, but it would be hard to go back to it.
What are your winters like? Do you get much sunshine?
February 1,2017
Not withstanding the saying “At night all cats are grey” and that grey, in the right setting, can be beautiful, a grey sky sure does have potential to be dismal.
Egged on by your question, and having lived in many different places, I have been thinking over my life in terms of weather. My childhood was blessed with proper summers and snow white winters. And with that snow there was also nearly always blazing sun. Or maybe the snow was so bright white that I thought the sun was shining and my memory has blended out snow storms.
Here, and in the now? Living right at the South coast of England (literally a stone throw or a three minute walk away) the weather is its own law. Quite quite different to inland. Temperature wise I’d say it’s mild. Very. Which is why there are no “proper” winters, ie no snow. Or once in a blue moon. Basically never. I’d describe the climate here as lukewarm; neither fish nor fowl. However, on the whole, the mornings may be a little overcast but, just like now, the sun will out come midday – other than on the days when it [the sun] takes itself off to shine somewhere else. So all in all it’s neither here nor there. And then occasionally – touch wood – all hell breakes loose (remember I live close to the coast) when wind lashes the shores. Which, naturally and what else, is often when it RAINS. Thus the place is littered with people’s overturned and rendered useless umbrellas. You know, Jean, I sometimes wonder why – in this wonderful age of technology – no one has yet come up with a windproof umbrella. Not even Rolls Royce (they give them away with their logo).
May your sky be bright again,
U or, as my grandmother and family used to call me, “Sonnenscheinchen” (little sunshine), “Sonny” in its shortened version – you may, thus, call me self sufficient. Hug.
We lived in France for a year and still remember how the damp cold went right to the bones. It was above freezing, but felt a lot colder than sub-freezing temperatures when the air is dry.
I used to listen to the BBC when I was there. Mostly the announcers were calm and sedate, but one day the weatherman was excited. “The sun is out! The sun is actually out!” That was over fifty years ago and the thought still brings a smile to my face.
I love grey days. I have no idea why.
those pictures to me are beautiful. but it’s more than how they look.
I like the feeling of them on my face. there’s a freshness about them. maybe it’s the moisture we lack so much of the time. if it’s grey and cloudy sometimes there’s a sense of a very fine mist. and I love that feel on my skin.
as you know our days are mostly very hot SUN!
and I like that Ursula is really called sonny.
that’s nice.
here’s to enough sun to re~charge andy’s batteries!!! XO
So far the new batteries have enough storage that he doesn’t have to worry. 🙂
Good luck on getting some moisture!
Lovely.
I agree, I like fog too. 🙂
Our grey days are strictly for the monsoon season from early June to mid September. For the rest of the year we have sunshine without fail even on the odd rainy days. Winters are by and large mild and pleasant here. We chose to live here for the climate.
The climate too is one reason we love it here. But we like cooler temperatures than you do. 🙂
I love Ursula’s comments on the English weather. I spent only one winter in England, and will never forget mist so dense you could put your hand out and feel it. We have a pale version of English weather in the Pacific North West—more sun, fewer grey dayS, which is fine with me!
London used be notorious for its smog, but I assume they’ve cleaned the air now so it’s mostly fog? I love fog, but not smog!
One does appreciate good weather after having lived in places without much sun!
In Minnesota in the winter if it is sunny outside that means it’s really cold!
I imagine it gets a lot colder there than it does here!
In my neck of the woods which is in the very slender part of the North Island – almost the neck of a body – the body being much wider and long than the angular slightly wider than the neck for above me in the Northland region.
So thinking about a neck with the Tasman Sea/Australia and Pacific/S.America on the other side of Auckland – the winter (general seasons) are mixed.
One day in the winter can be the chill wind from the South (the body and the next island down) which means it’s snowing somewhere down there, roads further south in the mountainous region closed.
Or it can be rather wet and windy – a cyclone bearing down from the Pacific
Or a nasty weather chain flying in from dear old Australia – often with a couple of grey/dismal sort of days before it hits full force…
And then there are the “fogs” often well into the day when the cold/warm air from both oceans arrive face to face in my city. Of course those days end up in sun
As do the frosts that cake the grass and green areas…brings a brilliant day.
So I guess I would say mixed!
Your weather does sound interesting! How well do the forecasters do?
Forecasters have a lot to answer for…especially when they get things completely wrong!
A couple of weeks ago they got their “weather bomb” all mucked up. Apparently they coined the term w.bomb; but in fact it was just a very heavy storm – and then they forgot somehow that it was going to hit this city big time, one evening – I think I said something about it being my first stormy night in my new pad, and I was a bit scared.
We didn’t have a power cut but a friend who lives not far from here was out of power for about 2 days – it has caused significant damage to around 46 different grids, and a lot of people very upset…
We’re lucky here. So far when the power goes out it’s only for a couple of hours. I do sympathize with the weather forecasters — there are so many variables.